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Teaching Arguments: Rhetorical Comprehension, Critique, and Response

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No matter wherestudents' lives lead after graduation, one of the most essential tools we can teach them is how to comprehend, analyze, and respond to arguments. Students need to know how writers' and speakers' choices are shaped by elements of the rhetorical situation, including audience, occasion, and purpose. In Teaching Rhetorical Comprehension, Critique, and Response , Jennifer Fletcher provides teachers with engaging classroom activities, writing prompts, graphic organizers, and student samples to help students at all levels read, write, listen, speak, and think rhetorically.Fletcher believes that, with appropriate scaffolding and encouragement, all students can learn a rhetorical approach to argument and gain access to rigorous academic content. Teaching Arguments opens the door and helps them pay closer attention to the acts of meaning around them, to notice persuasive strategies that might not be apparent at first glance. When we analyze and develop arguments, we have to consider more than just the printed words on the page. We have to evaluate multiple perspectives; the tension between belief and doubt; the interplay of reason, character, and emotion; the dynamics of occasion, audience, and purpose; and how our own identities shape what we read and write. Rhetoric teaches us how to do these things.Teaching Arguments will help students learn to move beyond a superficial response to texts so they can analyze and craft sophisticated, persuasive arguments-;a major cornerstone for being not just college-and career-ready but ready for the challenges of the world.

288 pages, Paperback

First published February 12, 2015

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Jennifer Fletcher

16 books4 followers

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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
Profile Image for Ken.
Author 3 books1,246 followers
April 30, 2015
I'm old (-ish). Well, I was until this week, anyway, when I read in the news that you're not middle-aged until you hit your head on 60. This new rule (clearly made by a Boomer) means I'm young again. Ponce de León can go pound sand (in a swamp -- a tricky business).

All kidding aside -- and despite my newfound youth -- in teaching parlance, I'm still old (-ish). You see, I've read a lot of teacher books by now. And I've been to umpteen professional development seminars where I felt I knew as much as (or, sadly in a few cases, more than) the presenter.

So, when I stumble upon a book that teaches me something AND teaches me how to teach something, I take notice. Teaching Arguments is one of those books. It goes beyond logos, pathos, and ethos (Chapter 6 in this book), taking the teaching of argument to another level (the mezzanine, maybe). It's clearly written. And the ethos of the author is impressive. This young lady (Boomer effect strikes anew) knows her stuff.

True, the book's target audience is high school teachers, but as an 8th-grade teacher, I always look at 9-12 stuff and say two things: "I can modify some of this and outright use some of it as is." Then, a fan of talking, I say a third: "My kids can do this because some Russian dude whose name I constantly misspell -- Vygotsky, maybe? -- says it's heady but not so heady that the handies can't reach it."

Actually, he didn't say that, but I'm not so good at translations, so there.

Back to the book: You can start with the last chapter (I did) because it's all about "Aristotle's Guide for Being a Good Student." Useful in September, it stresses "habits" over "abilities" because good academic habits are the great equalizers. They level the playing field.

Then I reversed to Chapter 1: "Starting with Open-Minded Inquiry" before moving on to Chapter 2's practical "From Comprehension to Critique." Chapters 3, 4, and 5 come in a bundle, as they say of communications these days. They are, in order, "Fostering a Deeper Understanding of Occasion, of Audience, and of Purpose." Then it's the EPL chapter you'd expect first (or maybe I would because that's what I know and teach -- poorly, I now see).

Yes, I could have waited until September to implement some of Fletcher's ideas, but I figure, why rob these great kids of some of the skills before they go off to high school, so I've been using some of the stuff the past week or so -- with good result, too! We read a NY Times opinion column by David Brooks and played "the believing game." In a few days, we will revisit the same, only this time we'll be playing "the doubting game." My kids are used to the "one and done as quickly as possible game" when it comes to reading, so this is a nice change. A good habit, thank you.

One mark of a good teacher book is the size of the appendices with all of the handouts and examples. Seeing a long one is like a full stocking on Christmas morning. Unpack it slowly and enjoy! So yes, it's been Christmas In April reading this. (Who says April is the cruelest month? T.S. Eliot can go pound sand with Ponce!)

Meaning? The book has a solid theoretical foundation BUT is loaded with practical ideas. Fletcher doesn't stint when it comes to sharing. Now, if I can only get Jennifer Fletcher to run seminars and barnstorm her way East! It's been a while since I went to PD and actually learned something. Remember, I'm old, but only in an -ish kind of way.
Profile Image for Crys.
842 reviews82 followers
August 22, 2016
I highly recommend this for all high school junior/senior teachers, but most especially AP Lang teachers.

I read chapter seven first, and then I worked my way back through each chapter. It was a different way to approach her text, but I was reading for strategies for my students more so than knowledge of argument.

Whether you're a seasoned AP Lang teacher or new to the class, there is something here for all of us. I appreciate the deconstructed strategies of audience, a concept my students struggle through, and I appreciate the inclusion of student samples.

If you're new to AP Lang, Fletcher does a solid job of giving a foundation of argument in a classroom. If you're not new, there are samples and article ideas and writing prompts to enhance what we're already doing with our kids.
Profile Image for Kristen.
346 reviews34 followers
August 12, 2019
The most valuable aspect of this text is the activities. As a new AP teacher who has been preparing to use a textbook, a lot of the writing was too redundant for me, and skimmable.
Profile Image for Katrina Sark.
Author 12 books45 followers
July 6, 2017
Introduction: Crossing the Threshold

“Argumentative writing is writing that reasons its way to a conclusion. It addresses ideas that the writer takes seriously enough to want to explore and support with good reasons.” (John T. Gage)

p.xiii – All learning involves some kind of movement from surface to depth; that’s just the normal development trajectory, the struggle toward mastery we experience in our “zone of proximal development.”
In “Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge,” Jan H.F. Meyer and Ray Land describe a threshold concept “as akin to a portal, opening up a new and previously inaccessible way of thinking about something” (2003, 1). Once learned, threshold concepts are difficult to unlearn because they transform the way we think about our subject matter – and sometimes our world. For instance, Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection is a threshold concept that changes how we view the life sciences.

p.xv – What is rhetoric? – Rhetoric targets the conventions and processes of high academic literacy, including the sophisticated responsiveness to context that characterizes college and workplace writing. Writing rhetorically means writing with the attention to argument, purpose, audience, authority, and style demanded by academic texts. It means discovering, as Aristotle explains, the best available means of persuasion – such as the skillful use of evidence and appeals. In the rhetorical tradition, argument and persuasion go hand in hand. We make arguments to persuade people.

p.xvi – You might think of rhetoric as the Swiss Army knife of critical communication, of which argument comprises several blades.

p.xviii – Arguments try to accomplish something: they seek a specific outcome, a change in people’s actions and beliefs – such as now recklessly wasting paper towels. And to change people, we have to understand them. We have to anticipate their concerns and objections and know the opportune moments and best means to make our pitch. Rhetoric teaches us how to do these things.
Erika Lindermann, A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers (2001, 40-41): “When we practice rhetoric, we make decisions about our subject, audience, point of view, purpose, and message. We select our best evidence, the best order in which to present our ideas, and the best resources of language to express them.”

p.xx – Helping students to read and write rhetorically is thus largely about bringing the conversations they’re joining to life. We want students to transform the two-dimensional surface of a written text into a three-dimensional social world. There’s a thrill of discovery in finding that writers read other writers, share ideas and audiences, talk back to their critics, and comment on each other’s work.

p.xxi – “Writing involves other people.” (Charles Bazerman, The Informed Writer: Using Sources in the Disciplines, 1995, 2)

p.xxiii – Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Junot Diaz says we are our best selves when we respond deeply to art; a slow, careful study of great writing can fill readers with joyful, self-forgetting admiration and interest – and can engage reluctant students in exciting textual discoveries despite their best defenses.

Chapter 1 – Starting with Open-Minded Inquiry

“The beginning of all discourse is a topic, a question, a problem, an issue.” (Edward P.J. Corbett and Robert J. Connors)

Points to Remember:
1. Academic writing begins with academic reading.
2. When we read and write for academic purposes, we join a conversation already in progress.
3. Reading “with the grain” enhances our ability to understand the arguments of other writers.
4. Argumentation involves asking and answering questions.
5. The question at issue is the point of disagreement – or pivot point – on which an argument hinges.
6. Knowing the kinds of questions writers can ask helps us to identify arguments more easily.
7. Open-minded reading and listening are essential preparation for academic writing.
8. A well-developed questioning habit is a key trait of college-ready students.

Prompts for Pairs Conversations:
1. How do you know if something is true or only an opinion?

Chapter 6 – Analyzing and Integrating Ethos, Pathos, and Logos

p.136 – Think of the kinds of questions your students ask you about a big argument essay you’ve assigned:
• How long does it have to be?
• Do I have to use direct quotations?
• Can I use I in my writing?
• Do I have to include a works-cited list?
• Is it OK to tell a personal story?
• Do I have to talk about the other side?

p.137 – Directions to students: skim a few articles or books from the field of English studies, paying special attention to how scholars in this field make their arguments. You don’t have to figure out what the scholars are saying at this point; just notice their style and strategies in general. Then answer the following questions with a partner or in small groups:
• Do scholars currently use the first-person pronoun (I) in their writing?
• Do they include anecdotes?
• Do they support their arguments with evidence? If so, what kind of evidence?
• Do they document their sources using MLA style?

Chapter 7 – Aristotle’s Guide to Becoming a “Good” Student

p.181 – Focus more on habits and identity – Nurturing students’ academic habits and identities can be an important place to start. Aristotle says that “we are completed through habit;” in other words, we are what we practice. He gives several examples: “We become just by doing just actions, temperate by doing temperate actions, brave by doing brave actions.” If we accept this idea, then we have to believe that students become independent and critical thinkers by repeatedly doing independent and critical brain work. Aristotle also points out that teachers are needed to help habituate citizens into positive social roles because we are not born a “good” or “bad” anything.

p.184 – How does self-perception affect performance? – Kids who see themselves as “good” students tend to trust their efforts. Because they believe in their ability to adapt and learn, these students have a high sense of “self-efficacy.” We can think of self-efficacy as a kind of faith in future results; it’s a student’s belief that, through personal effort, he or she can master new knowledge and skills. The idea of self-efficacy also reflects an understanding that academic competency is an acquired – not a natural – ability.
Being college and career ready means being able to engage, resist, and reshape academic communities and conversations – and not be marginalized by them.


494 reviews
May 28, 2015
Really one of the best I've seen about argument writing. The author is realistic about schools and about what works with students. She had LOTS of ideas, and they are also soundly based in a solid rhetorical foundation that she translates into ideas students can understand. The best thing about this book is that the teacher begins with ideas and inquiry--not the topic or thesis. The arguments students produce are about their thinking, not about the need to write an argument.
Profile Image for Chris.
41 reviews
July 18, 2024
This is more of a positive rant review. The following are some scattered thoughts.

Teaching Arguments by Fletcher is an incredibly useful tool for English teachers that can help us rethink what we do and how we do it.

One of the reasons I picked up this book is because I know how to do everything I teach, but I do not know how to teach everything I know, nor do I know how to most effectively teaching practices for everything I teach.

I think a lot of teachers are in a similar situation, and if you find yourself agreeing with my revelation about my teaching, then I encourage you to pick this book up.

Although the book primarily focuses on rhetoric, it also helped reorient my thinking on being a student: the demands, the expectations, the needs, and more. I definitely feel like I understand rhetoric better, and I now have some additional strategies and activities to help teach rhetoric and critical thinking at a deeper level while enabling students to apply the skills and make sense of the world around them.

Next up is Teaching Literature Rhetorically by Fletcher. If I like that book, I'll be buying the one on Writing Rhetorically.
Profile Image for Gina.
189 reviews
December 30, 2018
This became another book that was valuable to me in chunks. I found the chapters on audience, purpose, and the chapter on ethos, pathos, logos to be the most helpful. Quite a few of the chapters reminded me of Thanks for Arguing Jay Heinrichs. I'm beginning to think that for better or worse, I must be a simplistic teacher because I don't use a lot of rubrics, templates, and charts. I do believe in modeling close reading and writing techniques. This book also emphasized a technique I used years ago- "The Believing and Doubting Game" which can be a valuable way to help students work through an analysis of argument- they must consider other points of view, provide evidence, and draw conclusions. Once again, I suggest you take all the "nuggets" you can gather to fit your teaching style and the climate of your classroom.
Profile Image for Christine Beverly.
309 reviews3 followers
July 29, 2018
I got some pretty useful new graphic organizers and a few new activities for teaching the rhetorical concepts I already cover from this book. My only "complaint" (which is more of an observation than a complaint) is the the graphic organizers are repetitive in form, and I can see my gifted learners becoming rapidly disenchanted with another chart that looks just like the prior one. I'll be using several ideas I found in my classes this year though, with the hopes of being able to help my students improve their reading comprehension, as well as analytical abilities.
Profile Image for Rachel.
360 reviews
June 20, 2019
What a wonderful resource! I'm so glad I made time to read this book cover to cover. While the concepts are not new, the strategies are. I have so many sticky notes and annotations throughout this book, which proves how relevant it is to my teaching. I have already started adapting activities and resources from this book to use next school year with both my juniors and seniors. I'm excited to see how these new ideas help me grow as a teacher and help my students grow in their understanding of argumentation.
132 reviews1 follower
May 6, 2021
This is a really great guide to teaching argumentative writing in depth from a rhetorical approach. I found a lot of the ideas in it illuminating for helping me teach argumentative writing in a more meaningful way. A lot of it seemed directed at 12th grade or first year college students, so I could have used some more tips on how to apply these strategies to 9th and 10th grade English, but I still found it useful, especially the last chapter which is about developing students' academic habits and helping them see themselves as scholars.
Profile Image for Sandy.
132 reviews5 followers
August 10, 2018
Jennifer Fletcher's "Teaching Arguments" is an excellent resource for any high school teacher required to teach argument! I wish I had read it prior to teaching AP English Language, as my teaching would have come together much more quickly. It took me years to figure out on my own what she presented in this book. I feel validated and am now armed with minilessons for my struggling rhetoricians. I can't wait for her next book "Teaching Literature Rhetorically"!
492 reviews1 follower
July 24, 2021
Great book, loved her philosophy on teaching students to be critical thinkers and rhetorical analysts ready to critique the waves of information they are, and will be, exposed to. As well as great content, she offers good questions to ask for group discussions, and quick writes you can follow up with. Also provides good, relevant sources for analysis.
Profile Image for Sarah Gasior.
57 reviews1 follower
July 8, 2018
This is probably the best professional book I have read. The author breaks down all elements of argument and how to teach it alongside instructional practices and strategies. I will be coming back to this book again and again.
Profile Image for Laura Lou.
469 reviews30 followers
May 22, 2024
Great book for AP Lang teachers! I loved this book, but did find more helpful information from the front half of the book. Love the blend of anecdotes, research, and implementation strategies. I left with several tangible ideas and activities to try with students next year.
Profile Image for S.M. Jaehn.
37 reviews
August 5, 2017
Some of the lessons are more appropriate to rhetoric majors than high school students, but I'm definitely borrowing the ideas from her chapter on audience.
Profile Image for Ashley.
123 reviews13 followers
November 19, 2019
This book is a great resource in teaching argumentative writing and understand rhetoric. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for new ideas to implement in your classroom.
Profile Image for Lisa Penninga.
909 reviews7 followers
May 31, 2020
Loved this educational book! Great book if you teach AP SEMINAR or LANG. I really enjoyed its breakdown,
Organization, and teaching resources. Worth every penny!
Profile Image for Jeremy.
663 reviews13 followers
September 20, 2016
If you teach rhetoric, persuasion, or argumentation, then this book will be invaluable. It's crammed full of great ideas and enriching activities to help students critically analyze rhetoric, and then in turn, to develop their own rhetorical voice. There's even a brilliant, extraneous chapter on motivational techniques to get struggling students into 'academic flow' that is straight from Aristotle, and did I say it was brilliant? I couldn't be more pleased with this purchase.
Profile Image for Jen.
746 reviews7 followers
September 7, 2015
This was exactly was I was hoping for. I wanted a practical guide to help me go further with my rhetoric/argument instruction at the high school level, and this book gave many excellent, practical ideas.
Profile Image for Jeffery Frieden.
13 reviews
February 12, 2018
best book I have read on how to teach argumentation, from reading arguments to writing them. I taught AP Lang for 8 years and this is the book that was missing from the whole time. I wish I could start all over with the perspective, strategies, and assignments in this book.
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