Planning the Argument Essay

Name: ___________________________  Class: _______  Planning the Argument Essay

After you have collected and read your sources, begin to plan your argument essay. Refer to the handout that provides an overview of the assignment.

I. Write a tentative thesis/claim, a working draft that you will continue to refine and revise as you progress.

Ex. While the story “Am I Blue?” by Bruce Coville deals with gaybashing and contains explicit language such as “faggot”, it should remain in the 8th grade curriculum because it encourages people to accept homosexuality.

Thesis statement structures:

The text ____________________ should/should not be removed from middle school libraries because ____________________

Even though the text includes ____________, middle school students should/should not have access to it because ____________________

Because of ____________________, the appropriate audience for this text is ____________________

Your thesis/claim:

II. Write at least 3-5 reasons to support your thesis; these are your topic sentences. These do not have to be in any definite order.

Supporting Reasons:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

III. Reread your sources and your notes and choose the evidence that best supports the reasons; use a variety of compelling evidence that is relevant, accurate, and credible. Plan your essay in your notebook or on outline sheet.

IV. Reflect on and evaluate your research: What information and evidence do you still need? What do you need to do to acquire enough reliable research to help you write a convincing argument?

V. Create a specific outline that lists thesis, reasons, and best evidence. Follow samples gone over in class.

Outline

I.               Introduction:

a.     Hook:

b.     Include title and author; give context or background

c.     Thesis:

II.             Body:

a. Paragraph 1 - Topic sentence:

• Evidence 1:

• Evidence 2:

b. Paragraph 1 - Topic sentence:

• Evidence 1:

• Evidence 2:

c. Paragraph 1 - Topic sentence:

• Evidence 1:

• Evidence 2:

III.           Conclusion:                                               

• Connect the topic to the readers and to real life
• Suggest a way to think or act

Sample Outline for Argument Essay (version 1)

Tentative thesis: School libraries and English teachers should not censor texts that deal with controversial issues.

1.     Many parents, uncomfortable with controversial issues in young adult books their children are reading, have pushed schools to censor texts.

§       Author Ellen Hopkins was banned from a literary festival in Houston, Texas.

§       Parents tried to ban “Am I Blue?” from a middle school classroom in Solon, Iowa.

§       However, as Camille Powell, a school librarian, suggests, it would be better to have a forum for parents to ask questions and engage in thoughtful dialogue over how these books affect young-adult readers (Bildner 2)

2.     Censoring authors is unconstitutional.

§       Ellen Hopkins blogged that: “As authors, we must maintain a unified voice against the idea that one person, or even a few, has the right to decide for everyone else what they are allowed to read, or what information they can have access to.” (Bildner 2)

§       “Several industry publications rushed to the author’s defense, and a letter of protest from six national organizations, including National Coalition Against Censorship, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and the National Council of Teachers of English, excoriated the superintendent for violating ‘basic constitutional principles.’” (Bildner 2)

3.     There is a need for young people to learn about different, non-traditional lifestyles and issues such as homosexuality.

§       According to a survey by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, “about 84 percent of youth report being verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation.”

§       “I’m trying to teach tolerance and respect for all people” Sue Protheroe said

§       I read the story “Am I Blue?”; it shows the readers how wrong gaybashing is and highlights the reality that “there are gay people everywhere”, thus promoting tolerance

Revised thesis statement:

School libraries and English teachers should not censor texts that deal with controversial issues such as homosexuality and drug addiction because censorship is unconstitutional and young people learn tolerance and understanding by reading about a variety of experiences and lifestyles; instead, parents and teachers should talk to young people reading these books to help them understand and deal with these issues.

Sample Outline for Argument Essay (version 2)

Tentative thesis: School libraries and English teachers should not censor texts that deal with controversial issues.

1. In the article “Texas: If You Can’t Ban Books, Ban Authors”, Phil Bildner discusses how Ellen Hopkins, young-adult writer, was banned from a literary festival.
• Ellen Hopkins, a young-adult author, was banned from the “Peace, Love and Books” literary festival in Houston, Texas
• Her Crank trilogy deals with difficult issues such as drugs, suicide, and prostitution and “has been lauded by educators and reviewers alike” (Bildner 1)
• These are real-world issues that young people need to read about

2. Similarly, in the article “Solon, Iowa”, the author explains how parents are filing complaints against a teacher for teaching a story that deals with homosexuality.
• Parents in a middle school in Solon, Iowa filed complaints against teacher Sue Protheroe for teaching the short story “Am I Blue?” by Bruce Coville; they argued that it promotes intolerance and homosexuality (Solon, Iowa)

• One parents complained that the story “introduces a very adult and mature subject to an inappropriately young audience.” (Solon, Iowa)

3. Both of these articles show how parents and librarians sometimes try to censor books because they are uncomfortable with the issues; however, it isn’t fair for them to decide what young people should read.

§       According to a survey by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, “about 84 percent of youth report being verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation.”

§       “I’m trying to teach tolerance and respect for all people” Sue Protheroe said

§       I read the story “Am I Blue?”; it shows the readers how wrong gaybashing is and highlights the reality that “there are gay people everywhere”, thus promoting tolerance

Revised thesis statement:

School libraries and English teachers should not censor texts that deal with controversial issues such as homosexuality and drug addiction because young people have the right to choose the books they want to read.