Writing persuasively helps you learn how to form and communicate sound opinions based on facts and evidence. You Too Can Write Persuasively Now I bring you… Some tips on ways to succeed…

What does it take? Writing an effective persuasive essay requires a great deal of planning, drafting, and revising. Thinking through an argument entails stating an opinion, using evidence, adding support and commentary, and possibly making concessions and transitioning through your points.

First activity persuade Remembering that your audience is the school’s principal, Mr. Gaines, and that persuade means “to move by argument,” develop an opinion that you believe you could be persuasive about on the following subject: Bullying in school.

Second Activity Come up with three reasons that you can defend to support the opinion statement in the first activity. Start each of the reasons with your opinion statement and then the word “because.”

Third Activity Put the two activities together into a thesis statement. It should be one sentence which states: the subject your opinion on the subject the three reasons for your opinion on the subject

Sample Topic: The Death Penalty Opinion: Abolish it. Supporting Reasons 1.It costs taxpayers too much in taxes for appeals 2.It does not deter crime 3.Violence increases after an execution in states for at least a month afterward Thesis: Governor, please abolish the death penalty in Washington because it costs taxpayers too much for appeals, doesn’t deter crime, and actually increases violence in our state each time we execute a prisoner.

Topic Sentences As your thesis sentence roadmaps your entire essay or letter, your topic sentences must roadmap each of your paragraphs. Take a moment to write a topic sentence for each of the paragraphs that your thesis suggests.

Sample Topic Sentence The first reason I believe the death penalty should be abolished is that it costs taxpayers too much in appeals. The second reason I believe in the abolition of the death penalty is that it doesn’t deter crime. The third and final reason I am pleading to have the death penalty abolished is that violence actually increases in our great state in the months surrounding each execution.

Support your topic sentences… You must support each topic sentence with at least two solid concrete details and two sentences of commentary. including Take just one of your topic sentences and construct a complete paragraph of 8 sentences, including a topic sentence and a concluding sentence/transitional sentence.

Sample Paragraph…

TS: The first reason I believe the death penalty should be abolished is that it costs taxpayers too much in appeals. CD: Executions cost the taxpayers on average $2 million. CM: This is simply too much to pay for the purpose of ending a life. CM2: If taxpayer money is to be spent so casually, perhaps it could be used to educate citizens and prevent mindless violence instead of taking lives. CD: Sentencing convicted murders to life in prison costs the state an average of $50,000. CM: With a savings of $1,950,000, the state could substantially invest in education and health care. CM2: A healthier and more educated public would lead to a safer Washington state. CS/Transition: By saving or diverting money from executions to education and public health, it would also logically follow that our state would benefit equally by lessening needless violence if it could.

1.Understand the requirements for the writing portion of the SBAC assessment that you will be taking your junior year. 2.The results of that test could determine funding for our schools, the focus of instruction, and your graduation. 3.The good news…we’ve been working on it. 4.The better news…we’re going to continue working on it. 5.The best news…you can master it. 6.This year we are focusing on one strand of the rubric, but before we get to it, what does the rubric look like?

The response provides minimal support/evidence for the writer’s claim that includes little or no use of sources, facts, and details: use of evidence from the source material is minimal, absent, in error, or irrelevant The response provides uneven, cursory support/evidence for the writer’s claim that includes partial or uneven use of sources, facts, and details, and achieves little depth: evidence from sources is weakly integrated, and citations, if present, are uneven weak or uneven use of elaborative techniques The response provides adequate support/evidence for the writer’s claim that includes the use of sources, facts, and details. The response achieves some depth and specificity but is predominantly general: some evidence from sources is integrated, though citations may be general or imprecise adequate use of some elaborative techniques The response provides thorough and convincing support/evidence for the writer’s claim that includes the effective use of sources, facts, and details. The response achieves substantial depth that is specific and relevant: use of evidence from sources is smoothly integrated, comprehensive, relevant, and concrete effective use of a variety of elaborative techniques

Q: Inclusion of detail. How much is enough? A: Two details per paragraph. Minimum. Q: How do you include them? A.: You have three options: 1.Direct quotation 2.Summary 3.Paraphrase

Who is the Best Teacher? “Ms. Labor was voted the #1 teacher for the past seven years” (Thompson 12). In parentheses you must have the first piece of information from your source card and a page number if applicable. Period goes after the (). Internal Parenthetical Who is the Best Teacher? According to Mr. Thompson, on page twelve of the newsletter, “Ms. Labor was voted the #1 teacher for the past seven years.” Within your sentence you must introduce the information with our source data.

Who is the Best Teacher? Ms. Labor has been a top teacher for many years (Thompson 12). Internal with Parentheses Parenthetical Paraphrased Who is the Best Teacher? According to Mr. Thompson, “Ms. Labor was voted the #1 teacher for the past seven years” (12). Within your sentence you must introduce the information with our source data.

You can paraphrase. You can express an opinion. You can clarify. You can offer context. You can refute. Can offer commentary: i.e., because this is true…. Or if this is true then… You can draw a connection/analogy for your reader You can use a simile or metaphor You can use an anecdote or story to illustrate