INTRODUCTIONS for your persuasive essay

“What’s YOUR hook gonna be?”

BEFORE YOU CREATE A HOOK ► Keep your thesis in mind! ► Make sure your hook has something to do with your cause/topic/thesis

Statistic ► Creating a statistic can make your argument sound stronger ► TRUE OR FALSE: Your statistic can be made up. _________ ► Be sure to give credit to someone, just like you would if you were pulling facts from a real source.  “According to…”

Statistic - EXAMPLE ► According to the National Youth Center of New Jersey, 4 out of 6 students are bullied because of what they wear. Our school should implement uniforms because…. (reason 1, 2, 3) ► According to Dr. Franks, a school psychologist, 75% of students develop lower self esteem because of being forced to wear a uniform. Our school should not implement uniforms because…. (reason 1, 2, 3)

? Question ? ► Beginning with a question can pull in the reader and make them feel like you are addressing them.

Question - EXAMPLE ► Have you ever had your individuality taken away? The students at the Ocean City Intermediate School are facing that possibility at this time. The school is thinking about implementing uniforms starting next year! Our school should not implement uniforms because…. (reason 1, 2, 3)

“ Quotation ” ► Quotes could be from a famous person, a leading authority, or even an ordinary person who has said something interesting about your topic. ► TRUE OR FALSE? You can make up a quote. ________ ► Be sure to give credit to someone, just like you would if you were pulling a direct quote  “Someone famous once said,”  “My grandmother once said,”  “Albert Einstein once said,”

“ Quotation ” - EXAMPLE ► My Language Arts teacher, Mrs. Parker, once said, “Individuality truly is the fruit of life.” Wearing uniforms in school would take away our individuality which would be an injustice to our young lives. Our school should not implement uniforms because…. (reason 1, 2, 3)

Anecdote ► What is an anecdote? ► An anecdote is a personal story from your life. ► TRUE OR FALSE? You can make up an anecdote. ___________

Anecdote - EXAMPLE ► As I rounded the corner in the A-wing hallway, I saw something terrible. A girl was standing by her locker wearing pants that were too short and a shirt with holes in it, while four other girls were pointing at her and laughing loudly. As the tears built up in her eyes, I realized just how valuable uniforms could be in our school. Our school should absolutely implement uniforms because…. (reason 1, 2, 3)

List or Series ► You can use a series or a list to introduce a topic. ► It can be several interesting figures, a few facts, or a list of examples related to the topic of your paper. ► FOLLOW YOUR THESIS TO CREATE YOUR LIST/SERIES

List or Series - EXAMPLE ► If your 3 reasons are:  1) uniforms decrease bullying  2) they would save money for families  3) save time in the morning ► Your list might say:  Alexis is always being made fun of for the holes in her jeans. Sam’s family doesn’t have enough money to keep up with the new clothing trends. Amy is always late to school because she spends too much time in the morning choosing an outfit. Alexis, Sam, and Amy are just three of the many affected by a school which doesn’t implement uniforms. Our school should absolutely implement uniforms because (reason 1, 2, 3)

Who-What-Where-When-Why-How ► Just restate prompt/problem in your own words ► Be descriptive!

Who-What-Where-When-Why-How EXAMPLE ► If your prompt is:  Your school is deciding whether or not to implement uniforms starting September 4, Write a letter to your principal stating your reasons why or why not this is a good idea. ► Your hook might say:  It has been brought to my attention that our school is thinking about implementing uniforms. Starting September 4, 2009, all students would have to wear khakis and a red polo shirt. Our school should not implement uniforms because…. (reason 1, 2, 3)

REMEMBER ► FORM YOUR HOOK FROM YOUR THESIS! Make sure they are related somehow! ► You can use more than one at a time  EXAMPLE: Question and Statistic  Have you ever had your individuality taken away? According to Dr. Smith, forcing a student to wear uniforms can strip students of their individuality and cause lower self-esteem.

“What’s YOUR hook gonna be?” ► Statistic ► Question ► Quote ► Anecdote ► List/Series ► W-W-W-W-W-H

BODY of your persuasive essay

Body ► Should have 3 paragraphs  One paragraph for each of your reasons in your thesis ► Each paragraph can be set up like an open-ended question  Reason 1 Topic Sentence  Restate Q  Support (Beyonce) ► Explain support (back-up dancer)  Support (Beyonce) ► Explain support (back-up dancer)  Sum up reason 1  Conclude/Restate

Body ► Stuck for a supporting detail for your reason?  Use a hook! ► Statistic ► Question ► Anecdote ► List/Series ► Quote

CONLCLUSIONS for your persuasive essay

Restate Refute Make a Call You have to…

Restate ► Be sure to restate your thesis! ► Say it in a different way than you stated it in your thesis. ► This is your chance to stress your point!

Restate - EXAMPLE ► If your thesis was:  Uniforms should not be implemented in our schools because they would make it hard to express our individuality, create an unsafe school environment, and cause parents to spend more money. ► In the conclusion you might say:  “As I have noted above, uniforms would be the worst thing to happen to our school because they would take away our individuality, cause more fights, and cost parents more money.”

Refute ► Acknowledge the other side ► Use phrases such as:  I realize you… believe… however…  Even though… let me explain…  I understand you believe… on the other hand..

Refute - EXAMPLE ► “I realize you, Dr. Vaughan, believe that uniforms will benefit the students of our school, however you can see how uniforms would really harm our students.”

Make a Call ► Make a call to action ► You stated all your reasons, so now what should we do about it?!

Make a call - EXAMPLE ► “So the only thing left to do is forget this crazy idea of implementing uniforms and stick with what works!”

So your WHOLE conclusion would look like this: ► “As I have noted above, uniforms would be the worst thing to happen to our school because they would take away our individuality, cause more fights, and cost parents more money. I realize you, Dr. Vaughan, believe that uniforms will benefit the students of our school, however you can see how uniforms would really harm our students. So, the only thing left to do is forget this crazy idea of implementing uniforms and stick with what works!”

Restate Refute Make a Call REMBER TO…