Connecting Student Interests to the Process of Evaluating and Developing Arguments in an Engaging, Contemporary, and Creative Way

I have the privilege to work with administrators and teachers at Franklinville Central School District. During my time there last year, Jaimie Hulin, 7th-grade ELA teacher at TBA, planned and tested a creative idea to support NYS NG ELA standard 7RI8, trace and evaluation the development of an argument. Those who are closely connected to ELA know that this is a “priority standard,” connecting not only to NYS middle-level NG ELA assessments but also the 11th-grade ELA Regents exam. Here’s Jaimie and her students’ story:

Students in seventh grade at Franklinville Central School District started their argument unit a bit differently this year. I have found that students struggle to understand the components of argument writing and how to connect them to their own lives. As such, I decided to begin my unit with a mini project that connects to pop culture. I used YouTube videos by a YouTuber named MatPat. He has a series called “Food Theory,” and while not all of his videos are useful for this purpose or appropriate for school, many are. They are funny and students are interested in his topics. We viewed and analyzed the parts of three different videos, highlighting the parts of the argument and how he used different tools to present his argument. Then, students, in small groups, were tasked with making their own argument videos.

They did not have to do a Food Theory style video, but many did do food topics. Students choose topics ranging from whether aliens exist to is bottled water worth the price. They were guided through the process using the same analysis tools we used to look at his videos. While there were things that I will tweak in coming years, this introduction to the unit was a smash hit that really improved students’ understanding of the process for evaluating and developing arguments.
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By:  Anne Mitchell, Coordinator for Curriculum and Professional Development