Think about a time when you made a claim or gave an opinion, but someone asked you, “Why?” or “How do you know?” Describe the situation. What evidence did you use to support your point, and why is explaining your evidence just as important as providing it?

 Prompt Response: One time I made a claim supported by evidence was when I was finding out if I was being cheated on. Of course, it was a large claim to make- and potentially hurtful if proven incorrect- so I had to work diligently to find evidence and explain it thoroughly. To explain the situation, I was dating a boy and had an intuition that I was not the only girl. So, I talked to multiple of our mutual friends to get verbal accounts. Not only this but I thought of all of the times where there had been suspicious behavior I could use as evidence once explained. An example of this is when he showed me his phone and there was a girl's name which matched the name from a story I was told by a friend. Once I properly gathered solid evidence, I presented my claim to a group of friends. While I could have just stated what I had discovered, instead I explained every piece of evidence in detail and how it supports my claim. How the verbal accounts all connected together, proving their credibility. How all of the names "coincidentally" appeared multiple times. When I confronted that boy, he admitted it, and my claim was proven right. However, I strongly believe that people would be weary of believing my story at first. This is because the boy was highly admired by people around us, and nobody would want to see him in a negative light. But with the help of evidence, it made my claim more believable. Not only that but explaining how my evidence ties together and connects further backed up my theory. Simply saying a couple of names, stories, and accounts would sound coincidental and uncertain. However, explaining evidence in detail allows the listener to fully understand why it strengthens the claim.

Summary: Today in class we went over a short story and potential responses to an essay prompt provided with it.

Reflection: I learned how to further develop a stance on a claim and argue it. Additionally, I revisited why it is so impactful to explain your evidence instead of just stating it.