Social Studies Middle School Guide

Sentence Starters and Roles for Student Talk

Argumentation and Critique:

Agree and connect: I agree with X because I’ve seen/experienced/tried…. My experience confirms what X is saying because…. This reminds me of_______. It makes me think about___ I connect what this author/speaker is saying to my experience…..

Agree and expand: I agree with X and would like to add….

I feel strongly about what X said and want to add…. In addition to X’s main point about X, I’d add…. I agree with X and furthermore….

Agree and disagree simultaneously: Although I agree with X up to a point, I cannot accept her overall idea that…. Although I disagree with much of what X says, I fully endorse her final conclusion that…. Though I concede that……, I still insist that….. Whereas X provides ample evidence that___________, Y and Z’s research on_________and _______ convinces me that _________ Agree with difference: X is right about___, but she may not be aware that_____. I agree that___because my experience______confirms it. I agree that________, a point that needs emphasizing since so many people believe_________. Disagreeing with reasons: I disagree with X’s view that______because as research has shown (or) because in my experience…. I think X is mistaken because she overlooks________. On the one hand X argues_______. On the other hand, she also says______.

Adapted from They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein

This collection has been curated by GUHSD Science. Sources include SDAIE, San Francisco Unified School District’s Multilingua l Pathways Department, STEM Teaching Tools, Ambitious Science Teaching, and New Visions Curriculum Resources.