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Worksheet Grade 7 English Language Arts

Warning Signs at Pennhollow Lake: A Claim and Counterclaim Worksheet

A grade 7 ELA worksheet where students use notes about bacteria after storms to build an argument with a claim, evidence, a counterclaim, and a rebuttal.

Objectives

  1. Students will state a clear claim and support it with evidence from notes.
  2. Students will acknowledge a counterclaim and write a reasoned rebuttal.

Vocabulary

Key words: claim, counterclaim, rebuttal, bacteria

Teacher overview

At the fictional Pennhollow Lake, the town beach is popular all summer, but the water quality changes after heavy rain. This worksheet gives students a short set of notes, then scaffolds a full argument: a claim about whether the town should post temporary warning signs, evidence from the notes, a fair counterclaim, and a rebuttal. Because grade 7 is where students begin addressing an opposing view, the item order walks them through building each part before writing the whole argument.

Warning Signs at Pennhollow Lake: A Claim and Counterclaim Worksheet — Grade 7 English Language Arts
Name: ____________________________ Date: ______________

Student Worksheet

Read the notes, then complete the items in order. Items 3 through 7 build one argument.

Notes on Pennhollow Lake. Pennhollow Lake has a public beach with a swimming area. The town tests the water for bacteria that can make swimmers sick. On most days the bacteria stay low and the water is safe. After heavy rain, runoff washes animal waste and dirt off the land and into the lake. This causes the bacteria to rise for a day or two. The town does not test on weekends, so a high level after a Saturday storm may not be measured until Monday. Some families say the beach is the best free activity in town and should stay open. Other families want a clear warning after storms so they can decide for themselves. Posting a temporary sign costs the town little, but a sign left up too long could scare people away on days the water is fine.

  1. Underline the sentence in the notes that best explains why bacteria rise after heavy rain.
  2. Restate that cause in your own words.
  3. Write a claim: Should the town post a temporary warning sign after heavy rain? State your position in one sentence.
  4. Give one reason for your claim, and cite a detail from the notes that supports it.
  5. Give a second reason, with a different cited detail from the notes.
  6. Write a counterclaim: state one fair reason someone might disagree with your position, using the notes.
  7. Write a rebuttal: respond to that counterclaim and explain why your position still holds.
  8. Write a concluding sentence that restates your claim without repeating it word for word.

From Water for Schools (waterforschools.org). This material is in the public domain (CC0) and may be copied, edited, and shared freely.

Answer Key
  1. Answer: The sentence stating that after heavy rain, runoff washes animal waste and dirt off the land and into the lake. This is the cause of the rise.
  2. Answer: Answers will vary. A correct restatement says that rain carries waste and dirt into the lake, which raises the bacteria. Accept any accurate paraphrase.
  3. Answer: Answers will vary. Accept any clear one-sentence position, for or against posting a sign, as long as it takes a side.
  4. Answer: Answers will vary. A strong reason is tied to a cited detail, such as the delay in weekend testing or the low cost of a sign. The evidence must come from the notes.
  5. Answer: Answers will vary. The second reason must use a different cited detail than item 4, such as families wanting to decide for themselves.
  6. Answer: Answers will vary. A fair counterclaim uses the notes, such as: a sign left up too long could scare people away on safe days, or the beach is a valued free activity.
  7. Answer: Answers will vary. A proficient rebuttal responds directly to the counterclaim and explains why the claim still holds, for example that a dated sign removed after testing avoids scaring people off.
  8. Answer: Answers will vary. A strong conclusion restates the position in fresh words rather than copying the claim sentence.

Differentiation

Support

Provide the argument as a labeled frame with one sentence starter per row ("My claim is ___." / "One reason is ___, because the notes say ___."). Let students who need it choose their counterclaim from two options you provide.

Extension

Ask students to add a second piece of evidence to their strongest reason, and to revise their rebuttal so it names the counterclaim directly before answering it ("Some might say ___, but ___.").

ELL supports

Pre-teach "claim," "counterclaim," and "rebuttal" with a simple two-column picture of two people disagreeing. Allow phrase-length answers for items 1 and 2, and provide the sentence frames on a printed strip students can reuse.