Argument Vocabulary
A statement that is defensible and debatable that starts argumentative writing.
claim
(Cohen, 7)
A sentence from paragraph 3 in the following article:
Cohen, Danielle. “Why Kids Need to Spend Time in Nature.” Child Mind Institute. 2021. CommonLit, commonlit.org. Accessed May 2026.
(Cohen 3)
[7] The loss of unstructured time for students may not be achieving its aims. Students who are kept in classrooms all day without a break are likely to be less attentive and may also learn less efficiently.
Recess helps students be more attentive.
OR
Recess helps students learn more.
(HHP 3)
A quote directly from the text that supports a claim.
evidence
I am writing to request that middle school students please get a daily outdoor 10-15 minute break after lunch.
In the first paragraph or introductoin of your essay
A sentence from paragraph 4 in the article:
Harvard Health Publishing (HHP). “The Importance of Recess.” Harvard Medical School, 2015. CommonLit, commonlit.org. Accessed 10 May 2026.
(HHP 4)
[11] But the AAP (American Association of Pediatricians) recommends that play, particularly active and creative play (as opposed to sitting in front of a television or computer screen) will help children be more successful. It may even help them learn a few of the social skills they'll need to meet the challenges ahead of them.
Active play helps with social skills.
“Kids who play outside are smarter, happier, more attentive, and less anxious than kids who spend more time indoors”
Evidence
Sentences that tell why the evidence matters and connects to a claim.
Reasoning or explanation of evidence
“Kids who play outside are smarter, happier, more attentive, and less anxious than kids who spend more time indoors”
This is evidence from the text so you would use it right after you make a claim about recess so that you have support for the claim.
A sentence from paragraph 7 in the following article:
Cohen, Danielle. “Why Kids Need to Spend Time in Nature.” Child Mind Institute. 2021. CommonLit, commonlit.org. Accessed May 2026.
(Cohen 7)
[3] The benefits of recess might seem obvious — time to run around helps kids stay fit. But a large body of research suggests that it also boosts cognition. Many studies have found that regular exercise improves mental function and academic performance. And an analysis of studies that focused specifically on recess found positive associations between physical activity and the ability to concentrate in class.
Any of these claims would make sense with this evidence:
Recess helps kids stay fit.
Recess increases thinking (cognition).
Recess improves academics (grades).
Recess improves concentration (focus.)
A daily recess would increase attentiveness.
claim
Words that show connections between ideas so that your writing flows more smoothly from one ideas to the next.
transition words or phrases
In addition
Before you give a second or third reason to support your claim
A sentence from paragraph 4 in the article:
Wong, Alia. “Why Kids Need Recess.” The Atlantic, Dec. 2016. CommonLit, commonlit.org. Accessed May 2026.
(Wong 4)
[4] And when fourth-graders in a recess-free school were given a weekly recess, another group of researchers found that they had an easier time staying on task and were much less fidgety. These experimental findings are bolstered by an analysis of 10,000 questionnaires filled out by third-grade teachers: Even a single 15-minute daily recess was correlated with more-positive ratings of classroom behavior.
Recess improves classroom behavior.
Imagine a classroom full of students who are focused on learning because they’ve had time to play outside. The goal of school is to help students learn, which requires that students focus on the lesson. Allowing students to play outside would clearly help with improving the classroom environment and students’ ability to focus on learning.
Explanation of evidence or reasoning
A way to show the source of your evidence
in-text citation
In the end or Finally
Use this for the reason that supports your claim or in your concluding paragraph.
A sentence from paragraph 2 in the following article:
Wong, Alia. “Why Kids Need Recess.” The Atlantic, Dec. 2016. CommonLit, commonlit.org. Accessed May 2026.
(Wong 2)
[7] Recent studies have exposed the benefit — even necessity — of spending time outdoors, both for kids and adults. Most of the studies agree that kids who play outside are smarter, happier, more attentive, and less anxious than kids who spend more time indoors.
Spending time outdoors is good for students.
first, next, in addition, also, therefore.
Transition words or phrases