Argumentative Essay Jeopardy

Introduction

100

Is the introduction the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd part of an argumentative essay?

The introduction is the 1st part of an argumentative essay.

200

What is a thesis statement?

A thesis statement is the author's main claim. It is the main idea of the whole essay.

300

What goes in the first sentence of your introduction?

The first sentence in the introduction is called the Hook. It can be a question, fun fact, anecdote, quote, etc.

400

Is the following an example of a good or weak thesis statement? Explain why. I think that dogs are fantastic pets because they are loyal, easy to train, and friends to the whole family.

The example is a weak thesis because it should not have things like "I think" in it. The good parts are that it gives the author's position (dogs are fantastic pets), gives 3 supporting reasons (why dogs are fantastic pets).

500

Label the hook, connecting sentences, and thesis statement in the following introduction. "Why do athletes train so hard? Athletes, such as LeBron James and Gabby Douglas, have to keep a healthy diet and prepare in many ways. No matter the sport, all of the best athletes practice their skills every day. To be successful, athletes must develop good habits, plan, and train hard."

Hook = "Why do athletes train so hard?" Connecting Sentences = "Athletes, such as LeBron James and Gabby Douglas, have to keep a healthy diet and prepare in many ways. No matter the sport, all of the best athletes practice their skills every day." Thesis = "To be successful, athletes must develop good habits, plan, and train hard."

Body Paragraphs

100

How many body paragraphs does an argumentative essay have? How many for an expository essay?

There are 2 body paragraphs in an argumentative essay and 3 in an expository essay.

200

What is a topic sentence and where is is located?

A topic sentence tells the main idea of the whole body paragraph. It is the first sentence in each body paragraph.

300

Name 4 transition words you can use in an essay.

First, second, third, next, above all, however, ...

400

What is a bridge? Where do we find it?

A bridge is a sentence that explains how the evidence connects to and supports the claim. We find it right after each piece of evidence.

500

Label the topic sentence, supporting details, and concluding sentence in the following body paragraph. "Second, year-round school is easier for working families. They have a hard time finding childcare or other activities to keep their children busy and cared for during the long summer break. Many working parents prefer to plan for shorter school breaks. Therefore, year-round school is less difficult for working parents."

Topic Sentence = "Second, year-round school is easier for working families." Supporting Details = "They have a hard time finding childcare or other activities to keep their children busy and cared for during the long summer break. Many working parents prefer to plan for shorter school breaks." Concluding Sentence = "Therefore, year-round school is less difficult for working parents."

Counterclaim

100

What is an opposing claim or counterclaim?

An opposing claim states the opposite side from the author's.

200

What is a rebuttal or turn-back?

The rebuttal is a return to the original argument after the counterclaim. It is where you point out why your argument is better.

300

What are transition words you can use for your counterclaim and rebuttal? Give at least 1 set.

You may think that (counterclaim)

However (rebuttal)

400

Can you find the transition words? Count them!      "To begin with, if students attend school year-round, they will avoid summer slide. For example, a district in Arizona saw reading scores go up by more than 50% after extending the school year by 20 days. It is also true that critics of year-round schools say studies showing score increases in year-round programs are inconclusive.  However, there is no doubt that students in districts that have year-round school outperform students in ten month programs on achievement tests."

There are 4! 

To begin with, For example, It is also true that, and However.

500

Label the counterargument and the rebuttal: "It is true that critics of year-round schools say studies showing score increases in year-round programs are inconclusive. They say it is difficult to pinpoint the real reason for the improvements. However, there is no doubt that students in districts that have year-round school outperform students in ten month programs on achievement tests." 

Counterclaim = "It is true that critics of year-round schools say studies showing score increases in year-round programs are inconclusive. They say it is difficult to pinpoint the real reason for the improvements."

Rebuttal = "However, there is no doubt that students in districts that have year-round school outperform students in ten month programs on achievement tests." 

Conclusion

100

Is the conclusion the 1st, middle, or last part of an argumentative essay?

The conclusion is the last part of an argumentative essay.

200

Give 3 examples of concluding words.

Examples include finally, As a result, To conclude, in conclusion, ...

300

What are the main parts of a conclusion?

Conclusions restate the thesis and bring together the arguments and main ideas before the author ends the essay with something to leave the reader thinking.

400

What is a call to action in a conclusion paragraph?

A call to action is a way to leave the reader thinking about the essay. Other ways are to ask a questions, etc.

500

Label the restated thesis, key point summary, and call to action in the following paragraph. "It is critical to understand that year-round school should exist because students lose knowledge over the summer. Research has shown that the long break is difficult for working families, and US students are falling behind students in Europe and Asia. In fact, year-round school has been proven to be a wonderful solution for students. It will allow students to learn more and forget less. Therefore, if people want to help students learn more, year-round school should happen in more schools.

Restated Thesis = "It is critical to understand that year-round school should exist because students lose knowledge over the summer." Key oint summary = "Research has shown that the long break is difficult for working families, and US students are falling behind students in Europe and Asia. In fact, year-round school might sound like a terrible idea." Call to Action / End Hook = "Therefore, if people want to help students learn more, year-round school should happen in more schools."

Citing sources

100

What does it mean to cite your sources? where should you cite your sources?

Citing your sources means that you give credit to the author who wrote your piece of evidence. You cite your sources after every quote in the text and on the works cited page.

200

If you paraphrase, do you still need to cite your source?

YES!

300

If you use the same source twice, do you have to cite it more than once?

YES! you have to cite your source after every sentence.

400

Is this a correct in-text citation? 

The text states: "I finally thought of something to say." (The Outsiders, 15).

The text states, "I finally thought of something to say" (The Outsiders, 15).

500

Write the citation: 

Tough and tuff are 2 different words.

from the Outsiders, par. 12 by SE Hinton.

S.E. Hinton states that "Tough and tuff are 2 different words" (The Outsiders, paragraph 12).