Advocacy through Writing

How to Write a Claim

Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning
 What is Advocacy?
Advocacy is public support for a policy or cause.

We see two major types of advocacy:

1) conversation/writing
2) taking action
 Why is Advocacy Important?
To be successful in the classroom students
need to be able to verbalize their needs
(aka self-advocate)

Part of being a social justice fighter, we stand

up when we see injustices or wrong doings
(aka advocating for others)
How Can Writing Help Us Advocate?
Writing Helps You:
1. Learn advocacy
strategies
2. Practice advocacy skills
3. Challenge yourself and
your ideals
4. Have rationale behind
our beliefs
 Introduction
A formal argument is a well-reasoned
presentation of facts and details to support a
claim with the goal of persuading others to
accept your point of view.
 WHAT IS A CLAIM?
A claim persuades, argues, convinces,
proves, or suggests something to a reader
who may or may not agree with you.

A claim is the main argument of an

essay.
 WHAT DOES A CLAIM DO?
A claim persuades, argues, convinces,
proves, or suggests something to a reader
who may or may not agree with you.

If you are responding to a prompt, be

specific and make sure you answer the
question as you argue your opinion.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF CLAIM
A claim must be argumentative. When you
make a claim, you are arguing for a certain
interpretation or understanding of your subject.

A good claim is specific. It makes a focused

argument.
THREE PARTS TO A CLAIM
1. The subject

2. Your opinion or position

3. Three reasons to support that opinion or

position
HOW TO SET UP A CLAIM
TOPIC:
Should school start 30 minutes later next year?

CLAIM:
Starting school 30 minutes later (subject)
will have many positive effects (opinion)
like students will get more sleep, teachers will have more
time to prepare for classes, and there will be a decrease in
tardiness (reasoning).
HOW TO SET UP A CLAIM
TOPIC:
Should schools be year-round with no summer break?

CLAIM:
Year-round schooling (subject)
is not a good idea (opinion)
it has no proven positive effects on education, it adds to the
school’s expenses, and it disturbs the long-awaited
summer vacation (reasoning).
HOW TO SET UP A CLAIM
TOPIC:
Should recycling in America be mandatory?

CLAIM:
Forcing Americans to recycle (subject)
is a good idea (opinion)
because recycling would lead to a more conscientious
society, it would prolong the life of the planet, and we are
running out of resources and this could help solve the
problem (reasoning).
 Evidence
Students will use 3 details from the text to
prove their claim.

Choose from:
● Facts ● Examples
● Statistics Observations
● Quotes ● Expert opinions
● Quotes
YOUR TURN TO PRACTICE!
TOPIC:
Parents should be allowed to attend their
child’s class every day.

CLAIM:
Write one!