STAAR English II Persuasive Expository

Understanding Persuasive Writing Short writing is deceptively difficult. It is not just brief; it is also jam-packed with meaning. When writing persuasively, it is your job to overcome your readers’ resistance and persuade them to shift their perspectives or accept new ways of thinking. However, your audience wants more than just your opinion– your audience wants an understanding as well as evidence. So that means you must interpret as well as give examples to convince your audience.

Understanding Persuasive Writing One of your most important goals in writing is to communicate clearly and fulfill the expectations of your audience. Your audience expects a certain organization as well as certain conventions of writing to be followed, such as correct punctuation, complex sentences and formal word choice.

Interpreting the Prompt Pay attention to what it asks you to do. In fact, read it at least three times. The prompts are written for you to choose a side, to take an arguable position. When deciding on a side to argue, consider not only the examples you can give to support your persuasive claim, but you should also consider some of its component parts: social, political, economic, scientific, cultural, etc. Pay careful attention and distinguish what is the actual prompt and what is extra information they provide to help generate thought.

Example Prompt The more that you read, the more things you will know. Read the following quotation. Think carefully about the following statement. According to Dr. Seuss, knowledge leads to new opportunities. Write an essay stating your position on whether learning always has a positive effect on a person’s life. Be sure to – state your position clearly use appropriate organization provide specific support for your argument choose your words carefully edit your writing for grammar, mechanics, and spelling The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go. --from I Can Read With My Eyes Shut! by Dr. Seuss Additional information to generate thought Prompt Evaluation criteria

Getting Started Take a couple of minutes to plan and organize. Some effective methods include: Brainstorming: let all your ideas rush out unimpeded. Freewriting: write down everything you can think of about your topic without limitations or a clear destination. Listing and outlining: this is a quick way to write your ideas on paper and then rearrange, reorder, and develop them. The structure of a list or outline allows you to see the difference between equal main points and subordinate, less important points. Clustering (word webbing): writers who are visual thinkers find clustering helps them find relationships among ideas.

Example of Clustering education Learn skills Job opportunities Pay provider Higher pay Free time Become smarter Job of your choice Easier life More growth

Example of Outlining I Introduction II Body/Discussion Section Background: Education to come out of poverty Thesis: Learning kept my father off the streets II Body/Discussion Section Point: How education improved his family’s lives Development: example/anecdote Example of father’s love of learning Example of grandfather’s knowledge III Conclusion Recap: Restate that learning can improve the quality of life.

Persuasive Introduction Open topic Claim/thesis (your argument)

Persuasive Introduction Open the topic: it should introduce the overall topic you will be discussing. Claim/Thesis: state the issue and your position in a clear thesis. the thesis alerts the reader to your central point, but it also helps you stay focused and organize your thinking. the rest of the article flows from this point.

Example Introduction Throughout history and in everybody’s lives, education has opened door ways to new beginnings or has helped people come out of poverty. Learning kept my father off the streets and helped my Gradpa Ellis fight his way through the Great Depression. Background Thesis

Persuasive Discussion Section Point you will prove Development (example to offer proof) Reiterate proven point

Persuasive Discussion Section Topic Sentence/Point The purpose of a topic sentence is to clarify what your paragraph will discuss (the point you will prove). It also serves as a transition between the end of the previous paragraph and the current paragraph. Development Some effective ways to develop your point: Examples Description Narration (storytelling) Definition Comparison and /or contrast Causes and /or effects Reiterate Proven Point (optional) The purpose of this sentence is to refocus your essay and direct your reader’s thoughts back to your thesis.

Example Discussion Section My father grew up in a city in Kansas named Hutchinson which, at the time, was overcrowded with salt miners who worked down in the Morton Salt Mines. With the overcrowding came a surge of crime and shady people. Many high schoolers my dad’s age dropped out of high school and became drug addicts. My father would have been on of those dead beats had it not been for his education. Dad was fascinated by math and by how numbers fit together to make solutions, and he also loved hearing his history teacher lecture about the past. Had it not been for my father’s love of learning, he would not have met my mother and I would not be alive. Topic sentence Point Develop through examples

Persuasive Conclusion Recap sentence How it applies

Persuasive Conclusion Recap sentence It is exactly as it sounds: it “recaps” what you’ve stated in your essay. You have neither time nor space for an extensive conclusion. Usually, one or two sentences suffice to wrap up your explanation. How it applies If there is room, suggest the implications of the topic, or in other words, how does your discussion from the essay “apply to others.”

Example Conclusion Whether it be in a classroom or out digging a ditch, learning something new everyday can help anyone persevere through tough times and get the best out of their lives. “I never stop learning until the day I die.” – Grandpa Ellis The example is from a paper that scored a 4 on the Spring 2014 STAAR English II test. Recap Big Picture