What Do You Meme? Using Memes for Argument Construction and Understanding

The craft of argument is complex and requires students to display a strong command of language, text structure, and the integration of solid textual evidence. Writing a traditional argument, while important, does not always allow students to capitalize on their creativity and strengths as writers. Knowing that argument was a strong focus in our instruction, we designed and implemented an argumentative unit that employed memetic composition as a culminating task for our novel study in a secondary English classroom. Students drafted and published an argumentative meme essay that focused on a major theme in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Using memes as a vehicle for composition and delivery, students crafted final products around a central writing prompt.