Lesson 35: Argumentative Writing, Part 4

Place students with an elbow partner, and display the two claims shown below about the same topic before students talk.

Turn-and-Talk

Say these Directions: In the previous lesson, you evaluated which potential solutions were most realistic for the barriers you are researching. Today, you will turn that thinking into a thesis that answers our unit question about what happens when systems or barriers stand in the way of people’s dreams.

Read both claims closely, and discuss with your partner what makes one claim stronger and more arguable as you prepare to explain what should change and why fairness matters.

• Claim A: Employment barriers are unfair.

• Claim B: Because unpaid training and hiring barriers keep many young adults from low-income communities out of stable jobs, cities should expand paid apprenticeship programs.

• Ask: What makes one claim more arguable than the other?

  • Claim B is stronger because it names the barrier, the group being affected, and a specific solution. Someone could disagree with the idea that cities should expand apprenticeship programs, so it sounds like a real argument. Claim A is too broad because almost everyone would agree it is unfair, but it does not take a clear position.

• Say: Partner A, share first for 30 seconds. Partner B, build on that idea.

Connection to Today’s Learning

Now that students have noticed the difference between a broad statement and an arguable thesis, they are ready to study the structure of a strong claim.

Guide students in building precise, arguable claims by identifying a barrier, explaining how it shapes people’s opportunities, and proposing a solution. Display the argumentative claim example for students.

Language Study

Say these Directions: A strong thesis does more than restate a problem: It identifies a barrier, names the affected group, and proposes a solution worth arguing for.

Teach: Building a Precise Argument Claim:

• Say: First, I identify a barrier:

  • Black families have been charged more for housing.

• Say: Next, I name the affected group:

  • Black families trying to buy homes in the 1950s

• Say: Then I add a solution I can defend:

  • Cities should enforce fair housing laws more strongly.

• Say: My finished claim sounds like this:

  • Because housing discrimination has historically forced Black families to pay more for safe housing, cities should strengthen fair housing enforcement so that families can move without barriers based on race.

• Say: Notice that someone could disagree with my solution, which is exactly why it works as an argumentative claim.

• Ask: Which part of the model claim makes it arguable instead of just descriptive?

  • The claim becomes arguable in the part that says cities should strengthen fair housing enforcement. It’s possible that some or all cities have already strengthened their enforcement, which leaves room for a counterclaim that a new solution isn’t needed.

• Say: Let’s transfer that same structure to our model topic, employment. A strong claim about employment also needs to identify a barrier, an affected group, and a solution.

Teach: Transfer to the Employment Model Topic

Say these Directions: Return to the model topic of employment, and consider the three components.

• Barrier: Many young adults cannot afford unpaid training or long periods without wages.

• Affected group: young adults from lower-income situations who are trying to enter stable careers

• A solution you are able to defend: Expand paid apprenticeship programs.

• Say: Now, construct a cohesive claim that puts those components together in one sentence.

• • Because lack of paid training blocks many young adults from lower-income situations from getting stable jobs, cities and employers should expand paid apprenticeship programs.

• Say: The sentence is precise because it tells the reader exactly what the problem is, who is affected, and what change I am arguing for.

Connection to Today’s Learning

Students have now seen the structure of a strong thesis and are ready to draft one using their own research.

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Part A: Draft a Thesis That Takes a Position (W.7.1.a, W.7.1.b) (14 minutes)

Students should have their own research notes and at least one credible source open for reference.

Drafting a Thesis

Say these Directions: Take out your research notes and one source that helped you identify a strong solution. Circle the barrier, the affected group, and the solution in your notes. Then draft a Thesis in your journal that explains how a barrier shapes people’s opportunities and takes a clear position on what should change.

Teach: Turning Research Notes into a Thesis

• Say: I am using my model topic of employment to show the process one more time.

  • In my notes, I see a barrier: unpaid training keeps some people from entering careers.

  • I also see the affected group: young adults from lower-income situations.

  • My source suggests a solution: paid apprenticeships.

• Say: I combine those parts into one claim:

  • “Because unpaid training blocks many young adults from lower-income situations from entering stable careers, cities and employers should expand paid apprenticeship programs.”

• Say: I am checking that someone could disagree with my solution; if they can, I know I have written an argument and not just a summary.

• Ask: Why is the sentence “Employment barriers are unfair” still too weak for your essay?

  • It is too weak because it does not say which barrier matters most, who is affected, or what should change. It sounds like a topic idea, not a thesis I can prove with evidence.

• Say: Underline the barrier once, circle the affected group, and box the solution in your sentence.

Connection to Today’s Learning

• Say: A precise thesis is stronger when it is immediately backed by research evidence and clear explanation.

Part B: Add Evidence and Reasoning (W.7.1.b) (16 minutes)

Display the following writing model if needed for support and guidance:

Because lack of paid training blocks many young adults from lower-income situations from getting stable jobs, cities and employers should expand paid apprenticeship programs. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, registered apprentices earn wages while they train for skilled careers.

• Say: This evidence supports my claim because paid training removes a money barrier that keeps many people from gaining experience and entering stable work.

Find and Add Evidence

Say these Directions: Add one piece of evidence from one credible source to follow and support your argument’s claim. Then write one additional sentence of reasoning that explains how the evidence supports your claim. Make sure to:

• Use an attribution frame if you quote or paraphrase.

• Connect your ideas with logical transition words, phrases, and clauses.

• Maintain a formal style.

Teach: Linking Evidence to the Claim

• Say: Watch how I make sure my evidence and reasoning match my thesis exactly. My thesis is about paid apprenticeships, so I should not grab a random fact about employment.

  • First, I choose a detail that says apprentices earn wages while they train, because that connects directly to the barrier of unpaid training.

  • Then I explain the connection clearly using transitional language: The evidence matters because it shows why the solution would reduce the barrier.

• Say: If I only drop in a fact and stop, my reader has to do the thinking for me. Strong reasoning spells out how the evidence proves the claim.

• Ask: How does your evidence support the solution in your claim?

  • My evidence supports my solution because it shows the barrier is real and that the change I am proposing would address it. For example, if my claim is about school funding, my evidence should show how unequal funding affects students and why better funding would help.

Connection to Today’s Learning

By the end of this section, students should have the beginning of an argument paragraph: a thesis, a source detail, and reasoning.

Lesson 35 Writing Rubric: Argument Paragraph — Make the Claim Count

Writing prompt: Write an argument paragraph that opens with a precise, arguable claim that identifies a specific barrier and its impact on people's opportunities. The claim must set up a full argument, not just state a fact.

Transition students to a brief exit ticket that checks thesis precision and prepares them for full essay drafting.

Quick Write

Say these Directions: Your claim is the sentence that will guide your whole research argument. Does your claim name a barrier, explain how it shapes people's opportunities, and propose a solution? Check all three.

• Say: Review your claim. Then list two source details that helped you shape it.

  • Claim: Because unequal school funding often limits students in lower-income neighborhoods, states should guarantee baseline funding and updated materials for every public school. Source details: 1. My state education report showed that schools in low-income districts have fewer counselors and older materials. 2. My second source explained that students in underfunded schools have less access to advanced courses.

Optional Sentence Starter:

My claim is arguable because ___.

Scoring Rubric

Consult the rubric on the second page of the Performance Task Handout:

• Say: Today, you practiced one of the most important moves in your performance task: turning research into a claim that acts as a map for your reader to follow. In the next lesson, that thesis will help you choose stronger evidence and build body paragraphs that further support your point. When you can name the barrier, the affected group, and the solution clearly, your voice becomes more powerful in academic and civic writing.

Instruct students to take notes in their Journal on the following prompt:

• Revise today’s thesis, and then find one additional source detail that could support the claim.