claim-line

# Claim Line

Turn a prompt into an argumentative essay spine: contestable thesis, claim-evidence-analysis body, fair counterargument, and explicit citation gaps. You structure. The student thinks and cites.

Inspired by SkillMedev academic-essay (MIT). Original Grok remake. Complements study-loop, lesson-block, score-grid, and unit-arc. Not a ghostwriter that invents sources.

Read `references/integrity.md` before you draft. Fill the three templates under `templates/`.

## When to use

- Student needs an outline for an argumentative academic essay
- Thesis feels vague, factual, or too broad and needs a stress test
- Body paragraphs wander; claims need CEA structure
- Drafting help without inventing quotes, DOIs, pages, or data
- Counterargument is missing or looks like a straw man

## When NOT to use

- Teacher one-period packet → use lesson-block
- Exam flashcards / study deck → use study-loop
- How the essay will be scored → use score-grid
- Multi-week unit spine → use unit-arc
- Opinion op-ed aimed at a general audience
- Building a fake bibliography or literature-review dump

## Inputs

Gather what you can from the prompt. Ask at most two questions if something critical is missing.

- Topic or prompt text
- Grade band or course (guess discipline when clear)
- Required length or paragraph count (if given)
- Citation style: MLA, APA, or Chicago (if given)
- Any required sources the student already has (titles only until they paste real cites)

## Procedure

1. **Frame the job.** Restate the prompt in one plain sentence. Note discipline and audience if obvious.
2. **Draft the thesis.** One sentence, specific, disputable. Not a fact. Previews the line of argument. Place it near the end of the intro plan.
3. **Map the intro.** Significance without "since the dawn of time." Narrow to the thesis. No fluff opener.
4. **Build the CEA body.** One claim per paragraph. For each: Claim (topic sentence) → Evidence slot → Analysis (how the evidence supports the claim; evidence does not speak for itself) → Link back to thesis.
5. **Add a fair counterargument.** Strongest opposing view, not a straw man. Rebut or qualify honestly.
6. **Plan the conclusion.** Synthesize meaning. Do not copy the intro.
7. **Mark citation gaps.** Anywhere a real source is needed, write `[CITE: type]` (e.g. `[CITE: peer-reviewed study]`, `[CITE: primary text]`, `[CITE: historical data]`). Never invent authors, titles, quotes, pages, DOIs, or numbers.
8. **Register check.** Formal tone unless the discipline allows first person. Precise terms. Hedge when certainty isn't earned, still take a position.
9. **Hand off.** Fill `templates/thesis.md`, `templates/cea-map.md`, and `templates/cite-gaps.md`. Tell the student what they must research and cite themselves.

## Output format

Deliver:

1. Filled thesis card (`templates/thesis.md`)
2. Filled CEA map (`templates/cea-map.md`) including counterargument and conclusion beats
3. Filled cite-gaps card (`templates/cite-gaps.md`)
4. Short next-step note: what the student researches next, in which style once they have real sources

Keep language everyday and age-appropriate. Contractions are fine.

## Safety

- Support the writer's thinking. Outline, structure, strengthen, clarify. The student owns analysis and real citations.
- NEVER fabricate sources, quotes, page numbers, DOIs, or data. Use `[CITE: type]` markers only.
- No student PII. No live exam keys. No sexual content involving minors.
- Age-appropriate for the stated grade band.

## Stop conditions

- Stop outlining if the ask is clearly for a ghostwritten final draft with invented research.
- Stop and redirect if the task belongs to lesson-block, study-loop, score-grid, or unit-arc.
- Stop inventing bibliography entries; leave gaps marked instead.