The following are essential parts of any argument essay:
Major Claim: Usually found at the end of your introductory paragraph. The claim is where you state your beliefs or what you wish to argue.
example from class: More people should play Pokemon Go.
Reasons: Reasons tell why you are arguing what you are arguing, why you believe what you believe. Once you have identified your reasons, you can turn them into sentences that we here at Samohi call Statements of Reasoning (SOR), which should be used as topic sentences for your paragraphs.
examples of from class:
More people should play Pokemon Go because:
1. It gets people exercising/ walking when they normally would be sitting.
2. It unites people in a common cause.
3. It makes people creative problem solvers.
4. It promotes local businesses.
5. It encourages people to explore their community.
Evidence: Use evidence to support your reasons. This evidence can come for a variety of sources including your personal experience, newspapers, magazines, books, movies. You must decide which kind of evidence best supports your individual reasons.
Explanation/Analysis: This is the part of the essay where you explain how your evidence supports your SOR, of where you explain the significance of your evidence and how it proves your claim or your SOR.
Counterargument: In your essay, either in a separate paragraph or in each paragraph, you should refute any counterclaims that might exist. The format for counterarguments depends on the subject and the structure of your essay.
