It’s no fun announcing an argument paper and being met by groans. If your students have arrived at your class afraid of essays, you’re not the only one. And we all know, buy-in matters. When students are confronted with a task they’re horrified by, it’s hard for them to access their skills and motivation to do their best work. So what are you supposed to do when you hit the groan skid? Keep reading for more essay writing ideas!
Today I want to talk about some on-ramps and side paths to the argument highway. Visual tools and modern mediums to help you help your students realize argument isn’t so scary.
By the way, an extremely step-by-step process with lots of modeling is a classic go-to for breaking down the essay writing process and making it feel manageable, and I don’t want to ignore that. Brainstorming. Outlining. Drafting. Peer editing. Self editing stations. Final drafting. That’s all wonderful.
But probably you do that already, and you’re still here.
So let’s explore some other approaches you can use to complement that oh-so-valid step-by-step process that just doesn’t always work to help kids get past their paper-writing fears.
Explore Real World Prompts
One way to help students get more comfortable with argument-writing is to take it into their daily lives.
Try letting them formulate an argument around something that really matters to them right now. For example…
- Is it OK for Instagram to make all accounts for kids under 16 private?
- Should TikTok be banned in the United States?
- Should seniors be allowed to leave campus for lunch?
- Should college be free?
Prompts like these can help make the argument process feel more relevant and clear. Coming up with solid points and evidence to support those points when dealing with an argument they’re genuinely passionate about can help students understand the building blocks of any paper, with that lovely extra element, buy-in.
Plus, the heated debates that are likely when partners get together to talk about issues like these make it easy to introduce the idea of counterargument and what to do about it.
Build Connections with Hexagonal Thinking
If students are struggling to figure out how to connect their many ideas into paragraphs, transition between them, and build in counterarguments or stories, hexagonal thinking can be a nice way to help them visualize the flow of their ideas.
They can start by putting their big ideas and pieces of evidence onto hexagons, then start to move them around and see the way they want to connect things. Then they can take post-its and add notes about the sections and connections of their hexagonal map.
Talking it through and explaining it to a partner (and answering their questions) would likely help.
From there, students can formulate their thesis statements and then create outlines based on the idea structures they’ve come up with via the hexagons.
Add Visuals with Argumentative Infographics
We’ve talked here before, back in episode seventy-four, about the power of infographics as an ELA tool for helping students practice research and writing through a relevant modern medium.
But how about adding an argument twist?
Try assigning an Infographic project around the prompt “Why you should ______” or “Why you Shouldn’t.”
First, students can choose an issue they care about, like “Why you should volunteer with ______” or “Why you should vote.”
Then, they can focus on how to use the sections of the infographic to convince their viewer that title is true, combining research, color, graphics, and their own writing to do it.
They’ll still need the elements of argument – the thesis (which is built in with the prompt), the main points, and the persuasive evidence, so they’ll be honing the skills they need for written argument. But they’re less likely to feel intimidated by it.
Another twist on this idea is to explore argument-based social media carousels. Check out this case study back in episode 163 for some wonderful examples. You could easily use the same prompt, or change it up to let students argue around any theme relating to your unit.
Argue out Loud with a Podcast
Another angle on argument is to try a persuasive podcast.
In this case, students will again be exploring the elements of persuasion – the thesis, the big ideas, the evidence – but instead of writing it out as a paper, they’ll be speaking directly to their audience.
You can choose to make their argument podcasts based on literature, based on research, or even based on life experience.
They can script fully or in bullet points, depending on what makes them feel more comfortable.
Pssst. New to the world of student podcasting? I’ve designed a (free) quick mini-course that I can send straight to your email to help you learn how to master this wonderful classroom option. I’ve helped thousands of teachers get started with student podcasting, and you can be next! Sign up here.
Break it down with an Argument One-Pager
An argument one-pager is another way to break argument writing down into manageable pieces. Design a template that invites students to put the building blocks of their argument onto the page along with visuals to help bring it all to life.
For example, here are the required elements for the one-pager pictured above:
- Your thesis statement, in the oval at the top left, with some main points and ideas that help to prove that thesis shown around it in words and, if you wish, images or symbols
- Three significant quotations that help to prove your thesis, in the three boxes on the top right
- A point someone might make to show that your thesis is NOT true (a counter-argument) in the top dialogue box in the bottom right
- Your response to that counter-argument in the bottom dialogue box in the bottom right
- An image that somehow represents your argument or big ideas in the bottom left
These are the same pieces that would go into an outline, but reimagined visually in a way that will help the process feel less intimidating for some students.
You can use an argument one-pager as argument practice and leave it at that, or make it a foundational step in the paper-building process, hopefully helping students feel more comfortable when it comes time to write down the ideas they’ve already shared through their one-pagers.
Create a Children’s Book Story with a Thesis
OK, this is the final idea for a new approach to argument – we’re going to call it a bonus.
I’ve been reading a lot of Mo Willems lately with my daughter, and when I’m not laughing hysterically at Gerald and Piggie’s facial expressions or the Pigeon’s complete conviction that he’s right when he’s wrong, I often notice something that plays perfectly into our conversation today. Many of the books have a subtle thesis statement, a little message of hope being conveyed to kids through the hilarious ins and outs of the story. Not an overly didactic moral as in the fairytales of old, just a little gentle push in a certain direction.
In The Pigeon Has to Go to School, the Pigeon talks through every fear he has about school (counterarguments!). Then he starts to imagine the kind of learning environment he wishes existed (which turn out to be main points for the thesis that he should go to school) and realizes that school will provide these things to him. Then, the kicker, he discovers that a bus will take him to school (the final and amazing bring-it-all-together conclusion moment).
In Waiting is Not Easy, Gerald suffers and suffers trying to make it to a surprise that Piggie has for him. He can hardly stand the long, long wait. But after complaining and begging and thinking about giving up, he finally gets to see the surprise that couldn’t be rushed, and he loves it. Each scene along the way is like an argument against waiting, with the final counterargument of the joy he feels when the wait finally comes to fruition.
These books are a lovely example of how story can be persuasive. If you’re working to help your students understand how anecdotes and narrative elements can add to a persuasive essay, or if you’re just looking for another angle to make argument feel less intimidating, crafting a children’s story around a persuasive idea is a great option. Once again, students will need something to argue (the thesis), main points to explore through the story, and persuasive evidence for those points to convince young readers. All the building blocks of argument you want them to understand!
Argument is Everywhere
Once you start to look for it, it’s easy to see – argument is everywhere. There are so many ways for us to get students involved in making a case for something besides essays. Does that mean you should never do an essay? No way! But different types of creative practice, involving many mediums and different takes on the core building blocks of argument, will only help the genre feel more approachable and more relevant to our students. And after all, what IS more important than being able to state an opinion and convince someone of it? It’s one of the fundamental building blocks of our lives, it just isn’t always easy for students to see that when they’re in the thick of a literary essay.
