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English · Grade 11

Argument, Evidence and Warrants

Learners take arguments apart with the Toulmin model: claim, grounds, warrant, backing, qualifier and rebuttal. They uncover the unstated assumptions (warrants) that connect evidence to claims, test whether audiences would accept them, and use these tools on two foundational American texts: the Declaration of Independence and Federalist No. 51. They finish by building their own argument with a qualified claim and explicit reasoning.

  • 4 lessons
  • About 140 minutes
  • Argument and warrants check: 10 questions
  • Ways to answer: choose an answer, highlight a text, match pairs, put in order, sort into groups and arrange tiles
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What learners will discover

  • Identify the parts of an argument using the Toulmin model: claim, grounds, warrant, backing, qualifier and rebuttal.
  • State unstated warrants and evaluate whether an audience would accept them.
  • Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the Declaration of Independence and Federalist No. 51.
  • Write an argument with a precisely qualified claim and explicit reasoning that links evidence to the claim.

Lessons

  1. The parts of an argument 5 steps3 practiceabout 33 min
  2. Unstated warrants 6 steps4 practiceabout 33 min
  3. Reasoning in founding documents 7 steps4 practiceabout 37 min
  4. Write a qualified, reasoned argument 5 steps3 practiceabout 37 min
  5. Argument and warrants check 10 questions at the end

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