UNIT 4
BUILDING
EVIDENCE-BASED ARGUMENTS
DEVELOPING CORE LITERACY
PROFICIENCIES
GRADE 6
“Energy Crossroads”
GOAL
In this unit you will develop your proficiency as a presenter of reasoned arguments. You will learn how to do the following:
- Understand the background and key aspects of an important issue.
- Look at various viewpoints on the issue.
- Read the arguments of others closely and thoughtfully.
- Develop your own view of the issue and take a stand about it.
- Make and prove your case by using sound evidence and reasoning to support it.
- Improve your writing so that others will clearly understand and appreciate your evidence-based argument—and think about the case you have made for it.
TOPIC
In this unit you will learn about how we make and use energy. You will learn about how natural gas can be taken from the ground to provide us with another source of energy. As you explore the topic further, you will discover that people do not all agree that this is a good idea. The complex process to extract the gas from the ground, called hydraulic fracturing or just fracking, raises many questions and leads to strong views, both for and against. Some people highlight the jobs and large amounts of energy the process produces. Others believe that the process might not be as safe as we think—and potentially harms our water. At first, you will try not to take a side as you learn about the topic and issues. Eventually, through careful research, discussion, and thinking, you will develop your own view, or perspective, and argue for a position that is supported by evidence and makes sense to you.
ACTIVITIES
You will begin the unit learning about the issue of using the fracking process to find natural gas. As you begin to understand the issue, you will explore the various perspectives on fracking. You will then read and analyze a few arguments. After analyzing arguments, you will develop your own position on the issue. Using your notes, you will plan an argument to defend your position. The unit finishes with a collaborate process you will use with your classmates to help you write and revise your final argumentative essay.
EVIDENCE-BASED ARGUMENTS TERMS
Issue:
an important aspect of human society for which there are many different opinions about what to think or do; many issues can be framed as a problem-based question
Relationship to issue:
a person’s particular personal involvement with an issue, given his or her experience, education, occupation, socioeconomic-geographical status, interests, or other characteristics
Perspective:
how someone understands and views an issue based on his or her current relationship to it and analysis of the issue
Position:
someone’s stance on what to do or think about a clearly defined issue based on his or her perspective and understanding of it; when writing an argumentative essay, one’s position may be expressed as a thesis and is supported by a set of evidence-based claims
Evidence:
the topical and textual facts, events, and ideas from which the claims of an argument arise and which are cited to support the argument’s position
Claim:
a personal conclusion about a text, topic, event, or idea
Evidence-based claim:
a personal conclusion that arises from and is supported by textual and topical evidence
BUILDING EVIDENCE-BASED ARGUMENTS LITERACY TOOLBOX
In Building Evidence-Based Arguments, you will continue to build your “literacy toolbox” by learning how to use the following handouts, tools and checklists organized in your Student Edition.
TOOLS
In addition to using the handouts, you will learn how to use the following tools. You may also use tools from previous Core Proficiencies units:
Analyzing Details Tool
from the Reading Closely unit
Questioning Path Tool
from the Reading Closely unit
Forming Evidence-Based Claims Tool
from the Making Evidence-Based Claims unit
Organizing Evidence-Based Claims Tool
from the Making Evidence-Based Claims unit
Delineating Arguments Tool
This tool helps you identify and analyze components of an argument. You can use it to analyze other people’s arguments or to help you develop your own.
Evaluating Arguments Tool
This tool helps you evaluate six characteristics of an argument (some you have seen in the Delineating Arguments Tool): the argument’s issue, perspective, position or thesis, claims, evidence, and conclusions. You can also use this tool to rate how convincing the argument is overall.
HANDOUTS AND MODEL ARGUMENTS
To support your work with the texts and the tools, you will be able to use the following informational handouts. You may also use handouts from previous Core Proficiencies units:
Guiding Questions Handout
from the Reading Closely unit
Connecting Ideas Handout
from the Research unit
Evidence-Based Arguments Final Writing Task Handout
This handout gives you a detailed breakdown of the final argumentative essay.
Evidence-Based Arguments Terms
This handout defines the terms used in the unit to talk about and analyze arguments.
Model Arguments
These examples present familiar situations about which people take different positions. You can use these models to practice analyzing arguments.
CHECKLIST
You will also use this checklist throughout the unit to support peer- and self-review:
Building Evidence-Based Arguments Skills and Habits Checklist
This checklist presents and briefly describes the Literacy Skills and Habits you will be working on during the unit. You can use it to remind you of what you are trying to learn. You can also use it to reflect on what you have done when reading, discussing, or writing. It can help you give feedback to other students about their arguments. Your teacher may use it to let you know about your areas of strength and areas in which you need to improve.
BUILDING EVIDENCE-BASED ARGUMENTS UNIT TEXT SET
The following table lists the unit texts (organized by numbered text sets) that are used in the activities you will experience as you learn about argumentation. You will read some, but not all, of these texts, depending on decisions your teacher and students in your class make. Additional texts you can read to deepen your understanding are indicated with an AT.
These texts are accessible on the web for free without any login information, membership requirements, or purchase. Your teacher may provide you with copies of the texts you will read, or you may need to do an Internet search to find them. Because of the ever-changing nature of website addresses, links are not provided. You can locate these texts through web searches using the information provided. To find some of the texts, you may need to use online database portals (e.g., EBSCO, Gale) that are available to teachers and students through your state or district library systems.
| TEXT | TITLE | AUTHOR | DATE | SOURCE/PUBLISHER |
| Text Set 1: Background Informational Texts | ||||
| 1.1 | “How Much Energy Does the US Use”? | Alexis Madrigal | 8/5/2013 | The Atlantic |
| 1.2 | “The Story of Energy—Where Does Our Power Come From?” | LifeSquared | 9/18/2012 | LifeSquared.org |
| 1.3 | “History of Energy Use in the US” | Hobart King | NA | Geology.com |
| Text Set 2: Additional Background Informational Texts | ||||
| 2.1 | “What’s Behind the Natural Gas Boom?” | Alexis Madrigal | 8/21/2013 | The Atlantic |
| 2.2 | “Energy Sources” | NA | NA | US Energy Information Administration—Energy Kids |
| 2.3 | “One Fracking Minute: An Animated Explainer on Hydraulic Fracturing” | Scott Tong and Matt Berger | 12/7/2012 | Marketplace.org |
| 2.4 | “Breaking Fuel from the Rock” | NA | NA | National Geographic |
| AT | “Natural Gas” | NA | 1/10/2014 | Grolier Online |
| AT | “Alternative Energy” | NA | 1/10/2014 | Grolier Online |
| AT | “Fracking Fury” | Janna Palliser | 3/12/2014 | Science Scope |
| AT | “Energy Resources” | NA | NA | Geography 4 Kids |
| AT | “Non-Renewable Energy” | NA | NA | SolarSchools.net |
| AT | “Natural Gas Basics” | NA | NA | US Energy Information Administration—Energy Kids |
| AT | “Natural Gas Usage” | Marcellus Shale Coalition | NA | Marcellus Shale Coalition.org |
| Text Set 3: Political Cartoons | ||||
| 3.1 | Fracking Political Cartoons | Multiple | NA | Cagle Cartoons.com |
| Text Set 4: Seminal Arguments | ||||
| 4.1 | “Understanding Fracking: Arguments For and Against Natural Gas Extraction” | Samantha Rae-Tuthill | 9/9/2013 | accuweather.com |
| 4.2 | “The Costs of Fracking” | Environment America Research and Policy Center | 3/20/2012 | EnvironmentAmerica.org |
| 4.3 | “Poverty and Fracking” | John Harpole | 9/28/2013 | DenverPost.com |
| 4.4 | “What the Frack? Natural Gas from Subterranean Shale Promises US Energy Independence—With Environmental Costs” | David Biello | 3/30/2010 | Scientific American |
| AT | “Why Cuomo Must Seize the Moment on Hydrofracking” | Ed Rendell | 3/27/2013 | NY Daily News |
| Text Set 5: Contemporary Arguments | ||||
| 5.1 | “Obama State of the Union: Safe Fracking Will Create 600 K Jobs” | President Barack Obama | 1/24/2012 | Marcellus Drilling News |
| 5.2 | “Don’t Frack New York” | NA | NA | Don’tfrackny.org |
| 5.3 | “Natural Gas from Shale: Unlocking Energy from Shale Rock Formations” | Chevron | 6/2013 | Chevron |
| 5.4 | “A New Day for North Dakota: The Fracking Miracle” | IER | 6/19/2012 | Institute for Energy Research |
| AT | “Renewables and Conservation Are Not Enough” | Power Worker’s Union | 3/9/2011 | YouTube |
| AT | “Don’t Let Extremists Undermine Fracking Boom” | Jack Rafuse | 11/25/2013 | The Hill.com |
| AT | “Truth about Hydraulic Fracking: Animation of Hydraulic Fracking” | Marathon Oil Corp | 4/26/2012 | YouTube |
| AT | “Natural Gas, Fueling an Economic Revolution” | Fareed Zakaria | 3/29/2012 | Washington Post |
| AT | “It’s Time to Move America Beyond Oil” | Sierra Club | NA | Sierra Club |
| AT | “Is Fracking a Good Idea?” | NA | NA | US News Debate Club |
| AT | “Ban Fracking in Thousand Oaks” | NA | NA | CredoMobilize.com |