Explaining and arguing
In social studies, you’ll often need to explain something (Why did Confederation happen?) or argue a position (Should the voting age be lowered to 16?). Both require more than opinions. They need evidence and reasoning.
- An explanation describes how or why something happened.
- An argument tries to convince others that a claim is correct.
The CER structure
A helpful structure for both is CER: Claim, Evidence, Reasoning.
| Part | Question it answers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Claim | What do you think? | The building of the CPR was the most important factor in the settlement of the Prairies. |
| Evidence | What facts support it? | After the railway was completed in 1885, the Prairie population grew rapidly; towns developed along the line; the railway shipped grain to markets. |
| Reasoning | How does the evidence prove the claim? | Settlers needed a way to travel west and ship crops; the railway provided both, making farming profitable and settlement possible. |
Writing a strong claim
A claim should be:
- clear and specific: not "The railway was important," but "The railway was the key factor…"
- arguable: reasonable people could disagree
- supportable with evidence
Types of evidence
| Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Statistics and data | population figures, election results, economic data |
| Primary sources | quotations from letters, speeches, treaties, photos |
| Expert opinion | historians, economists, scientists |
| Examples and case studies | specific events, people or places |
| Comparisons | how one case compares with another |
Good evidence is:
- relevant: it connects directly to your claim
- accurate: from reliable sources
- sufficient: enough to be convincing
- cited: you say where it came from
Reasoning: the link
Reasoning explains why the evidence supports the claim. This is often the weakest part of student work. Don’t just drop a fact and move on; explain its significance.
Useful phrases:
- This shows that…
- This is important because…
- As a result…
- This suggests that…
- Therefore…
Addressing the other side
Strong arguments consider opposing views.
- A counterargument is an opposing point of view.
- A rebuttal answers or weakens it.
Claim: The voting age should be lowered to 16.
Counterargument: Sixteen-year-olds may not be mature or informed enough to vote.
Rebuttal: Sixteen-year-olds can work, pay taxes and drive; and research from places that allow voting at 16, such as Scotland and Austria, suggests young voters’ turnout is comparable and voting early can build a lifelong habit.
Acknowledging counterarguments shows you’ve thought carefully and makes your argument more persuasive.
Building a paragraph
- Topic sentence with your claim
- Evidence, with a source
- Reasoning explaining the evidence
- More evidence and reasoning
- Counterargument and rebuttal (in longer arguments)
- Concluding sentence linking back to the claim
Common mistakes
- Opinions without evidence: "Everyone knows…" isn’t evidence.
- Evidence without reasoning: facts that aren’t explained.
- Cherry-picking: choosing only evidence that supports you and ignoring strong evidence against you.
- Logical fallacies: attacking a person instead of their argument; claiming that because one event happened after another, it was caused by it.
- Overgeneralizing: "all," "always," "never."
Try it yourself
- Write a CER paragraph answering: "What was the most important cause of the Cold War?"
- Find evidence from two different types of sources for a claim of your choice.
- Write a counterargument and rebuttal for a classmate’s claim.
- Revise a paragraph to strengthen the reasoning.
Quick recap
- Explanations and arguments need claims supported by evidence and reasoning.
- CER stands for Claim, Evidence, Reasoning.
- Good evidence is relevant, accurate, sufficient and cited.
- Reasoning explains how the evidence supports the claim.
- Addressing counterarguments with rebuttals strengthens arguments.