Examples that show the thinking.
534 examples and lessons to explore. Find an approach, follow the thinking, and try it in your own writing.
How Clear Information Can Improve Decisions About College Costs
An evidence-based explanation of how comparing college costs, distinguishing gift aid from loans, and understanding repayment can lead to more informed decisions—while recognizing that clear information cannot make college affordable for everyone.
Settler Expansion in North America, 1754–1800
An argument that settler expansion was a major force in late-eighteenth-century North America, shaping Indigenous resistance and government policy while interacting with imperial rivalry, war, and political independence.
Should Communities Make Repair and Reuse Easier?
An evidence-based argument for making repair and reuse more accessible while preserving effective recycling, with attention to practical limits and the distinction between policy principles and demonstrated local outcomes.
Teaching Facts Through Ideas and Context
An argument for teaching conceptual frameworks before individual facts when learners need a map for organizing information, while using carefully chosen facts and cases to build or correct those frameworks.
Long-Term Goals Versus Immediate Recognition
An argument that young people should prioritize meaningful, sustainable goals over fame, while learning to use public visibility as a tool for service rather than as a substitute for achievement.
Should Research Prioritize the Greatest Number?
An argument that broad public benefit should guide research priorities, but not operate as a rule that excludes urgent minority needs, uncertain long-term value, or independent inquiry.
Why Creative Work Matters Beyond a Future Career
An argumentative essay explaining why making and studying art matter even when they are not pursued as paid work, while recognizing that art is also a field of employment.
Distracted Driving Is More Than a Texting Problem
An explanatory essay showing how visual, manual, and cognitive distractions affect driving, why responsibility rests with the driver, and why hands-free devices do not eliminate distraction.
German Nationalism and Unification, 1800–1871
An explanatory essay on the political obstacles to German nationalism from 1800 to 1850 and the later role of Prussian-led unification, interpreted through the symbols in Philipp Veit’s Germania.
Community Solar: Can Clean Energy Reach People Without Suitable Roofs?
An explanatory essay examining how community solar works, why it can broaden access beyond rooftop systems, and what limits its reach for renters and other households.
Why Average Graduate Earnings Cannot Decide Every Student's Future
Averages describe broad patterns, but cannot determine whether college is worthwhile for an individual. Costs, aid, financing, available educational routes, and goals all shape that decision.
Why Communities Need Connections Across Generations
An argumentative essay explaining why communities should create opportunities for younger and older people to exchange practical help, while distinguishing a proposed approach from a documented program.