1. Audience Consideration Our arguments will be more focused and convincing if we direct them towards one specific person/group rather than trying to convince just anyone and everyone To determine your best target audience, ask yourself, “Who needs to be persuaded to see my side of the issue?” or “Who has the ability to make changes based on my arguments?” Teacher model: A smoking parent – Now that I know my SPECIFIC audience, I can tailor my writing and my argument to convince a PARENT – How do you think I would do that? – Focus on facts and evidence related to the effects of smoking on children and families; use a lot of appeal to emotions

2. Audience E-mail Take a little time to think about your target audience Either right now or later TODAY, you must e-mail me your identified target audience and list one way that you will cater to this audience in your writing Example: Dear Ms. H, my target audience is a smoking parent, so in my essay I will focus on ways smoking negatively affects children since parents will be more likely to stop smoking if they realize it’s putting their kids in danger.

3. Introduction : The introduction has a “hook or grabber” to catch the reader’s attention. Some “grabbers” include: 1.Opening with an _____________________ An elephant’s trunk weighs about 300 lbs. 2.Opening with a _______________________ Cigarettes are the number one cause of lung cancer in Canada. 3.Opening with a ___________________ Elbert Hubbard once said, “Truth is stranger than fiction.” 4.Opening with an ______________________ An amusing and attention short story that is short and to the point can be a very effective grabber 5.Opening with a ________________________ Sometimes a statistic or fact will add emphasis or interest to your topic. It may be wise to include the item’s authoritative source, “An estimated 17 percent of children and adolescents ages 2-19 years are obese.” (Center for Disease Control) unusual detail strong statement quotation anecdote Statistic or fact

4. 6.Opening with an intriguing _____________________ How many books do you think we’d read if it were not for television? 7.Opening with an ______________________. The whole world watched as the comet flew overhead. The introduction should also include a ______________ or ________________________. There are three objectives of a claim statement: 1.It tells the reader the specific _______________ of your essay. 2.It imposes manageable ______________ on that topic. 3.It suggests the ________________ of your paper. Your claim says to the reader: “I’ve thought about this _____________, I know what I _____________ about it, and I know how to ______________ it.” Question Exaggeration thesis claim statement topic limits Organization topicbelieve organize

5. Sample Project thesis: Topic: Smoking Claim/thesis: Selling cigarettes should be illegal. Reason 1: It causes severe health effects to the smoker, including death. Reason 2: It negatively effects bystanders. Reason 3: Cigarettes/Nicotine can be a gateway drug. Selling cigarettes should be illegal because it causes severe health effects for the smoker, it negatively affects bystanders, and the nicotine in cigarettes can be a gateway to other drug use.

6. Your engaging HOOK goes here. Choose 1 of the 7 hook strategies we learned about. Include any other pertinent background information to your topic. Your thesis will be the last sentence of your introduction paragraph. Your thesis = your claim statement + your 3 reasons.

7. Claim Frame Here is a sample frame that you can plug into like Mad Libs: __________________ (belief/opinion) because ____________ (reason 1), __________ (reason 2), and ___________ (reason 3). Feel free to add/modify this frame as you see fit; it’s just a starting point!

8. Closure Copy and mark up this sample claim ON YOUR NOTES SHEET: A dog would be a beneficial addition to our family because dogs protect the home, pets teach responsibility, and dogs can be loving companions. Underline the student’s claim Circle Reason #1 Box Reason #2 Star Reason #3 **Candy bonus: If you can draw a parallel diagram to prove this thesis is parallel, you will earn a piece of candy

9. WW Time Goal: Draft an effective and engaging hook for my Introduction using one of the techniques noted today Where should you write? – On a piece of notebook paper that you can keep in your CC Research folder that will STAY IN THE CLASSROOM I will come around to check your WNB during this time

10. WW Time Goal: Draft an Introduction paragraph using the CC Essay template as a guide. (hook, background, claim) Where should you write? – On a piece of notebook paper that you can keep in your CC Research folder that will STAY IN THE CLASSROOM Finished Early? Use the CC Essay template to plan out which reason will go in each body paragraph Work on one of the approved WW break activities

11. WW Time Goals: Draft a strong and effective thesis statement Make sure your introduction paragraph flows smoothly together Use parallelism when writing the thesis Where should you write? – On a piece of notebook paper that you can keep in your CC Research folder that will STAY IN THE CLASSROOM Finished Early? Use the CC Essay template to outline your body paragraph 1 Review notecards to select 3 pieces of supporting evidence Work on one of the approved WW activities

12. The Body : The writer then provides ___________________ to support the opinion offered in the thesis statement in the introduction. The body should consist of at least __________ paragraphs. Each paragraph is based on a solid reason to back your claim statement. Since almost all issues have sound arguments on both sides of the question, a good argumentative writer tries to anticipate opposing viewpoints and provide counter-arguments along with the main points in the essay. One sentence in your essay should be used to acknowledge the _______________________ and give your counter- argument. Evidence three Opposing viewpoint Later in class we will be outlining our first body paragraph, so I want you to read the notes and try to fill in the blanks based on what you already know.