Writing is an essential skill for participating in modern American society. Although it is crucial to careers and civic engagement, student writing falls far short of national expectations (College Board, 2004; NCES, 2012; Persky, Daane, & Jin, 2003). The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) seek to increase the rigor of writing instruction…

Discusses activities to teach a Rogerian approach to argument to help novice writers suspend evaluation of the opponent's position and to build their own position on values and knowledge they can share with the opponent. Includes discussion of a passage exemplifying Rogerian strategy. (HTH)

Discusses the "stock issues" approach to argument, presents a contemporary stock issue system for the arrangement of a single composition, and constructs a model argument as a way of demonstrating how the system works. (FL)

Illustrates Toulmin's simple three-step model of argumentation (claim, grounds, backing) with various proposition and syllogisms. Implements such heuristic quests at each step as "What position do I want my audience to take?" Proposes Toulmin logic as a strategy for teaching inductive and deductive thinking in composition. (JG)

Proposes a technique that will help high school and beginning college writers move from writer-based to reader-based prose through dramatic presentations. (FL)

Proposes Toulmin approach to logic as an organic process alternative to the battlefield model of argumentation. Shows that in a Toulmin four part argument structure--data, warrant, backing and claim--the argument field from which the warrant and the backing arise determines the data available to support the claim. Thus the relativity of multiple…

Examines three strategies by which competitive debaters generate and organize their affirmative cases. Discusses how the persuasive writer can use these same three strategies as heuristics for deliberative discourse and as models for its organization. (HTH)

An approach to persuasive writing is presented for English-as-a-Second-Language classrooms. Activities include discussion to activate past experience, connecting experience to purpose, constructing the argument, extending the argument, supporting the argument, and examining and evaluating alternatives. (12 references) (LB)

Writing instructors who teach argument are familiar with the dilemma of conflicting metaphors: those who teach writing with a process approach may structure their teaching through a growth or benevolent nature metaphor, but cannot deny the tenacity of the "argument as war" metaphor. Breaking this war metaphor requires that ethics become…

Discusses how junk mail letters can be used to teach students about rhetorical choices and the process of writing. (SRT)

Recommends teaching syllogistic reasoning and fallacies in the undergraduate writing course. (JL)

This article proposes that within the discipline of logic, college students can learn the important elements of persuasive writing. Characteristics of and distinctions between deductive and inductive logic are outlined, and the appropriateness and usefulness of each for different kinds of persuasion are discussed. (MSE)

Presents a series of exercises designed to provide freshman composition students with a base for analyzing works rhetorically, to point out how language can be used persuasively, and to illustrate how satire functions. (FL)

Ethical issues make writing assignments more than academic exercises, especially when the ethical issues involve the writing itself. Such issues arise in every aim and mode of discourse and in every stage of the writing process, from choosing a topic to editing the final draft. Informative discourse must be factual and comprehensive, and have…

Suggests ways in which principles of courtroom rhetoric can be used to increase students' skills in the invention, organization, and expression of arguments. Explains how fictional legal cases can serve as exercises in argumentation for college composition cases. Additional legal case assignments are appended. (HTH)