Ideas about argument

One of the questions we are thinking about this week is what role does argument play in debate.  In my mind the two go hand in hand, wouldn't debate be a form of argument?  You take a position, back it with evidence and logic, and of course counterargument and rebuttal play a part in debate also.  

I thought the website: http://www.compuhigh.com/demo/eng12les09.htm handles this question well, as it states, "An argument can be defined as an opinion that is supported with evidence. Debates are based upon arguments. A formal debate usually takes place in a formal setting with a team representing each side of the argument."  Based on this line of thinking, debates would be a form of argument, since debate is based on argument.  This leads to another topic we have been pondering, which is, what forms can argument take?  

I attended an AP conference on Wednesday, and the main focus was helping students read text closely, and analyze various components of that text.  As the group of teachers attending the conference went through the steps of analyzation, there were differences in opinions about what an author was saying, or what a piece of writing meant, since, as we all know, our own personal experiences, along with the symbols on the page, affect how we interpret various pieces of literature.  As we discussed our differing opinions on what a text meant, I thought, would this not count as argument?  We didn't produce a formal paper, or hold a formal debate, but in the process of reading, analyzing, discussing, and backing our opinions with evidence from the text, were we not technically using argument techniques?  I guess this line of thinking lends itself to consideration of how we use argument and what we consider argument in our classrooms.  I know students need to learn to formally write an argument, but can we scaffold and strengthen those techniques through conversation based around texts we study in our classrooms?

And my last contribution today is an idea presented in a PLC I attended yesterday, during which a colleague presented an idea for writing what she calls an ABC sentence, which I think can be used to help students begin an argument paragraph (which is where I'm starting before we jump to an essay:

Identify the Text Complete title Include type of text (article, short story, song, movie, poem, novel, etc.) Author

Choose a Strong Verb Advises Compares Contrasts Describes Explains Identifies Illustrates Presents Provides Recommends Suggests Teaches

Add a Big Finish ·         The answer/your opinion ·         The main idea? ·         The big idea? ·         The theme? ·         The moral? ·         The message?

                        A                                         B                                                              C

I used this basic format when I asked my students to respond to a news story we watched yesterday, and they did really well after we did one together.  I then asked them to add two sentences with their evidence/explanations.  Starting with baby steps.  I don't know if it's the right way, but I'm trying.