This website from Purdue offers some great information about argumentative essays: Argumentative Essays. Once you finish reading this, consider watching the video.
Watch the first three minutes of this video called "English Essay Writing: How to Choose a Topic for an Argumentative Essay." You will not be choosing your own topic in this class, but it is helpful for understanding what an argumentative essay is and how you will prepare for a good argumentative essay.
This section includes the following subsections:
Going through these subsections will help you learn more about argumentative essays and how they are different from other kinds of essays. This is the main type of essay we will be working on in this class. Use the links above, the side menu (expand the Argumentative Essay section), or page through the information using the navigation buttons.