Teaching argument writing: claim, evidence, counter

Three moves. A seven-year-old can learn all three, and most adults never learned the third.

The five-paragraph essay taught a lot of us to fill in a shape. Filling in the shape does not change anyone's mind. These three moves do.

The three moves

Claim. Say what you believe, in one sentence.
Evidence. Two reasons that are facts, not feelings.
Counter. Name the strongest thing the other side would say, then answer it.

The third one, properly

Most people argue against the weakest version of the other side, because it's easier and it feels like winning. The move worth learning is the opposite: build the other side's best case, out loud, and then answer that. It works as a game with a child ("now argue the other side, as well as you can") and it is the same discipline that makes an adult's proposal survive its first hostile question. It's the fastest way to find the holes in your own case.

The counter-move, by age

Ages 4 to 7

"What would your sister say?" Naming another view at all is the milestone.

Ages 8 to 12

State the other side so fairly that someone who holds it would nod. Then answer it.

Ages 13 to 18

Concede the strongest point honestly and show why your case still stands. This is what separates a good essay from a graded one.

Grown-ups

Write the objection you are most afraid of, first, before the argument. If you cannot answer it, you have found your real work.

The three moves, in one paragraph

"My claim is that our town should ban gas leaf blowers on weekday mornings. My evidence: they are as loud as a rock concert, and people are trying to work and learn nearby. The best argument against me is that crews need to finish fast. My answer: battery blowers now handle small yards, so the rule can phase in. That fixes the problem without stopping the work."

Use it on yourself. Next time a child argues for a later bedtime, don't shut it down. Ask for the three moves. "Because I want to" turns into an actual case surprisingly fast. You're not raising a debater, you're raising someone who can think while under pressure, which is the same skill you want in the room when the stakes are a job or a decision.

HOW RYZO DOES IT

Build an argument, then defend it

In a Ryzo mission you build a real argument and an AI coach asks the hard follow-up. You answer it yourself, in your own words. The problems are pitched to your level, from a playground rule to a policy memo. The first mission is free.

See a real mission