Thesis Statement
This is the main claim of the article that supports a four-day school week.
What is that a four-day school week can benefit students and schools?
One reason schools switched to a four-day week was to save money on this.
What is transportation?
A four-day week saves schools money. What specific statistic from the Colorado Department of Education supports this?
What is "saving 20 percent on transportation and meal costs"?
Evidence that includes facts, numbers, or real examples is usually this.
What is strong evidence.
In an argumentative essay, everything in the body paragraphs should connect back to this.
What is thesis statement?
This is the main topic both articles are discussing
What is whether schools should switch to a four-day school week?
This group might have trouble finding childcare on the extra day off.
Who are working parents?
Dylan quotes a superintendent. What is the exact quote used as evidence to show that people are happy with the change?
What is "never been happier"?
Evidence that uses words like “probably,” “maybe,” or “I think” is usually this.
What is weak evidence?
This part of the essay includes reasons and evidence that support the claim.
What is body paragraphs?
This sentence tells what the author is trying to prove in an argument.
What is the thesis statement?
Critics worry that students might struggle with this if school days are reduced.
What is academic performance (or test scores)?
Teachers benefit from a shorter week. What evidence does Dylan provide in paragraph 4 to support this?
What is "it gives them more time to plan"?
Dylan mentions "hiking" as a benefit. Is this evidence for all students or just a personal example?
What is a personal example?
This paragraph structure includes a restate, answer, evidence, explanation, and a summary
What is RACES?
This is what schools did to make up for the lost school da
What is lengthen the school day?
A four-day week makes the schedule "manageable." What text evidence does Dylan use to show his current schedule is hard for him?
What is "juggling homework with my extracurricular activities gets overwhelming"?
Bethany says a four-day week could "cut into holidays." Since she uses the word "could," is this a proven fact or a predicted concern?
What is a predicted concern?
This is a sentence that grabs the reader’s attention at the beginning of the essay.
What is a hook?
Longer school days would not be productive. What text evidence does Bethany use to show how she feels by the end of the day?
What is "I'm exhausted by seventh period as it is"?
Dylan says he wants to "shoot hoops" with his sister. Is this strong evidence for saving the school money or for having more family time
What is family time.
This part of a body paragraph usually follows evidence and explains why the evidence matters.
What is explanation?