When it comes to evidence in their argument papers, students have a tendency to mic drop way too soon. “Here’s my evidence, BOOOOOOOM!” you can almost hear them saying. Because right after the evidence, they move on.
Oops.
That’s not what we want, and I bet you’ve written “be sure to analyze this evidence and explain how it proves your point” a few (hundred) times.
So what do we do? How do we make the idea MEMORABLE that students must analyze their evidence before moving on?
There are a lot of helpful tricks and acronyms floating around out there – the quotation burger, “R.A.C.E.” and “P.E.E.” for example. And I think those are helpful bases from which to build. But this week on the pod, I want to try a humorous, real-world twist that can complement any of these. Something I hope will be memorable for your students. Something you can reference with a laugh and keep students interested.
Meet Mr. Skeptical.
As you may know if you’ve been listening this month, we’re focused on argument right now because it’s our monthly theme over in The Lighthouse. If you’re new to The Lighthouse, it’s the teacher community where I share all the curriculum I design.
It’s been my joy to work with thousands of teachers in The Lighthouse over the last five years, and be part of the amazing supportive community that has sprung up inside. The Lighthouse will be opening again next month, so if you find yourself feeling curious about what it’s like, be sure you’re signed up for my emails, as that’s the best way to make sure you don’t miss it.
Adding Real-World Context to Evidence Analysis in Argument Writing
Anyway, back to today’s topic: helping kids see why it matters to analyze evidence.
Once you’ve introduced the idea through the burger, “R.A.C.E.,” “P.E.E.,” or however you do it, if your students are still struggling, try taking the idea away from text and into the real world for a while.
Introduce the idea of a SKEPTIC. Someone who just doesn’t buy an argument, despite a piece of evidence being lobbed their way.
Let students imagine a situation where they’re talking to their sister, a teacher, their mom, a best friend, a coach, etc. And they make a point and offer some evidence. And the person just lifts their eyebrows and stares skeptically over.
“So what?” they say.
What then?
Now they have to connect the dots and explain exactly how that evidence proves the point. Because their skeptical friend/mom/coach/sister is NOT going to just automatically agree with whatever they’re arguing. Especially if it runs counter to what they want to be true or have formerly believed to be true.
It’s easy to create practice around this idea. Ask students to make arguments around real-world situations, like who the best Youtuber is, which cafeteria food is best, what new course the school should adopt, how much homework there should be each night, etc. Then have them find evidence for their argument.
Finally, remind them that someone SKEPTICAL is waiting to raise their eyebrows and say “SO?” They have to connect the dots and explain exactly how that evidence is convincing for their argument. You can have a little fun with this, like I did.
Add a little Humor to Evidence Analysis in Argument Writing
I made some posters as reminders for the wall.
And just for good measure, a few popsicle stick masks to pop out for a laugh while practicing.
Oh, and did I mention the bookmarks?
The point is to add a little light-hearted humor to the very real fact that NO ONE WILL BELIEVE ANYTHING without both evidence and analysis.
Bring it Home for the Tik-Tok Lovers and Youtube Shortsers
So once you’ve given students this idea of the skeptic raising their eyebrows at their evidence to help them remember to analyze it, you can move back into practicing with text, keeping the concept in mind.
And/or, you can bring it home with a little video project. For the video project, let students divide into partners and make argument videos featuring a serious skeptic.
In a one-minute back and forth, one partner can present an argument on an issue to the other and offer their evidence, only to be met by enormous skepticism. Until, of course, the first partner comes back with their incredible analysis, driving the point home and making the argument unstoppable. Along the way, hopefully there will be a little hilarity and the concept will become even more memorable.
Keep it Light
I hope this light-hearted twist might help make evidence analysis easier for your students, and bring some smiles into practicing this concept that can be so tricky for students. Remember, it’s meant to complement the more formal ways you already teach evidence analysis, to help give kids that little bit of real world context that can be so meaningful.
