Name: _________________________

Social Studies 10
Defense of Position Writing Assignment Pre-Writing Template

Question at Issue: To what extent should contemporary society respond to the legacies of
historical globalization?

Take a Stance
Place an X to indicate where you are on this spectrum:
We must do
The past is
everything
in the past!
that we can!

Briefly explain your position on the spectrum. Create a list of the reasons/arguments:
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Thesis Statement (one sentence):

Circle the top two strongest reasons/arguments that you have listed
Introduction Paragraph
1. Narrative Hook
- Use an interesting and relative quotation/ask a provocative question/make an engaging
statement
- We are looking to get the audience’s attention!
- 1-2 sentences MAX

2. Background Information
- What does the audience need to know before they can understand this essay?
- Only the most essential information
- 2-3 sentences MAX

3. Alternative Viewpoints
- What are some of the other perspectives of this issue?
- 1 sentence MAX

4. State your Thesis

- The last sentence of your intro paragraph
Body Paragraph 1 – Planting the SEED
S – State your first argument/reason that supports your thesis:
- One sentence

E – Explain your Argument

- 2-3 sentences

E – Examples and evidence to support your argument (find an appropriate data, examples, or a
case study)
- 2-3 sentences

D – Draw a connection back to your thesis

- How/why does your argument and evidence support your thesis?
- 2-3 sentences
Body Paragraph 2 – Planting the SEED
S – State your first argument/reason that supports your thesis:
- One sentence

E – Explain your Argument

- 2-3 sentences

E – Examples and evidence to support your argument (find an appropriate data, examples, or a
case study)
- 2-3 sentences

D – Draw a connection back to your thesis

- How/why does your argument and evidence support your thesis?
- 2-3 sentences
Conclusion
Summarize your Introduction
- Do not copy your introduction! Reword it!
- 2 sentences

Summarize/Restate your Arguments

- The ‘S’ part of each body paragraph
- 1 sentence

Conclude your Essay

- Leave the audience with a memorable thought
- 1-2 sentences
 After the fairly recent tragedies in Newtown, CT and Aurora, CO, some commentators and -
notably - the National Rifle Association (NRA) remarked that video games play a role in a "culture
of violence" and detachment that can ease the path to violent behaviour. On one side of the spectrum,
there are people who believe gaming is a stress-relief mechanism, enhances coordination, and leads
to a healthier, more productive life. While on the opposite side of the spectrum, there are those who
think video games are linked to or even the cause of school shootings, suicides, murders, and even
robbery and theft. Quite frankly, it’s preposterous to even consider this. If a person wants to commit
murder, or rob a store they will do so with or without having played video games. Video games do
not encourage violent behaviours.
It’s important to remember even if there is a link between violent games and aggressive
behaviour, that does not point toward it being the cause. Violent criminals may well choose violent
games, but tens of millions of gamers play those games every week, and the vast majority are law-
abiding, normal citizens. In one case, there may be someone who plays Call of Duty eight hours a
day, then goes home to a world of puppies and rainbows, while we’ve also heard of the kid who
plays a game for an hour or two, then goes on a shooting spree. There are exceptions to any rule, and
if we're going to find real answers, we need to look at trends and averages, not statistical outliers.

Video Games Effect on Behaviour

Approximately 58%of Americans play video games. 1If every time a shooting occurs, everyone looks
to see whether the criminal has played a “violent video game,” chances are they have. Germany,
which plays a lot of (violent) video games, has a medium-low crime rate (according to the U.S.
department of state).2In fact, violent crime fell by 2.1 percent from 2010 to 2011, with small but
statistically significant decreases in the number of recorded cases involving physical assaults,
robberies, sexual assaults, and murders/manslaughters. This data is a perfect example of a population
that ranks third for spending the most money on video games, yet is largely a law-abiding, peaceful
nation. We can’t say that violent video games are causing violent behaviour when all of the
“evidence” used is based off data collected from one of the most violent countries on Earth, the
United States.
Some people who believe that violent games should be banned say that violent video games
reward people for hurting others. This argument however, is completely wrong. In video games, even
violent ones, the objective is usually to gain the most points, or complete some sort of “action”
objective. In order for a team to finish the game, they must work together. Those who oppose violent
video games only view the negative aspects of these games. These games reward people for working
together and completing an objective, rather than killing people.
The significance and relevance of this argument is due to the fact that if violent video games
were banned, only then would people have a reason to carry over what happens in these games to real
life. There would be mass riots and uncontrollable chaos. Anybody who is “attached” to video games
could possibly commit suicide. Companies would go bankrupt, and thousand (if not millions) of jobs
would be lost. Violent video games don’t cause violent behaviour, and certainly should not be
banned.

Some Important Tips to Remember about Academic

Writing:
1. Do not use the word “I” (I think…, I feel…, I have
seen…).
2. Indent each paragraph (press the “tab” key)
3. Read your writing out loud! (Does it flow?
Punctuation/capitalization/spelling)
4. Quality over quantity!
5. Only focus on one argument per paragraph.
1
http://www.theesa.com/facts/
2
https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=13732
6. If you get writer’s block, reread your thesis to refocus
7. Do your pre-writing work beforehand! You will be
much more confident and focused once you go to write
your assignment. Pre-writing is when you think through all
of your ideas.
8. Edit your work. Reread your writing. Are there any
errors? Have you included everything you want to include?