Grade 7 English Language Arts | FL B.E.S.T. Standard: ELA.7.R.2.4
ELA.7.R.2.4: Track the development of an argument, analyzing the types of reasoning used and their effectiveness, identifying ways in which the argument could be improved.
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
| Term | Definition | Student-Friendly Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Claim | An arguable statement that the author wants readers to accept | The main point the author is trying to convince you to believe |
| Reason | A statement that explains WHY the claim should be accepted | The "because" part - why you should believe the claim |
| Evidence | Facts, statistics, examples, or expert opinions that support reasons | Proof that shows the reasons are valid |
| Sufficient Evidence | Enough evidence to convincingly support the claim | Is there enough proof? One example usually isn't enough. |
| Relevant Evidence | Evidence that directly relates to and supports the claim | Does the proof actually connect to what the author is arguing? |
| Logical Fallacy | An error in reasoning that weakens an argument | A flaw in the logic that makes the argument less convincing |
| Fallacy | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hasty Generalization | Drawing a broad conclusion from too few examples | "My two friends got sick after eating there, so the restaurant is dangerous." |
| False Cause | Assuming one thing caused another just because it happened first | "I wore my lucky socks and we won, so the socks caused the victory." |
| Ad Hominem | Attacking the person instead of their argument | "You can't trust her opinion on climate because she's not a scientist." |
| Bandwagon | Claiming something is true because many people believe it | "Everyone is buying this phone, so it must be the best." |
| Either/Or (False Dilemma) | Presenting only two options when more exist | "Either we ban phones completely or students will never learn." |
| Day | Focus | Activities |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Claims, Reasons, Evidence | Distinguish between the three components. Use Student Concept Worksheet. |
| 2 | Evaluating Evidence | Practice determining if evidence is sufficient, relevant, and credible. |
| 3 | Types of Reasoning | Introduce inductive, deductive, and analogical reasoning. |
| 4 | Logical Fallacies | Identify common fallacies; analyze real-world examples. Complete Practice Worksheet. |
| 5 | Assessment | Administer FAST Format Quiz. Review and reteach as needed. |
Visualize arguments as a ladder: CLAIM at the top, REASONS as rungs, EVIDENCE at the bottom supporting each rung. Ask: "Is each rung supported? Are there missing rungs? Is the ladder stable enough to hold the claim?"
Teach students to ask three questions about every piece of evidence:
1. Sufficient? Is there enough evidence? (More than one example needed)
2. Relevant? Does it directly support the claim? (Not off-topic)
3. Credible? Is the source reliable? (Expert? Recent? Unbiased?)
Collect advertisements, opinion articles, and social media posts. Have students "hunt" for logical fallacies. This makes abstract concepts concrete and shows students that fallacies are everywhere - and why they should be critical readers.
Give students weak arguments and challenge them to improve them. What evidence could be added? What fallacies should be removed? What counterarguments should be addressed? This builds both analysis and writing skills.
Correction: A claim must be arguable - someone could reasonably disagree. "Pizza is delicious" is an opinion (personal taste). "Schools should offer more vegetarian options" is a claim (can be argued with evidence). "The Earth orbits the Sun" is a fact (not arguable).
Correction: Quality matters more than quantity. Three pieces of irrelevant evidence are weaker than one highly relevant, credible piece. Teach students to evaluate evidence quality, not just count examples.
Correction: Experts must be speaking within their field of expertise. A famous athlete endorsing medicine isn't expert evidence. Also consider if the expert might be biased or if the research is outdated.
Correction: A fallacy weakens an argument but doesn't necessarily make the claim false. The claim might still be true - it's just poorly supported. Teach students to separate evaluating the argument from evaluating the claim itself.
On the FAST assessment, claims and evidence questions typically ask students to:
Key Strategy: Train students to first identify the CLAIM, then trace how each piece of evidence connects (or fails to connect) to that claim.