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: A couple months ago I made the claim that we should start eating healthier and going to the gym to my brother. Of course he always needs me to explain things so he asked “Why?” I responded and pointed out the many benefits of living healthier. Things like “We’ll look better, get toned and even feel better.” Since that didn’t convince him enough I explained the science behind living healthier. I explained to him that in order to have a toned body we not only need to workout but eat healthier as the less fat we consume the more fat we will lose. I also explained how our brain will actually function better since working out allows more blood flow and oxygen to the brain for more serotonin. Explaining my evidence was just as important as providing it as it gives my audience (in this case my brother) a deeper understanding of the situation. Explaining evidence is more effective than just throwing facts out there.

Summary: Today in class we logged into Writeable and read the story about an American soldier killing a Vietnamese soldier out of fear. We then discussed whether there is such a thing as a “good kill.”

Reflection: In future circumstances when I need to discuss my viewpoint on something I learned that I need to learn how to explain myself in a way that is convincing and effective by providing good reasoning to get my audience to agree with me.