Whole Earth Curriculum WEC

Lesson 07 — Writing a Research-Supported Argument: Claim, Evidence, Citation

Learners write the first draft of a **research-supported argument**, using a five-part frame — claim, reason, evidence with citation, answer to a counterargument, and a supported position — modeled first, then drafted on a chosen topic with at least two cited sources. They learn to cite so a reader can find the source, in their own words, not a single national style.

D04 P3: Intellectual & Cognitive Awareness D04.S3 55 minutes Draft

Objectives

Essential question

How do I write an argument that integrates and cites sources, not just asserts an opinion?

claimreasonevidencecitationcounterargumentsource

Materials

Standard materials

Low-tech / no-cost

Enriched / lab & device

Works in different contexts

A five-step flow from claim to reason to evidence with citation, then to a response to a counterargument, ending in a supported position, with a note that a citation names author, title, source, and date
A five-step flow from claim to reason to evidence with citation, then to a response to a counterargument, ending in a supported position, with a note that a citation names author, title, source, and date

Lesson 7 — Writing a Research-Supported Argument: Claim, Evidence, Citation

Summary

Learners write the first draft of a research-supported argument, using a five-part frame — claim, reason, evidence with citation, answer to a counterargument, and a supported position — modeled first, then drafted on a chosen topic with at least two cited sources. They learn to cite so a reader can find the source, in their own words, not a single national style.

Objectives

  • Write a research-supported argument that integrates and cites sources and evaluates conflicting evidence. (D04.S3.09.01)

Connection

An opinion is cheap; an argument is earned. Saying “I think the market should move” costs nothing. Saying “the market should move because the vendors’ own survey shows most customers cannot reach it, and the town’s own report shows the current site floods each rainy season” — that is an argument, because it rests on evidence someone else can check, and it names where that evidence came from. The difference between the two is exactly the difference between a voice people can dismiss and a voice people have to answer. Today you build the second kind.

Materials

  • Argument-builder sheet
  • Topic menu

Preparation

  • Copy the argument-builder sheet and topic menu; assemble the starter sources.
  • Retrieval: from Grade 8, recall writing an argument with a claim, reasons, evidence, and a response to a counterargument, and citing sources accurately. Today we add research — finding and integrating real sources — and evaluating conflicting evidence.

Facilitator note

This lesson is written to the learner (“you”). The skill to land: a research-supported argument has five parts — (1) claim (what I think, said clearly); (2) reason (why I think it); (3) evidence (fact or example from a source) with a citation; (4) an answer to a counterargument; and (5) a supported position that is recognizably yours. This is a skill, so use a worked example, then guided practice (S-011). Teach citation generically and globally: a citation names author, title, source, and date so a reader can find the evidence — this is the shared purpose behind every citation style, and we teach the purpose, not one nation’s format (a learner may use the style their region uses). Model the worked example fully — a claim about a real, local, low-heat topic (e.g., “our school should compost its food waste”) with a reason, a cited piece of evidence, and an honest answer to a counterargument. The critical-thinking lens: evidence supports a claim; it does not prove it — teach learners to write “suggests” or “shows,” not “proves” (philosophy §5, §7). The ethics lens: citing is an act of honesty — it separates your words from others’ and gives credit; failing to cite is taking someone else’s work (S-040 on separating one’s words from others’). The egalitarian lens: whose knowledge counts as a citable “source” matters — a local elder’s testimony and a government report are both sources, and a learner’s home-language source is a real source, not a lesser one. The global lens: the topic menu spans many places and stakes, and learners may choose any topic they can research. The technology lens: where a device is available, a source is found and checked online; where not, printed articles and people’s testimony serve the same purpose. Keep the topics real but not explosive; the point is the skill.

Procedure

  1. Recall (5 min). From Grade 8: what are the parts of an argument, and what does it mean to cite a source accurately?
  2. Meet the five parts (8 min). Claim → reason → evidence + citation → answer a counterargument → supported position. A citation names author, title, source, date so a reader can find it.
  3. Study the worked example (10 min). Read the model argument about a real local topic. Trace each of the five parts, and find the citation. Notice the claim uses “suggests,” not “proves.”
  4. Choose a topic and gather two sources (12 min). Pick from the menu (or propose your own). From the starter sources, note one piece of evidence for your claim and, if you can, one against it.
  5. Draft your argument (15 min). Write the five parts: your claim, one reason, one cited piece of evidence, one honest answer to a counterargument, and your supported position. Keep your words and your sources’ words visibly separate.
  6. Peer-check (5 min). Swap with a partner. Can they find your claim, your citation, and your answer to a counterargument? Is each source named well enough to find? Fix what is missing.

Differentiation

  • Support: Provide the worked example with the five parts labeled, and a fill-in frame for the draft (“My claim is ___. One reason is ___. A source that supports this is ___ [citation], which shows ___.”).
  • Extension: Integrate a source that partly disagrees, and add one sentence explaining how it qualifies (narrows) your claim.
  • Non-speaking / AAC: The argument is written; a learner drafts on paper or a device, and citation is done in writing, not speech.
  • Deaf / hard of hearing: All drafting is written or typed; pair work can run in sign or text, and the five-part frame is visual.

Assessment

  • Formative (observation): Can the learner write a claim, a reason, a cited piece of evidence, and an answer to a counterargument — with their own words clearly separate from the source’s?
  • Peer check: Partner confirms the five parts are present and the citation is findable.
  • Portfolio artifact: The draft argument, kept in the portfolio (revised in Lesson 8 and reshaped in Lesson 9).

Home connection

Read one news article or post this week and ask: what is the claim, what is the evidence, and does it name where the evidence came from? Bring one observation to the next lesson.

Resources