Argumentative Essay Outline Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: W.7-8.2

Core Standard

In order to take a valid stance against anything takes time to spend researching multiple sides of the coin. Argumentative writing is when an author takes a side on an issue or topic and collaborates those thoughts with credible and reliable sources. In order to prepare a qualified argument, you must first begin with outlining your thoughts and then spend your time to back that up with research. The most important step is to begin with taking time to develop a well-developed thesis statement. Your outline should have a minimum of four major statements that are backed up by undisputable facts. Your argument is fully dependent on the quality of sources that are used. Make sure to take your time with those sources. These worksheets will help you create argumentative works that focused on succeeding by beginning with the outline of your thoughts.

Argumentative Essay Outline Worksheets:

Organize it - Use the graphic organizer below to outline an argumentative essay on the assigned topic.

The Steps - This is the basic series you walk through to prepare yourself for this type of essay.

Take #2 - This presents as a more streamlined account for you.

Flowchart - This flowchart will help you piece things apart.

The Game Plan - The purpose of an argumentative essay is to convince the reader to agree with your opinion about a controversial topic.

Key Features - We review what is required for you to create a successful piece.

The Walkthrough - Use the space below to briefly outline your essay.

Nails to Hit - We look at a way to review if your argument has any teeth.

The MEAT Technique - We explore this technique in full.

Gathering Interest - How will you hook your reader with your position?

Your Position - A great way to get the creative juices flowing about your topic.

Support Claims - Your best ammunition is a series of well documented facts.

Checklist - This is a great way to look over a work that you feel is prepared.

The Major Points - How will you make sure that your work is in the right frame of mind?

Topic Sentences - Write a topic sentence that states your position on the topic.

Argumentative Writing Worksheets - These are more designed to help you write than to plan.

How Do You Compose An Argumentative Essay Outline?

Essay writing is common practice in every student’s life. Writing an these types of works requires well-researched opinions and stances to make your work stand out. You need to be informative and make your opinions strong to make your point clear. The only way to do that is to structure your essay perfectly and use solid evidence and reasoning to back your claim.


This article will discuss how to proceed with this type of piece when you need to follow to write a compelling essay. Let’s get started!


What Is an Argumentative Essay?


This is a style of academic writing in which the author has to present both sides of an argument fairly. The author’s job is to be informative and use a factual form of writing rather than one that is more persuasive. The writer can choose a side but has to provide all counter-arguments fairly in the thesis and conclusion section.


The essays need to be well-researched and written engagingly to compel readers and be reasoned well enough to change their minds if they want to.


Composing the Outline


Every essay type follows a structure or outline. In an argumentative essay, the outline is straightforward to follow. It consists of the following 4 steps.


1. Introduction - The first paragraph or the opening statement of your work should hook the reader. It is the foundation for your essay and needs to convey the essay style. Since it is an argumentative essay, you can’t use inspirational quotes or personal anecdotes.


The introduction should provide background information about the topic. What is the issue? Why is the issue important? Who is affected by these issues? Are there any possible solutions? Etc.


2. Thesis Statement - The thesis statement is a part of your first paragraph and the last sentence. It introduces the readers to the main topic and the writer’s stand and claims.


3. Body Paragraphs - The body paragraphs are a detailed version of your thesis statement. Here, you will explain your stance and provide counter-arguments and disprove them to convince the reader about your opinion. These types of works generally will have 3 or more body paragraphs. You will use each paragraph to discuss a particular topic or angle.


Each paragraph consists of 3 parts. First, the claim is written as the topic sentence and represents your stance. It needs to be strong and compelling and convey your goals and direction.


Next is the evidence. After making your claim, you need to present the facts and findings from relevant sources that back your claim and explain to your readers why you support this stance. You can add real-life examples, analogies, statistics, etc.


The third is opposing arguments. The author can’t discuss their opinions and preferences on an argumentative topic. You need to add opposing arguments and counter-arguments and disprove them. This will make your claim stronger.


4. Conclusion - In the conclusion, you summarize your thesis statement and body paragraphs; instead of introducing new facts, you can add a call-to-action or a hypothetical situation to convince your readers that your claim is valid.


Now that you understand the general guidelines, you can create a well-structured and researched argumentative essay. We hope this article helped!