Instructions
1. Look at the attached argumentive essay topic already chosen.
2. Draw an argument map for each of the major arguments in your essay. If your essay contains only one, large argument, draw a single argument map. If your essay contains multiple arguments, draw a separate argument map for each argument.
3. Highlight all of the premises on the argument maps that are not supported by other premises. On each argument map, circle or highlight the numbers representing premises that are not supported by other premises—that is, premises that are not also sub-conclusions.
4. Identify the unsupported premises that need more support. Of the premises that you highlighted in Step 3, identify those that need more support (e.g., because they are controversial or because most readers might not know whether they are true).
5. Develop and map arguments for each of the premises that need more support. Develop an argument for each of the premises that you identified in Step 4. Add those arguments to your argument maps.
6. Repeat Steps 3–5 until there are no more premises in need of more support.
Final Product
The final product of this activity is a (set of) argument map(s), along with new arguments devised to support selected premises in the original arguments.
