Week 10 · Wednesday: Argument Writing (Reading and Writing 6-8)

Wednesday: Writing Lab, the Other Side

Rocket reads his shade tent draft aloud at the Signal Desk. Raven listens with her arms folded.

"Now I am a neighbor who hates the idea," she says. "A tent will block my view of the flowers."

Rocket opens his mouth, then shuts it. "I did not think about that."

"What do you notice when a writer ignores the other side?" Raven asks.

"I trust them less," Rocket says. "Like they are hiding something."

Nova hovers by the lamp. "A fair writer says the other side's best point out loud," she says. "Then answers it."

Rocket writes: "Some neighbors may say a tent would block the view." He pauses. "Open sides. Only over the seedlings."

"Now I believe you," Raven says, unfolding her arms.

Learn it: the counterclaim and your answer

A counterclaim is what someone on the other side would say. A strong argument names the other side's best point and answers it.

Raven thinks aloud: "The counterclaim is that a tent blocks the view. The answer is open sides over the seedling beds only. The answer fits the worry exactly."

Say the counterclaim fairly, in words the other side would accept. Then answer it with a reason or evidence, not with a shrug.

Transitions help here: "Some may say..." introduces the counterclaim. "However..." or "Even so..." introduces your answer.

Write the other side's best point in one fair sentence.
Answer it with evidence or a reason that fits that exact point.
Use a transition: Some may say, However, Even so, That is why.
Keep your tone kind. You are convincing a neighbor, not winning a fight.

Read it: a mentor argument with a counterclaim

Read it

Keep the Skate Ramp Open Until Dark (a letter from a reader on Maple Street)
The skate ramp behind the library branch should stay open until dark on school days.
First, most kids on our block get home after four, and the ramp now closes at five.
An hour is barely enough time to walk over, warm up and take a few runs.
Second, the ramp is the one place on the block where kids of different ages play together.
In this week's Signal, a sixth grader said the older skaters taught her to drop in safely.
That kind of teaching only happens when there is time for it.
Some neighbors may say that a later closing time means more noise at dinner.
However, the ramp sits behind the library, with the parking lot between it and the nearest houses.
The library already closes at dark, and the ramp could follow the same sign.
Keeping the ramp open until dark would give the block's kids a safe place and a reason to be there together.

CHECK IT: THE COUNTERCLAIM

Read the question.
Tap your answer.

Which sentence states the counterclaim, the other side's point?

How does the letter answer the counterclaim?

Which transition word introduces the writer's answer to the other side?

Which piece of evidence comes from a text the letter names?

PUT THE PARTS OF AN ARGUMENT IN ORDER

Which part comes first in an argument?
Tap the cards in order.

1First

2Second

3Third

4Fourth

5Last

Type the transition phrase that introduces the counterclaim in the skate ramp letter (three words).

Type the one-word transition that introduces the answer to the counterclaim.

Fair or not fair?	Fair?
Some neighbors may worry about noise, and that worry deserves an answer.	?
Anyone who worries about noise has never been to the ramp.	?
Even so, the ramp sits behind the library, away from the houses.	?
People who disagree with me are just wrong.	?

WHY THIS EXERCISEReaders trust a writer who treats the other side with respect and still answers it.

Try it

Tell someone at home your claim. Ask them to argue the other side for one minute.
Write down their best point. That is the counterclaim your draft needs to answer.

Checklist

My claim is one clear sentence at the top.
Each reason has evidence that fits it, and I say where the evidence comes from.
I state the other side's best point fairly, then answer it.
I use transitions: First, Second, For example, Some may say, However.
Every sentence is complete, and my tone is kind.

Signal notebook, Writing Lab: write the other side's best point against your claim in one fair sentence. Start with "Some may say".Answer it in two or three sentences. Start your answer with However or Even so.Now draft your whole argument in order: claim, reasons with evidence, counterclaim, answer. Check it against the Checklist.Read the skate ramp letter once more. Write two sentences about how its answer to the noise worry made you feel about the writer.

A fair answer to the other side wins trust. Tomorrow we write a conclusion that follows and make every pronoun agree.