Persuasive Writing – Week 3

Persuasive Writing – Week 3
Draft Persuasive Writing – Week 3 The 4-Week High School Course contains instructional materials to support most of the GLEs. The students are learning to use the process (EALR 1) and are looking at two purposes (explain and persuade), several audiences and forms (EALR 2). They are also working to evaluate their own and others’ writing (EALR 4). However, the focus of the course is on EALR 3 – writing clearly and effectively. This focus was chosen after analyzing papers of students who scored at Level Specifically, these Grade Level Expectations for EALR 3 are 1) narrowing a topic, 2) organizing ideas, 3) elaborating ideas, 4) writing introductions and conclusions, and 5) editing for conventions. Times on the agenda slides are approximate. The times were based on a two-hour class period and 20 instructional days. If class periods or number of days differs, times will need to be adjusted. In addition, if students need more time for on-demand writing, they should be given that time and subsequent lesson times adjusted accordingly. OSPI High School Instructional Support Materials for Writing Version 2 These materials were developed by Washington teachers to help students improve their writing. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

OSPI Writing Instructional Support Materials Core Development Team
Draft OSPI Writing Instructional Support Materials Core Development Team Nikki Elliott-Schuman – OSPI, Project Director Charlotte Carr – Retired Seattle SD, Facilitator Barbara Ballard – Coupeville SD Anne Beitlers – Seattle SD Marcie Belgard – Richland SD Betsy Cornell – Moses Lake SD Lydia-Laquatra Fesler – Spokane SD Lori Hadley – Puyallup SD Lissa Humphreys – East Valley SD (Spokane) Kathleen McGuinness – Kennewick SD Lisa McKeen – East Valley SD (Yakima) Sharon Schilperoort – Yakima SD Holly Stein – Eastside Catholic High School Instructional suggestions for English Language Learners were made by Sonja McDaniel – Migrant Education Regional Office, ESD 105 Arlene Franz – Yakima School District PhuongChi Nguyen – OSPI, Project Supervisor, Migrant Education Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Expository vs. Persuasion
Draft Expository vs. Persuasion Expository writing has a narrow topic. stays focused on the main ideas. is elaborated using reasons, well-chosen and specific details, examples, and/or anecdotes to support ideas. includes information that is interesting, thoughtful, and necessary for the audience. is organized with an introduction, supporting paragraphs with main points and elaboration, and an effective conclusion. uses transitions to connect ideas. shows commitment to topic with voice and language appropriate for audience and purpose. uses specific words and phrases that help the reader understand ideas. Some students are not certain about the differences between persuasive writing and expository writing. Another hurdle many students have to overcome is the difference between argumentation and persuasion. Discuss the slide with your students. Argumentation presents two sides of a case so that both sides may be considered while persuasion intentionally emphasizes one position over another with the goal to influence the reader. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Expository vs. Persuasion
Draft Expository vs. Persuasion Persuasive writing has a clear position and is focused on that position. has more than one argument to support a position. is elaborated by using reasons, well-chosen and specific details, examples, anecdotes, facts, and/or statistics as evidence to support arguments. is organized to make the best case for a position. anticipates and refutes the opposing position. begins with an opening, including a statement of position, and ending with an effective persuasive conclusion, such as a call for action. uses transitions to connect position, arguments, and evidence. shows commitment to position by writing in a voice appropriate for audience and purpose. uses words, phrases, and persuasive strategies that urge or compel the reader to support a position. Up until this point, students have been learning about prewriting and elaboration strategies that are applicable to both expository and persuasive writing. This week they will learn specific strategies for writing persuasive essays. These slides give students an overview of the difference between the two. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI. All rights reserved.
Draft Persuasive Writing In persuasive writing, a writer takes a position FOR or AGAINST an issue and writes to convince the reader to believe or do something. Tell the students that as a general guideline, when writing a persuasive essay, you should Have a firm opinion that you want your reader to accept. Begin with a grabber or hook to get the reader's attention. Offer evidence to support a position. Conclude persuasively, for example, with a call to action. Before going to the next slide, ask your students “What are the reasons for persuasion?” Chart their answers and compare to the next slide. ************************************************************************************************************************ Suggestions for English Language Learners Elaborate on concept of grabber or hook. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Getting Ready – Purposes of Persuasion
Draft Getting Ready – Purposes of Persuasion Support a cause Urge people to action Promote change Refute a theory Arouse sympathy Stimulate interest Win agreement This week - focus on persuasive writing. The agenda for day 1 will follow on the next two slides. Discuss this list with your students, compare to the charted responses from the previous slide, and translate into their own lives (e.g., for the first bullet, I want someone to pay for my gas). ************************************************************************************************************************ Suggestions for English Language Learners Access students’ prior background by asking them to share about one of the above by relating anecdotes from their own life experiences. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Agenda – Day 1 Write to a persuasive prompt Quick write in a group – cookie lesson Introduce persuasive strategies Reflect Focus for the day - to obtain baseline persuasive writing data and to help students get a feel for what persuasion is all about All times are approximate. Write to persuasive prompt (60 min.) Group Quick Write (20 min.) Cookie Lesson (20 min.) Introduction to Persuasive Strategies (10 min.) Reflect (10 min.) Materials Bag/box of cookies or candy. If food is not appropriate for your students, pencils, pens, highlighters, etc. will work. Change the slide to match your “prize.” Chart paper Markers Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Write to a Persuasive Prompt
Draft Write to a Persuasive Prompt Many people have expressed concern about the starting time for high school. The school board has suggested that school begin two hours later and end two hours later. Take a position on this proposal, and write a multiple-paragraph letter to the school board to persuade them to agree with your position. The purpose for this writing is again to gain baseline information about student understanding and use of persuasion. Also, you can use this information to help you plan any necessary lessons or mini-lessons. Prompt write (60 minutes) Continue to the next slide before sending students off to write to the prompt. For all on-demand writing, students should have as much time as they need. If they need the entire 2 hours, it is fine to move everything else to the next day and rework the schedule afterward. All on-demand writing should emulate a WASL situation which is normally a minimum of 2 hours. Folder Alert - Students need to keep this piece of writing in their folders after the teacher has read and assessed it. Teachers should confer with students after reviewing their papers. TEACHER ALERT - These papers will need to be collected and scored today in order to give feedback to students tomorrow. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Remember Use what you’ve already learned about choosing a topic narrowing a topic organizing your ideas elaborating your ideas checking for conventions This is a reminder to students to use what they’ve already learned in concert with their work this week. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Read for conventions. Basic spelling (including homonyms) Capitalization Punctuation Periods (run-togethers), apostrophes (possessives), commas, question marks especially in rhetorical questions Subject-verb agreement, particularly number agreement with “their” (pronoun referents and verb agreement) Complete sentences Paragraphing Conventions on your own personal list in your folder Read for conventions (10 minutes) Have students focus their reading by looking for the specific conventions listed on the slide. These are mistakes in conventions that occur frequently in papers scoring a 1. If students have trouble spotting their own errors, have them partner up to help each other. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Group Quick Write: Make the Best Case
Draft Group Quick Write: Make the Best Case Persuade the class that your group should be rewarded (cookies, candy, etc.) for having written the best argument. Your group’s task is work together to write your best arguments. The purpose for this lesson is to help students understand how persuasion works. This is a level playing field activity because students work together to write a group quick write. Cookie Lesson (30 minutes) including next 2 slides Materials Bag/box of cookies or candy. If food is not appropriate for your students, pencils, pens, highlighters, etc. will work. Change the slide to match your “prize.” Cookie Lesson Introduce lesson as a game. Explain to students “This game will help you understand how persuasion works, that is to see how you create and present arguments and to notice how a audience responds to your arguments.” Place students in teams of four or five members. Have students draw a number for order of sharing. Explain “Many games involve rewards and this one is no exception. At the end of this class the winning team will receive a prize. The reward is _______________.” (cookies, candy, pencils, etc.) “I want you to work for 15 to 20 minutes and come up with the best argument for why the class should award the prize to your team. The argument can be serious or playful, factual or fictional, focusing on one member or the entire team.” Appoint a recorder who will write down your group’s arguments and a reporter who will present your group’s arguments to the class. ************************************************************************************************************************ Suggestions for English Language Learners Assign several other roles besides recorder and reporter, so that each student can be successful in the cooperative group as well as accountable for participation (e.g., facilitator, speaker, timer, etc.). Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Present Your Case Appoint a member of your group to draw a number to decide which team presents its case first. Present your case when it’s your turn. Take notes about each team’s position, arguments, and support. Beginning with team #1, have groups present their arguments. Everyone takes notes on each team’s arguments. Teams should present without interruption or analysis. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Vote and discuss. Vote on which group presented the best case. A group cannot vote for itself. Each individual can only vote once. Discuss why you voted the way you did. Discuss the persuasive strategies you used or observed. Materials Chart paper Markers Explain “Read over your notes and vote for the team with the best position. You may not vote for your own group.” “Think about how you voted and why you voted that way. Share out your thinking.” As time allows, have students discuss what they thought of the strategies. Have students name the strategies they used or saw being used. It doesn’t matter at this point if they have the correct terms. This is not a vocabulary lesson; it is a concept lesson. Chart student-named persuasive strategies used by each group. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Persuasive Strategies
Draft Persuasive Strategies Preponderance of evidence (more expository) Firm position Audience awareness Concession and rebuttal (or counter argument) Persuasive word choice Expert testimony Inclusion of statistics Compromises or problem-solving Call to action Rhetorical questions Emotional appeal “House that Jack Built” Persuasive strategies (10 minutes) Compare the student generated list with those listed on this slide. Instead of learning abstract persuasive terms, students simply have given names to the argumentative and persuasive strategies they just used. Connect the student-named strategies used with this list. This list becomes a resource for future writes. Folder alert - Put handout (Persuasive Strategies from Document Folder) into student folder. ************************************************************************************************************************ Suggestions for English Language Learners The vocabulary issues in these strategies are very complex: it would be better to take one item or a selected few at a time. It would be overwhelming for most ELLs to be introduced to all these concepts at once. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Reflect Reread your persuasive writing from the beginning of today’s class. Think about the strategies you identified as being effective for persuasion. Which strategies did you use? What other strategies might you have used? Reflection (10 minutes) Students should record and date their reflections in their writing notebooks. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Agenda – Day 2 Share reflections Go to three corners – cell phones in school Write using strategies Share your strategies Read for conventions Discuss cell phone articles Reflect Focus for the day - introduce or refresh students’ understanding of persuasive strategies All times are approximate. Share yesterday’s reflections; connect to strategies (10 min) Three corners – cell phones in school (20 min) Write using strategies (30 min) Share your strategies (20 min) Read for conventions (10 min) Discuss cell phone articles (20 min) Reflect (10 min) Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Share Reflections Exchange yesterday’s reflections with a partner and read them. Compare strategies with your partner What did you have in common? What was different? The learning occurs in the reflection. Time away from the work from yesterday should give students new perspectives on their work. Share yesterday’s reflections; connect to strategies (10 min) ************************************************************************************************************************ Suggestions for English Language Learners During the reflection, use a koosh ball to throw to individual students, to take turns completing the following stems: I think…, I wonder…, I feel… Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Three Corners The school board has suggested that cell phones be banned from school. Select your position. Cell phones should be banned. Cell phones should not be banned. Cell phones should be used with guidelines. Take a position and move to the corner that matches how you feel. Discuss with your group how to support the position. An active learning piece, three corners provides students an additional opportunity to engage in using persuasive strategies and then evaluating the effectiveness of those strategies. (20 minutes) Read the school board statement. Have students write on a piece of paper whether they strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with the statement and why. (No consulting with their neighbors on this one—just their opinions.) Label each corner of the room as banned, not banned, not banned with guidelines. Direct students to go to corners of the room based on their responses. 5. Give students time to talk with their groups. 6. Each of the groups should choose a spokesperson. make a case to present to their classmates to persuade classmates to agree with their viewpoint. 7. Once groups are ready, each spokesperson presents the group's case to the others. Allow time afterwards for students to ask questions of each group. Optional - Close the activity by asking students to think about what they have heard and then move to a new corner if they were swayed by another group's presentation. With the new group, have students discuss why they may have been persuaded to make a move. ************************************************************************************************************************ Suggestions for English Language Learners Define the word “banned.” Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

The school board has suggested that cell phones be banned from school.
Draft The school board has suggested that cell phones be banned from school. Take a position on this issue. Using the strategies you found effective from the three-corners activity, write a multiple-paragraph letter to your school board members, persuading them to agree with your position. This is an opportunity for students to apply independently what they have already practiced with the support of a group. (30 minutes) Have students write to the prompt incorporating effective strategies they identified. You may wish to have them refer to the handout of persuasive strategies from yesterday’s lesson. Folder alert - Persuasive strategies handout is in student folders. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Share Strategies Trade papers with a partner. After reading your partner’s paper, identify and discuss the strategies that are most effective. What makes those strategies effective? Are you persuaded? What could be done to strengthen the arguments? Often, when reading someone else’s paper, students are able to decide exactly what was and was not effective. Trading papers with a partner provides students with that opportunity. (20 minutes) Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Read for conventions. Basic spelling (including homonyms) Capitalization Punctuation Periods (run-togethers), apostrophes (possessives), commas, question marks especially in rhetorical questions Subject-verb agreement, particularly number agreement with “their” (pronoun referents and verb agreement) Complete sentences Paragraphing Conventions on your own personal list in your folder Read for conventions (10 minutes) Have students focus their reading by looking for the specific conventions listed on the slide. These are mistakes in conventions that occur frequently in papers scoring a 1. If students have trouble spotting their own errors, have them partner up to help each other. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Cell Phone Articles Read the two articles written by high school students. Take out your handouts and underline and label the persuasive strategies used. Share with a partner strategies you saw being used. Identify which strategies you have also tried in your writing. This activity offers students another opportunity to look at articles using persuasive strategies. (20 minutes) Materials Two persuasive articles. See Document Folder for these articles (Cell Phone Yes, Cell Phone No, Persuasive Strategies). Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Reflect What do you need to remember from today’s lesson to be more effective on the WASL persuasive prompt? Be specific. (10 minutes) Students should record and date their reflections in their writing notebooks. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Agenda – Day 3 Define concession Take this! Take that! Look at the other side Concessions and rebuttals – your turn Focus for day - concession and rebuttal (counter argument) All times are approximate. Definition (5 minutes) Take this! Take that! (30 minutes) Look at the other side (15 min) Your turn (65 minutes) Materials Take this take that form Take this take that dialogue for teacher use Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Definition – Concession
Draft Definition – Concession Concession is when you acknowledge or recognize the opposing viewpoint, conceding something that has some merit. A reader of your essay is more likely to listen to you if you show you can see his/her point of view before you counter that argument. Go over this slide. The following activity (Take This! Take That!) will give students an opportunity to practice concession and rebuttal. (30 minutes) ************************************************************************************************************************ Suggestions for English Language Learners Simplify vocabulary for meaning of concession, so students can clearly understand the definition. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Take this! Take that! (a concession/rebuttal exercise)
Draft Take this! Take that! (a concession/rebuttal exercise) You have been asked to be on a committee to review your high school’s rules. Choose one rule that needs to be revised, added, or eliminated. Write a multiple-paragraph letter to your principal persuading him or her to adopt your recommendation. (30 minutes to include next two slides) Duplicate and distribute the Take This form in Document Folder. There is also a Take This dialogue in the Document Folder that can be read aloud as an example. First, have students quickly write down the rule they want to be revised, added, or eliminated and begin writing a persuasive essay. (about 5 minutes) Stop. ************************************************************************************************************************ Suggestions for English Language Learners Do a role-play with students prior to this activity to help them articulate and understand pro and con, and how to defend their opinions respectfully, even when different from those of other students. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Take this! Take that! Trade your paper with a partner. Acting as principal, respond to your partner’s paper with your own arguments. When you get your own paper back, counter the principal’s argument. Repeat, following the same procedure. Repeat procedure once more. Your paper, when complete, will be argument and counter-argument. This is a variation of a written argument. Tell students “Pair off and exchange your written arguments.” Emphasize that each partner must become very familiar with the other person's rule because for about 20 more minutes they will take an opposing viewpoint. Have students then engage in an argument in writing. They are to argue the issue back and forth in a paper exchange, each challenging the other's point of view. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Group Discussion Say goodbye to your partner and find two other people for a discussion. Select one paper to read aloud as a group and discuss the answers to the following questions Were the concessions and rebuttals effective? What made them effective? Were you persuaded? Why or why not? As a whole group, discuss the questions. You may have students read some examples aloud for the class if time allows. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Looking at the Other Side
Draft Looking at the Other Side When you write a good argument (as you did in Take This, Take That!), it is important to look at the other side. Here is a form to help you write a concession and counter argument. Look at this student’s sample. Conceding to an opposing point is a hallmark of good persuasive writing. Students will come to understand the concept of concession. (15 minutes including the next three slides) Show sample of student planning on the next slide. This example is from the “change a rule” prompt. Go over model with students. Later you will complete a blank planner with students (Concession form in Document Folder). Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft This is a student example of the form already filled out. There is a blank copy of this form in the Document Folder if your students need more practice. The counter argument frequently takes the form of problem solving. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Transitional Phrases for Looking at the Other Side
Draft Transitional Phrases for Looking at the Other Side It is true that…however…therefore… Certainly…but…in short… Admittedly…on the other hand…so… Of course…nevertheless…as a result… Obviously…on the contrary…finally… Sure…however…in addition… There are certain transition patterns that signal concession and rebuttal or counter argument. Those patterns are on this slide. These are powerful transition patterns for conceding and rebutting. However, they should not become formulaic by being prescribed. Examples of WASL papers using these and similar transitions can be found in the Document Folder. Duplicate and distribute to students Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Concessions from WASL Example 1 It is true that students should not have headphones on when their teachers are giving a lesson. Students should not be allowed to block out their teachers. However, when every member of the class is working individually after important information has been given, listening to music can be a helpful learning tool. It would create a more relaxing, calm environment for learning. Some students can concentrate more while listening to music. As a result grades could go up and it would definitely make school more enjoyable. Therefore, our school should allow headphones in the classroom. Notice the transitional phrases from the previous slide (underlined here). ************************************************************************************************************************ Suggestions for English Language Learners Use “ignore” as a synonym for “block out” Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Concessions from WASL Example 2 Certainly, some students abuse the absentee policy and lie about being sick. They usually try to get out of school for one reason or the other. But the majority of students stay home because they are sick. When a student is sick, he should be focusing on getting better, not worrying about missing classes and grades. Also when a student comes to school when he is sick because he doesn’t want to lose credits, he is not helping himself. Chances are he'll have trouble concentrating and won't learn anything. In fact, he will probably be spreading germs to other students. The bottom line is a student has no control over when he is going to get sick. It would be better for everyone if excused absences were dismissed. Notice that this author chose to use different transitional phrases than we saw on the earlier slide. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Concession – Your Turn Look at your arguments from your Take This! Take That! activity. Fill in the blank Concessions/Rebuttal Form using the information from Take This! Take That! making revisions as needed. Include your arguments in a multiple-paragraph letter convincing your principal to your position. Include concessions and rebuttals. (65 minutes) Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Agenda – Day 4 Read for conventions Reflect from yesterday Organize your argument Order of importance The House that Jack Built Reflect Focus for day - organization in persuasive writing All times are approximate. Read for conventions (15 minutes) Reflect from yesterday (15 minutes) How to Organize Your Argument (75 min) Order of Importance The House That Jack Built Reflect (15 min) Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Read for conventions. Basic spelling (including homonyms) Capitalization Punctuation Periods (run-togethers), apostrophes (possessives), commas, question marks especially in rhetorical questions Subject-verb agreement, particularly number agreement with “their” (pronoun referents and verb agreement) Complete sentences Paragraphing Conventions on your own personal list in your folder Read for conventions (15 minutes) Read yesterday’s paper for conventions. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Reflect What did you learn yesterday that you need to remember? Review your goals (check goal form in your folder). Change goals as necessary and include persuasive strategies. (15 minutes) Students should record and date their reflections in their writing notebooks. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Some Ways to Organize Your Persuasion
Draft Some Ways to Organize Your Persuasion Order of Importance “The House that Jack Built” Effectively organizing persuasive writing is a challenge for many writers. These two strategies are presented to provide students with a repertoire of strategies that work for many different purposes and audiences for persuasive writing. (75 minutes) Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Order of Importance Look at the prompt on the next slide. List arguments on one side or the other. Try organizing the arguments two ways From most important to least important. From least important to most important. Which one seems to be the best fit for your audience? Why? Organize - Order of importance This strategy is one that students have already learned to use in expository writing. They should be comfortable with it. Knowing that one strategy can be used for either type of writing should empower many students. One of the things we need students to do is to think about both audience and purpose in relation to ideas. By organizing in 2 different ways, they begin to understand the power of organization and that there are choices that influence the power of their words. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Persuasive Prompt Recently, a citizen’s group proposed a change to the rules for obtaining a driver’s license. The group has proposed that high school students have at least a “B” average in order to get a driver’s license. Take a position on this proposal. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper to persuade voters to agree with your position. Students should List arguments on one side or the other. Try organizing the arguments two ways From most important to least important. From least important to most important. Which one seems to be the best fit for your audience? Why? ************************************************************************************************************************ Suggestions for English Language Learners First ask students to draw a line down the middle of a paper, vertically, and label one column “pro” and one column “con”—use as a graphic organizer Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Remember this nursery rhyme?
Draft Remember this nursery rhyme? This is the house that Jack built. This is the malt That lay in the house that Jack built. This is the rat That ate the malt This is the cat That killed the rat That lay in the house that Jack built… Another organizational strategy is “The House That Jack Built.” If students do not know this nursery rhyme, point out how one thing leads to another in this rhyme. The following slides should help them understand this strategy a little better. ************************************************************************************************************************ Suggestions for English Language Learners Explain to students that malt is a type of grain, such as barley, that has been processed through softening to prepare to use in beverage production. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

The House that Jack Built as an Effective Organizational Strategy
Draft The House that Jack Built as an Effective Organizational Strategy Basically, this is about a ballooning cause and effect. Event A causes event B, which in turn causes event C, etc. This organizational strategy may be used for an entire essay or just a portion of it. Talk through slide. One way to describe this is a causal chain. ************************************************************************************************************************ Suggestions for English Language Learners Use a graphic organizer for cause and effect to practice with students as an organizer for this persuasive strategy. (See Appendix: Graphic Organizers) Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

If you give a mouse a cookie, He’s going to ask for a glass of milk.
Draft If you give a mouse a cookie, He’s going to ask for a glass of milk. He’ll probably ask you for a straw. When you give him the milk, These are the first few lines of the picture book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff. It shows how one thing leads to another. This is the idea behind this organizational strategy. Challenge your students to examine the organizational strategy the author is using. Stop after these five actions and have students continue the sequence and finish the book. When he’s finished, he’ll ask for a napkin. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

The House that Jack Built as a Persuasive Strategy
Draft The House that Jack Built as a Persuasive Strategy Look at a WASL sample using this strategy. The sample paper is from the 2002 WASL. The writer utilizes The House That Jack Built technique in two separate places, highlighted in yellow. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft To the school board, It is 5:45 a.m. Time to get up. “Mom, just a little longer,” I beg. 6 o’clock rolls around, time to get up. “OK Mom, I am getting up,” I say as my eyes drift back shut. It is now 6:25 and I spring up out of bed and try to get ready in time to leave at 7:00. Skipping breakfast, a mistake I will regret later, this is my typical morning. So, as a high school student I know the concerns that people have expressed about the starting time for school. School starts too early and I agree it should be started later and held an equal time longer. For me school starts at 7:30, which means I need to leave my house at 7:00 or 7:05. But for other students who ride the bus they must be ready far earlier than that. I see people half asleep standing outside waiting for that big yellow bus to take them to a long, tiring day at school. I think if school started later it would put many people at ease. Even if you get that extra 1/2 an hour of sleep it can do wonders. You won’t be tired for that first period test, you won’t have to take that nap 2nd period and miss your history notes, You won’t miss breakfast and have to spend class time counting down the minutes to lunch. Many things would be so much better if school started later… In other words getting up too early makes you tired, which makes it hard to take the test, which causes you to nap and miss your notes, which causes you not to pay attention because you are hungry because you missed breakfast. The final paragraph explains the chain that was used here. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Here is an actual newspaper letter to the editor. Have students find the House that Jack Built strategy in this letter. (See next to last paragraph.) Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Try it – The House that Jack Built
Draft Try it – The House that Jack Built Remember this prompt? Recently, a citizen’s group proposed a change to the rules for obtaining a driver’s license. The group has proposed that high school students have at least a “B” average in order to get a driver’s license. Take a position on this proposal. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper to persuade voters to agree with your position. Write an argument using the House that Jack Built organizational strategy. As students work, roam the room to see how students are doing with this strategy. If you see a need, help students play with ideas. The writing sample seen earlier is a good reference point for this strategy so make copies if you feel it will benefit students. See Document Folder (House that Jack Built WASL sample). Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Read for conventions. Basic spelling (including homonyms) Capitalization Punctuation Periods (run-togethers), apostrophes (possessives), commas, question marks especially in rhetorical questions Subject-verb agreement, particularly number agreement with “their” (pronoun referents and verb agreement) Complete sentences Paragraphing Conventions on your own personal list in your folder Read for conventions (15 minutes) Students should first read their own papers for conventions. Then have students share their writing in groups and select one from each group to share with the class. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Reflect Imagine that you are coaching a 7th grader who is having trouble writing to the persuasive prompt of the WASL. Considering the strategies that worked for you this week, what should you be sure to tell the student to include? What should he or she avoid? From your point of view, what can you tell the student about good persuasive writing? (15 minutes) Students should record and date their reflections in their writing notebooks. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Agenda – Day 5 Write to WASL persuasive prompt Read for conventions Reflect Focus - on-demand writing All times are approximate. WASL persuasive prompt (100 min) Read for Conventions (10 min) Reflect - (10 minutes) Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Write On-Demand Some nutritionists think the snack offerings at your school are terrible. Because of this, parents are asking the principal to remove all soda pop and candy machines. Take a position on this proposal. Write a multiple-paragraph letter to your principal to persuade him or her to agree with your position. Use the WASL Persuasive Checklist and Persuasive Strategies handout. You may use a dictionary and/or a thesaurus in print form. WASL persuasive prompt (100 min) 2004 prompt For all on-demand writing, students should have as much time as they need. All on-demand writing should emulate a WASL situation which is normally a minimum of 2 hours. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Remember Use what you’ve already learned about choosing a topic, narrowing a topic, organizing for persuasion, elaborating your ideas, persuasive strategies, organizational strategies (Don’t forget the House that Jack Built), checking for conventions. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Read for conventions. Basic spelling (including homonyms) Capitalization Punctuation Periods (run-togethers), apostrophes (possessives), commas, question marks especially in rhetorical questions Subject-verb agreement, particularly number agreement with “their” (pronoun referents and verb agreement) Complete sentences Paragraphing Conventions on your own personal list in your folder Read for conventions (10 minutes) Have students focus their reading by looking for the specific conventions listed on the slide. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Final Reflection for the Week
Draft Final Reflection for the Week Today you experienced writing in a testing situation. What different persuasive strategies did you try? What goals do you still need to work on? Reflection (10 minutes) Students should record and date their reflections in their writing notebooks. Folder alert - Students should refer to goal forms in their folders. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Draft Feedback, please We welcome your comments. Please feel free to try these lessons and send feedback to Nikki Elliott-Schuman at We appreciate your labeling the subject line as Feedback: OSPI Instructional Support Materials. This slide is NOT for students. Copyright 2006 Washington OSPI All rights reserved.

Persuasive Writing – Week 3

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Persuasive Writing – Week 3

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Presentation on theme: "Persuasive Writing – Week 3"— Presentation transcript:

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About project

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