Teaching EFL Learners to Write an Argumentative Essay By Adopting Genre Literacy Approach

Teaching EFL learners to write an argumentative essay is not just a mater of teaching them to generate ideas, to used correct language to express meanings, choose suitable technical terms, to organize ideas in a coherent way, and to employ written conventions of mechanics, but also, most importantly, to develop their critical thinking skills. The  argumentative essay has  distinct purpose: To connive or persuade. The meaning that case is to make the audience (readers) agree to a point a view of the author with logical reasoning to support the point a view.

Skills in argumentation has been considered as one of critical thinking skills and argumentative writing is challenge to apply the skills. An argument happens, when two parties disagree about something. One party give an opinion the reasons to s support it and the other party gives a different opinion and offers reasons in supports of the argument.

An argument is not merely, or the same as an opinion , agreement or disagreement but it is the author’s point of view directed to persuade the audience to accept. It is important to note that an effective argument needs logical reasoning that might be done by providing evidence such as fact, statistical evidence, and scientific explanation. Therefor an opinion without and explicit support of logical reasons is not argument but just an opinion.

Summarizes 6 features of an argument:

1)    Position

Position refers to a point of view that the author attempts to persuade the audience to accept.

2)    Reasons

Reason is meaning giving logical reasons that refer to contributing argument to support the position.

3)    A line of reasoning

A line of reasoning means a set of reasons presented in a logical order so that it leads clearly and logically from one reason to the next.

4)    Conclusion

The conclusion which refers to the argument that leads towards the position that the author wants the audience to accept. The conclusion is basically the persuasion to a point of view from the author to the audience.

5)    Persuasion

Persuasion is the purpose of the argument to convince the audience about the point of view.

6)    Signal words and phrase

Signal words and phrase, help the audience follow the detection of the argument smoothly.

Smalley and Ruetten mention the characteristics of an argumentative essay as follows:

1)       The argumentative essay should introduce and explain the issue.   This is important to make the audience understand the issue being argued.

2)       The essay should offer reasons and support for those reasons which means that the essay should prove its points.

3)       The essay should refute the opposing argument. The purpose is that the author not only proves his/her care but also prover that the opponent is wrong.

Basically ideas on the features of an argumentative essay can be simplified into 4 basic component:

1)          Introduction and explanation of issues including the thesis of the author  containing the position (stand).

2)            Reasons presented logically to support the argument.

3)            Refutation which means to prove that the opponents are wrong.

4)             Conclusion containing reassertion of the thesis.