Writing with FRAMEs: The Argument Analysis

Purpose: The purposes of these FRAMEs are to give students outlines to analyze arguments presented in opinion and informational texts, and to write analysis essays. By incorporating sentence stems into the FRAME model, we are also providing differentiation and support to EL students, as well as our native speakers who need additional support.

ELA in Middle School

I teach in one of the top Strategic Instructional Method (SIM) districts in Texas. This graphic organizer/writing FRAME and the analysis sheet align with:

Current (old) TEKS:

            7.14, 7.17, 8.14, 8.17, (Sections A and B), Fig. 19C

            Newly adopted TEKS:

Strand 6, 110.23 and 110.24, inclusive.

Aligned to CCSS: ELA.Literacy.W.7.2; ELA.Literacy.W.7.3; ELA.Literacy.W.7.10; ELA.Literacy.W.8.2; ELA.Literacy.W.8.3; ELA.Literacy.W.8.10.

These FRAMEs were constructed for my 8^th grade Pre-AP, ESL, and Gen Ed students as a direct result of my attempt to use the Pro/Con FRAME for this purpose. They are based on the Strategic Instructional Method (SIM) FRAME Routine, with recommendations from students incorporated into them. The writing FRAME is used for the first rough draft only, and students do all subsequent drafts on lined paper or using electronic formats. I do collect and grade the FRAMEs as a daily grade, with all drafts attached or referenced. The Argument Analysis FRAME helps students analyze the arguments presented in texts on a topic, and to determine if the argument is effective or flawed, and what makes the argument effective or flawed. The writing FRAME then guides the student scholars in crafting their analysis in essay form.

SPECIAL SET-UP INFORMATION

If you decide to use these as electronic documents for your students for use in a “paperless” classroom, please note that you or your students will need to set up text boxes. Place text boxes over each section, and not each page. I used a 14-point Ariel font with 1.5 line spacing, so you will want to use a similar size and space. This will allow your student scholars to type “on the lines”.

ARGUMENT ANALYSIS FRAME

The first step in this FRAME is to determine the topic of debate that the student will enter into. I introduced this to my students with Pro/Con articles from various sources, including NewsELA.com and The New York Times, on the subjects of year-round schools,vegetarian versus non-vegetarian lifestyles, and the border wall between the United States and Mexico. Students selected the topic of their choice. These were the same articles used in the Pro/Con Essay FRAME lessons.

Next, students read the article or articles to find and identify the author’s or authors’ arguments and supports. They list the articles’ titles on the Analysis sheet, and in the columns beneath the ARGUMENT MADE and IS THE ARGUMENT VALID tabs, they outline the authors’ arguments, as well as the persuasive techniques used in the arguments. At this point, I instruct my student scholars to focus on the arguments being made, and not on the topic being discussed. I have found that separating the arguments from the topic is a more difficult concept for the students to master.

Students are now ready to move to the “M” phase of the lesson. In this case, they now have to explain why an argument is either successful or flawed, and what makes it so. They then complete the FRAME by creating their thesis statement for their findings.

WRITING FRAME

The first step in the writing FRAME is to have students identify the key arguments they are analyzing. Having already read the arguments and completed the analysis FRAME, this step should be fairly easy. Have the students create the prompt themselves; this helps build buy-in on the student’s part.

After your scholars have identified their findings, have them move to the “R” portion of the FRAME. This is where they begin their actual first draft. Remind students that the stems provided are guides, and not gospel. They should feel free to rewrite these in subsequent revisions; however, these stems also serve as modeling for their writing.

After completing an introductory paragraph, students assemble the body of the essay by outlining their annotations of their analysis in the “A” section of the FRAME. This is a perfect opportunity to also teach the skills of citing one’s research and preventing plagiarism! In this area, I do not care if they are using APA, MLA, or any other formal citation format, as long as they are citing their research. You will notice that I encourage students to mention additional areas of research related to their topic. I find this leads to some excellent ideas for future lessons! This FRAME came about as a direct result of one such discussion.

In the “M” section, I have my students identify and discuss the methods that the author or authors could have improved or strengthened their arguments.

As with my other FRAMEs, the “E” is an extension and reflection. I have added a Works Cited section once again. Additionally, I discuss publication at this point. Why have students engage in the discussion if no one will “hear” what they have to say? This can be in student newspapers or online formats.

On a separate note, I would greatly value your feedback! Please let me know how this (and other products you may have gotten from me) worked for you and your scholars/students! Is there any way you feel it could be improved? Email me at elainmiddleschool@gmail.com, or through the feedback!