What makes a subjecttopic argumentative

The introductory paragraph sets the stage for the position you are arguing for in your essay. The next part of your introduction is dedicated to offering some detailed background information about your topic. This is required to understand the argument by answering questions such as, what is the issue at hand, where is the issue prevalent and why is it important?

When making a thesis statement for your argumentative essay, you clearly state your position on the topic and a reason for taking that stance. You now have to back up your argument with credible evidence. This is the heart of your essay and needs to be started off with a general statement that is backed with specific details or examples.

Depending on the length of your essay, you will need to include two or three well-explained paragraphs to each reason or type of evidence. A well written argumentative essay must anticipate and address positions in the opposition.

This will make your position more convincing and stronger. Additionally, pointing out what your opponent is likely to say in response to your argument shows that you have taken the time to critically analyze and prepare your topic. This is the section of the essay that will leave the most immediate impression on the mind of the reader. Emphasize why the issue is so important, review the main points and review your thesis statement. A complete PAGE unit of work on persuasive texts for teachers and students.

No preparation is required. An argumentative essay also known as a discussion presents both sides of the argument on a specific topic so the audience can form their own opinion.

There should be no confusion about what or what you are writing about or why. Bring your audience up to speed on the topic. Keep things in order by creating paragraphs that lead us from opinion A to opinion B through well-crafted segways and transitions. Get your evidence straight. You are presenting both sides of an argument to let your readers make a decision. Ensure you use reputable evidence. These styles of writing are often confused, and whilst they do share common elements they are two separate genres with different purposes.

If you are looking for a complete guide to writing a persuasive essay please view ours here. The beauty of incorporating discussion and argument into the classroom is that you can easily build your lessons around the interests of the students themselves.

From the youngest students in elementary to those wizened old owls at high school, a quick class brainstorm will reveal a wealth of juicy topics for them to get their mental teeth into. In this day and age of political correctness, however, be sensitive to the selection of a topic for discussion appropriate to the demographics of your class. While controversial topics can lead to the most lively of discussions, it is best to avoid subjects too close to the bone that may cause deep rifts in the class dynamic.

If in doubt, rather than take suggestions from the class, have some interesting topics pre-prepared for the students to choose from or to vote on. The challenge in writing a good discussion or argumentative essay is to be open-minded even if you know which side you want to support. Factual research and evidence is your number one tool. It gives you credibility by sourcing knowledge from experts but more importantly, it gives your own opinions and ideas greater weight as you have demonstrated a broad and accurate understanding of the topic you are writing about.

Most students will head straight for the internet to find their evidence so make sure you have a clear understanding of how to use it correctly. This poster demonstrates how to get the most out of the three major search platforms on the web.

You can download the free poster version of it here. The aim of a well-written discussion text is to present information and opinions that express more than one viewpoint. This will often take the form of a newspaper report or a leaflet. Regardless of the genre of the writing undertaken, however, there are some common factors that apply to most discussion texts.

Most often they are written in the present tense are commonly structured in the following way:. No better place to begin than at the start. The title should normally be a general statement, or even a question, that draws attention to a specific issue. For example, Should cell phones be banned in schools? The introduction section itself should usually be relatively brief and open with a brief statement on the issue and provide some background to the issue to be discussed.

There are however a number of things to consider when writing the introduction. Fortunately, there are a number of tried and tested methods of achieving this. A well-chosen quotation can grab the attention of even the most distracted of reader and compel them to read more!

Not only is it engaging, but informative too! But, encourage your students to be careful here, the suitability of a humorous opening will largely depend on the topic being discussed. Here what matters the most is not the conclusion, but the argument as it is the argument which forms the skeletal framework of the essay. If the argument is weak, unconvincing or superficial, the essay might not appeal to the reader and will not be a good argumentative essay.

While writing an argumentative essay , you must remember that here emotion is preceded by evidence and reasoning as you need to present your argument through the latter and not by relying on evidence.

While making an argumentative essay you need to explore both sides of the topic and finally, you need to prove why one of them is the best out of the two. This is the building block of your argumentative essay. You cannot ignore the importance of a good topic. The topic is one of the most crucial deciding factors that will have an impact on the outcome of the quality of the essay. This will be an answer to your research question or a statement that explains the purpose of your research.

This video is really helpful in explaining how to create a really good research question:. Encyclopedias are good places to go for for background information, definitions, and to learn various aspects of a topic. The Library has two online reference book collections that you can find articles on your topic in. When searching them, just enter your topic as a search term. From off campus, log in with your MEID and password. These books have chapters on choosing and refining a topic.

Choosing a Topic Purdue's Online Writing Lab provides a good introduction on understanding your assignment and choosing a topic. It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge.