Developing Your Concession/Rebuttal Paragraph



Name _______________________________ Date _____________ English Period ________

QUESTION: Now that you’ve taken ASTEP and written a great introduction and good body paragraphs how do you write a rebuttal paragraph?

ANSWER: Simply acknowledge the other side with a concession statement, transition into your rebuttal, and support your rebuttal.

Sample: Should cell phone cells be allowed in school? If I outlined my response, to this prompt, it might look like this:

|A Technology is taking over our lives. Conversation with peers and reading are lost arts. |

| |

|S and T It is vital that cell phones continue to be prohibited in schools. |

| |

|E 1. The more time students are on cell phones, the less time they are reading, writing, and conversing. |

|2. Teachers will have a harder time keeping students interested in school if a student can text as soon as he/she is bored. |

|3. REBUTTAL: Students think it will be helpful in an emergency; they’re wrong. |

| |

|P It is important to remember too much of a good thing can be bad. |

DRAFTING YOUR REBUTTAL

1. CONCESSION STATEMENT: Find a reason given that opposes your opinion and state it as an opposing reason. Begin by identifying whose opinion it is.

Many students claim that they need their cell phones with them at all times in case there is an emergency.

2. ARGUE BACK: State your logical argument refuting that reason. Begin with a transition word that shows contrast.

However, in the event of an emergency, it is vital that administrators and local authorities are able to communicate quickly and efficiently. Having students frantically calling parents, texting siblings, and spreading panic will make an emergency more dangerous and harder to manage.

3. USE FACTS QUOTES OR EXAMPLES TO SUPPORT YOUR REBUTTAL:

“97% of law enforcement authorities in Livingston state that in an emergency in a school, keeping students quiet and able to listen to the directives of those in charge is vital. Furthermore, in districts where cell phones are permitted, the majority of students confess that while they have never had an emergency situation in school where their cell phones helped them, they frequently text or surf the internet when in class. Students themselves verify that cell phones are simply diversions and not necessary for safety.

4. WRITE A PERSUASIVE CONCLUDING/CLOSING SENTENCE THAT REFERS TO YOUR THESIS:

If law enforcement officials and students themselves state that students’ cell phones are not only unnecessary, but can, in fact, cause chaos in the event of an emergency, it is evident that cell phones simply don’t belong in our schools.

TURN THE PAGE TO SEE THE REBUTTAL PARAGRAPH:

Many students claim that they need their cell phones with them at all times in case there is an emergency. However, in the event of an emergency, it is vital that administrators and local authorities are able to communicate quickly and efficiently. Having students frantically calling parents, texting siblings, and spreading panic will make an emergency more dangerous and harder to manage. 97% of law enforcement authorities in Livingston state that in an emergency in a school, keeping students quiet and able to listen to the directives of those in charge is vital. Furthermore, in districts where cell phones are permitted, the majority of students confess that while they have never had an emergency situation in school where their cell phones helped them, they frequently text or surf the internet when in class. Students themselves verify that cell phones are simply diversions and not necessary for safety. If law enforcement officials and students agree that students’ cell phones are not only unnecessary, but can, in fact, cause chaos in the event of an emergency, it is evident that cell phones simply don’t belong in our schools.

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