An argument, who hasn’t been in one? We argue on the school playground, argue with a best friend, argue whose best friend is better. We’ve all either been in an argument or tried our hardest to avoid one, but what happens when you have to write about one? Did anyone groan at that question?

Have no fear! This article is here with quick and effective tips that will help you write a great argumentative essay, no matter what you’re arguing.  It can also help in improved writing skills.

Tip #1: Pick a side, any side

It can’t be an argumentative essay if you don’t know what you’re arguing for or against. The simplest way to start an argument is to know what side you’re arguing for and to stick to the side until the very end. Sometimes the simplest statements of “I think. . .” or “I believe. . .” are a great way to start thinking about what side of the argument you’re on.

Here are some questions: Should schools push back their start time? Should healthy lunch meals be served to every student? Do you like the color black or blue?

Tip # 2: But Why?

Because I felt like it! If only that could be a valid reason for everything you have to explain (it’s not). But it’s not that complicated either. You picked a side of the argument, but you have to have reasons explaining why that side. The magic number to remember here is three. Any good argument needs to have at least three reasons that support your claim, and you get them by asking why.

• Why did you pick the color blue—? Give three reasons.
• Why should school days start later? Give three reasons.
• Why this School?  Give three reasons.

Remember, your argument is only as strong as your reasons. The sentence that has the chosen argument and three reasons to support the argument is what we call a thesis statement. That is if you want to sound all fancy and impress everyone around you!

Tip # 3: Find A Partner

A key to any good argument is finding good, strong evidence. In other words, find people who know what they are talking about, have been published properly, and now have come to your rescue. It’s an important element in your argumentative essay to have evidence that supports what you’re arguing for. The support could come in many forms: quotes, expert opinions, graphs, charts, or any form of data.

For instance, if you argue that school should serve healthy lunch for reason a, b, and c, then you need to find people that will support those reasons. The magic number here is two. Two pieces of strong evidence to support each reason. (When did an argumentative essay become a test in knowing how to add?)

Tip #4: Know Your Opponents

It’s just as important to know the other side of the argument as well as knowing yours. Wait. . . Why?!

You must address the other side of the argument in your essay, so that you can counterargue it.  The whole mission of the argumentative essay is to make a strong case for your side, and nothing makes a stronger argument than knowing what the other side is thinking. It’s called being prepared with the counterclaim, and having a strong rebuttal to prove your argument is stronger. This takes more good research.

The key here is to be prepared to defend your side till the very end. And yes, all this work is happening through writing. Let’s not forget that while playing mind chess!

Tip # 5: Take A Bow

Here’s the grand finale, time to put it all together. You’ve done all the hard work of thinking of good reasons to support your argumentative essay and then of finding strong evidence to support those reasons. Now is not the time to confuse your readers! Simply leave them with a thought about your side of the argument. Keep it short, neat, and clean!

These are the five basic rules to keep in your back pocket when writing an argumentative essay. Learning these steps will assist throughout entire acedemic life, including the abitlity to successfully write research papers.  Remember, writing is a process, so always be open to feedback and revisions. Happy writing!

Article provided by VSA Future; offering virtual classes for your child.

When doing research for an essay, watch this video to learn how to separate trustworthy information from biased information.

Learn how to ensure your essay doesn’t contain plagiarism.

Experts suggest that it has become a serious challenge to increase children’s attention spans in the age of new media. According to an article published in the National Alliance on Mental Health, exposure to a variety of information sources and devices may have a big impact on children’s ability to stay focused.

Technological overload is real and it can affect your child’s reading skills. After all, reading requires the ability to concentrate. With social media becoming skewed towards more visual content, children should take a moment to develop good reading habits and nurture their critical and creative functions.

It’s also important to ensure kids are equipped with fundamental comprehension skills, whether they are being taught how to read at home or in school.  A child’s ability to understanding in their mind what they see via text will create engagement that will draw them to reading, as opposed to turning to a phone or computer screen.

Here are some of the ways you can encourage your kids to read:

1. Be a role model

Younger children see you as a template for how they should behave or act. Reading a newspaper or a good book helps normalize reading in the household. Seeing you being in the zone when your read encourages your child to follow suit. This should happen at a very early age to instill a model of reading that will continue to engage them as students in elementary school.

2. Keep a collection of materials

Apart from showing your child the importance of reading on a daily basis, you need to let them know that you have ample things to read at home. You can create a mini-library that includes a good mix of fiction and non-fiction works. Apart from children’s books, you can also stock up on encyclopedias, dictionaries, and news magazines so your child has access to a wide array of knowledge that entices them to read.

3. Have story time before bed

There is truth to the idea that bedtime stories can help foster a child’s development. It helps them relax and, more importantly, stimulates their creative fuel. Eventually, your child will pick up the habit and look towards reading as a source of comfort.

4. Write a story for your child to read

Another way you can get your child to read is to write and publish your own children’s book with them as the main character. Nowadays, it’s easy to come up with an ebook that is aimed towards children, so take the time to write stories your child will want to read. Doing so will encourage them to write as well.

5. Allow your child to read online

While new technology could reduce your child’s attention span, you can also use it to encourage healthy reading habits. While most parents try to reduce screen time and rightly so, take time to teach your child how to find useful information online for their homework or school project. Along the way, you can also help them identify bad information and nurture effective online research skills.

6. Stay engaged

As you expose your child to the wonderful world of reading, they may find the activity tedious and boring. If this is the case, you should always be present as they absorb written information. You can also encourage them to read comic books and intriguing mysteries since these genres are meant to keep readers engaged.  Research the best reading apps that captivate their attention and make learning fun.

The more you expose your child to reading, the more they become more discerning of the information they see in social media. With these tips in mind, you can help your child develop their creative and critical skills even as information becomes increasingly instantaneous.

Encouraging Young Readers to Enjoy Their Favorite Hobby Safely

Teachers are human beings and just like other humans do, sometimes we can be distracted while in the classroom. We can be biased towards some students and lose focus unintentionally. Sometimes you may focus too much on one gender. There are also cases of teachers focusing too much on one race and ignoring another race, either positively or negatively.

Of course, as teachers, we try to avoid preferential treatment, but sometimes our human nature gets in the way of our noble intentions. That makes it essential to self-reflect and evaluate our conduct in and outside the classroom. The beauty of the teaching profession is that we always have a second chance to right our wrongs; to do things better. Every year is a chance for us to get better than we were the previous year.

This article aims at helping you focus on all students in the classroom from different backgrounds at all time, whether it be cultural differences, gender, intelligence, or simply the fact that you connect better with some children more than others.  This is how:

1. Admit that you are not immune to bias

As a teacher, it starts by admitting that you are human and susceptible to distraction and bias. Acknowledge that you could be biased against certain students, so you start checking who those students could be. You are not color blind: How do you interact with kids who don’t have the same skin color as you? Evaluate how you treat kids from different ethnicities, religions, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Ask yourself whether you are doing enough to optimize every kid’s academic potential. Ask yourself whether you are focusing on each student as much as you would want your children to be treated by their teacher. Bottom line: Make genuine efforts of interrogating your conduct in the classroom and making the necessary amends.

2. Be empathetic

Make an effort to understand your students’ perspectives and emotions. You must understand what every kid is going through in their private life. Know the status of the communities where your students live so that you can understand their perspectives on different aspects of learning. Could be you have lost focus on a certain student because you judge him or her harshly, probably on matters of discipline, when in fact the child has been acting up just to get your attention, something he or she doesn’t get at home.

3. Encourage students to air their opinions

Encourage learners to tell you when you step out of line; when you focus too much on one group to the point of forgetting other kids. Agree to be held to account by your students. When students air their concerns in a respectful manner, you get the chance to self-examine yourself. When possible, teach your class about how we must all strive to treat everyone equal, regardless of their race, abilities or gender. Include teaching about what your students can do to stop bullying. This will give you opportunity to let your class that you are also imperfect and always trying to be a better person and teacher in your classroom.

4. Be kind and caring

Maybe you are kind and caring, but do you communicate the same to your students? Do the students think of you as caring? Start showing every kid that you care by being slow to judge, being patient with them all regardless of their many shortcomings, and being genuinely interested in learning about their distinct cultures and interests. Don’t make kids scramble for your love and attention. Be willing to share everything with everyone in your class.

5. Learn to focus and love your problem child

You may have ignored a particular student because you’ve formed a negative opinion about them, even sub consciously. Instead of ignoring him or her, force yourself to view and treat them with love and care for a whole school term. Start seeing them as in the same way you view the brightest and best-disciplined student in your class. Your opinion will soon change.

6. Communicate and work towards your expectations

Stop lowering your expectations for a certain group of students. Don’t assume, for example, that a kid is dumb just because he or shey are from an impoverished community or because they are from a given race. Have uniformity when setting expectations for all kids in your class. Interact with introverts in the same manner as you do with extroverts. It may take a little effort to draw an introvert out of their shell.  This extra attention is ok for a higher purpose.  Try to communicate with foreign students who do not speak the local language yet. If necessary advocate to include translation services in your school. Grade all students the same, both boys an girls. Don’t give up on a student or lower your expectations for them just because he or she has a physical or mental disability. If you are pushing your students to outscore their previous score, do it to all of them- equally!

Conclusion

The key to focusing on all students in your classroom is granting each one of them the same status as children. You must recognize that no matter how different they are in behavior and academic success, their innocence and vulnerability are the same. Treat them with the same amount of respect and love.

As a parent, has it ever occurred how independent your child is? If your child is well endowed and equipped with essential life skills to face the world? Please give it a thought!  One of the best way parents prepare and get their children ready for adulthood is by mentoring them and being their first teacher to guide them learn the various essential skills they will need.

As a parent, it’s your responsibility to teach your kids some necessary life skills to make them grow into a humble, responsible and respectful person. Developing and teaching life skills is crucial so that children have a brief idea of what they aspire to do in life and essentially keep in mind the kind of person they want to be.

Here’s my list of few life skills every parent should help their children learn:

1. Teach children never to stop reading and learning

Reading opens the mind to a wide range of possibilities, learning new things and vocabulary. It also boosts imagination making children wiser and smarter. Children should not only be restricted to read textbooks as a way of learning. Encourage children to read age-appropriate books, simple recipes to follow and easy to read newspaper articles. This will make them open-minded, receptive to learning from lies and inspired by people they read about.

2. Good communication and public speaking

Good communication and general speaking skills are indispensable for success in various aspects of life. Kids are great learners. With proper guidance from an early age, teaching skills related to public speaking for kids will be beneficial. When this happens, kids have the desire to voice their opinions, thoughts and views openly. It allows them to form connections, motivate change and influence decisions. Public speaking is a great way to teach kids to help improve their life and career. This includes your communication skills when you’re speaking online or in-person.

3. Decision-making skills

Instilling decision-making skills from an early age helps children weigh opinions, evaluate situations and take independent decisions. Start with small tasks and walk them through the various decision-making steps with activities like choosing from games, clothes to wear or food to eat. Once this happens, children will be conscious of the consequences that each decision causes.

4 Teach kids to apologize and forgive

Children should be well aware that everyone makes mistakes, and there is no shame in accepting those mistakes and asking for forgiveness. They should be taught that forgiveness and forgiving others should be a sign of being courageous and humble.

5. Teach kids kindness and to help others

Showing unconditioned kindness and readiness to help others in need develops compassion in children. Be patient, use kind words, even when you are tired & frustrated, teach them not to judge others, encourage them to perform small acts of kindness in school, such as sharing their lunch box, etc. It helps them understand the difference between need and wants in life.

6. Focus and self-control

Children thrive on habits, schedules and routines, which help children learn self-control and focus. Communicate with your child about what to expect each day. Teach your child the necessary organizing skills so that they know where to put shoes, coats, and personal belongings. Indulge them regularly in activities like reading a book, enjoying sensory activities, or completing a puzzle together can help your child roll back and increase focus. As they grow old have conversations about more difficult issues they will face.

7. Taking on challenges

One of the most important traits we can develop in life is taking on challenges, bounce back from failure, and never stop trying. Children learn to take on challenges and be resilient when creating an environment with the right amount of structure. Encourage your child to try different things and allow reasonable risk, such as climbing a tree or riding a bike.

These essential life skills will assist your child in coping with the world. Making sure your child is proud of the critical life skills they learn. This is because parents play a crucial role in providing children to know about how the world works. But with patience, understanding, and a few simple tricks, you will indeed teach your children the way to success without it seeming like an enormous task!

Author Bio:
Samidha Raj works as part of the content marketing team at Planet Spark, a platform that provides online classes to K8 learners on “New Age Skills” like, English Communication, Public Speaking, Grammar, Creative Writing, Debating, etc. She is passionate about empowering the youth by educating parents about the importance of 21st-century skills. In her free time, you can find her watching documentaries or animated movies and organizing game nights (board games are her thing)!