Engaged, curious reading is an essential first step toward being able to create scholarly arguments. In Discussion this week, you practice “joining the conversation” by creating an argument in response to a reading.

The MEAL Plan is a useful tool as we explore and examine how arguments in research articles are organized, and as we think about how to create our own arguments during the research process. Let’s break down the parts of an argument to take a closer look:

Over the next few weeks, we’ll look at each piece of the MEAL Plan formula – a method you can use when writing scholarly papers throughout your academic journey. Take a look at this blog series created by the Walden Writing Center for some additional tips and tricks as we look at the Main Idea.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review the materials on critical reading strategies and on the MEAL plan for paragraphs.
• Read the provided article in the Learning Resources, noticing where the author makes claims and supports those claims with evidence.
• Read actively, taking notes and asking questions. Consider printing the article, and using color-coding (with pens, markers, etc.) to make notes and organize your ideas.
• Decide what kind of argument you might make based on what you’ve read.