Writing Task 2:

Argumentative Essay Assignment

In an argumentative essay, the author firmly declares a specific position (or thesis) on a
particular issue or cause and provides multiple reasons, backed up by supporting evidence
and facts, for why the reader should adopt that point of view or change their way of
thinking. Being able to firmly believe in something is one thing, but explaining why that
belief is logical and reasonable, without becoming overly emotional, and then backing it up
with tangible evidence can be challenging.

The purpose of this assignment is to make use of the information and sources you already
collected in your literature review and use them to argue a particular point or position.
For example, if you collected information about people’s incidental exposure to English
outside the classroom, then you might elaborate the following argument or thesis: It is
important for teachers to draw on the incidental exposure to English that students have
outside the classroom, especially through digital media. Then, you would present all the
information, sources and evidence you already collected to convince the reader that what
you have said is true.

Assignment Description:
In this argumentative essay you will make use of the information and sources you already
collected in your literature review and use them to argue a particular point or position that
you must elaborate. Your argumentative essay should be 4-5 pages long, double spaced,
12-point font with Arial or Times New Roman font, in APA style and with at least 5
sources cited in APA style. It should include a title, but otherwise does not need to have
individual headings. You may work individually or in pairs.

Steps to Complete your Argumentative Essay:

1. Go back through your literature review and decide what argumentative statement, or
position, you could take as the thesis of your essay. It should NOT be a fact, but rather
an argument you can make, in which some people might disagree with you.
2. Think of what of evidence, or facts, especially those that you already presented in
your Literature review, would help you support your argument.
3. Think of any arguments or evidence that go against your position and how you could
counter or argue against them. (Ex: Some people/researchers have argued that the
English people are exposed to outside the classroom is either too informal or too
inappropriate to bring into the classroom. However,…. and present your counter-
argument)
4. Prepare an outline including the content you will include in each paragraph of your
essay, as suggested in the outline structure below. Present your outline to me by
Thursday, January 4th in class and/or by email.
5. Write your full argumentative essay. Submit a rough draft by Thursday, January 10th so
that you can get feedback. Your final draft of the argumentative essay will be due by
Wednesday, January 23rd.

See:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/essay_writing/argumentative
_essays.html to read more about argumentative essays.

See: https://www.mesacc.edu/~paoih30491/Refutationpgphs.html to read more about how

to formulate your “counter-arguments” paragraph or paragraphs.
Suggested Outline for Writing your Argumentative Essay
*Please note that this is only a sample format. There are multiple ways to organize an
argumentative paper

INTRODUCTION
o 1-2 paragraphs
o PURPOSE: To set up and state one’s claim
o OPTIONAL ELEMENTS
Make your introductory paragraph interesting. How can you draw your readers in?
What background information, if any, do we need to know in order to understand your
claim? If you don’t follow this paragraph with a background information paragraph, please
insert that info here.
o REQUIRED ELEMENTS
If you’re arguing about an issue or theory – provide brief explanation or your of
issue/theory.
STATE your claim (or thesis or argument you are trying to support) at the end of your
introductory paragraph

BACKGROUND PARAGRAPH (Optional)

o 1-2 paragraphs. Also, sometimes this info is incorporated into the introduction paragraph
(see above).
o PURPOSE: Lays the foundation for proving your argument.
o Will often include:
Summary of works being discussed
Definition of key terms
Explanation of key theories

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE PARAGRAPH #1

o PURPOSE: To support your argument.
o Topic Sentence: What is one item, fact, detail, or example you can tell your readers that
will help them better understand your claim/paper topic? Your answer should be the topic
sentence for this paragraph.
o Explain Topic Sentence: Do you need to explain your topic sentence? If so, do so here.
o Introduce Evidence: Introduce your evidence either in a few words (As Dr. Brown states
―…‖) or in a full sentence (―To understand this issue we first need to look at statistics).
o State Evidence: What supporting evidence (reasons, examples, facts, statistics, and/or
quotations) can you include to prove/support/explain your topic sentence?
o Explain Evidence: How should we read or interpret the evidence you are providing us?
How does this evidence prove the point you are trying to make in this paragraph?
o Concluding Sentence: End your paragraph with a concluding sentence that reasserts how
the topic sentence of this paragraph helps up better understand and/or support your paper’s
overall claim.

SUPPORTING EVIDENCE PARAGRAPH #2, 3, 4 etc.

o Repeat above

COUNTERARGUMENT PARAGRAPH
o PURPOSE: To anticipate your reader’s objections; make yourself sound more objective
and reasonable.
o What possible argument might your reader (or other researchers, etc.) pose against your
argument and/or some aspect of your reasoning? Insert one or more of those arguments
here and refute them.
o End paragraph with a concluding sentence that reasserts your paper’s claim as a whole.

CONCLUSION PART 1: SUM UP PARAGRAPH

o PURPOSE: Remind readers of your argument and supporting evidence
o Restates your paper’s overall claim and supporting evidence

CONCLUSION PART 2: YOUR “SO WHAT” PARAGRAPH

o PURPOSE: To illustrate to your instructor that you have thought critically and
analytically about this issue.
o Your conclusion should not simply restate your intro paragraph. If your conclusion says
almost the exact same thing as your introduction, it may indicate that you have not done
enough critical thinking during the course of your essay (since you ended up right where
you started).

o Your conclusion should tell us why we should care about your paper. What is the
significance of your claim? Why is it important to you as the writer or to me as the reader?
What information should you or I take away from this?

o Your conclusion should create a sense of movement to a more complex understanding of

the subject of your paper. By the end of your essay, you should have worked through your
ideas enough so that your reader understands what you have argued and is ready to hear the
larger point (i.e. the "so what") you want to make about your topic.

o Your conclusion should serve as the climax of your paper. So, save your strongest
analytical points for the end of your essay, and use them to drive your conclusion