ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY
Selections we’ve covered in this EMPATHY unit: “Marigolds,” “Statement on the
Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.,” and “Endangered Dreams: The Great
Depression in California.”
1. Extended Writing Project: Argumentative Writing
a. Intro - Prompt and Directions for your essay after you have completed the skills below
b. Read - Student Model “Words to Change the World”
c. Think - Five Questions
d. Write - Don’t write an essay here… just write some possible “claims” answering the essential
question: How does human compassion inform our understanding of the world?
2. Skill - Thesis Statement
a. Define - Watch short video and read paragraph below
b. Model - Read and annotate
c. Your Turn - Read and respond to question A and B and submit
3. Skill - Organize Argumentative Writing
a. Define - Read
b. Model - Read and annotate
c. Your Turn - Read and respond to Question A and B and submit
4. Skill - Supporting Details
a. Define - Read
b. Model - Read and annotate
c. Your Turn - Read and respond to Question A and B and submit
5. Skill - Introductions - Argumentative
a. Define - Read
b. Model - Read and annotate
c. Your Turn - Read and respond to Question A and B and submit
6. Skill - Body Paragraphs and Transitions
a. Define - Read
b. Model - Read and annotate
c. Your Turn - Read and respond to Question A and B and submit
7. Skill - Conclusions
a. Define - Read
b. Model - Read and annotate
c. Your Turn - Read and respond to Question A and B and submit
You will be writing your own essay after you have completed the skills above.