Convince Me: Writing an Effective Claim

It's no surprise that arguments are everywhere, and because of this, having the ability to effectively express a stance on an issue is an important life skill that will be used far beyond the classroom. Knowing how to present a point of view and back it up with evidence is essential for students to develop critical thinking and research skills, which is one of the many reasons why argumentative writing is assigned in a variety of subjects, from science to math to English. And the core component of argumentative writing? The claim.

Every piece of argumentative writing (or speaking) revolves around the writer's claim: their essentially arguable statement that aims to persuade, convince or prove something to a reader who may or may not initially agree. A claim is often mistaken for a thesis, but the two are actually quite different from one another.

This class will teach the basic overview of what a claim is (and how it is different from a thesis), as well as how to effectively write a claim. Students will first be presented with a warm-up activity on the difference between facts and opinions, followed by instruction on what makes a claim a claim. Next, we will delve into the aspects that make a claim effective, where students will practice creating their own claims and critiquing them for improvement. Finally, we will read a short informational text, and each student will be asked to come up with their own stance and claim based on the text.

The idea behind this class is that students will gain an in depth understanding of claims and how to write them so that when it comes to argumentative writing, they have the foundation to support and prove their main argument. All-in-all, this class will be highly interactive, with the majority of the work happening in the here-and-now of the class session.