Position Papers Debating Positions to Develop a Complex Argument
Connection You ve just come from writing literary essays. The themes that you wrote about have moral implications, not just in the novels you read, but also in life. Those moral implications related to decisions about how fictional characters choose to be, and how you as a person might choose to be. The work that you did where you analyzed the moral ideas that a story suggests and the ways the author suggests those ideas is work you can do with nonfiction as well. Often nonfiction authors take up moral dilemmas. A nonfiction texts that first seems lighthearted can actually be tackling a serious issue.
Connection The article High-Jinks: Shoot-Out is an entertaining piece of journalism. It tells a good story. But it also reveals some real moral dilemmas raised when kids play games that simulate violence. Just as you argued your points about important themes in literature, you can argue your points about important issues raised by nonfiction texts. Today, we re going to read High Jinks: Shoot Out, and we ll read it initially with the lens of how it suggests two sides of an ethical debate.
Teaching Point Today, you ll be thinking about the impact of simulated violence on teens. You ll begin by honing your argument skills, and readying yourself to dive into a troubling, reallife ethical dilemma. The texts writers read often suggest debatable issues, or ethical dilemmas, that are hard to figure out and are worth talking about. To clarify their own stance on issues that are complicated, writers sometimes decide to argue one side or the other of these dilemmas, using all of their argument skills.
Teaching Today, you will defend a position that is assigned to you, while your opponent will use the same text to argue an opposing view! You ll need to think analytically to obtain text evidence, analyze that evidence to formulate some main points, and then defend your argument using the most convincing reasons and evidence you can.
Teaching Decide if you who will be partner 1 or partner 2 Here are your positions: Partner 1 Partner 2 Teens SHOULD be allowed to play violent role-playing games. Teens should NOT be allowed to play violent role-playing games. Later, you ll have a chance to switch positions. Right now, you re taking your argument skills for a test drive. Let s see how good you are at arguing. What s tricky is, the article itself isn t explicitly about this debate. The article doesn t come right out and say, This shows that these games are bad for kids or This proves that all kids should play these games. You have to read closely, thinking about what this text suggests about this issue that could support your position
Teaching Before we get started, you re going to need a system for jotting notes. As you read and debate, write down ideas for claims (big ideas) then add a note under each claim idea for the evidence (specific, detailed evidence) you will use to support your claims. This is similar to the skeleton outline that you ve made for your literary essays.
Here is a generic outline for partner 1 s claim: Claim: Teams SHOULD be allowed to play violent roleplaying games. Evidence 1: Reasoning: Evidence 2: Reasoning:
Teaching Keep in mind your positions as I read. Mark up the text for and evidence to support your assigned claims. I ll read the first part of the article aloud, as I do take notes! Again, you are trying to come up with evidence to support your assigned position.
Teaching Take a moment to review your evidence. What s your most important evidence? What reasons might you give, so far, to defend your position? Take a few minutes to develop your evidence and reasoning. That means you need to elaborate on the ideas you ve just identified.
Teaching Partner 1, you ll have exactly 1 minute to defend your position. Don t forget to state your position clearly first. Use your notes, but don t just read from your paper. Partner 1, go!
Teaching Partner 2, don t get thrown by what you just heard. Think about what your own best argument was, and ask yourself, What s my best evidence, my strongest point so far? Partner 2, make your case!
Teaching Here s an example of how one argument could sound. Claim: Kids should not be allowed to play these games because they begin to think that guns are just toys, and that killing is just funny, and that it s all just a joke to about about killing people. Evidence: For example, the judge talked about looking for some good massacres. Reasoning: This shows he s being callous. It s not actually funny when people are getting massacred in other places, like on 9/11. Remember, these are not polished claims, just thinking out loud. You would want to tighten up the writing for a formal paper.
Active Engagement We are going to practice some more with more sophisticated positions. Also, you may come across some terms that you are not familiar with. You will need to take the time to define those terms, using the strategies we learned from book clubs. Also, try to add those new terms/grace notes into your arguments to make you sound more sophisticated
Active Engagement Here are your new positions. Partner 1 Partner 2 Role-playing games with simulated violence are perilous for kids. Role-playing games with simulated violence are diverting for kids. First, define terms. Second, create your outline: claim(s), evidence, reasoning.
Active Engagement In more sophisticated argument, you have to define your terms, as well as defend your positions. Partner 1, you are defending the position that roleplaying games with simulated violence are perilous for kids. Perilous means dangerous or harmful but it s up to you to define what that means, whether kids face physical peril or moral peril or both. Partner 2, you are defending the position that roleplaying games with simulated violence are diverting for kids. It up to you to define what diverting means whether that s just entertaining or motivating or something else.
Active Engagement I ll read the rest of High Jinks: Shoot Out. Take notes for your positions. Partner 2 will go first this time. But first, since you re arguing more academic, sophisticated positions, take 2 minutes to rehearse with someone who shares your point of view. Add in any evidence or explanation that will help you strengthen your position. While comparing, think about how you may want to lead into your argument and end your argument. Try to finish your argument with a bang.
Active Engagement Now, go back to your groups and get ready to present your argument. Partner 2 will go first. You have 1 minute. Begin!
Active Engagement Here s and example of how one argument may start: Claim: Role-playing games with simulated violence are perilous for kids. They re perilous in two ways. They can lead them to take risks that put them in physical danger and in moral peril. Evidence 1: For instance, in the article you find out about kids sleeping in basements and parking lots overnight in alleys, and going alone to the airport. Reasoning: Those could all be dangerous perilous situations because of the lack of adult supervision in questionably safe places. Evidence 2: But, they re also in moral peril. They begin to think that violence doesn t matter. For example,
Link Let s debrief the steps we just made to present an argument: 1. You took a position and used it as a lens to collect evidence from a source. 2. You reflected on and ranked this evidence, and then you thought about your position, the available evidence, and how to make some key points that would support your position. 3. Then you defended this position using the best reasoning and evidence you could assemble. 4. You also went from a simple pro/con debate, to arguing more academic points of view, ones where you had to define your terms.
Let s practice the work we did yesterday by switching positions. 1. Say your new position just to be clear. 1. Go back to the text, this time to gather evidence for your new position. 2. Compare and sharpen your position with someone who shares your viewpoint. 3. Defend your positions. I ll set the time and give your reminders for each step.
Conferring During your debate, try using some of the language of argument words such as because, therefore, or and so this shows. Elaborate using phrases such as in other words, to put it differently, or that is.
Share A position paper is essentially the same thing as an argument essay, though sometimes you ll add in more context for your argument, and you especially have to be fair to the other points of view. Let s look at a position paper that an eighth-grader wrote to the mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg, and turned into a letter, the same way that you will turn your position papers into letters later on.
Share Let s look at the structure of this essay. In the introduction, she very clearly state her position on the issue in this case, sports programs should be kept in high schools and she gives 3 reasons why in her thesis. Then, in each body paragraph, she tackles each of those reasons in support of keeping sports programs. And she has ordered those reasons in a logical way. She starts with the reason that feels most specific to students, academic success, and she ends with the reason that feels most universal, bringing people together.
Share Look at the elaboration moves? Take a minute to discuss the specific kinds of evidence you notice in the letter. Share what you noticed Now, you are going to draft the position you think you can best defend. The essential question we ve come to is whether these games are entertaining or harmful. How you word your claim will be up to you. Try to find some original grace notes for perilous or diverting. But, be sure your usage is correct. Ask a partner or me to double check!!! Use the essay organizer to help you plan your paper. Be sure you rank your evidence so that if flows in a logical order.
In-class & Homework Today, you are going to draft using your essay organizer. Use this chart as a guide. Make a Crystal Clear Plan for Drafting Your Essay First, decide which position is your strongest argument. Try arguing both sides again with someone. Clarify your overall claim. Make a strong plan for how you ll argue this position. Plan for the whole argument, not just the body of it. Plan what you ll say in your introduction and conclusion as well. Use what you know about addressing a counterclaim to acknowledge other sides. Don t just plan the outline. Plan the evidence as well. Tomorrow, you ll begin to think about your flash-draft. So have your essay organizer completely finished!