In Classical Composition IV: Refutation & Confirmation,
there are two sets of exercises, Refutation and Confirmation, which
would correspond to an argumentative essay in modern composition theory.
The students are learning how to structure their thoughts, and thus
their communication process, when given the task of arguing for or
against an idea, thought, chain of events, method, or story. The
categories of development (or paragraphs) that make up these essays are
essential elements in the rhetorical process (they are identified as
“heads of purpose” in later stages of the progymnasmata) that must become second nature in the mental processes of our students.
Grades 7