The Art of Argument: Intro to the Informal Fallacies

     Fallacies?  Um, okay.  I basically know what a fallacy is.

     But "informal" fallacies?

     "Formal" fallacies?

     Huh?

     I've always been interested in teaching my girls about argument, logic, and fallacies.  I just didn't know how to go about doing it.

     Enter Classical Academic Press.com's "The Art of Argument". 

     Perfect for students in junior high school and high school, right where we're at these days, I thought this would be great to give a try.

     And, it has been! 

     Kelsi, my 8th grader, was VERY interested when this came in the mail.  She grabbed the book from the kitchen counter...and I grabbed it back. 

     "Hold on!  You are going to have to sit down with me and read this book with me!"  I insisted.  "I need to know what it's like and what your impressions are as we read this together!"

     So, Brittany (6th grade), Kelsi, and I sat down on the couch and began reading through the student guide.

     While it will take us probably at least this next school year to finish working through this text together, we have already learned about the three basic categories of informal fallacies, as well as some important questions to ask ourselves when we are evaluating what others are saying or writing. 

     Kelsi has been highly interested in EVERY. SINGLE. PAGE of this text.  Seriously! 

     Brittany finds it interesting, but I've also determined that for her age, I need to preview each chapter we read through.  I pencil in a little star or mark by the paragraphs that Brittany and I will read together, because some of the text can get bogged down for her age, especially since she tends to not enjoy textbooks as much as her older sister. 

     This strategy has worked well for us!  Kelsi reads the entire chapter, while Brittany and I go over the paragraphs that I believe are relevant for her age and ability levels. 

     The student and teacher texts contain:

• Dialogues (little dramatic plays between Socrates and some college students - we love these!)
  
• Worksheets
• Real-World Applications
• Phony Advertisements (these are professionally done - and funny!)
  
• Dialectic Discussion Questions
• Tests
• Fun extras such as a humorous skit for students to perform, and the famous short story, "Love is a Fallacy" by Max Shulman

     We thought that the Dialogues between Socrates and college students have been exceptionally good!  They review the covered material in the lesson that was most recently studied, and they do so in a way that makes the concepts more easily understandable...with humor! 

     The DVD lessons are also great.  We received one DVD that contains video instruction on the first 6 of the 28 fallacies covered in this text.  Students and teachers sit around a table, casually discussing the concepts studied in the text.  It is interesting, informative, and relevant.  Here's a sample of the DVD lessons:

    
     So . . . what do we think, so far, about The Art of Argument (by Classical Academic Press)?

     The Art of Argument is pushing me, as a teacher, beyond what I've ever learned in regard to argument . . . which is, basically, almost nothing.  Sure, I've been able to pick out statements that are fallacies, over the years, but I didn't always know why.  And I'm sure a lot of fallacies got past my brain, because I wasn't aware of so many different types of arguments that exist.

     We will be using this curriculum for the next twelve months or so - and gladly!  It will meet my needs to teach my children about logic and fallacies . . . and in a way that is interesting to them, even though they have different learning styles and methods.

     If you'd like to view some sample chapters from The Art of Argument, you'll find them here.

     The student edition of The Art of Argument can be purchased for $21.95 and the teacher’s edition is $24.95.  The full DVD set (5 DVDs) for The Art of Argument costs $54.95 and covers all 28 informal fallacies.

     If you'd like to hear what other members of the review crew thought about The Art of Argument materials, please visit The Old Schoolhouse Review Crew blog here!

 




Julieanne
Joy In Our Journey.com

Disclosure:  I received one copy of The Art of Argument Student Book, Teacher Book, and 1st DVD in exchange for providing my honest review of this product here on Joy In Our Journey.com.  No other compensation was provided.

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