An effective persuasive essay expresses an opinion. supports your opinion with 2-3 good reasons. gives details that make the reasons convincing. convinces the reader to share your opinion or to take a specific action.

Essay Format Opening Paragraph (Lead) Body: 2-3 Supporting Paragraphs Concluding Paragraph

Opening (Lead) Will it grab the reader’s attention? Is the issue/problem clear? Is there an attitude (someone speaking with conviction about the issue)? Do you have a target audience? Is there a thesis statement?

Paragraph 1: Opening How do I start? News: facts Background information End with the THESIS statement.

A thesis... is a summary of your arguments in one sentence. expresses your position on the topic. Ex: Teenagers should have a weekly allowance, because it teaches responsibility, it helps teens learn about planning, and it is an incentive to work hard.

Sample Opening In 2006, the debate continues over whether or not teens should be given a weekly allowance. While some parents claim that an allowance doesn’t realistically cover expenses, 70% agree that an allowance is a part of growing up. Teenagers should have a weekly allowance, because it teaches responsibility, it helps teens learn about planning, and it is an incentive to work hard.

Body 2-3 Supporting Paragraphs –Each paragraph has a reason. –Reasons must be relevant to the topic. –Support your reasons with convincing details and/or evidence.

Sample Body Paragraph First off, teens should have a weekly allowance, because it teaches responsibility. Parents often complain that kids today aren’t responsible, so why not encourage healthy decision-making? We will learn to spend and save more carefully if we must decide how to manage small amounts of money. Many adults today are in credit card debt, because they never learned how to budget money as a teen. Instead of making their own decisions about spending and saving, parents made it for them. In many cases, money flowed freely from the Bank of Mom or Dad. It’s too bad, because now many adults are paying the price. A weekly allowance will prevent this from happening to today’s teens.

Concluding Paragraph How do I conclude? Instruction: what the reader can do about the issue Prediction: an insight into how the future could be different, better, or worse Question: leaves the reader thinking

Sample Conclusion If you are the parent of a teen, please strongly consider the benefits of an allowance. Don’t dish out money. Bottom line, a responsible teen becomes a responsible adult.