The Toulmin Model

A Tool for Understanding Argument

Learning Targets

1. I can identify the components of the Toulmin Method.

2. I can use the Toulmin Method to analyze an argument and to structure a lit analysis.

Make some inferences based on this picture.

Possible InferencesO The lady is the child’s mother

because…

O It is a hot day because…

O The lady is middle to upper class because…

O It is summer because…

Claim- Support- Warrant

The lady is the child’s mother because she is holding the child’s hand.

Mothers often hold their children’s hands to protect them. (Think “rule” here)

The lady is middle to upper class because she is talking on her cell phone.

Cell phones are expensive, so they are typically owned by people in the middle to upper class.

It is summer because the little boy is wearing shorts.Temperatures are hot during the summer, so people wear lighter clothing.

Why Warrants are Necessary

It is hot outside because the lady is holding an umbrella.

Why is it so necessary to explicitly state your warrant in this argument?

Basic Elements of the Toulmin Method

Claim = Your assertion or your argument

Support/ Data = Your evidence, reasons, or grounds for the claim

Warrant = The assumption necessarily shared by the speaker and the audience

Backing = Support for the warrant

The Toulmin Graphic Organizer

Data Claim

Warrant

Backing

A Sample Argument

ClaimSupport/ Data/ Grounds

Warrant

The Angels are likely to win the ballgame tonight

They are playingat home

Generalization: The home team enjoys an advantage in baseball

Backing?

The Structure in a Wordy Sentence

Because (support/ data), therefore (claim), since (warrant) because/ on account of (backing).

Because the woman is holding an umbrella on a sunny day, therefore it must be hot outside, since people use umbrellas to shield themselves from the hot sun on account of the shade provided by the umbrella being cooler than the sun beating down.

PracticeO Color code the sentences on your

worksheet according to the claim, support/data, warrant, and backing. Not all elements will always be present.

Color Coded SentencesPeople should become vegetarians because vegetarianism is a healthy choice since it eliminates the cholesterol from red meat.

Since slaughtering animals for food is cruel, people should become vegetarians.

Million Dollar Baby won several Academy Awards. Since world-renowned movie experts choose these awards, they are evidence of a movie’s greatness. Therefore, Million Dollar Baby is an excellent film.

Analyzing An Argument with Toulmin

O The prompt: Defend, refute, or qualify the assertion that teaching to standardized tests such as the ACT hurts a student’s education.

Only look at passage A for now. Color the claim, support/ data,

warrant, and backing.

The ParagraphO When teachers “teach to the test,”

students lose the ability to think deeply and critically about subjects. Faced with increasing pressure to help students succeed on the ACT, teachers are modifying lesson plans to only teach the content on the test. Unfortunately, the content of these tests often reflects lower-level thinking, the type of thinking taught by “drill and kill” teaching methods. Teachers focus on making sure the students can regurgitate information rather than making sure they understand it. This type of teaching does not promote critical thinking.

Another ExampleO Teachers who teach to the test are focused only

on the skills measured by the tests. These skills usually represent lower-level thinking, and they are often not applicable outside of the educational setting. For example, the type of grammar questions asked by the ACT do not necessarily translate into grammatically correct writing, a skill necessary for real life. Also, students are not asked to explain why a sentence or correct or incorrect; they simply must make the correction and move on. When teachers focus on teaching for these type of questions, they don’t get students to think deeply about the material. The focus is just on covering the material. Therefore, “teaching to the test” hurts students’ ability to think critically and deeply.

Why should we care about this method?

O It is NOT as important that you can accurately identify each part of the Toulmin method.

O It IS important that you recognize the importance of warrants for your own writing.

O It IS valuable and useful to attempt to label arguments according to the Toulmin method so we can understand how arguments are structured.

How does this apply to lit analysis?Claim/Topic Sentence= Your assertion or your argumentRomeo is a Petrarchan lover.Support/ Data/Example = Your evidence, reasons, or grounds for the claimHe falls in love with Juliet at first sight.Warrant/Rule/HOW= The assumption necessarily shared by the speaker and the audience

Backing/Quotes= Support for the warrantExplanation/WHY = Analysis – why this is important to notice with your claim in mind?