ESOL Rt/L2.4a Understand and identify how written arguments are structured

Understand and identify how written arguments are structured (i) Recognise the characteristic structures of written argument (ii) Know that texts presenting an argument are adopting a particular point of view, and use clues in the text such as text organisation, lexical choices and metaphor, to help recognise this (iii) Recognise the difference between objective fact and an opinion, and instances where opinion might be presented as if it were fact (iv) Know that choice of adverbs, adjectives, modal verbs, verbs and idiomatic expressions used in texts can help readers differentiate between fact and opinion, and use this knowledge to help distinguish fact from opinion (v) Be aware of the meaning of different discourse markers, including those that link and contrast arguments, e.g. on the one hand... another point of view is... some people think... ; those that link ideas and examples, e.g. for instance, an instance of this was ; those that show text structure, e.g. this chapter will explore... to sum up... (vi) Be aware of a range of features which help to make a text cohesive, e.g. pronoun referencing (John hoped to go back to the town where he was born. He had heard so much about it.), substitution (My first point... My second one...), ellipsis, repetition and chains of words (she was poor but [she was] happy; it was a wonderful, wonderful evening) (vii) Understand the role of connotation and metaphor in building arguments in a text

Explanations and practice with the organisational markers "therefore" and "as a result": how they are used to indicate a logical sequence or cause-and-effect relationships in writing. 

Editor's notes

With two sets of challenging gap-fill sentences to complete.

Level
Entry Level 3
Level 1
Level 2
ESOL
ESOL Rs/E3.1b Use knowledge of syntax and grammar to work out meaning
ESOL Wt/E3.3a Show sequence through the use of discourse markers and conjunctions
ESOL Rt/L1.1a Understand how meaning is built up in paragraphed texts
ESOL Rs/L1.1a Use implicit & explicit grammatical knowledge to predict meaning & check for sense
ESOL Wt/L1.3a Structure texts sequentially and coherently according to genre
ESOL Rt/L2.4a Understand and identify how written arguments are structured
ESOL Wt/L2.3a Use different types of paragraph structure and linguistic features to aid sequencing and coherence

I created this activity for my ESOL students but it would also work well for Functional English.
The idea is taken from Laura Jeffrey Kiiza’s text types mind map drag and drop activity (L1) – see link below under See also.

Students first use Laura’s drag and drop activity on the computer (this covers both persuasive and instructive texts).
I then gave them the features of persuasive texts (see page 1 of resource) which they cut up and stick on the text on page 2 (or they could simply annotate the text using coloured pens etc.).

Level
Level 1
Level 2
GCSE L1-5
English
Rt/L2.4 Read an argument and identify the points of view
Rt/L2.2 Identify the purpose of a text and infer meaning which is not explicit
Rt/L1.2
GCSE English Reading AO2 Explain & analyse language & structure
Functional English reading
ESOL
ESOL Rt/L2.4a Understand and identify how written arguments are structured
ESOL Rt/L2.2a Identify the purposes of a wide range of texts, whether inferred or explicitly stated
ESOL Rt/L1.2a Know how language and other textual features are used to achieve different purposes

Information and examples of modal verbs followed by a cloze exercise and sentence writing.

Level
Level 1
Level 2
ESOL
ESOL Ws/L2.2a
ESOL Ws/L1.1a Write using complex sentences
ESOL Sd/L2.2c Express views, opinions, feelings, wishes
ESOL Sc/L2.3a Make requests
ESOL Sc/L2.2a Respond to criticism & criticise constructively
ESOL Sc/L1.2a Make requests
ESOL Rt/L2.4a Understand and identify how written arguments are structured