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History

Write the Argument

Overview

Students practise writing a short structured historical argument in response to a question, applying the skills of claim, evidence, and explanation.

Learning Objective
Students construct a structured historical argument using evidence to support a claim, following the conventions of historical writing.

Resources needed

  • Paper and pencil

Lesson stages

0 / 7 done
  1. 1 Introduce the structure of a historical argument: Claim — Evidence — Explanation — Conclusion.
  2. 2 Give an example question: 'Was the French Revolution a success?'
  3. 3 Model the structure: 'I argue that... because the evidence shows... This is significant because... Therefore...'
  4. 4 Students choose a position and write a claim sentence.
  5. 5 Students identify two pieces of evidence from lessons studied.
  6. 6 Students write an explanation connecting evidence to their claim.
  7. 7 Students write a conclusion that directly answers the question.

Tap a step to mark it as done.

Variations

  • Pairs write opposing arguments on the same question and then compare.
  • Add a counter-argument paragraph — address the strongest opposing view.
  • Write orally first, then convert the oral argument to written form.
More information

Teach: claim, evidence, explain, argue, conclude, significant, therefore, because. The PEEL structure (Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link) is a useful scaffold.

Provide a writing frame with sentence starters for each structural element. Students fill in the historical content.

Does the student's argument have a clear claim? Is evidence used accurately? Does the explanation connect evidence to the claim rather than just restating it?

Students can make the argument orally if paper is unavailable. The structural thinking is the skill — writing or speaking are both valid modes.

Students often write descriptions rather than arguments. Teach the difference explicitly: description tells, argument evaluates.

Historical essay writing is the primary mode of assessment in secondary history education worldwide. Teaching the argument structure explicitly dramatically improves student performance.

Activity details
Secondary Challenging 25–30 minutes no prep Solo, Pairs Indoor & Outdoor
Topics
Historical Writing Argument Evidence