How To Write An Argumentative Essay

Introduction Paragraph

• Introduce your topic with a hook or an attention grabber of some kind. 
• This can be a quote, an interesting fact or statement about the topic you are writing about, a statistic, or an anecdote (that’s a very short story). 
• Give some background on the topic you are writing about (topic sentence).
• List the three points you are going to make (your three reasons you feel the way you do about the topic). 
• This should not all be crammed into one sentence
• End with your thesis -- that's your main argument/claim in one well-written sentence (issue + position = precise claim = thesis statement). 

Body Paragraphs (You will have THREE of these paragraphs, one for each reason)

• Topic Sentence -- state your reason
• Share your evidence (quote or statistic) and add a CITATION
• EXPLAIN the evidence and why it is important
• One way to do this is by summarizing the evidence/putting it into your own words
• Share another piece of evidence, if you have it, and add a CITATION
• EXPLAIN the evidence and why it is important
• One way to do this is by summarizing the evidence/putting it into your own words
• Add a concluding sentence 
• This is where you sum up the reason and how it connects to your thesis

Opposing Claim Paragraph  (This is the ONLY OPTIONAL PARAGRAPH, but a very good idea) 

• Topic Sentence - acknowledge the other side →  "Some may claim..."
• Explain why that thought/belief/claim is NOT correct.
• Use EVIDENCE and add a CITATION to support your side.
• Add a concluding sentence explaining your side. 

Concluding Paragraph 

• Topic sentence -- Rephrase/restate your thesis statement in a fresh way
• State each of your three reasons in a different way (use synonyms)
• This should NOT be crammed into one sentence.
• Craft a final summary statement
• Write the essential point of your essay in one sentence
• These are your closing remarks - make them strong 
• This is NOT the time to ask a question, introduce new information, or write “I hope you liked my essay” 
• (another option) Encourage your audience to take a stand
• (another option) Challenge your audience to think