What is persuasive writing?

Persuasive writing is… A piece of writing (essay, letter) that tries to convince or influence a reader to believe what you believe about a certain topic. It takes a position for or against something.

Persuasive Writing can be used to… Purpose Persuasive Statement Support a cause “Please support my school by buying magazine subscriptions.” Urge people to action “Vote for Sarah!” Make a change “The school day should be 60 minutes shorter.” Stir up support “If you don’t adopt this dog, it could have to live in a shelter.” Get people to agree with you “I am sure you’ll agree that PlayStation 3 is the best gaming console.” Prove something wrong “Cell phones do not cause brain cancer.”

Persuasive Writing follows a format: INTRODUCTION with a “hook” and a position supported by evidence/examples BODY where the argument is explained in detail using logic and appealing to the reader’s emotions or sense of moral justice; may include research data; may compare and contrast (showing the opposing view/opinion) CONCLUSION where main points are summarized and reviewed and the reader is left with something to think about.

Some DOS and DON’Ts Do: Don’t: Start your introduction with an interesting hook Divide into 6 paragraphs Have a position in your introduction Come up with 3 main points to support your argument—these will be your 3 body paragraphs Include a paragraph with opposing viewpoint Have a conclusion that contains a clincher statement Come up with a catchy title Don’t: Begin with “hello my name is___ and I’m going to write about____” Be wishy washy. Pick a side and stick to it! Forget to support your opinions with facts and examples

Stages of writing Prewriting (brainstorming) Rough draft (pencil) Revising/editing (self, peer, teacher) Final draft (typed up)

First Step: Brainstorming Before you start writing, you should know your audience: Who will read your writing? Who do you need to convince? The audience may be your friends, your teacher, your parents, your principal, the readers of a newspaper or the Prime Minister of Canada? What are you marked on? What does the checklist and success criteria look like? What issue do you want to present? What side of the issue are you on? RESEARCH YOUR TOPIC!

Step 3: Planning The 6 Paragraph Essay: 1. Introduction/Hook/Position (2-3 sentences) 2. Argument 1 with support (transition words, 1 topic sentence, 2-3 facts/examples, 1 concluding sentence) 3. Argument 2 with support (transition words, 1 topic sentence, 2-3 facts/examples, 1 concluding sentence) 4. Argument 3 with support (transition words, 1 topic sentence, 2-3 facts/examples, 1 concluding sentence) 5. Show the counter-argument and make an argument against it 6. Conclusion (restate position in a new way, restate evidence, last sentence should be powerful)

These are things that make a fabulous persuasive essay A terrific title An interesting introduction with a hook A strong position statement 3 solid body paragraphs with examples or evidence Tremendous transition words between paragraphs Paragraph with opposing viewpoints (that support why your opinion was correct) A killer conclusion with a clincher statement

Which one is stronger? This essay is about being allowed to use cell phones in school. School board policy should be changed to allow cell phones into the curriculum.

Step 2: Do your research! In order to convince the reader you need more than just an opinion; you need facts or examples to back your opinion. So, be sure to do the research!

An interesting introduction with a hook Never say “Hello….blah blah” or “This essay will be about…” BORING! You never get a second chance to make a first impression! Some techniques we will learn about for an interesting hook: Riddles Fragment technique Quotations Shocking statement

Riddles Get your reader’s attention with a challenging thought. What’s plain, and boring? What makes all students in a school building look the same and lose their individuality? If you guessed UNIFORMS, you’re correct!

Fragment technique Uses 3 short fragments to create an image. Example: A brand new fishing pole, a bucket of worms, and a warm spring day. These things were present on the day I caught a record-breaking large mouth bass!

Quotations Conversational “Mom, I’ve signed up to fight for my country!” Famous Quote "War is nothing without a solider to fight it." - Unknown

Shocking statements Provides statistics or facts that startles readers to pull them into your story. Example: Can you believe that over 90% of students polled at our school are dissatisfied with school lunch, but only 5% are willing to pack their own lunches?

3 strong body paragraphs with examples or evidence You should come up with three points to support your opinion Each of the points will be turned into a body paragraph Try to think of ideas that no one else would think of Include strong examples or evidence (through research) that would support your point of view

3 strong body paragraphs (an example) Your school has a uniform policy. Some people argue that uniforms in schools are beneficial because they cause less distractions, and some argue that they are not a good idea because they take away a student’s individuality. Do you agree or disagree with uniform policy? Make sure to support your position

3 banging body paragraphs (an example) Position: Uniform policies are beneficial in schools, and should be implemented nationwide. Reason 1: Allows for less bullying based on wardrobe. Reason 2: Students will concentrate more on school and less on attire. Reason 3: It cuts down on cost of school clothes and time spent getting ready in the morning.

Tremendous transition words Transition words move from one thought to the next and are found at the beginning of 3 body paragraphs Avoid the same weak transition words (first, next, last) Transition words: because, therefore, thus, however, also, furthermore, moreover, finally, before, besides

Opposing Views How many of you have been in a discussion with someone and you remember saying, “Yeah, that’s true, but…” This is called a counter-argument. It’s the “other side” of the argument. You’ll need to tell your reader what the counter-argument is and prove why it shouldn’t matter.

Opposing Views This is where you should explain why your opposition believes what they believe. For example: “A fast food company wouldn’t agree with the points in this essay. They would have lots of reasons why fast food is good. They may say…”it’s convenient” or “It’s fine if eaten in moderation.” These arguments just don’t hold up when you take all the facts into consideration!

A killer conclusion with a clincher statement Clincher statement is the last line of your paper. It should almost shock your reader Conclusion leaves a lasting impression…

A killer conclusion with a clincher statement In conclusion, over 95% of parents polled are in agreement with a school wide uniform policy. Uniforms allow students to be who they are, not what they wear. After all, shouldn’t school be about academics rather than apparel? It’s time our nation got back to reading, writing, and arithmetic….not Baby Phat, Apple Bottom, and FUBU.

Conclusion options Call to Action Ask the reader to do something or to make something happen “I challenge you to watch what you eat and to avoid fast food.” Provide a solution Provide an answer to the problem “Fast food doesn’t have to be “bad food.” Make better choices like salads, fruit and low fat treats.” Make a Prediction Explain what might be the consequences of action or inaction “If people continue to eat lots of fast food, they put their health at risk. If kids don’t make better choices today, they won’t grow into healthy adults.”