:Please, Mum!
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Approach: Independent  Level: Year 4 and year 8
Focus: Identifying valid points and constructing an argument
Resources: Recording book
1.6MB
Questions / instructions:
Imagine – your friend’s dog is about to have puppies. They said you can have one for nothing. But ........
   
% responses
2005 ('01)
Y4
Y8
You live in a house with a small section.
con
37
68
Your house is in a busy street with lots of traffic.
con
36
67
Dogs are good burglar alarms.
pro
56
78
Your mum takes great care of her flower garden.
con
39
65
There are some holes in your fence.
con
43
63
Dogs are good friends.
pro
59
78
Your mum hasn’t got a lot of spare money.
con
33
59
You have a paper run.
pro
10
27
You play lots of sports after school.
con
27
51
Dogs can be easy to train.
pro
48
65
1. Use the PROs and CONs chart to work out all of the reasons FOR and AGAINST getting a puppy.
PROs
(Reasons FOR
getting a puppy)
CONs
(Reasons AGAINST
getting a puppy)
   
2. What will you say to get Mum to agree to have a puppy?
Argument for a dog:
good coherent argument
10
31
reasonable argument
32
37
vague or no argument
58
32
Used pros and cons in argument : (reasons need not be from Question 1)
3+ used well
2
12
3+ given but not integrated well
3
6
2 given
4
11
1 given
16
18
none used
75
53
Total score:
12–16
5
28
9–11
18
29
6–8
18
15
3–5
21
9
0–2
38
19

Commentary:
On average, year 8 students were much more adept than year 4 students at identifying relevant arguments for and against getting a puppy and constructing a case to present to their mother.
 
Chapter Graphic
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