13.2: Writing and Rewriting--Argument and Counterargument--Classroom Activity

Goals:

• to explore opposing viewpoints

• to demonstrate a drafting process

• to model the development of one argumentative paragraph that makes an argument and includes address to counterargument

 

Review all four drafts below. These are sample paragraphs responding to the question of whether or not school uniforms should be required for middle school students. See the notes after the paragraph versions. This topic is not the topic that the class is exploring. This topic is just being used as a sample/model.

 

Draft I: Rough Work – Freewrite Response

This first draft is freewriting. Note that the ideas are added at random. Some ideas are expressed in full sentences and some in fragments. Some ideas would need to be developed if they make it into a final draft, and some might need to be cut or moved to a different paragraph.

 

Middle school students should wear school uniforms because wearing the same clothing will encourage the students to focus on the community of the school instead of focusing on themselves as individuals. During middle school years, students are often questioning their identity, which can create stress. Going through puberty. Students are trying to fit in and often focus on popularity. Many students encounter bullying from other students who like to pick on people who are different. Also uniforms save money. And teach respect. Also feeling left out. Uniforms can help this. By having everyone look the same. Because if everyone looks the same, then no one is different.

 

Draft II

This draft completely supports the argument that students in middle schools should be required to wear uniforms.

 

Middle school students should wear school uniforms because wearing the same clothing will encourage the students to focus on the community of the school instead of focusing on themselves as individuals. During middle school years, students are going through puberty and are often questioning their identities, which can create stress for them. Students are trying to fit in and often focus on popularity. Many students feel left out and some encounter bullying from other students who like to pick on people who are different. Uniforms can help. If the school requires uniforms then the students do not have to worry about looking out of place, and if they do not look out of place, they might be less likely to feel out of place. Even socioeconomic differences will not be evident in students’ clothing. Also, in general, school uniforms are not attractive, so students who are in a school that requires uniforms are being encouraged not to focus on how their peers look or how they look in relation to their peers. The focus of the uniform is on the school, not the individual. Uniforms can help students who are at a difficult time in their lives, a time when they are dealing with puberty and the challenges of developing sense of self, to feel part of the same group.

 

Draft III

This draft completely supports the argument that students in middle schools should not be required to wear uniforms.

Middle school students should not wear school uniforms because they are at a time of their lives when they are figuring out who they are, and being able to choose what they wear is a safe way for them to explore their individuality. During middle school years, students are often questioning their identities, and many like to rebel against authority. For middle school students, having to wear a uniform every day is a constant reminder that they are not being allowed to make their own decisions. If they cannot express themselves through their clothing, they might rebel in other ways. Also, on different days, in different weather, in reaction to different moods, students might make different choices. Each student is unique, and students will not all experience the same feelings on the same days, so they should not be required to wear the same outfits all the time. Having them wear uniforms might stifle their creativity, too. Schools need to respect and value the individuality of each student, and therefore should not require uniforms.

 

Draft IV – Developed Rewrite

This rewrite takes a stand but acknowledges some opposing arguments. The paragraph also develops and cuts some ideas and sentences from the earlier drafts.

Middle school students should not be required to wear uniforms because clothing is a reflection of individuality. Each student is a unique individual and should have the opportunity – and the responsibility – to make his or her or their own choice. During middle school years, students are going through puberty and developing their senses of their identities. Choosing their own clothing each day allows and encourages them to experiment with self-expression in safe ways. Students who are not given this freedom might rebel in ways that are more dangerous than short skirts, loud colors, and slogans. Not having uniforms does not mean that a school cannot have guidelines of what is and is not appropriate, but it does mean that students will have to make individual choices within the school community’s guidelines. Some people might argue that uniforms can help to reduce the stress of struggling with identity and can create a sense of shared community instead of a competition among individuals. There is merit in this argument, but a school can find other ways to develop community. Allowing students to choose their own clothing each day celebrates individuality, which is especially important at this challenging time of life.

 

Points for further discussion:

• Counterargument can appear within essays in multiple ways.

• One or more complete paragraphs can be devoted to addressing counterarguments.

• Sometimes writers like to start an essay by expressing an opposing point of view in one paragraph and then using the following paragraph or paragraphs to argue against that viewpoint and in favor of the thesis point of view.

ADDRESS COUNTERARGUMENT TO THE THESIS

DEVELOP AN ARGUMENT POINT

DEVELOP ANOTHER ARGUMENT POINT

DEVELOP ANOTHER ARGUMENT POINT

DEVELOP ANOTHER ARGUMENT POINT

• Sometimes writers like to develop an argument over multiple paragraphs and then, in one or more paragraphs before the conclusion, to acknowledge opposing viewpoints but to argue that the counterarguments do not overweigh the thesis point of view.

DEVELOP AN ARGUMENT POINT

DEVELOP ANOTHER ARGUMENT POINT

DEVELOP ANOTHER ARGUMENT POINT

DEVELOP ANOTHER ARGUMENT POINT

ADDRESS COUNTERARGUMENT TO THE ABOVE POINTS

• Sometimes writers counter as they encounter – addressing counterargument points within paragraphs as in paragraph IV above. Any argumentative paragraph can include address to counterargument.

ARGUMENT WITH ADDRESS TO COUNTERARGUMENT

ARGUMENT WITH ADDRESS TO COUNTERARGUMENT

ARGUMENT WITH ADDRESS TO COUNTERARGUMENT

ARGUMENT WITH ADDRESS TO COUNTERARGUMENT

• In longer papers, writers may vary how and when they address counterargument.

• The samples above do not include published sources and explore multiple aspects of the issue within one paragraph. Ultimately, students will develop full essays in which each body paragraph has specific focus and includes support from published sources.