Our state exam and the AP® Language exam both require students to write argument essays. I find that students need all the practice they can get in making an argument which is why teaching argument through bell ringers is an idle way to get lots of experience.
What is Argumentative Writing?
In argumentative writing, students must establish a claim while taking a side. Then they must support their claims with evidence and analysis of the evidence. In some scenarios, like our state exam, students are also required to incorporate a counter argument.
To teach the basics of argumentative writing, I generally use notebook sized anchor charts which give students the definitions of all the parts and examples with sentence stems that they can use for a thesis as well as topic sentences.
7 Ideas for Teaching Argument through Bell Ringers
As it turns out, using short activities at the start of each class is a great way to incorporate teaching argument on a daily basis. The truth is, building an argument can be done in ways that students don’t even realize.
1. Quote of the Week for Teaching Argument
Using a quote of the week can be a great way to teach a number of skills that our students need. As with my other “of the Week” bell ringers, each day, students return to the same text and then build on their understanding of it. So a quote of the week for argumentative writing might look like this:
- Monday: Paraphrase the Quote
- Tuesday: Vocabulary
- Wednesday: Take a stand (formulate a claim)
- Thursday: Provide evidence
- Friday: Spill the TEA or Write a counter claim
2. A One Word Prompt
A One-Word Prompt, asks students to choose one word to describe X and then explain why this is the best choice. I used this several times when my AP® Language students were reading Macbeth last spring.
I gave them the prompt: Choose one word to describe Lady Macbeth OR Macbeth. Then in 3-5 well developed sentences, explain your choice of this word. Be sure to consider how at least one rhetorical choice influenced your word choice.
I also gave them model responses so they would know what I was expecting. Students really impressed me with their word choice as well as their analysis.
You can get bell ringers like this through the Pencils and Prologues Bell Ringer Library Membership. We have them for a variety of texts including Macbeth and Hamlet.
3. In the News
Giving students information about something that is current or controversial in the world can be a great way to get them formulating opinions and thinking about the evidence that they need to support it. I like to give them just a short paragraph or two of context and then have them work from there.
My favorite prompt is on daylight savings time. You can grab that for free in my Bell Ringer Sampler Pack.
4. Three of These Things Prompts
These are based on what Amanda Cardenas from Mud and Ink Teaching calls a Sesame Street quiz. Students are given a list of 4 ideas and they must choose three that fit together and the one that doesn’t. Then they must explain both why they fit together and how the fourth one doesn’t
In creating their rationale for both why they fit together and why the fourth one doesn’t, they are creating an argument. They must formulate a claim, give evidence and explain. The fourth one is their counter arguments.
You can even give them a sentence starter like: While it may seem that all four of these ideas fit together because [reason], in reality, [outlier] doesn’t belong with [other three ideas] because.
Three of these Things Assessments are included the Pencils and Prologues Bell Ringer Library Membership. We have them for a variety of texts including Macbeth and Hamlet.
5. This or That and Would You Rather Prompts
I love to give students “This or That” prompts and “Would you rather?” prompts to work on counterarguments. This works great as a quick full class discussion at the beginning of class.
Students take two or three minutes to formulate their opinions, then have students respond to each other with phrases like, “While I see why you would …” and “Although that seems like the best option, really…”
It forces students to consider the other side of the argument while respectfully accepting that other may have differing opinions.
I actually pair these with vocab, syntax work and “In the News” to create an Argument of the Week cycle (Which you can get in The Pencils and Prologues Bell Ringer Library Membership).
6. Visual Arguments
Give students an image or political cartoon with a prompt if necessary then have them develop an opinion based claim and supporting evidence. Discuss or have them turn it in.
7. Have them Spill the TEA
This is a quick way to have students develop short paragraphs or paragraph parts. TEA stands for topic sentence, evidence and analysis. You could give them one of the parts like the topic sentence or the evidence and have them develop the other parts around it. This is great if you want to assess one writing skill over the others.
You can also use Spill the TEA with one of the above ideas too.
Teaching Argument a Little Bit Every Day
Teaching argument skills can be tricky, but like anything else, if you do just a little bit everyday, students develop the skills they need to be successful on the high stakes tests.
And if you are looking for a one stop shop for Argument Bell Ringers, be sure to check out the Pencils and Prologues Bell Ringer Library Membership. Grab a free sample and find out more.
Additional Resources
7 Formative Assessment in Under 10 Minutes
Classroom Procedures and Routines: Bell Work in High School English
Using “Of the Week” Bell Ringers in High School English
4 AP® Lang Skills all Students Should Learn (Mud and Ink Teaching)
