College, Career, and Community Writers Program:

Instructional Resources Chart

CREATING A CULTURE OF ARGUMENT AND CIVIC DISCOURSE
Begin Routine Argument Writing
Title Emphasis Argument Skills

Create a culture of Identify and respond to arguments in the

Creating a Culture of
argument through routines world.
Argument/Writing/
and habits of consistent Develop routine argument strategies and
Regular, and often informal, practices that build capacity, stamina, and skills for writing arguments

Civic Discourse
reading and writing. skills.
and engaging in civic discourse. These practices create a culture of argument in the classroom.

Consider multiple
Writing into the Day Describe a conversation among nonfiction
perspectives on an issue
to Jumpstart sources.
and enter the
Argument Craft a claim with supporting evidence.
conversation.

Develop strategies to read, Explore an issue to make a claim.

Making Informal
synthesize, and use Identify and signal evidence.
Arguments
evidence. Integrate sources.
Routine Argument Writing

SELECTING A TOPIC AND GATHERING EVIDENCE

Continue Routine Argument Writing
Title Emphasis Argument Skills

Finding a Topic and Choose an issue worth writing about.

Find a topic, gather
Researching the Gather information from multiple sources.
information, write a letter.
Conversation Develop a claim.

Select a topic from multiple choices.

Plan and draft a letter with
Focus on Purpose and
a focus on purpose and
Audience
audience.
Gather information from multiple sources.
Develop a claim.
Plan and draft with a focus on purpose and
audience.

WRITING EFFECTIVE COMMENTARY

Continue Routine Argument Writing
Title Emphasis Argument Skills

Write effective
Connecting Evidence Link evidence to a claim.
commentary that connects
to Claims Explain the relevance of evidence.
evidence to a claim.

Explore evidence from multiple perspectives

Write and revise a source-
Focus on Evidence on an issue to make a claim.
based argument
Identify evidence and explain its relevance.

NATIONAL WRITING PROJECT COLLEGE, CAREER, AND COMMUNITY WRITERS PROGRAM 1

 WORKING WITH EVIDENCE
Continue Routine Argument Writing
Title Emphasis Argument Skills

Select, organize, and Identify and organize evidence to represent

Organizing Evidence connect evidence to multiple perspectives and stakeholders.
support a nuanced claim. Plan and draft to support a nuanced claim.

Evaluate quality and Identify ways to use sources.

Ranking Evidence relevance of evidence to Rank evidence.
Regular, and often informal, practices that build capacity, stamina, and skills for writing arguments

support a claim. Draft based on evidence.

and engaging in civic discourse. These practices create a culture of argument in the classroom.

WRITING A NUANCED ARGUMENT

Continue Routine Argument Writing
Title Emphasis Argument Skills

Identify elements of a purposeful Op-Ed.

Structure a purposeful
Making the Case in an Connect related & countering evidence sets.
argument for an authentic
OpEd Draft a purposeful Op-Ed with a nuanced
audience.
claim.
Routine Argument Writing

Engage with and

objectively analyze Compare purposeful arguments across texts.
Coming to Terms with
multiple perspectives to Counter opposing viewpoints.
Opposing Viewpoints
create respectful counter Draft from nuanced claims.
arguments.
APPLYING ARGUMENT SKILLS
Continue Routine Argument Writing
Title Emphasis Argument Skills
Develop on-demand
Teaching On-Demand reading and writing skills Quickly construct a claim & support with
Argument Writing to independently write evidence from nonfiction readings.
an argument of policy
EXTENDED RESEARCH ARGUMENT
Continue Routine Argument Writing
Title Emphasis Argument Skills
Research multiple sources of information
Research local issues
across all stakeholders.
using a framework to
Community Research Foster civic discourse to argue a researched
make civic arguments to
Arguments position.
local decision-makers.
Employ logical reasoning to support a
significant position for an intended audience.

Take a position on an issue while claiming

Transfer argument skills personal bias.
Extending Argument
to develop a culminating Research and write to portray the opposing
with Interest-driven
self-selected project side in a way agreeable to the opposing side.
Research
Develop an informed claim to interpret and
present evidence for civic advocacy.

NATIONAL WRITING PROJECT COLLEGE, CAREER, AND COMMUNITY WRITERS PROGRAM 2