The CATESOL Journal

Teaching argument elements to English language learners (ELL) encourages reading comprehension because it demands understanding of assumptions informing texts; it also provides models to enhance character appeal and evidence selection in student texts. University ELL students may comprehend word meanings; however, embedded assumptions may remain obscure. An argument approach encourages examination of the values informing texts. Students investigate Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” for its claim, reason, evidence, persuasive appeals, and supporting assumptions. A close reading shows how King’s selection of evidence takes his audience’s values into account. A writing project requires a discussion of the values embedded in the “Letter” through an evaluation of King’s character appeal. Then, students write a letter in which they take audience assumptions, values, and beliefs into account to select appropriate evidence and to increase their own credibility