Argumentative Writing

About this resource

Teaching argument writing and need pages students can actually write on? This is a complete kit for one unit, written at a middle school reading level and laid out with real room to work. It starts with the eight parts of an argument in plain words and a worked model with every part labeled. Students then match the vocabulary, decide which sentences are claims, pick the strongest evidence, pick the reasoning that connects proof to a claim, and label the parts of two invented arguments (one is mixed up). Organizers walk them from a claim to a draft: claim, reason, evidence and reasoning boxes, an organizer for their own topic, counterclaim and rebuttal, evidence cards, an outline, a body paragraph, a start-and-finish page and two full lined pages. A self check, a partner check and three cut-and-paste sorts finish it. It comes with a rubric, answer keys with sample answers, a tracker, a class grid, a team note and a family page, so nothing has to be written from scratch.

EVERYTHING INSIDE (42 pages)

• 25 student pages in 19 page types, each with a name line and one short instruction
• 58 scored items on 9 pages, every answer read from the same lists that print the page, never typed by hand
• 1 worked model with 10 labeled parts: a claim, two reasons (each with evidence and reasoning), a counterclaim, a rebuttal and a conclusion
• 2 pages of plain-words charts covering 8 parts of an argument, 1 page of 28 sentence starters and 12 linking words
• 8 vocabulary words matched to 10 meanings (two meanings are not used)
• 8 sentences to mark as a claim or not a claim, then one to rewrite as a claim
• 4 items to pick the strongest evidence and 4 items to pick the reasoning that links proof to the claim (A, B or C)
• 2 Label the Parts pages (7 and 9 sentences) from invented arguments, one in order and one mixed up
• 12 invented school-sized topics to argue, and 3 evidence cards to vet a source
• Organizers: Claim, Evidence, Reasoning; Your Topic; Counterclaim and Rebuttal; a full five-part outline
• Drafting: a body paragraph with starters, a start-and-finish page, and 2 full lined pages
• 1 self check (10 statements) and 1 partner check
• 18 cut-and-paste pieces on 3 sort mats (6 pieces into 3 boxes, 6 into 2 boxes, 6 into numbered slots)
• 1 rubric (6 traits, 4 levels, a total out of 24, and a line for your district's own rule)
• 3 answer keys, including sample answers and what to look for on the 12 open-response pages
• 1 tracker, 1 whole-class progress grid, 1 team note (a hand-off page) and 1 family page
• 1 filled example (an invented student), 1 phrase bank (17 starters in 6 groups), 1 binder cover and 6 divider tabs with a spine label to cut out
• Start Here and a how-to-read-a-page page

The Page Types

1. Parts of an Argument, 2 pages: topic and question, claim, reason, evidence, reasoning, counterclaim, rebuttal and conclusion, each with a plain-words explanation and a starter.

2. A Worked Model: an invented school asks whether lunch should be longer. Ten parts are labeled, and every number in it is invented and says so.

3. Argument Words: 7 groups of 4 starters and 12 linking words to keep beside a draft.

4. Match It: 8 words (claim, credible, counterclaim, reasoning, conclusion, rebuttal, evidence, bias) matched to lettered meanings.

5. Claim or Not?: 8 sentences; check claim or not a claim, then rewrite one as a claim in a 3-line ruled box.

6. Pick the Strongest Evidence: 4 claims, 3 choices each (one specific, one vague, one off the point).

7. Pick the Reasoning: 4 claims with their evidence, 3 choices each (one explains why the proof matters, one repeats the evidence, one is off the point).

8. Label the Parts, 2 pages: write the part each sentence plays, from a box of 7 parts.

9. Pick a Topic: 12 school-sized questions with no political or religious topics; choose one, take a side and write a claim and two reasons.

10. Evidence Cards: 3 cards to record where evidence came from and who wrote it, and check whether it is recent, trusted and fits the reason.

11. Claim, Evidence, Reasoning and Your Topic organizers: ruled boxes for the claim, reason, evidence and reasoning, with 6 lines for the reasoning. Print the second one again for a second reason.

12. Counterclaim and Rebuttal: write what the other side says, why they might think so, and a rebuttal with evidence.

13. Plan Your Argument: a five-part outline (introduction, three body parts, conclusion).

14. Write a Body Paragraph, Start and Finish, Write Your Argument (2 pages): starters printed, then room to write.

15. Check My Argument and Partner Check: 10 statements to mark yes or not yet, and a partner page with a place to copy the claim, name evidence and suggest one next step.

16. Cut and Paste, 3 pages: sort claim, evidence and reasoning; sort counterclaim and rebuttal; then put six sentences of one argument in order. The six pieces sit edge to edge in a 3 by 2 grid, so cutting is two straight cuts across and two down, and every piece is over an inch each way.

Built For The Student Holding The Page

A "My name" line, one short instruction with a small picture cue, and a plain scalloped border. Nothing on a student page is written for an adult: the keys, the rubric and the tracker are on separate teacher pages. Ruled boxes are about a third of an inch a line: a short answer gets 3 lines and the main explanation boxes get 5 or more. The clip art is kept to a lightbulb, a question mark and a pencil on the reference pages, not cartoon mascots, so the pages suit grades 6-8. The file prints clean in black and white.

No Guessing The Answer

Wherever a student picks among printed spots (the lettered meanings, the A-B-C choices, the order of the cut pieces), the position of the right answer is checked so it never sits in the same spot three times in a row.

Invented Examples, Nothing Political

Every school, survey, count and quotation is made up for practice and says so. There are no real statistics, no real people and no political or religious topics. The rubric is a working paper: there is a blank line for your district's own scoring rule, and another on the tracker for the standard you teach to.

Type In, Or Print

The name line, every answer box, every check box and every ruled box are type-in fields in any PDF reader: click one, type, then save. The same goes for the rubric, the tracker, the class grid, the team note and the family page. This is a fillable PDF; it is not a Google Slides or PowerPoint file.

Who This Is For

Middle school English teachers, special education and resource rooms working on the same unit, co-taught classes, and substitutes who need a unit that is ready to hand out. The reading is written at about a grades 6-8 level.

What This Is, And What It Is Not

An argumentative writing practice set with the record-keeping around it. It is not a timed test, a screener, a clinical tool, or a claim about any student's age or rate of progress. There is no IEP goal language or eligibility wording anywhere in the file.

If You Want More

For younger writers: Writing Checklist | Student Self-Edit Cards and Revising Pages Grades 2-5. For more grades 6-8 practice: Preamble Worksheets | Sort, Match, Key Terms 6th 7th 8th Grade.