Lesson
3
:

Writing an Argumentative Essay About Courage

Grade

Grade 6

UNIT

5

Courage

Last Updated:

June 10, 2025

In Unit 5, Lesson 3, “Writing an Argumentative Essay About Courage,” students will write an argumentative essay about what they think are the three most important things that a person can do to improve their courage, based on what they learned from the books we read in Lessons 1 and 2 of this unit: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen and The Girl Who Fought Back: Vladka Meed and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by Joshua M. Greene. Students will support their claims with textual evidence.

SUGGESTED TIME:

50 minutes

RELATED SUBJECT:

English Language Arts

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

  • Demonstrate comprehension of the word courage
  • Write an argumentative essay 
  • Provide textual evidence to support claims 

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

  • Prohuman Grade 6 Unit 5 Worksheet 3: Writing an Argumentative Essay About Courage

ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1

Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1.A

Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1.B

Support claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1.C

Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.1.E

Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.6.4

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.1

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET

Intellectual Character B4

Compare and contrast perspectives and defend a position (e.g., intellectual autonomy)

Responsible and Ethical Decision-Making A3

Write about and share a principle you want to live by that you learned from a family member, book, movie, or personal experience

LESSON PROCEDURE

  • Students will write an argumentative essay, either in class or as part of a homework assignment, about what they think are the three most important things that a person can do to improve their courage, based on what they learned from the books we read in Lessons 1 and 2 of this unit: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen and The Girl Who Fought Back: Vladka Meed and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by Joshua M. Greene. 
  • Tell students that their essays will be shared with 3 classmates for peer review.

GRADE 6 UNIT 5 WORKSHEET 3: WRITING AN ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY ABOUT COURAGE

Write an argumentative essay about what you think are the three most important things that a person can do to improve their courage, based on what you learned from the books we read in Lessons 1 and 2 of this unit: Hatchet by Gary Paulsen and The Girl Who Fought Back: Vladka Meed and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising by Joshua M. Greene. 

Your essay will be shared with 3 classmates for peer review. 

Your essay should do the following:

  1. Be 2-3 pages.
  2. Write an argument with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
  3. Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly.
  4. Provide at least three examples from the books to support your argument.
  5. Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons.
  6. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented.
  7. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Prohuman K-12 Curriculum © 2025 by Prohuman Foundation is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

unlock all lessons:

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.