Today, we're talking about claims, evidence, and reasoning. Your teacher has asked you to write a claim and to include your evidence and reasoning for that claim. But where do you start?
First, let's talk about what a claim is and what it is not. A claim is a statement that is arguable and can be proven by evidence. It is not just a personal opinion.
Writing a claim doesn't have to be difficult. It's your answer to a question that is asked along with your evidence and reasoning. For example, if a friend asked you this question, Should my little brother get a cell phone?
You might answer, cell phones can be unhealthy for kids. Remember not to start your claim with, I believe or I think. Awesome. That's a great arguable claim, but what evidence do you have to support it? You can make any claim you want, but if you can't back it up with evidence, nobody will take you or your argument seriously.
Evidence is reliable information that supports or backs up your claim. It is very important to cite the sources you use so others won't think you just made it up. and it can be verified as a reliable source.
Here's some information to use as evidence to support your claim. According to research published in the Journal of Behavior Addiction, overuse of the smartphone is associated with various mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, stress, and low self-esteem. Cited, Panova and Carbonell, 2018. Notice that we told or cited where we found that evidence.
Now that you have evidence to back up your claim, you need to connect the two with reasoning. Tell how or why the evidence you have given supports your claim. Here's an example. Kids are on their smartphones all the time, and that can lead to health problems.
Great! Let's put it all together now. Cell phones can be unhealthy for kids. According to research published in the Journal of Behavior Addiction, overuse of the smartphone is associated with various mental health concerns such as anxiety, depression, stress, and low self-esteem.
Cited, Panova and Carbonell, 2018. Kids are on their smartphones all the time, and the evidence proves that it can lead to health problems. Now that you know what it takes to write a strong claim, it's your turn to give it a try. Good luck!