Guidelines for a Persuasive Paper
Joseph Mark Warner
Objectives:
NCSCS- 8th grade.
Competency Goal 3: The learner will
continue to refine the understanding and use of argument.
3.03
Create arguments that persuade by:
. engaging
the audience by establishing a context, creating a persona, and
otherwise developing interest.
. developing
a controlling idea that makes a clear and knowledgeable
judgement.
. arranging
details, reason, and examples effectively and persuasively.
. anticipating and addressing reader/listener concerns and counter-arguments.
NCTE- 6th grade, 7th
grade, and 8th grade.
Standard #4: Students adjust their
use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style,
vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for
different purposes.
Purpose:
Persuasive writing that is well
written has the ability to change the opinion of the reader in many cases. Even
if it does not change the reader’s mind, it will help the reader to see a
different side of the issue.
When to teach:
This course deals with
argumentative writing. Because the children will not likely use this early in
the year, I would like to teach this about the second or third month of school.
Script:
Good morning! What is persuasive writing?
(Wait for responses-responses will vary from excellent to vague) It is how you
write when you want to change another person’s position on a particular matter.
What do you think are the elements for a piece of persuasive writing? (Wait.)
The parts of a good piece of persuasive writing are strong thesis, your own
persona, pros, cons, strong organization, and very good detail. (Put these on
an overhead.) The thesis is what sets up the argument because it is an opinion
statement about the cause one is arguing (I believe the Holocaust could have
been prevented with stronger preventative action by the allies in the
1930s-show the students that this is the thesis.) One must put oneself into the
argument for the argument to have validity. (This is what “I” am claiming to be
true or the right course of action.) By listing the pros and cons of your
argument, you are able to disarm the opposition arguments by the
acknowledgement. The argument must be well organized so that the reader is able
to understand the logic. Finally, detail, detail, detail is very important. A
helpful tool to use when writing a persuasive paper is a graphic organizer. The
graphic organizer should include:
1.
Who my audience is.
2.
My Goal.
3.
Reasons for my point of view.
4.
Reasons against my point of view.
5.
A list of the reasons I will support and the details
This type
of organizer will help the writer to stay focused on the argument and present
the article in a logical manner.
Closure:
I would like each of you to read a piece of persuasive writing-“Letters from a Birmingham Jail” by M. L. King, JR. I would like you to list the reasons that you think this writing is persuasive, write a short paragraph on the paper, and be prepared to debate one side or the other
Materials:
Time for
Lesson:
25 minutes.
Resources:
http://www.uvm.edu;~tfulwile/eng1/Guidelines.html
http://wty.jhu.edu/writing/samples/level4.html
http://lchs.ccaonline.com/studentresources/writeonlchs/page8.htm
“Letters
from a Birmingham Jail”, by M. L. King, Jr.