The layers of an argument

Mar 22

We’ve written before about the importance of teaching kids to write multi-layered arguments early in their development process. Writing three-layered arguments is the key work of our Level 2: Argument Foundations program, but most kids and adults don’t immediately understand what this means—or what it looks like. So, here is a breakdown of what the different layers look like when it comes to kids’ writing.

One-layer argument: The List Argument

[Argument sentence] Despite attacks on both his housing and sleep over the last 12 months, my cat, Darth Catr, has managed to have an exceptional year for two reasons. [Subclaim 1] First, Darth Catr showed particular resilience in the face of attacks on his housing during this time. [Subclaim 2] Second, Cats Incorporated lowered Darth Catr’s sleep quota, threatening to upend yet another foundational pillar of his life. [Conclusion] For these reasons, Darth Catr displayed more excellence of character in one year than ever before.

Notes: One-layer arguments are what we call List Paragraphs because they are essentially lists pasted together with generic connecting words. This is the type of argument most kids learn in elementary school.

Two-layer argument: The Information Is King Argument

[Argument sentence] Despite attacks on both his housing and sleep over the last 12 months, my cat, Darth Catr, has managed to have an exceptional year. [Subclaim 1] Darth Catr showed particular resilience in the face of attacks on his housing during this time. [Supporting details] In January, Darth Catr learned that we might be moving away to a new country. He thought about eating us in retaliation, but graciously abstained. Instead, Darth Catr began spending more time outside. [Subclaim 2] Then in June, as if the attacks on his housing were not enough, Cats Incorporated lowered Darth Catr’s sleep quota, threatening to upend yet another foundational pillar of his life, and yet he persevered. [Supporting details] Darth Catr managed to sleep more this year than last at work, and was even promoted to manager of the 428th legion of the Sleeping Department; as of mid-December, he had made 50,000 cans of cat food thanks to all his sustained effort. [Conclusion] Never before has Darth Catr faced so much and displayed so much excellence of character in one year. I hope you will join me in applauding Darth Catr’s choices and in wishing him well in future years, whether his food remains American or becomes something entirely different.

Notes: Two-layer arguments are often the appropriate choice for a writing situation and are widely taught as the standard in most middle and high schools. In Information Is King arguments, the audience will evaluate your argument based on the logic and credibility of your evidence: is not harming people and being promoted at work proof that Darth Catr displayed excellence of character?

Three-layer argument: The Fully-Connected Argument

[Argument sentence] Despite attacks on both his housing and sleep over the last 12 months, my cat, Darth Catr, has managed to have an exceptional year, and so have we. [Subclaim 1] Darth Catr showed particular resilience in the face of attacks on his housing during this time, averting a potential threat to my family's lives. [Supporting details] In January, Darth Catr learned that we might be moving away to a new country. He thought about eating us in retaliation, but graciously abstained. Instead, Darth Catr began spending more time outside, eating things that were not us. [Subclaim 2] Then in June, as if the attacks on his housing (and our subsequent well-being) were not enough, Cats Incorporated lowered Darth Catr’s sleep quota, threatening to upend yet another foundational pillar of his life, and yet he persevered without resorting to homicide. [Supporting details] Darth Catr managed to sleep more this year than last at work, and was even promoted to manager of the 428th legion of the Sleeping Department; as of mid-December, he had made 50,000 cans of cat food thanks to all his sustained effort, and we continued to sleep well at night in our beds. [Connection] The reward of non-human-based food was more than justified. [Conclusion] Never before has Darth Catr faced so much and displayed so much excellence of character in one year. I hope you will join me in applauding Darth Catr’s display of mercy and in wishing him well in future years, whether his hopefully non-human food remains American or becomes something entirely different.

Notes: This third layer, which is largely woven in throughout the paragraph (see underlined words), adds the deeper reasoning for the author’s main claim and subclaims. It answers the question of how the subclaims are related on a deep level. Why these particular subclaims and not others? Ah, this author mostly thinks Darth Catr had a great year because the cat didn’t eat his family! I don’t agree, but I certainly understand why the author thinks this way. Yup, adding a third layer to an argument allows your audience to appreciate the argument and/or contemplate new insights into the world even if they do not agree with the claims. Readers will judge the logic and evidence as well as the deeper reasoning.

Three-layer arguments do not have to be particularly profound or impressive as texts (as evidenced above). Instead, June Writers teaches three-layer texts to kids because it helps them get used to looking for the deeper connections between seemingly disparate ideas. We teach arguments this way because it’s the deep connections that humans uncover in our work and writing that allow us to grow as individuals and as a species. This skill also makes it much easier for kids to leap into Analytical Reading, which we teach in Level 3: Texts Under Scrutiny; they’re already used to thinking about all the underlying elements of an idea and a text. Argument structure is fractal, expanding easily from the paragraph to the essay to the paper and book, so learning the basic structure sets your child up for longer-form writing. Most kids do not learn three-layer arguments in elementary or middle school (or, sometimes, high school). Instead, kids often arrive at college and struggle to join academic conversations that call for this type of nuanced thinking. Our goal is to change that trend.