In an argumentative essay, the claim is the thesis. It’s the argument you are making.

6. In an argumentative essay, the claim is the thesis. It’s the argument you are making. Take a solid position on the topic. Every sentence in the essay should relate back to the thesis statement / claim. The thesis statement should be the last sentence of the introduction. Thesis statements should be statements, not questions. Thesis statements should not contain first or second person pronouns (I, you, me, etc.)

12. It may help to understand that all of the examples in this presentation are for an essay in which the author is arguing: Middle and high school students need to be given more time to read for pleasure during the school day.

13. Begin with a hook that will grab the audience’s attention. Hooks need to be interesting, surprising, concise, and relevant. Attention getters are usually between 1 and 3 sentences.

14. “There are worse crimes than burning books,” author Ray Bradbury suggests. “One of them is not reading them.”

15. It’s true. Reading is not the only healthy hobby that exists in the world. Yet, teachers across the nation place a heavy emphasis on literacy. Have they forgotten to account for differences in learning styles and interests? While this might be the case, it’s more likely that teachers know something some students do not: Reading is the key to staying in shape mentally, and emotionally. Books are therapists, friends, travel companions, and more.

16. “Reading one book is like eating one potato chip,” science fiction and fantasy author Diane Duane suggests. Indeed, reading makes an individual more intelligent; yet, just like calories consumed determine a person’s physical health, the number of books consumed determines the point to which the human mind is enriched and enlightened.

17. After spending some time reading a fact book for kids, six-year-old Anabelle ran into her brother’s room with eyes wide and mouth agape. “Johnny! Can you believe Christopher Columbus traveled the Atlantic Ocean on a ship made of cauliflower?” While little Anabelle’s understanding of the Mayflower is slightly skewed, her excitement about learning is infectious and has broader implications. Reading has the power to impart knowledge and inspire children to value learning.   

18. According to Pi Beta Phi’s Reading Initiatives fact sheet, “Out-of-school reading habits of students has shown that even 15 minutes a day of independent reading can expose students to more than a million words of text in a year.”

19. Are students aware of the power that reading a good book has on their overall life achievement? Do they understand the potential impact of low literacy skills when it comes to our world’s future? Moreover, do today’s schools have the responsibility to create a healthy reading culture and expose students to the lifelong benefits of reading for pleasure?

20. Many schools have adopted textbooks aligned to the Common Core Curriculum, but those textbooks do not always contain high-interest texts that engage tweens and teens. Research has proven that choice reading is a key ingredient to successful reading instruction, but the pressures from various stakeholders (legislators, administrators, and community members) have created a divide in philosophy. Does reading for pleasure have a place in 21st century schools?

21. Imagine it’s 2050. Technology has replaced print books. Video games and smartphone apps have replaced reading as a hobby. Crime and poverty have increased, and illiteracy is at an all-time high. Is this the future of our children?

22. Reading for pleasure is like traveling to an unknown land. It broadens our thinking, increases our experience, and opens doors of opportunity.

23. Literacy is defined as the ability to read and write. An individual’s literacy competency directly correlates with his or her success in school, in the workplace, and in life.

26. Follow the hook with background information. The bridge connects the ideas in the hook to the idea in the thesis statement. Bridges provide context but not evidence. The bridge is the writer’s opportunity to shape the reader’s view in preparation for the thesis statement.

27. Reading for pleasure has become somewhat of a hot-button topic. Teachers are looking for ways to engage teenagers in meaningful choice reading activities, but the pressures of standardized testing have some stakeholders leery of sacrificing the instructional time (“National Reading”).

28. Schools have always incorporated reading instruction, but recently, the focus has begun to shift. Historically, reading instruction was centered around classic, whole-class texts like A Separate Peace and Frankenstein. To meet the needs of modern learners, many schools are gearing their instruction toward individualized, differentiated reading instruction that focuses on student interest and readiness level (ALA).

29. Many schools currently implement mandated reading programs that take student choice and enjoyment out of the reading process. Sometimes, students are asked to take quizzes after reading required novels, and the assessments do not always reflect the conversation a student had with a book, focusing on trivial details instead. As a result of these programs, teens begin to view reading as an obligation, a chore, or a homework assignment that is disconnected from real life.

31. Make sure to incorporate transitional words, phrases, and sentences where necessary so that your hook, bridge, and thesis flow logically together. Try to keep your introduction paragraph concise (5-8 sentences is a good range). Don’t incorporate any specific ideas in the introduction paragraph that you plan to use as supporting details in one of your body paragraphs. If you do include research, CITE IT in the essay, and add it to the Works Cited page!!! Ex: (Kruse). Keep the introduction broad, but use it to hook your readers. They should want to keep reading and clearly understand what your essay is about.

32. According to Pi Beta Phi’s Reading Initiatives fact sheet, “Out-of-school reading habits of students have shown that even 15 minutes a day of independent reading can expose students to more than a million words of text in a year.” Exposure to new vocabulary words has been proven to increase intelligence and test scores, yetreading for pleasure has become somewhat of a hot-button topic. Teachers are looking for ways to engage teenagers in meaningful choice reading activities that encourage them to read more independently, but the pressures of standardized testing have some stakeholders leery of sacrificing the instructional time (“National Reading”).Still, the research is clear. Secondary schools should be implementing more choice reading that focuses on reading for pleasure as a lifelong hobby.

33. Write your own introduction paragraph using the A + B + C graphic organizer. Open up a new document. Title it FIRST NAME + LAST NAME + CLASS PERIOD + ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY. Set up your MLA formatting. Begin typing.