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Argumentative texts are pieces of writing that include claims supported by reasons and evidence to take a stance on an issue. Students start encountering these texts in early elementary school and continue to engage with them through high school and beyond. Despite their prevalence in the classroom, resources specifically designed to teach these texts can be tricky to find.
Today, we’re reviewing nine steps for teaching argumentative text and providing tips, strategies, and resources you can use to introduce them to and use them with your students.
[How to break down an argumentative text in 9 steps](id-how)
Where should you begin when teaching a lesson using argumentative text? Modeling how to break down this type of text to find important information is a good place to start! We’re using an article called “Pro/Con: Is media coverage of the NFL’s troubles over-the-top?” from our Debate and Discussion text set called “Should the Media Spend Resources Covering Celebrities?” to examine each step in more detail.
When students understand the format or structure of a text, they have a better chance of knowing where to look to pick out the information they need to understand an argument. The most basic argumentative texts include three sections:
Intro: The opening section where the author states the claim.
Body: The middle section where the author supports the claim with reasons and evidence.
Conclusion: The closing section where the author restates the claim.
As students build their reading skills and encounter more complex texts, they may also come across more complex text structures, like cause and effect or compare and contrast. Ensure students have the background knowledge to understand and identify text structures to make their work with argumentative texts easier.
The different texts shared in our example text set have different text structures that you can show your students to help them compare the fundamentals of each type.
The first thing students must do when reading an argumentative text is find the claims. There are a few things you can teach them to look for to make it easier to find claims in a text. They include:
Identify the type of claims
Authors may use six types of claims in argumentative texts to take a stance on the issue. Options include:
Fact: Argue that something is true or false based on quantifiable evidence
Value: Argue an issue’s worth
Policy: Argue if something should or shouldn’t be done
Definition: Argue how to define a concept
Cause: Argue how or why something happened
Comparison: Argue how two issues relate to each other
When students know the types of claims and what they argue, it’s easier to spot them in a text. In our example article, the authors use claims of policy and value to support their arguments, some of which we’ll discuss in more detail in subsequent sections.
Spot signal words
Each claim type has a list of signal words and phrases that may indicate an author is setting up their argument. Some of them include:
Claim of fact: Research suggests; Data indicated; Results show
Claim of value: Good; Bad; Better; Worse; Best; Worst
Claim of policy: Should; Must; Solution
Claim of definition: According to; Explains; Shows
Claim of cause: Since; Because; For; So
Claim of comparison: Like; Same as; Different from
These words may not always signal a claim or argument, so it helps to teach signal words along with other strategies to help students determine if they’ve found one within a text.
4. Identify the main claim
The next step to breaking down an argumentative text is identifying the main claim. Texts may include multiple claims, but there is always one main idea that the author uses and refers back to throughout the piece. To help students find the main claim, teach them to ask questions while they read, like:
What does the author want me to think or believe?
Is the author trying to convince me of something?
Does the author have a clear viewpoint on this topic?
Helping students find the overall focus of the argument can help. The introduction or conclusion of the text usually states or implies the main claim. For example, in our sample article, we’re looking for a claim that supports the argument, “Should the media spend resources covering celebrities?”
Because our example, “Is media coverage of NFL scandals out-of-bounds?” is a pro/con article, two claims are included, one that supports each side of the argument. The pro claim for this article states that dedicating reporters to covering NFL star scandals is over the top and invasive. It supports the argument that the media shouldn’t spend resources covering celebrities.
The con claim of this article states that the public has a right to know about sports news that happens on and off the field, and the league and players are responsible for making better choices. It supports the argument that the media should spend resources covering celebrities.
5. Find the reasons
Once students identify the main claim, they must look for proof or reasons to back it up. These are typically found within the body paragraphs of the text. An author's list of reasons to support their claim may be more subtle than finding the argument or claim itself. You may spend the most time modeling this part of the process.
In our sample article, the author lists two reasons why the media shouldn’t spend resources to cover NFL stars. They include:
Watching and reporting on someone 24 hours a day violates privacy and civil liberties.
Media outlets judge the morality of players’ personal lives rather than just their on-field performance.
The second author also lists two reasons the media should spend resources covering NFL stars. They include:
The public is interested in sports stars’ personal lives outside of their gameday performance.
Reporting on off-the-field issues in players' lives—like decisions influenced by head injuries sustained while playing—provides valuable information to the public.
6. Evaluate the evidence
Anyone can make a claim. But it's baseless if someone can’t back up or prove their claim. That’s why the next step in breaking down argumentative text is to teach students how to look for evidence. Research studies, proven statistics, and personal or past verifiable experiences may all be evidence strong enough to support a claim.
In our sample article, the pro author uses testimonials, observations, and hypothetical examples primarily as evidence to back up their reasons. Some of this evidence includes:
The hypothetical example that companies like NBC News or General Motors can’t watch their employees’ behavior 24 hours a day like the media expects of the NFL.
The observation that media members called for the NFL commissioner to resign and teams in the league receive punishment for players’ actions off the field.
The con author uses observations, facts, and statistics as evidence to back up their reasons. Some of this evidence includes:
More breaking news comes from outlets like TMZ rather than traditional news sources.
Studies show that nearly 30% of former NFL players will end up developing brain diseases, likely caused by head injuries during their careers.
An ESPN poll found that 57% of parents said the news about increased concussions in football made them less likely to allow their children to play in youth leagues.
7. Identify counterarguments
Counterarguments are those that refute the author’s claim. One-sided argumentative texts, like those your youngest students read, may not include counterarguments. For these types of texts, you can have students work in small groups to consider the opposite sides of an argument and create a list of potential counterarguments.
In pieces that include counterarguments, the author addresses other sides of an issue and then uses claims and evidence to refute them. You can teach students how to annotate their texts to find and mark counterarguments as they read.
There are also signal words and phrases that may indicate counterarguments. They can be:
Negative: The author blatantly disagrees with the counterargument, signaled by words like never, shouldn’t, or rarely.
Neutral: The author tries to present the counterargument unbiased, signaled by phrases like some think, others claim, and people believe.
Positive: The author sees some value in the counterargument but has a better point to make, signaled by words and phrases like admittedly, of course, and I acknowledge.
The author of the pro side of the sample article presents the positive counterargument that sports stars shouldn’t be excused from bad behavior just because they’re in the spotlight.
8. Find rebuttals to counterarguments
Like the main claim, all counterarguments also have responses called rebuttals, which allow the author to refute what others have said or past research shows. These rebuttals highlight the counterargument’s flaws or show readers why the author’s point of view or stance is more valid.
The author of the pro side of our sample text rebuts the counterargument that sports stars shouldn’t be excused from bad behavior by saying that the public shouldn’t be able to decide someone’s guilt or innocence without a trial, no matter what information is in the news.
9. Look for argument and counterargument limitations
Teach students to look for any ways the author may limit their argument. Authors do this to temper or scale back any claims that could be wild or outlandish. Hedging a point or limiting their argument can help save credibility or validity if someone else’s counterargument is better than theirs. Some signal words for limiting arguments include:
Probably
Possible
Only
Some
It’s important to show students that arguments have limits and have them consider why an author limits what they say. Why aren’t they going all in on their stance? While you may not go in-depth with limitations on every article, drawing attention to them can boost students’ curiosity about what they read and build their critical thinking skills.
In our sample article, neither author limited their main claim. By presenting both the pro and con sides to an argument at once, students can compare viewpoints and see if they find any limitations in the argument for themselves, even if they’re not explicitly stated.
[Tips to help students identify, understand, and refute claims and arguments](id-tips)
Want more information about how to help your students navigate argumentative texts? Try these tips:
Use high-quality, engaging texts
The best lessons on argumentative text start with the right content! They often have real-world ties to relevant topics affecting students' other schoolwork or lives. Our Pro/Con, Debate and Discussion, and ELA Standards and Skills collections scratch the surface of our high-quality texts. You can use the Newsela ELA reading skills search filter to find argument and claims texts on any topic you choose so you know you’re providing high-quality texts designed to teach these skills.
Ask the right questions
When students find a claim in an argumentative text, their first instinct should be to question it. But building this intuition takes practice, especially when they’re transitioning from reading primarily fictional texts to informational texts.
In fiction, readers are often supposed to accept everything the author says. The characters, setting, and plot are the way they are because the author says so. In informational and news texts, that principle doesn’t hold. Teaching students to ask the right questions when encountering a claim can help get them into this inquisitive mindset.
During whole-class instruction, give them prompting questions like “Why did the author say that?” or “What reason does the author give so I’ll believe that?” These questions set students on the path to examining content rather than taking it at face value.
Use annotations
Though we mentioned using annotations specifically for locating counterclaims, you can use them to mark up all aspects of an argumentative text. Assign different colors for claims, reasons, evidence, and counterarguments. As you read the text as a class, highlight each piece of information in the correct colors.
Doing this exercise makes it easier for students to look back at the text and understand the main points at a glance. It’s also helpful when you ask students to summarize an argumentative text or if they’re using a piece as a guide when learning how to write their own arguments. After you’ve shown students how to annotate, they can start doing it themselves when they read independently or with small groups.
Graphic organizers can help students order the pieces of an argument as they read. An opinion article analysis chart makes mapping out an argument or opinion in a text easier. Flowcharts and web charts can become argument maps that plot reasons and evidence against a claim. They help students visualize how reasons build on the claim. You can also use these charts to locate arguments and counterarguments within a text to see how authors weave in and refute them.
Hold a debate
Arguments are at the center of all debates. Two people or groups take opposing sides on a topic, make claims, and cite evidence to convince the audience to take their stance. To further drive home your lesson about arguments, hold an in-class debate.
Choose a topic your students care about and one that has enough content and resources they can use to back up any side of an argument. Depending on the needs of your class, you can let students choose their claim or assign students to a specific claim for more balanced groups.
Have students research all sides of the issue, prepare their claims and reasons, find supporting evidence, and draft rebuttals for counterarguments. Use our Let’s Debate organizer and Debate Text Evidence organizer to help them during planning.
Then, you can invite a group of teachers or another class to visit and be your debate audience. At the end of the debate, give the audience a silent poll to ask which side of the argument was more convincing and why. Then, have students complete an after-debate reflection to share what they learned.
[Argumentative text fast facts](id-facts)
Need to give your students a refresher on the basics of argumentative text? Use these fast facts to answer their questions and give them the background information they need to jump into the lesson!
What is argumentative text?
An argumentative text is a piece of writing that includes claims supported by reasons and evidence to take a stance on an issue. Even more simply, an argumentative text tries to persuade readers (or listeners) to agree with the author’s ideas using facts, reasons, and evidence to support their stance.
What features does an argumentative text have?
Argumentative texts include similar components, no matter what issue they’re discussing. Generally, an argumentative text will:
Take a specific position or stance on an issue.
Include facts, data, statistics, quotes, and other evidence to support that stance.
Account for counterarguments and counterclaims and try to disprove them.
Are there different types of text structures used for argumentative texts?
Early in this blog, we discussed a traditional text structure for argumentative texts, known as the Toulmin model or argument. This is a specific name for one of the most common essay layouts that includes the following:
Intro: The opening section where the author states the claim and provides background information to orient the reader to the topic and their stance.
Body: The middle sections where the author supports the claim with reasons and evidence and addresses counterarguments.
Conclusion: The closing section where the author restates the claim.
Argumentative texts may also take on another structure, called the Rogerian model or argument. In this format, the traditional essay format may look like:
Intro: Set up the topic and introduce two sides of an argument.
Body: Provide information and evidence about the strengths and weaknesses of both sides of the argument.
Conclusion: State which side of the argument is stronger after analyzing the evidence.
What are some common types of argumentative texts?
Aside from the structure, students may also be able to tell if a text is argumentative—or at least predict if it may be argumentative—by the type of piece they’re reading. Common types of argumentative texts include:
Debates: Verbal or written exchanges where two authors with opposing viewpoints argue opposite sides of an issue.
Editorial articles: Short- to medium-form texts that state the author or publication’s stance on a topic.
Essays: Long-form, often formal texts that analyze an argument in-depth.
Speeches: Written or verbal texts that may persuade an audience to take a specific viewpoint or agree with an ideology.
Is there a difference between argumentative and expository texts?
Both argumentative and expository texts fall in the nonfiction genre, but their purposes differ. Expository texts explain a topic in depth. They use facts, quotes, and data to give readers more information on the topic, but they don’t take a stance on it, like if it’s good or bad.Argumentative texts use much of the same information as expository texts, but they explicitly take a stance and argue that position. Notice how these titles focus on the same topic but differ in their message.
Expository: How to purify drinking water.
Argumentative: Global citizens should all have access to purified drinking water.
[Teaching argumentative text with Newsela](id-newsela)
With Newsela ELA, you can teach students how to navigate and understand argumentative text using relevant, real-world content. Plus, it’s easy to check students’ comprehension to discover if they’re learning and can read and understand these texts independently. The standards and skill-aligned multiple-choice quizzes and checks for understanding on all informational texts make it easier to get the data you need to adjust your lessons in real time when teaching a skill.
Not a Newsela customer yet? When you register for Newsela Lite for free, you can start your 45-day trial to access all the content and skill-building scaffolds you need to teach argumentative texts in your classroom.
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