Persuasive Writing

Steps in the Writing Process

Steps in the Writing Process

Steps in the Writing Process

Steps in the Writing Process

Steps in the Writing Process

Add a Frame of Reference Why are all of these steps necessary for good writing?

Vocabulary persuade argument audience topic support opinion writing prompt solution position claims rough draft warrants organize evidence agree counterclaim controlling idea rebuttal

Essay #1: Group Essay Building Background Knowledge GROUP A What do you know about basketball? What qualities make a basketball player a good team member? GROUP B What are the qualifications for getting into college? What do admissions officers look for when selecting students for college admission?

Group Work: Lesson 3 Read the descriptions of 3 students who want to get into college and play on the basketball team. Discuss each applicant’s qualifications & complete the chart with your group. Choose one applicant who you think should be chosen (your claim), and list 3 reasons why he is the best choice (evidence).

Making a Claim & Giving Evidence: Sentence Starters Student ___ is the best choice because he ___________________________________ . Another reason to choose Student ____ is ______________________________________ . The student with the best qualifications is ______________, because he ____________ ______________________________________ . The student we select is __________. He is the best choice because _____________ ______________________________________ .

Explaining Evidence in Writing The Director of Admissions needs your recommendation in writing. Write one paragraph in which you state your claim, and explain your evidence. Write 4-6 sentences with your group.

Sample Paragraph The student with the best qualification is Student A. Student A’s coaches say he is a “team player” who “knows when to shoot and when to pass.” The ability to work and play well with others is an important skill, especially when teamwork is required for success. Another reason to choose Student A is that he averages 5.6 assists per game, a higher average than either of the other two athletes. Those statistics and reports suggest he is more interested in winning than in getting individual attention for himself. Finally, Student A is academically talented. His 3.2 GPA and is class rank demonstrate that he is ready for difficult college classwork.

Counterclaims & Rebuttals Counterclaim: An argument that disagrees with another argument Example: Claim – Nikes are the best kind of shoe, because they are comfortable and stylish. Counterclaim – Adidas are better than Nikes, because Nikes are too expensive.

Counterclaims & Rebuttals Rebuttal: A statement that gives reasons why a counterclaim is not true or should be ignored. Example: Claim – Nikes are the best kind of shoe, because they are comfortable and stylish. Counterclaim – Adidas are better than Nikes, because Nikes are too expensive. Rebuttal – Nikes are more expensive than Adidas, but it’s worth paying a lot of money for a good quality shoe.

Using Counterclaims & Rebuttals in Writing Look at the reasons other groups made for their decisions. Which are different than yours? Identify 1 counterclaim from another group. Write a rebuttal – Explain why their counterclaim is not important or should be ignored.

Rebuttals: Sentence Starters Although Student ____ has the best __________ , that is not as important as ______________________________ . While Student ____ is very good at ______________ , we believe it is more important to _______________. All the students are good at ______ ______________ , but Student ____ is the best at ______________________ . On our team / At our university, we need someone like Student ____, who can _______________________ .

Steps in the Writing Process

Steps in the Writing Process

Work Period: Complete Drafting With your group, review the paragraphs you have written with your group. Your paragraphs should explain your claim, provide evidence, present a counterclaim, and give a rebuttal. Now, you are going to write a conclusion.

Conclusions In writing, your conclusion is your final decision. In your conclusion, you summarize the evidence supporting your decision and restate your claim.

Conclusions: Sentence Starters In conclusion, … We have seen that … I believe … for the following reasons: First… Second… Finally… After examining the evidence, it is clear that… The evidence shows that …

Steps in the Writing Process

Group Work: Revision Re-read your whole essay: Introduction, Body Paragraphs, Conclusion Use the “Peer Editing” handout to check your writing Make changes to your essay: Change confusing parts. Add more details to make your ideas clear. You must make at least 3 changes!!!

Exit Ticket: Which stages of the Writing Process have we completed?

Essay #2: Individual Essay Building Background – Conversation Questions Warm-Up: Discuss the conversation questions with a group of 3-4 people. Be prepared to share the answer to one question with the class.

Reading a Writing Situation Read the Writing Situation, then answer the two questions below. Identify the question: What are you supposed to choose? Identify your audience: Who are you trying to convince?

_____My favorite piece of clothing is…___ Step 1: Pre-Writing Make a Tree Map to organize your ideas. Give your opinion and 3 reasons why you believe this _____My favorite piece of clothing is…___ ____________ _____________ ____________

Turn Your Tree Map into a Thesis Statement Thesis statement = The sentence that tells your readers exactly what your essay will be about. The thesis statement should be the last sentence of your introduction (first) paragraph. Use parallelism to write a thesis statement. Ex: I believe that tobacco should be against the law because tobacco endangers everyone’s health, pollutes the environment, and wastes valuable energy.

Provide Evidence Finish your Tree Maps by adding evidence under each reason you listed yesterday. Ask yourself: Why is this important? How can I prove this is true? What can I say that will help someone else understand why I am right about this? Use your Tree Map to write 1-3 Body Paragraphs – each “branch” of your Tree Map should be its own paragraph.

Add a Counterclaim & Rebuttal Explain your claim, reasons, and evidence to your group. Work together to brainstorm a counterclaim. My favorite piece of clothing is… I choose this because… What do you think other people would say to disagree with me? Write one counterclaim & your rebuttal.

Adding a Hook The first sentence of your introduction should catch your readers’ attention.

Step #2: Drafting Put it all together: Write your introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs. Use Sentence Starters to help you Write in pencil so you can make changes later Don’t worry about spelling, punctuation, or confusing parts – you will fix it when you revise and proofread.

Step #3: Revision Use the “Self Revisions” handout to identify things you need to change. Make at least 3 changes to your essay. Make it More interesting for the reader! Easier to understand! More complete! A stronger argument – add more or better evidence!

Step #4: Proofreading After you type your essay, re-read it and check for mistakes in spelling, punctuation, and grammar. You may trade essays with a classmate to help each other find mistakes if you like. When you are done, submit your final version to Ms. Jaret via First Class.