This guidebook helps students clarify, analyze, and evaluate arguments, both across academic content and within their daily lives.

Today, students encounter claims within all of their academic classes and through a wide variety of everyday sources: social media, news articles, popular books, television, billboards, ads, and movies. But how can they determine if the claims are valid? To do so, students must be able to carefully examine the claim and engage in the process of argumentation. This guidebook is one of a series of Content Enhancement Routines focusing on higher order thinking and reasoning. The centerpieces of the routine are two graphic organizers, the Cross-Curricular Argumentation Guides. The two different guides were developed to give teachers choices as they respond to the differing needs of diverse groups of students, or for students at different grade levels. Embedded in the steps for both guides is the cognitive strategy that students can use to analyze and evaluate arguments. The guidebook contains instructional procedures that teachers can use to help their students acquire the skills of argumentation. Learn More

Please note that professional development, coaching, and infrastructure support are essential components to effective implementation of SIM instructional tools and interventions. It is highly recommended that you work with a SIM professional developer.