Parts of an argument: claim, reason, evidence, counterclaim, rebuttal

Reading Comprehension

CCSS RI.7.8CCSS W.7.1.AEngland: KS3 Reading (non-fiction)England: GCSE English Language Paper 2

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Parts of an argument: claim, reason, evidence, counterclaim, rebuttal.

I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
I can explain each step and say why it works.
I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Claims, reasons and evidence

Leads to: Is the evidence relevant and sufficient?; Persuasive techniques: rhetorical questions, statistics, anecdotes…; Counterclaims and rebuttals in arguments

Materials: A short text or extract (one copy each), Highlighters, Question cards, Mini whiteboards, A short model text on the board, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 5 min

Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Claims, reasons and evidence). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

Schools should plant more trees. Trees provide shade on hot days, clean the air, and give pupils a calm place to read. A study in one city found that pupils with green views from their classrooms scored higher on attention tests. Which detail is evidence from research? (Trees provide shade on hot days. / Trees give pupils a calm place to read. / Schools should plant more trees. / Pupils with green views scored higher on attention tests.) → Pupils with green views scored higher on attention tests.Prompt: What is the writer's main claim?
Schools should plant more trees. Trees provide shade on hot days, clean the air, and give pupils a calm place to read. A study in one city found that pupils with green views from their classrooms scored higher on attention tests. What is the writer's claim? (Pupils like reading. / Trees provide shade. / Cities have many schools. / Schools should plant more trees.) → Schools should plant more trees.Prompt: What is the writer's main claim?
Some people say video games waste time. But many games require planning, teamwork and quick decisions. Of course, playing for too long can harm sleep, so limits are sensible. Which sentence is a counterclaim? (Some people say video games waste time. / Games need quick decisions. / Limits are sensible. / Many games require planning.) → Some people say video games waste time.Prompt: What is the writer's main claim?

Hook · 5 min

Read the first lines of a short text aloud and ask what students predict will happen and why.
Share the objective: Parts of an argument: claim, reason, evidence, counterclaim, rebuttal. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 10 min

Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
Example: What role does this sentence play in an argument? Cooking teaches budgeting, nutrition and independence.
Step 1: A strong argument states a claim, supports it with reasons and evidence, and answers counterclaims with rebuttals.
Step 2: It gives reasons supporting the claim.
Step 3: So the answer is: reason
Answer: reason
Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 10 min

Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

What role does this sentence play in an argument? Cooking teaches budgeting, nutrition and independence. (claim / reason / counterclaim / rebuttal) → reasonPrompt: Is it the writer's main position, an explanation why, a fact/figure/example, the other side's view, or a reply to the other side?
Which sentence works as this part of an argument: counterclaim? (Yet fewer cars on the road would actually mean less traffic for everyone. / Teenagers' body clocks make it hard for them to fall asleep early. / Some parents argue that a later start would make it hard for them to get to work.) → Some parents argue that a later start would make it hard for them to get to work.Prompt: Is it the writer's main position, an explanation why, a fact/figure/example, the other side's view, or a reply to the other side?

You do: independent practice · 10 min

Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 5 min

Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

Which sentence works as this part of an argument: reason? (Safe lanes encourage people to leave their cars at home. / After one city added protected lanes, cycling there rose by 60 per cent in a year. / Every pupil should learn to cook at school.) → Safe lanes encourage people to leave their cars at home.Prompt: Is it the writer's main position, an explanation why, a fact/figure/example, the other side's view, or a reply to the other side?
What role does this sentence play in an argument? Some parents argue that a later start would make it hard for them to get to work. (claim / evidence / counterclaim / rebuttal) → counterclaimPrompt: Is it the writer's main position, an explanation why, a fact/figure/example, the other side's view, or a reply to the other side?

Watch out for

Answering from memory or opinion instead of evidence in the text.
Copying a long quote without explaining what it shows.

Support and stretch

Support

Review first: Claims, reasons and evidence.
Use concrete materials: a short text or extract (one copy each).
Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

Move on to: Is the evidence relevant and sufficient?; Persuasive techniques: rhetorical questions, statistics, anecdotes…; Counterclaims and rebuttals in arguments.
Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-7.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Parts of an argument: claim, reason, evidence, counterclaim, rebuttal

Name

Date

Score/ 8

1
Question 1
What role does this sentence play in an argument? Safe lanes encourage people to leave their cars at home.
- A. claim
- B. reason
- C. counterclaim
- D. rebuttal

Should Secondary Schools Try a Four-Day Week?

Imagine a school week that ends on Thursday afternoon. For students in a growing number of schools around the world, this is no longer a fantasy. I believe secondary schools should at least trial a four-day week. The strongest reason is wellbeing. Many teenagers report feeling exhausted by the end of the week, and a longer weekend could give them time to rest, exercise and pursue interests that school leaves no room for. Supporters also point to attendance. In one regional pilot involving twelve schools, attendance rose by three percentage points after the change. That may sound small, but across a year it adds up to thousands of extra lessons attended. Critics argue that working parents would struggle with childcare on the fifth day. This is a serious concern. However, schools could offer an optional supervised study day, run by staff and volunteers, so that no family is left without support. Others worry that students will learn less. Yet schools in the pilot lengthened each remaining day by forty minutes, so total teaching time hardly changed. A trial costs little and teaches us a lot. If it fails, we can change back. If it works, students will thank us for it.

2
Question 2
Read "Should Secondary Schools Try a Four-Day Week?". What is the writer's main claim?
- A. Teenagers are always exhausted.
- B. Attendance in schools is falling.
- C. Secondary schools should trial a four-day week.
- D. Parents need more childcare.

3
Question 3
Which sentence works as this part of an argument: counterclaim?
- A. Some parents argue that a later start would make it hard for them to get to work.
- B. Yet fewer cars on the road would actually mean less traffic for everyone.
- C. Schools should start at 9.30 instead of 8.30.
4
Question 4
What role does this sentence play in an argument? However, breakfast clubs could open early for families who need them.
- A. reason
- B. evidence
- C. counterclaim
- D. rebuttal
5
Question 5
Which sentence works as this part of an argument: reason?
- A. However, breakfast clubs could open early for families who need them.
- B. Some parents argue that a later start would make it hard for them to get to work.
- C. Teenagers' body clocks make it hard for them to fall asleep early.
6
Question 6
What role does this sentence play in an argument? Teenagers' body clocks make it hard for them to fall asleep early.
- A. claim
- B. reason
- C. evidence
- D. rebuttal
7
Question 7
What role does this sentence play in an argument? After one city added protected lanes, cycling there rose by 60 per cent in a year.
- A. claim
- B. evidence
- C. counterclaim
- D. rebuttal
8
Question 8
Which sentence works as this part of an argument: evidence?
- A. In one study, students who started later slept about 45 minutes more a night.
- B. Schools should start at 9.30 instead of 8.30.
- C. Critics say bike lanes take space away from drivers.

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Answer key: Parts of an argument: claim, reason, evidence, counterclaim, rebuttal

1. B. reason
2. C. Secondary schools should trial a four-day week.
3. A. Some parents argue that a later start would make it hard for them to get to work.
4. D. rebuttal
5. C. Teenagers' body clocks make it hard for them to fall asleep early.
6. B. reason
7. B. evidence
8. A. In one study, students who started later slept about 45 minutes more a night.