How does evidence improve an argument?
Focus: How does evidence improve an argument?
Suggested length: 1 hour
Learning objectives:
- To construct an argument by adding claims and counterclaims.
- To strengthen claims with evidence.
| Approaches to Learning | Vocabulary | Reflection Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Communication Skills Construct arguments using claims and counterclaims. Research Skills Access, evaluate, organize, and use information from a variety of sources. | argument claim counterclaim line of reasoning source evaluate justify | How can including counterclaims make your argument stronger instead of weaker? How does evidence change how people respond to your argument? If someone challenges your opinion, how can you use both logic and evidence to respond effectively? |
Resources and Preparation
- For this lesson, you will need to create your own discussion or select a discussion from the Topic Library (see suggestions in the next section). Instructions can be found here.
- You will need to enable Voting.
Homework Preparation Task
In this lesson, students will practice constructing evidence-backed arguments on a topic of your choice.
Here are some suggestions from the Kialo Topic Library:
Individuals and Societies (Digital Society)
- Should kids be able to have social media?
- Is social media making us less social?
- Is social media a threat or benefit to democracy?
Individuals and Societies (History)
- Should we remove statues of problematic historical figures?
- Should we see the suffragettes as heroes?
- What was the main cause of World War I?
Language and Literature
Sciences
TOK
If you're introducing a new topic, ensure students have adequate time to research it before the lesson begins.
Introduction
Rapid Review
Divide students into teams.
Set a two-minute time limit for students to recap their knowledge on constructing arguments..
When time is up, ask each group to give feedback on one aspect of their discussion.
Groups must not repeat something that has already been mentioned. Instead, they must choose a different aspect.
Main Activity
Kialo Discussion
Ensure students have had sufficient time to research your chosen discussion topic.
Use Small Group Mode to share your chosen discussion with each group.
Within their groups, students will respond to the discussion question, using the skills from this unit.
All the discussions in the Topic Library contain starter claims to prompt students’ ideas.
Assign the following tasks to guide your students’ contributions, adjusting the totals to suit your class:
- Write claims (so students can practice constructing arguments. This number represents the total number of claims you’d like students to add).
- Write claims under others’ claims (so students can practice evaluating the strength of their peers’ claims before responding).
- Write claims under your own claims (so students can practice developing lines of reasoning).
- Link to a source in your own claims (so students can practice strengthening their claims).
Reflection Activity
Students will reflect on the activity by voting on which of their claims are most impactful.
Each group then shares one high-impact and one low-impact claim, explaining their ratings based on what they’ve learned.
Close the session with the following reflection questions:
- When you're in a debate or disagreement in real life how can including counterclaims make your argument stronger instead of weaker?
- Why is it important to back up your claims with sources when discussing controversial or emotional topics in real life?
- How does evidence change how people respond to your argument?
- If someone challenges your opinion, how can you use both logic and evidence to respond effectively without shutting down the conversation?
