PERSUASION
TODAY’S CLASS
• Warm-Up: Ethicist Response (7 minutes)
• Power Point on Persuasive Writing and
Corresponding Graphic Organizer (10 minutes)
• Group Assignment (15 minutes)
• Independent Pre-Writing (15 minutes)
• Critiquing Worksheet (10 minutes)
ETHICIST RESPONSE
TAKE 7 MINUTES TO RESPOND
“I’m a social worker in the adoption field. A woman
who surrendered her infant decades ago asked me
for information about the child, and I gave her as
much as I legally could, which is not very much. (New
York is a closed-records state.) Two days later, I
picked up a magazine with an article about
someone I recognized as this woman’s child; the
article mentioned the birth name, which was given
by the woman I spoke to. What can I do? The birth
mother knows what she named her child but may
never read this particular article. I would never reveal
confidential identities, but does pointing her toward a
published piece carry the same weight?”
-Be sure to support your response with “WHY”!
PERSUASIVE WRITING
*Use these key ideas to fill in your graphic organizers*
• The purpose of writing a persuasive essay is:
“to express your opinion and to convince
others to agree with you and possibly to take
some action.” (stated on page 320)
• You should write to persuade your audience about
an issue that concerns you, or is important to you.
• This is YOUR topic! Choose something that matters to
you and will be interesting to write.
THE PERSUASIVE ESSAY
Standards for writing a successful essay:
1. The essay must state the issue and your
position on the issue clearly in the introduction.
Do not be wishy-washy, take one side and
stick to it.
2. The essay must also be focused on the
audience you are writing to. (Mrs. Johnson)
Keep in mind who you are trying to persuade.
3. Your position MUST be supported with
evidence! Use facts, examples, etc.
THE PERSUASIVE ESSAY
More standards…
4. You should attempt to answer any possible
arguments against your claim. Recognize the
opposing side, and address the argument.
5. Show clear reasoning behind your argument.
Your argument has to make sense!
6. Conclude your essay with a final summary of
your position on the issue, and possibly a “call
to action.” What do you plan on doing to
promote your cause? What can others (the
audience) do?
PERSUASIVE ESSAY PYRAMID
{
Body{
Conclusion{
Introduction
STUDENT GROUPS (4 PER GROUP)
• Get into your group within 1 minute as I pass out the
worksheet for today’s activity
GROUP ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS
1. We will view the video clip as a class, and
then you will read a follow-up article
independently.
2. Spend a moment reflecting as a group
before you read. Determine who in your
group supports the students in the video,
and who in your group supports the
school’s administration.
“STUDENTS SENT HOME FOR WEARING
AMERICAN FLAG SHIRTS”
• This is a video clip of the news coverage of a
controversial issue that took place in a California
high school when students wore clothing covered in
American flags and red, white, and blue to school
on Cinco de Mayo. The Hispanic population of the
school responded with anger, and the
administrators asked the students to leave school
for the day.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dukMrL_MBGs
REFLECTION ON VIDEO
• How do you feel about the clip?
• Do you think the students were right in
fighting to express their freedom of speech?
• Was the school’s administration right in
attempting to prevent violence in the
school?
• These students sued their school district on
the claim that their freedom of speech and
expression was violated that day. How do
you predict the case was ruled in court?
GROUP INSTRUCTIONS
1. Read the article provided independently to
discover the outcome of this court case.
2. Discuss the controversy with your group members.
3. Spend the next 10 minutes working together to fill
out the worksheet based on your group discussion.
Provide an argument for each side of the issue,
even if every member of your group is on the
same side. Persuade your peers to agree with your
position on the issue. Support your claims.
4. Every student in the group should be filling out a
worksheet. You will be turning these in after the
activity.
DISCUSSION
• How did your group react to this
controversy?
• Did you find that your group agreed or
disagreed with the outcome of the case?
• If you were the administrators at this school,
how would you have handled the situation
differently, or would you have taken the
same course of action?
PRE-WRITING
• Now that we have gone over the key points of
persuasive writing, and in your groups you have
begun to develop your persuasive attitudes, we will
begin pre-writing for the persuasive essay you will
be writing.
• Fill out the pre-writing worksheet using the pyramid
structure discussed: Introduction, Body, Conclusion.
• Be sure to come up with a strong persuasive topic
first. Be sure to determine both your concern/issue,
AND your position on it before moving forward with
the worksheet.
CLOSURE:
EXAMINING A SAMPLE ESSAY
• Based on your knowledge of the components of a
persuasive essay, you will evaluate the following
sample essay and determine whether or not you
feel it is well written, or if it needs improvement, and
in what areas.
Directions:
• Read through the short essay and fill out the
critiquing worksheet. Turn in the worksheet before
the end of the class period.
SOURCES
• Applebee, Arthur N. The Language of Literature. American
Literature. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 2000. Print.
• Klosterman, Chuck. “The Ethicist: Mother-and-Child Reunion.” The
New York Times. Nov 2012. Web. Retrieved Dec 2012 from:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/18/magazine/mother-andchild-reunion.html?ref=theethicist
• “Why People Should Read Books.” Academic Help: Persuasive
Essay Sample. 2011-2012. Web. Retrieved Dec 2012 from:
http://academichelp.net/samples/essays/persuasive/peopleread-books.html
• Strauss, Valerie. “Court: School can ban American flag shirts on
Cinco de Mayo.” The Washington Post: The Answer Sheet. Nov
2011. Web. Retrieved Dec 2012 from:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/courtschool-can-ban-american-flag-shirts-on-cinco-demayo/2011/11/12/gIQABiZ0HN_blog.html
• “Students Sent Home for Wearing American Flag Shirts.” [Video].
(2010). Retrieved Dec 2012 from:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dukMrL_MBGs