• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Counterclaims and rebuttals in arguments; The Toulmin model: claim, grounds, warrant, backing, qualifier, rebuttal). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. Is the proposed answer correct? Claim: "The school day should include 30 minutes of silent reading." Which sentence is the strongest REBUTTAL to the counterclaim that 'there isn't time in the timetable'? → Taking just five minutes from each lesson would create the time without losing any subject. (yes, it is correct / no, it is not correct) → yes, it is correctPrompt: A counterclaim states the opposing view; a rebuttal answers it.
2. Which part of the Toulmin model matches this description? Extra support for the warrant itself. (rebuttal / grounds / backing / warrant) → backingPrompt: Ask what job each part does: state, prove, connect, support the connection, limit, or admit exceptions.
3. Claim: "Students should learn to code at school." Which sentence is a COUNTERCLAIM? (Coding teaches logical thinking. / Many jobs now require digital skills. / However, problem-solving skills last even when tools change. / Critics argue that coding tools change so fast that what students learn will soon be out of date.) → Critics argue that coding tools change so fast that what students learn will soon be out of date.Prompt: A counterclaim states the opposing view; a rebuttal answers it.

• Show two openings to the same piece of writing and ask which makes them want to read on.
• Share the objective: Writing a concession and rebuttal. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Claim: "Schools should teach financial literacy." Which sentence best concedes a point and then rebuts it?
• Step 1: Concede (admittedly, although, granted, it is true that) and then rebut (however, yet, nevertheless) to show fairness and strengthen your case.
• Step 2: It accepts the time problem but shows the benefit outweighs it.
• Step 3: So the answer is: It is true that the timetable is crowded, yet a few lessons a year on budgeting could save students from costly mistakes for decades.
• Answer: It is true that the timetable is crowded, yet a few lessons a year on budgeting could save students from costly mistakes for decades.
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

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

1. Claim: "Cities should ban cars from their historic centres." Which sentence best concedes a point and then rebuts it? (Although some shops fear losing customers, several cities found that footfall actually rose after their centres went car-free. / Shopkeepers are always wrong about everything. / Although some shops fear losing customers, they are right, so we should not ban cars. / Cars are noisy.) → Although some shops fear losing customers, several cities found that footfall actually rose after their centres went car-free.Prompt: A good concession admits something genuinely true about the other side.
2. Is the proposed answer correct? Claim: "Cities should ban cars from their historic centres." Which sentence best concedes a point and then rebuts it? → Shopkeepers are always wrong about everything. (yes, it is correct / no, it is not correct) → no, it is not correctPrompt: A good concession admits something genuinely true about the other side.

• 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.

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

1. Is the proposed answer correct? Claim: "Museums should be free for everyone." Which sentence best concedes a point and then rebuts it? → While free entry costs money to fund, it pays back by attracting visitors who spend in cafés, shops and the wider city. (yes, it is correct / no, it is not correct) → yes, it is correctPrompt: A good concession admits something genuinely true about the other side.
2. Claim: "Schools should teach financial literacy." Which sentence best concedes a point and then rebuts it? (The timetable is crowded, so we cannot teach anything new. / It is true that the timetable is crowded, yet a few lessons a year on budgeting could save students from costly mistakes for decades. / Money is important. / Everyone should be rich.) → It is true that the timetable is crowded, yet a few lessons a year on budgeting could save students from costly mistakes for decades.Prompt: A good concession admits something genuinely true about the other side.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/english/grade-12.