Who Cares? Argument Writing for Middle School, Grades 6-8
Learn how to craft arguments and prepare speeches!
8 class sessions, 1.5 hours per class (12 hours of instruction)
September 30 - November 18
Wednesdays, 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. PST
Course Description:
In this course, we will dive into argument writing by having students think about what matters most to them! They will learn about different strategies in argumentative writing to appeal to their readers, such as through emotion, logic, or ethics. Students will then leverage these ideas to decide how to best convince their readers of their argument.
They will practice a multitude of important skills, including researching, outlining, drafting, peer reviewing, revising, and publishing. We will also review figurative language, such as similes, metaphors, and imagery. Students will weave these in with their argumentative writing strategies to draft a speech that shares a compelling argument.
Course Objectives:
Instructor Biography:
Taryn Williams has been working in the field of education in a variety of ways for the past 15 years and thinks learning should be both engaging and fun as well as impactful. She received both a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies with a focus on Urban Education and a master’s degree in Elementary Education and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the University of Pennsylvania. Following this, she was a Kathryn Davis Fellow for Peace in the School of Spanish at Middlebury College and was in the inaugural cohort of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education’s Strategic Leadership in Education program. A recipient of both a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Germany and a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching to India, Taryn has taught students in a variety of K-12 settings across the U.S. and world. She most recently served as the Head Teacher at a small school in the Alaskan Bush and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Education at the University of California, Irvine.
In this course, we will dive into argument writing by having students think about what matters most to them! They will learn about different strategies in argumentative writing to appeal to their readers, such as through emotion, logic, or ethics. Students will then leverage these ideas to decide how to best convince their readers of their argument.
They will practice a multitude of important skills, including researching, outlining, drafting, peer reviewing, revising, and publishing. We will also review figurative language, such as similes, metaphors, and imagery. Students will weave these in with their argumentative writing strategies to draft a speech that shares a compelling argument.
Course Objectives:
- Practice the elements of argumentative writing
- Understand and practice sequencing
- Explore different types of argumentative writing
- Refine drafting, editing, and revising skills
- Foster a love of writing through engaging activities
Instructor Biography:
Taryn Williams has been working in the field of education in a variety of ways for the past 15 years and thinks learning should be both engaging and fun as well as impactful. She received both a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies with a focus on Urban Education and a master’s degree in Elementary Education and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the University of Pennsylvania. Following this, she was a Kathryn Davis Fellow for Peace in the School of Spanish at Middlebury College and was in the inaugural cohort of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education’s Strategic Leadership in Education program. A recipient of both a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Germany and a Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching to India, Taryn has taught students in a variety of K-12 settings across the U.S. and world. She most recently served as the Head Teacher at a small school in the Alaskan Bush and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Education at the University of California, Irvine.