Argument Builder

When you want to learn how to build an argument from the ground up it makes sense to study the master, Aristotle. His "common topics," - definitions, testimony, comparison, relationship, and circumstance - are introduced and examined as well as the fallacies associated with each. The student is given lots of opportunity to analyze examples and apply what is being learned to building an "official" argument. The question of school uniforms runs through each chapter and the student works toward building an effective argument (either for or against) which can be presented in the form of a public debate as a final course project. Both Student and TE include Endnotes, Glossary, and Bibliography. 185 pgs, pb

Laced with humor and practical applications, Classical Academic Press strives to make logic accessible. And succeeds, too! The series has more background material than other logic books plus lots of "modern" examples. Making great use of dialogues and cartoons, there are some practice exercises but the emphasis is more on the "meat" of the text rather than on doing exercises. This sets them apart from other logic courses and makes them the perfect choice for students who want or need background information more than practice. This series is user-friendly and requires very little prep on the teacher's part although teacher-student interaction is necessary to maximize the learning. Art of Argument would be the starting place for a Jr. High student followed by Argument Builder and/or Discovery of Deduction, which can stand alone or be used together.

Each Student Text is designed to be worked in with the student thinking through and writing out responses to the material being presented. Teacher Editions are predominantly full-text answer keys but often include teacher's notes (a list of suggestions and recommendations for teaching the course) as well as ideas for supplementing and enriching the study. ~ Janice