Develop your claims
Make a claim about your topic. For example, here is a claim that a blogger might make about
homework: Too much homework can cause kids to dislike schoolwork."
Use your notes or do more research to gather reasons that support your viewpoint.
Explain the reasons with evidence, which may include facts, findings from research and studies.
statistics, personal stories, and quotations from experts.
Address counterclaims. Counterclaims are claims that oppose your point of view. An example of
a counterclaim about homework is "Homework reinforces skills that kids learned in class."
e) Form a response, or rebuttal, to the counterclaim. One example of a rebuttal is "Homework is an


excellent way to reinforce skills learned in the classroom, but homework practice should be
limited to minutes, rather than hours. Otherwise, students may become burned out and unable to
process the information they are supposed to be leaming.