T O U L M I N M O D E L F O R A R G U M E N T

ARGUMENTATION AND CORE PARAGRAPH

CORE PARAGRAPH REVIEW

•Topic Sentence•Support (DEAF)•Commentary/Analysis•Concluding Sentence/Transition

CORE PARAGRAPH REVIEW

• Topic Sentence – controlling idea with a specific impression• It needs to be arguable and defendable• Cell phones should be allowed in class because

I use mine for educational purposes.• Sex education should be taught in schools

because it prevents unwanted pregnancies and STDs.

CORE PARAGRAPH REVIEW

• Support– The information that helps to prove your claim is valid/true.• Details – specifics from a narrative • Evidence – Quotes, research• Anecdotes – Personal story• Facts – Statistics, irrefutable truths (or widely

accepted truths)

COMMENTARY

• Commentary – the analysis the writer includes to connect the support to the topic sentence and show how it is helping to prove the claim.• Ask – So what?• “This means…” “This evidence shows…” “This

demonstrates…”

CONCLUSION

• Concluding Sentence/Transition• In argumentative writing, the final sentence and the

conclusion of any paragraph should NOT NEVER be simply a restatement of your topic sentence (this is repetitive and low level).

• Effective conclusion is, instead, an explanation of why the claim proven in the paragraph matters on its own (when the argument comprises a single paragraph) or why the proven claims matter in the context of the essay’s larger argument (when the argument is multi-paragraph, and the paragraph is for one point of it).

TOULMIN ARGUMENTATION

• QuickWrite• What is the Toulmin model for argumentation? How does

it, perhaps, differ/enhance what you have been taught up to this point about argumentation?

• Turn and Talk

TOULMIN VOCAB

• Claim – debatable or controversial statements or assertions that you hope to prove.

• Logic/evidence – the raw material for building arguments

• Reasons – major terms of the argument• Warrants – logical and persuasive connection between a

claim and the reasons/data supporting it (assumptions)• Backing – evidence to support your warrant• Qualifiers – words/phrases that place limits on claims

(usually, sometimes, in many cases)• Conditions of Rebuttal – objections of your opposition• Ethos, Pathos, Logos – ethical, emotional, and logical

appeals (respectively)

STRUCTURING ARGUMENT

Reason So Claim

SinceWarrant

STRUCTURING ARGUMENT

JGC must learn about himself So the borderlands are essential

SinceStaying in Texas would not help him realize truth

Topic Sentence: John Grady Cole must journey through the borderlands in order to reach high truths about himself and the world.

STRUCTURING ARGUMENT

JGC must learn about himself So the borderlands are essential

SinceStaying in Texas would not help him realize truth

Topic Sentence: Even though his efforts are futile, John Grady Cole must journey through the borderlands in order to reach high truths about himself and the world.

AP VERSUS GENERAL

• Prove your warrant…your assumption needs to be addressed.• Use LOGICAL backing – quotes from both texts

(no cherry-picking)• Anticipate questions – your reader is smart!• Anticipate rebuttals – create air-tight points, so

there are no large gaps in your argument (and concede a point when you can’t refute).

“HOW TO READ LITERATURE LIKE A PROFESSOR”

• Take out your packet from last Friday.• Using chapter 1, you will work in groups to

identify the argument that Foster is making.• Try to find all the pieces of Toulmin’s model.

(Remember assumptions aren’t explicitly stated)