I think the They Say I Say templates are helpful to know how to acknowledge the other side’s point of view and to organize your argument. These templates are a good way to acknowledge the other side’s point of view while still making your argument strong. I think that these templates are going to be useful to give me ideas to add variations in my sentence starters and to strengthen my argument. Overall, I think they are a way I can improve my persuasive writing skills and debate skills for the future. 

To me “they say” means the other side’s opinion. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion so naturally there will always be disagreements. In academic writing and in the real world people are not going to have the same opinions. Acknowledging the “they say” in writing gives the reader a more rounded view of the controversy and lets the reader understand your writing better.