Civically-Engaged Teaching Writing Writing Assessment

For the Sake of Argument: Teaching Evidence-Based Writing

By Linda Friedrich, Rachel Bear, and Tom Fox

Summary:

 The instructional resources contained in this article are designed to develop specific argument skills and include text sets that represent multiple perspectives on a topic. The resources also emphasize iterative reading and writing practices, the recursive development of claims, organizing and structuring writing, and embedding formative assessment opportunities. The formative assessment tools help teachers assess students' written arguments and provide specific feedback.

“To the detriment of education, we live in what author Deborah Tannen calls the ‘argument culture,’ where ‘winning’ is more valued than ‘understanding.’ The NWP’s approach to argument writing starts with having students understand multiple points of view that go beyond pros and cons and are based on multiple pieces of evidence, which ultimately enables students to take responsible civic action.”

Notes:

A product of the National Writing Project’s College, Career, and Community Writers Program (C3WP), which aims to improve students’ ability to write evidence-based arguments. The program consists of professional development, instructional resources, and formative assessment tools. The professional development is provided by local Writing Project sites and focuses on teaching argument writing.

Also Recommended

See all
Content type
Everyday Advocacy Playbook
Teachers often feel their expertise is ignored in discussions about education policy and curriculum. Everyday Advocacy is an approach that empowers teachers to take small, day-to-day actions to influence the public narrative around schools and teaching. This Playbook provides guidance and examples to help teachers get started with this type of advocacy as part of their regular teaching work.
Read more
Content type
The Write Time with Author Rob Cameron and Educator Max Limric
By National Writing Project
This episode features Rob Cameron, a teacher, linguist, and writer who organizes the Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers and founded the Constellations Mentorship program for the Octavia Project. Rob is interviewed by Max Limric, a pre-service elementary teacher who became interested in the power of children's and young adult literature, having grown up with speculative stories like Harry Potter and The NeverEnding Story.
Read more
Content type
The Write Time with Author Ellen Oh and Educator Melissa Thom
By National Writing Project
Ellen Oh is an award-winning author of numerous middle grade and young adult books including The Spirit Hunters series and Prophecy trilogy, and is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books. Melissa Thom is a teacher librarian at Bristow Middle School in Connecticut with 22 years of educational experience and former president of the Connecticut Association of School Librarians.
Read more