Determine an Author’s Claim- exercise
CONTENT DESCRIPTION
Exercise – Determining an author’s claim. Students choose a New York Times opinion article and complete exercise to determine claim and support.
Claim, Support, Question for an Editorial Research Project
Topic: Student Mental Health Days [
Step 1: Make a claim about the topic [Claim: An explanation or interpretation of some aspect of the topic.]
Step 2: Identify support for your claim [Support: Things you see, feel, and know that support your claim]
Step 3: Ask a question related to your claim [Question: What’s left hanging? What isn’t explained? What new reasons does your claim raise?]
Overview: In order to compose an argument, writers start by making a claim, stating a personal opinion about a topic. In order to explain the reasons for their claims, in the hopes of convincing others to see things from their perspective, writers provide support for those claims. This activity invites you to practice making claims and providing support.
PRACTICE: A recent New York Times Student Opinion article asked, “Should Students Get Mental Health Days Off From School?” Reporter Natalie Proulx asked students, “Have you ever felt so overwhelmed, stressed, anxious or depressed that you thought you needed a day off from school to reset?” What do you think? Why do you think so?
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Make a Claim |
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Identify Support |
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Ask Questions |
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–“Claim, Support, Question” is a “Visible Thinking Routine” developed by Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
