English Language Arts and Reading.8.8.E.iii

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The student is expected to

analyze characteristics and structures of argumentative text by:

 

identifying the intended audience or reader; and

multiple genres TEKS talk image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Multiple genres: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts--genres. The student recognizes and analyzes genre-specific characteristics, structures, and purposes within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts.

Read several texts written for different audiences. Ask students to identify the audience and explain what they read in the text that provides evidence of their answer.
 

Further Explanation

Students are expected to identify the group for whom the author’s message is intended. In order to do this, students must first determine the author’s purpose. They must also consider who would be interested in the topic and be aware that the intended audience could be a single person, a group of people, or the general public.

Students are expected to have a strong understanding of the particular attributes of multiple genres as well as the structures common to those genres. Students should know that argumentative texts have unique characteristics such as a claim, an intended audience, and the use of facts in support or refutation of an argument. Students should also understand that argumentative texts tend to be structured based on the structure of the claim. For instance, if the claim is that one course of action might be better than another, an advantage/disadvantage structure might be used.
a text written to demonstrate to an audience that a certain position or idea is valid and that others are not The writer appeals to reason, develops, defends, or debates the topic, connecting a series of statements in an orderly way so they lead to a logical conclusion.
Students are expected to identify the group intended to receive an author’s message. Authors write for many different purposes, such as an issue with which people may disagree. With the intended audience in mind, authors move forward in crafting a well-written piece of text.  Authors may have various motivations for what they decide to write. They may want to inform readers about something, explain something to the readers, persuade them to do something, or simply entertain them. It is also possible that the author intends to do any number of these things within the same text. It is also important that students think about who would be interested in the topic being presented and be aware that the intended audience could be a single person, a specific group of people, or the general public.

Research

1. Kinsey, B., & Comerchero, V. A. (2012). Language in style: Formal language and tone. Communique, 41(1), 37. Retrieved from https://www.nasponline.org/publications/periodicals/communique/issues/volume-41-issue-1

Summary: This one-pager that addresses how language and words imply assumptions, beliefs, and biases. The one-pager provides examples of how word choice and the sequence of words significantly change the meaning and underlying questions posed by the use of language. The authors advocate that writing should be appropriate for its audience and the writing style generally should be formal. 

2. Wagemans, J. H. M. (2011). The assessment of argumentation from expert opinion. Argumentation, 25, 329–330. doi:10.1007/s10503-011-9225-

Summary: This article introduces a tool that can be used to format an argument in response to and for a particular audience. This resource is an advanced deep dive, including charts to illustrate how to analyze opposing positions and develop questions from a critical perspective.

3. Klein, P. D., & Rose, M. A. (2010). Teaching argument and explanation to prepare junior students for writing to learn. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(4), 433–461. Retrieved from https://dx.doi.org/10.1598/RRQ.45.4.4

Summary: In this study, Klein and Rose examine how students respond to various writing tasks and assignments. The teachers used the process writing approach, which included creating an outline, drafts, and a final paper. The revision and edit process lends itself to implementing teacher and peer oral and written feedback. The study reveals that there are specific as well as varied means to teach the writing process to students. Students must use prior knowledge and have access to relevant external sources (i.e. internet).

4. VanDerHeide, J., & Juzwik, M. M. (2018). Argument as conversation: Students responding through writing to significant conversations across time and place. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 62(1), 67–77. doi:10.1002/jaal.754

Summary: In this article, the author presents an instructional model that reconnects to the why of writing. The model of information reasoning requires students to learn how to make a claim, provide supporting evidence of that claim, and create additional examples of the claim through the use of analogies and stories. In this study, students were asked to write a letter in response to an ongoing conversation that was important to them. Personal experience helps to develop the students' ability to advocate for a position through writing. The approach requires scaffolding on argumentative writing instruction. This study includes multiple templates to guide the writing of the responses. This approach fosters the opportunity for students to participate in conversations that have a historical background. In doing so, students engage in topics of debate that have continued over time and in various spaces. Students are invited to participate in these discussions through their writing positions as arguing for or against a position.