"Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence."
This month, our focus will be on Common Core Standard #8 (above), which asks readers to not only identify the argument made within a text, but also the specific claims (or supporting details) used to defend that position. Additionally, students are asked to assess the validity of that reasoning. In other words, they need to explain the strengths or weaknesses of this reasoning, regardless of their own personal beliefs on the issue.
You might think that this pertains to only persuasive writing, those usually associated with editorials or political blogs. However, as some have pointed out, all texts are to some degree arguments. Even those that pretend to be informative or descriptive in nature are posing the argument that this text is worthy of the viewer’s or reader’s time and attention.
So our mission is to help our readers complete three tasks: first, identify the argument and where it appears in the text; second, identify the claims or supporting details; and third, assess the logic or quality of that argument and supporting details. In other words, does the evidence provided support for the argument being made?
Identifying the Argument
As mentioned earlier, most texts don’t explicitly state their argument, especially if they seem to be more descriptive or informative in nature. We don’t normally think of a biology text as presenting an argument, but essentially, it does. For each chapter, it makes the claim that RNA, for example, is an important biological term that requires further investigation. Here is why it is important, and here is what you need to know about it. There are two general ways to ascertain the argument of a text.
First, look for it explicitly stated in the text. “We need immigration reform.” “The U.S. is falling behind in the way it educates students.” In most cases where the argument is explicitly stated, readers can find it in the title or in the opening paragraphs of the text. Surprisingly, students still struggle with finding this, and it may be necessary to teach them how to do so.
Second, have students read the text, then step back and determine the argument based on the gist or general idea of the passage. Sometimes, just letting students know that it is implied versus stated, allows them to think of the text more broadly.
Identifying the Claims
Once the argument is determined, it is important for readers to then go back into the text to provide evidence of how that argument was constructed. Students will need to learn about different types of evidence: facts, statistics, anecdotes / stories, expert testimony, analogy. In addition to identifying the claims and evidence, students should be aware of how much evidence for each claim is provided.
Evaluating Arguments
In the end, readers must assess the quality of the arguments in light of the evidence given. While it is necessary to explain why something might be persuasive, it is also important that students evaluate the logic of the text. They should consider the type of evidence provided, the amount of evidence provided, and the organization of those pieces in addition to the credibility of the author and the sources she uses. Evaluating arguments takes practice because there is not a neat template that can be applied. It requires the consideration of multiple variables.
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