How to Help Students Turn Opinions into Arguments: 3 Free Tips for Teaching Evidence-Based Writing
Getting students to express their opinions isn’t the hard part — getting them to back up those opinions with evidence is where the real learning happens. Many middle and high school students think stating what they believe is enough, but turning a personal opinion into a clear, evidence-based argument is a skill that must be taught intentionally. Here are three practical tips you can use right away to strengthen your students’ argumentative writing skills.
1. Start with Low-Stakes Topics
Before diving into heavy or controversial issues, begin with simple, relatable questions:
Should students have to wear uniforms?
Is homework helpful or harmful?
Should schools start later in the morning?
Starting small lets students practice crafting claims and supporting them with reasons without the emotional weight of big debates. Once they understand the structure of argumentation, you can gradually introduce more complex issues.
2. Teach the “Claim–Evidence–Reasoning” Framework
Students often skip from opinion to conclusion without connecting the dots. Teach them the Claim–Evidence–Reasoning (CER) structure:
Claim: What do you believe?
Evidence: What proof supports your claim?
Reasoning: How does the evidence prove your point?
You can model this process with short, high-interest readings or even short news clips. Once students grasp how to support their ideas logically, they’ll start writing more coherent and persuasive arguments.
3. Use Paired Texts to Show Both Sides
One of the best ways to teach argumentative writing is to let students analyze how two opposing viewpoints are constructed. When students read both sides, they learn to spot bias, evaluate reasoning, and understand how writers use evidence to persuade their audience. This approach also helps promote empathy and critical thinking — two skills every classroom needs more of.
That’s where my Debating the Death Penalty worksheet comes in. It includes two short, balanced articles — one for and one against the death penalty — along with multiple-choice and critical reasoning questions that guide students to identify claims, evaluate evidence, and draw their own conclusions. It’s the perfect tool for transitioning from opinion-based discussion to formal, evidence-based writing.
Whether you use it as part of a writing unit, a social studies discussion, or a debate warm-up, this resource saves prep time and ensures every student practices essential critical thinking skills in a structured, engaging way. You’ll be surprised how much deeper classroom conversations become once students learn how to argue, not just why they believe what they do.