Chapter 9: Evidence
ACTIVITY #9.1: IDENTIFYING NEED FOR EVIDENCE. (To help students understand how they could use
evidence to support arguments.)
STEP 1: Have students form groups of three or four.
STEP 2: Give one of the sets of instructions (below) to each group.
Group 1: Your group is to create a brief argument that answers the question below. Your argument
may take whatever position your group decides, but you must have an answer and support for that
answer. Later in the class a member of your group will be asked to present the argument to everyone
Group 2: Your group is to create a brief argument that answers the question below. Your argument
may take whatever position your group decides, but you must have an answer and support for that
Group 3: Your group is to create a brief argument that answers the question below. Your argument
Group 4: Your group is to create a brief argument that answers the question below. Your argument
Group 5: Your group is to create a brief argument that answers the question below. Your
Group 6: Your group is to create a brief argument that answers the question below. Your argument
STEP 3: Have each group identify what parts of their argument would be stronger if there were evidence,
What would be weaknesses of the evidence?
Why should someone accept the evidence? How could that be communicated as the
argument is presented?
ACTIVITY #9.2: IDENTIFYING ELEMENTS OF EVIDENCE. (To help students learn to recognize and
analyze evidence in an everyday argument.)
STEP 2: Show the tape. Pause after each segment and ask each student to identify examples of their
individual assignments. If the segment does not contain an example of a type of evidence, ask the
students to say what evidence might be used in the argument that fits their assignments.
As you watch the video, look for an example of evidence that you could evaluate based on
internal consistency. Be prepared to talk about the internal consistency when we pause the
video.
As you watch the video, look for an example of evidence that you could classify as either expert
or lay. Be prepared to say why the evidence is fits in the classification you put it in when we
pause the video.
As you watch the video, look for an example of evidence that you could classify as either created
or casual. Be prepared to say why the evidence fits in the classification you put it in when we
pause the video.
(You might include the following, to reinforce previous concepts, even thought they’re not directly about evidence.)