How to Start a Counterclaim Paragraph - Guided Practice

Four debatable middle-school claims anchor counterclaim-paragraph practice built around the FAUCET mnemonic, with sources, sentence strips, and a full model-paragraph answer key.

Grades: Grades 6–8, Middle School
File type: PDF
Preparation: Print ready

Updated Nov 06, 2022

Subject: Strategies, ELA
Topic: Writing Station, Argumentative Essay
Resource types: Worksheets, Worksheets & Printables
Preparation: Print ready

From the author

About this resource

Four debatable claims — that middle schoolers should not have recess, should not have cell phones in class, should not use social media, and should not have summer break — anchor a counterclaim-paragraph writing practice built around the mnemonic FAUCET (Feature the other side, Affirm with evidence, Underscore the essay's position, Cite evidence, Explain with commentary, Top it off with a conclusion). For each claim, students receive a sources page with quoted pro and con excerpts, and the file offers three ways to use the material: arranging pre-written sentence strips into the correct FAUCET order before copying the paragraph, completing the outline and worksheet independently, or having small groups tackle different claims and present their paragraphs. A full answer key, labeled 'answers will vary,' provides one complete model paragraph for each of the four claims, along with a blank six-part outline template mirroring the FAUCET structure. The teacher cover letter recommends printing the worksheet and sources pages back-to-back and pre-cutting the sentence strips before class.

In the classroom

Teaching tips & learning objectives

Learning objectives

Write a counterclaim paragraph that features an opposing viewpoint, rebuts it with evidence, and returns to the essay's original position, following the FAUCET structure.
Select and cite relevant evidence from provided sources to support a rebuttal of an opposing claim.
Sequence the parts of a counterclaim paragraph (feature, affirm, underscore, cite, explain, conclude) in a logical order using sentence strips.

Teaching tips

Copy the student worksheet and sources page back-to-back and pre-cut the sentence strips before class, as the teacher cover letter recommends.
Use the three suggested delivery methods flexibly: sentence-strip sequencing for scaffolded practice, the worksheet alone for independent practice, or a jigsaw approach with groups presenting different claims.
Treat the answer key's model paragraphs as one possible response rather than the single correct answer, since the key itself is labeled 'answers will vary.'

Skills covered

Counterclaim paragraph writing — students follow the FAUCET structure (Feature, Affirm, Underscore, Cite, Explain, Top it off) to write a rebuttal paragraph.
Evidence-based argumentation — students cite quoted source material to support or rebut a claim, such as research on recess or cell phone use.
Sentence sequencing — students arrange pre-written sentence strips into the correct FAUCET order for a given claim.

Good to know

Questions teachers ask about this resource

How does the FAUCET mnemonic map onto the parts of a counterclaim paragraph?

Each letter names one paragraph move in order: Feature the opposing view, Affirm it with evidence, Underscore the essay's own position as a rebuttal, Cite evidence for that rebuttal, Explain the evidence with commentary, and Top it off with a conclusion — six moves that build one continuous paragraph.

How do the sentence strips relate to the paragraphs students produce on the worksheet?

Each claim's sentence strips break a complete, correctly ordered FAUCET paragraph into individual sentences presented out of order, so students practice sequencing by physically reconstructing that paragraph before copying a finished version onto the student worksheet.