As far as the process for this activity, this was used at the beginning of their 8th Grade Argument Unit. The students had been slowly introduced to argument writing in the previous unit, but were still struggling with the concept that argument is truly everywhere, not just in writing - that claims can be made over just about anything, as long as we can find evidence and reasoning to support them! We use the same skills daily! So, I thought, why not find some movie clips to make breaking down claims, evidence, and reasoning more accessible to the students? And, truly it was a hit! Just the notion of putting clips up on the screen for the students to visualize the arguments, hear the tone, and make connections with movie scenes helped solidify their learning.

The students LOVED this assignment. They were completely engaged in watching the clips. I'd never seen the kids so animated to talk to each other about argument, either! The students were fully engaged in the clips, the group work discussion, and completing the assignment.

I'm attaching the activity as well as my lesson plans for quarter 3 if anyone is interested!