Lesson 6.06 Objectives (Learning Goals)
At the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
Identify the purpose and structure of the body of an essay.
Support claims well to effectively persuade the audience to change perspective.
Acknowledge opposing claims and effectively refute them.
Use evidence from informational text to support a position.
Use transitions effectively.
Academic Vocabulary Needed for this Lesson:
For full credit on this assignment, you will need to put the following items in the 3 body paragraphs of your argument essay:
Support for your CLAIM in body paragraphs 1 and 2 using:
*Relevant Information
*A direct quote –
*An indirect quote
*Signal phrases
Introduce the COUNTERCLAIM and REBUTTAL in body paragraph 3 using:
*Relevant Information
*A direct quote –
*Signal phrases
In the essay you will also need to use
*Technical language –
*Transitions –

Now that we know what we will need to use, let’s go over each term one by one to be sure we understand what we are going to need to put in the essay.

Parts of an Argument Essay:
Claim (supported in Body 1 and 2):
Counterclaim (introduced in Body 3):
Rebuttal (used in Body 3):

Relevant information – make sure that the information you include in each paragraph is directly related to your argument. Avoid irrelevant information.
A direct quote – quote a credible source to support your claim and identify the source.
An indirect quote – include a summary or paraphrase of something someone said to support your claim and identify the source.
Signal phrases – to identify and distinguish the source of information when using a direct or indirect quote.
Ex. “According to Harvard Universtiy,…….”
Technical language – terms specific to your issue, like “cookies” if you were to argue about Internet tracking. Using words that are unique to your topic helps prove your authority on the issue.
Transitions – You will need transitions within your paragraphs, as well as between them. Words like “although,” “despite,” and “yet” are effective transitions for refuting a counterclaim.

Let’s see what all these parts look like in a FINISHED module 6 essay:

Let’s Get started on Lesson 6.06!

In this lesson you will:
Write the three body paragraphs of your ARGUMENT essay, using the SAME topic you chose and researched in lesson 6.02 and the introduction from 6.04.
Use these tips from this lesson to help you write the body of your argument.
Each of the 3 Body Paragraphs should contain these 3 parts:
TOPIC SENTENCE: The first sentence of the body paragraph TELLS the reader WHAT the paragraph will discuss. In an argument essay like this IT IS A POINT YOU CAN SUPPORT WITH EVIDENCE. It will be a reason readers should agree with your claim OR a reason NOT to believe the counterclaim.
EVIDENCE: The middle part of the paragraph will contain FACTS from your RESEARCH. You should add facts, quotes, and/or data for support. Use signal phrases to indicate the SOURCE of the evidence.
CLINCHER SENTENCE: Your last sentence in the paragraph gives your reader a quick summary of your ideas in the paragraph and can reinforce the importance of your claim.
For full credit on the lesson, you’ll need to include these:
Support for the Claim
Introduce the Counterclaim
Include a Rebuttal
A direct quote –
An indirect quote
Signal phrases.
Technical language –
Transitions –
Relevant information –

Copy your introduction paragraph from lesson 6.04 HERE:

Write the 3 BODY PARAGRPHS HERE:

GRADE yourself on THIS rubric! It is the SAME rubric your teachers will be using when they grade this assignment for you.