Lesson
3
:

Writing an Argumentative Essay About Humanity

Grade

Grade 6

UNIT

9

Humanity

Last Updated:

June 10, 2025

In Unit 9, Lesson 3, “Writing an Argumentative Essay About Humanity,” students will write an argumentative essay about humanity, based on a prompt from a book we read in Lesson 2 of this unit: Heroes of the Holocaust: True Stories of Rescues by Teens by Allan Zullo and Mara Bovsun. Students will support their claims with textual evidence.

SUGGESTED TIME:

50 minutes

RELATED SUBJECT:

English Language Arts

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

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

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

  • Prohuman Grade 6 Unit 9 Worksheet 3: Writing an Argumentative Essay About Humanity

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 of 2-3 pages, either in class or as part of a homework assignment, in response to the following prompt:
    • In Heroes of the Holocaust: True Stories of Rescues by Teens by Allan Zullo and Mara Bovsun, Preben Munch-Nielsen from Holland had a teacher, Frode Jacobsen, who said, “Wars are not always won with bullets and bombs. They are often won with heart, courage, and truth” (p. 162) To what extent do you think this is true? 
    • Support your claims with at least three pieces of evidence from any of the books we read, from any unit.
    • Your essay will be shared with 3 classmates for peer review.

GRADE 6 UNIT 9 WORKSHEET 3: WRITING AN ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY ABOUT HUMANITY

In Heroes of the Holocaust: True Stories of Rescues by Teens by Allan Zullo and Mara Bovsun, Preben Munch-Nielsen from Denmark had a teacher, Frode Jacobsen, who said, “Wars are not always won with bullets and bombs. They are often won with heart, courage, and truth” (p. 162) 

To what extent do you think this is true? 

Write an essay of 2-3 pages. Support your claims with at least three pieces of evidence from any of the books we read, from any unit.

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

Your essay should do the following:

  1. Write an argument with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
  2. Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly.
  3. Provide at least three examples from the books we have read in this unit, or any other unit, to support your argument.
  4. Use words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and reasons.
  5. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented.
  6. 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/

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