Persuasive Essay

• Goal: to convince your readers to agree with your opinion on an issue that concerns you

• What is an issue?• A subject about which people disagree• Choose an issue that has an impact on your life

as well as the lives of others• When looking for an issue, ask:

• Is it debatable? Will people disagree about it?

• Do I have strong feelings about the issue?• Would other people have strong feelings

about the issue?

Brainstorming!Issue Is this issue

debatable?Do I have strong feelings about this issue?

Would other people have strong feelings about the issue?

Banning students from wearing backpacks to class

Yes. Some think banning them would make school safer, but it would cause students to go to class without everything they need.

Not really. I always leave my backpack in my locker.

Yes. When the principle mentioned banning them, many of my classmates complained.

Thesis Statement• Tells both the issue and your point of view

on it.

• Example:

Issue: starting a paper-recycling program at our school

+Point of view: We need to start one

Thesis statement: The school should start a paper-recycling program.

Identify Your Audience• What type of people make up my

audience

• How does this group feel about the issue?

• What objections might this group have to my opinion?

Evaluate and Support ReasonsA good persuasive essay is like sturdy

house; both rely on strong support to stand.

• To build a strong persuasive essay, we need to appeal to the reader’s common sense by making a logical appeal.

Reason Evidence

Reasons• Answer the question “why?”

• It is the explanation behind an argument.

• Use resources! books magazines newspapers web sites

• Make sure your reasons appeal to your audience

Evidence• Writers should use strong evidence

to back up each reason.• Types of evidence:

Fact – statement that can be proven true

Statistics – a fact in number form Anecdotes and examples Expert opinion

ExampleThesis The school should start a

paper-recycling program.

Reason A paper-recycling program can help conserve our forests

Evidence The school uses about six tons of paper a year.

Outline FormatI. Introduction (with thesis as last sentence)

II. Body (Reason #1)A. Supporting Detail (fact/evidence/expert opinion, etc.)

B. Supporting Detail

C. Supporting Detail

III. Body (Reason #2)A. Supporting Detail (fact/evidence/expert opinion, etc.)

B. Supporting Detail

IV. Body (Reason #3)A. Supporting Detail (fact/evidence/expert opinion, etc.)

B. Supporting Detail

V. Conclusion (with concluding statement)

Outline

I. IntroductionA. The school should start a paper recycling

program.II. A paper recycling program can help conserve

our forests. (reason)A. A ton of paper from recycled material saves

about seventeen trees a year (evidence)B. The school uses about six tons of paper a year.

(evidence)III. Recycling paper is easy and inexpensive.

A. …B. …

Plagiarism• to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's

own

• All of the following are considered plagiarism:*• turning in someone else's work as your own • copying words or ideas from someone else without giving

credit • Failing to put a quotation in quotation marks • giving incorrect information about the source of a

quotation • changing words but copying the sentence structure of a

source without giving credit • copying so many words or ideas from a source that it

makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not (see our section on "fair use" rules)

*http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/what_is_plagiarism.html

Plagiarism• Two Basic Rules*

• If you use someone else’s words, data, etc., use quotation marks and give a complete reference.

• If you borrow someone else’s ideas, give a complete reference.

http://www.uottawa.ca/plagiarism.pdf

Works Cited (MLA Format)

1. Little, Paul. Know Why You Believe. Boston: Zondervan, 1967.

2. Roberts, Maria. “Steroids in MLB.” Baseball Monthly Mar. 2001: 14+.

Last Name, First Name Title, underlined

Publishing location and publisher

Book:

Magazine:

(monthly)

Publication date

Last Name, First Name Article title, in quotations

Magazine name Publishing Date Page #

Works Cited (MLA Format)

1. Roberts, Maria. “Steroids in MLB.” Baseball Weekly 16 Mar. 2001: 14-17.

2. New International Version.

Chicago: Zondervan, 1999.

Last Name, First Name Title, italicized

Bible:

Magazine:

(weekly)

Bible translation

Magazine name Publishing Date Page #

Publishing location and publisher Publication date

Works Cited (MLA Format)

“Abraham Lincoln.”

Encarta. 16th ed. Vol 6 2002.

What if the encyclopedia is online?

“Abraham Lincoln.” Microsoft Encarta. <http://www.encarta.com/usa/

presidents/lincoln.html>.

Article name

Encyclopedia:

(or dictionary)

Encyclopedia name Edition Publication date

Works Cited (MLA Format)

1. NBA.com. 2 April 2008. NBA Media Ventures. 6 April 2008. <http://www.nba.com/playerfile/tracy_mcgrady/index.html>

2. Waller, Kara. “Race Relations in Florida.” Newsweek. 3 Dec. 2001. 15 Mar. 2008. <http://www.newsweek.com/id/19482>.

Website name

Website:

(professional)

Date posted Sponsoring organization

Website:

(periodical)

Web address

Author Title, quotations

Magazine nameDate posted

Date accessed

Date accessed

Web address