Transcript Argumentative Writing Writing Effective Introductions

Argumentative Writing:
Conclusions
Middle School
Copyright © 2014 Write Score LLC
Review:
Elements of Argumentative Writing
 Claim (versus thesis)
 Logic (versus emotion in persuasive writing) –
based on evidence
 Explanation of how evidence supports the claim
 Counterclaims
A THESIS is a statement that
explains, supports, or clarifies
a main point.
A CLAIM is a statement that is
always
. Claims are
used in argumentative writing.
A PERSUASIVE paper often relies on EMOTION.
An ARGUMENTATIVE paper has to rely on LOGIC.
An ARGUMENTATIVE paper must present the
opposing viewpoint (a counterclaim) starting in
grade 7.
In grade 7 you are required to “acknowledge
alternate or opposing claims*”
*W.7.1.B
Conclusions
A strong conclusion should...
 reinforce that your claim has been proven
 give the essay a sense of completeness and
closure
 leave an impression on the reader
Your conclusion should reflect why the
reader should care about your topic. What
is the significance of your claim? Why is it
important to you? What information should
you or the reader take away from this?
Conclusion – WHAT NOT TO DO
 DO NOT simply summarize what has already been
said—especially in shorter essays. Synthesize YES,
Summarize NO
 DO NOT simply rephrase the thesis.
 DO NOT introduce a new piece of evidence or
subtopic
Conclusion Techniques
A look to the future based on your argument
Let's return high school sports to the simple afterschool activity it once was, like the drama club or the
science club. Give young men and women an
opportunity to develop holistically, in moderation, and
with realistic expectations for their college and
professional lives.
Excerpt from NY Times Room For Debate article on if High School Sports Should eliminated competitive athletic teams.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/10/21/taking-sports-out-of-school-2/make-sports-an-after-school-activity-not-a-competitiveteam
Conclusion Techniques
Ask a provocative question
At the end of life, when medicine cannot help a person live any
longer or stop a terminal disease, it seems in keeping with a
physician's ethics to help an individual maintain their dignity and
choose the date of their own death. Indignity and loss of
independence can be viewed as forms of pain, even if they're not
traditionally seen in that light. Ask any prisoner whether being
imprisoned is a painful life experience, and I'm pretty certain
what their answer will be. The same could be said for when we
age — we can become prisoners of our own failing bodies.
If the mind is healthy (something mental status examinations by
psychiatrists can determine) why not allow an individual the
freedom of this one last, important choice?
Excerpt from NY Times Room For Debate article: “Should physician-assisted suicide be more widely available in the United States and what should be the conditions?”
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/10/06/expanding-the-right-to-die/denying-someone-a-peaceful-death-can-beunethical
Conclusion Techniques
Shocking Statistics or Facts
Armed now with this knowledge, perhaps you can
avoid being the 50% of college graduates who are
currently without a job.
Conclusion Techniques
Evoke a vivid image
Sometimes I think we would be better off if we forgot
about the broad strokes and concentrated on the
details. Here is a woman without a bureau. There is a
man with no mirror, no wall to hang it on. They are not
the homeless. They are people who have no homes.
No drawer that holds the spoons. No window to look
out upon the world. My God. That is everything.
(from Homeless by Anna Quindlen)
Conclusion Techniques
Call for action- Ask readers to do something
Enough is enough. English spellings of the world,
unite. You have nothing to lose but your confusion.
From: A Call for Spelling Standardization (or is that Standardisation?) By Maria Konnikova
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive
Conclusion Techniques
Compare to other situations
Today’s priests of obesity prevention proclaim with
confidence and authority that they have the answer.
So did Bruno Bettelheim in the 1950s, when he
blamed autism on mothers with cold personalities. So,
for that matter, did the clerics of 18th-century Lisbon,
who blamed earthquakes on people’s sinful ways.
History is not kind to authorities whose mistaken
dogmas cause unnecessary suffering and pointless
effort, while ignoring the real causes of trouble. And
the history of the obesity era has yet to be written.
excerpt from aeon magazine The Obesity Era by David Berreby
http://aeon.co/magazine/being-human/david-berreby-obesity-era/
Conclusion Techniques
Suggest results or consequences
I am quite convinced that what hinders progress in
the Arab world is the absence of a free press. The dirt
in our society has been swept under the carpet for too
long. But I am certain that this won't be the case for
much longer. Arabs are beginning to engage in lively
debate over their political and social predicament.
And Al-Jazeera offers a ray of hope. Already, other
Arab stations are imitating The Opposite Direction,
though with limitations. Press freedom leads to
political freedom. Someday, in spite of the attempts
by today's totalitarian rulers, a free Arab press may
help to create real democracy in the Arab world.
--Fasial al-Kasim, "Crossfire: The Arab Version”
Conclusion Techniques
Circle back to the introduction
Conclude by linking the last
paragraph to the first, perhaps by reiterating a word or phrase you used at the beginning.
Introduction
From the parking lot, I could see the towers of the castle of the Magic Kingdom
standing stately against the blue sky. To the right, the tall peak of The Matterhorn
rose even higher. From the left, I could hear the jungle sounds of Adventureland. As I
entered the gate, Main Street stretched before me with its quaint shops evoking an
old-fashioned small town so charming it could never have existed. I was entranced.
Disneyland may have been built for children, but it brings out the child in adults.
Conclusion
I thought I would spend a few hours at Disneyland, but here I was at 1:00 A.M.,
closing time, leaving the front gates with the now dark towers of the Magic Kingdom
behind me. I could see tired children, toddling along and struggling to keep their eyes
open as best they could. Others slept in their parents' arms as we waited for the
parking lot tram that would take us to our cars. My forty-year-old feet ached, and I felt
a bit sad to think that in a couple of days I would be leaving California, my vacation
over, to go back to my desk. But then I smiled to think that for at least a day I felt ten
years old again.
http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/acadwrite/conclude.html
Use your own writing.
Create or revise three conclusions
using three different techniques.