Writing a Persuasive Essay

130-493-997

130-493-997

It's so much fun!!!

Imagine, for a moment, that YOU are a turkey. It's a few weeks before Thanksgiving, and you DO NOT want to be the main course this year! You want to live!

1

Finally, let's categorize our thoughts. For this essay, we will look at three tools persuasive writers use to convince their audience....·emotional plea·facts and/or statistics·argument/counter argument

3

Now, think of all the ways you might convince someone NOT to serve you for Thanksgiving dinner. Jot these down on a piece of paper.2

BRAINSTORMING

In your groups, categorize your reasons. If you need to add some to a category, go ahead and think up some more!

Argument/Counter

Facts and Stats

Emotional Plea

Now, let's put this on a graphic organizer!

·····

·····

·····

Open with a statistic or fact4

Quote a famous person3

2 Write a strong statement

Start with an unusual detail1

To write a strong and impressive lead-in, try the following strategies:

You need to pay particular attention to the first sentence you are going to write down, namely a lead-in. It is the most important part of the whole persuasive essay, out of which you come out either a winner or a loser.

Start with an emphatic rhetorical question5

Let's practice using a few of these strategies in our groups...

·Pair up. ·Each pair can choose one of the following strategies to try. (It's OK if you pick the same one.)

1. strong statement2. statistic or fact3. rhetorical question4. quote5. unusual detail

·Now, share in your groups! ·Choose the best one to share with the class!

Now, write a thesis or focus statement, which has to reveal your own point of view. A well-formulated thesis statement is the key to success, as it is the central part of your essay, around which all other parts are organized.

Once your thesis is set, you're ready to compose your introduction. Remember that a good introduction should be concise (meaning you say what you need to say clearly but without being too wordy) and end with a closing sentence that will be transitional to the next paragraph. This last sentence can be your thesis but doesn't need to be. The purpose of the concluding sentence is to lead your reader to want to read on!

* Now write an introduction that includes your lead-in, your thesis, and whatever other

information you need in your first paragraph. This introduction will be a guide for you and will set the tone for the rest of your essay, so make

it good!

6+ Traits of Writing

voice

ideasword choiceorganization

presentation

conventionssentence fluency

Let's look at the rubric...

Let's share in our groups!

1. Read your group members' opening paragraph aloud (quitely) to yourself.

2. Read it again, silently, looking for anything that may not make sense, is spelled incorrectly, or did not follow the directions given. Mark these on the paper.

3. Finally, read it one last time, this time looking for all of the positives! Also make note of these good points on your partner's paper.

4. Now, using the 6 Traits rubric, score the paper according to each trait! The rubric uses a 1-4 scale, with 1 needing much improvement and 4 being high quality. You must put a rating for each of the 6 areas. Then, discuss your thoughts with your partner. (ideas, organization, word choice, voice, conventions, sentence fluency)

Revise if needed....

On to the body paragraphs!!!!

Let's look back at our body paragraphs.

1. Decide which body paragraph will be best to begin. (You may want to end with your strongest paragraph...or not.)

2. Make sure each paragraph flows into the next - use transitional words!

3. Your reasoning must ALWAYS support your thesis!!!!

click the turkey to see a video about transitional words

Now, let's start writing our body paragraphs...starting with the first!

Peer review using the 6 Traits!

Next body paragraph.....

Peer review using the 6 Traits!

Last body paragraph...

Peer review using the 6 Traits!

The CONCLUSION!

Your conclusion should be a "mirror image" of your introduction. It means that you should refresh the reader's memory and remind him of the thesis statement you put in the introduction. It is not a mere waste of time or words, but the best way to convince the reader to take your side.

click on the turkey for a short video on writing conclusions...

Peer review using the 6 Traits!

TADA! Some of the hardest work is over. But now, you need to refine your essay to make it the best it can be!

1. At this point, you should only have a revised introductory paragraph. You may still need to make changes to that. If so, now is the time to do it.2. Go through each sentence of each paragraph and consider the comments made by your partner. Think about:

* order of reasons* detailed support for reasons!* word choice and tone* convincing arguments/counterarguments* overall flow of paragraphs* grammatical errors

3. Ultimately you want to ask yourself, would some HUNGRY person reading this essay be convinced NOT to eat me? If the answer to that question is yes, congratulations. If not, keep working until your persuasive argument is the absolute best it can be!

Attachments

Transitions_and_Connections.asf

Conclusion__Wrapping_up_Your_Paper.wmv