Writing the Persuasive Essay
Composition
Skill Focus
Levels of Thinking
Remember
Understand
Apply
Close Reading
Grammar
Analyze
Evaluate
Create
Composition
Types (modes)
Persuasive (argumentation)
challenge
claim
counterargument
deductive/inductive
reasoning
defend
persuasive appeals
emotional
ethical
logical
qualify
refutation
The Process of Composition
Prewriting
consideration of audience
determination of purpose
generation of ideas
organization of ideas
selection of topic
Drafting
extended time
timed
Structural Elements
Introduction
thesis
Body
use of evidence
Conclusion
Organization
Patterns (spatial, order of
importance, chronological,
etc.)
Transitions
Materials and Resources
• Internet advertisement for SafeTrak
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Teacher Overview—Writing the Persuasive Essay
Lesson Introduction/Overview
This lesson focuses on how to prepare students to write a persuasive essay. As part of the
lesson, students read an internet ad on the topic of the prompt. Activities that follow include
brainstorming and writing thesis statements and an introduction. Teachers should spend some
time with students examining the sample essay—the kind of evidence used to support the thesis,
the organization, the use of appeals and other devices of persuasive writing. Students should then
write their own essays using the template. The self-evaluation, using the chart from Activity
Seven, teaches students to look at their own writing like they would a published piece,
reinforcing the idea that they should strive to create the most polished, professional writing that
they can.
Though the activity is not included as part of this lesson, the opportunity for revision and
rewriting should be made available to students once they have evaluated their essays.
Definitions and Examples
A list of terms used in argument should be made available to students. (This list is
included in the rhetorical analysis lesson).
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Writing the Persuasive Essay
Composition
Today, advanced technology provides parents opportunities to monitor their teenaged children’s
whereabouts more easily and more accurately than ever before. The SafeTrak Teen Driver
Tracking System (see ad on the following page) is only one of several commercial products that
can enable parents not only to locate their teenaged drivers at any given time, but to track where
they have been, where they are going, and how fast they are driving. Because systems like
SafeTrak are so successfully marketed at affordable rates, more and more parents are attracted to
the information such a system can provide. Is this an invasion of privacy?
Consider both sides of this question. Then write an essay in which you defend or challenge
parents’ use of the available technology to monitor their teenaged drivers. Support your position
with evidence from your own experience, observations, and readings.
Activity One: Understanding the Prompt
1. What is the subject of the paragraph and prompt?
2. What are the tasks of the prompt?
3. Where will the evidence for support come from?
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Student Activity—Writing the Persuasive Essay
Activity Two: Read the following advertisement for a GPS tracking system marketed to parents
for the purpose of tracking their teens’ movements in a vehicle. Then answer the questions that
follow.
SafeTrak - Teen Driver Tracking
For Your Peace of Mind
SafeTrak is a real-time web based system utilizing GPS Technology and your web browser.
The GPS System is reasonably priced with a low flat monthly fee and no term contract, is
simple to install and will automatically update according to the service plan (see service
plans options below) that best suits your requirements. There are no additional charges for
reports, web access, e-mail alerts, etc. One low monthly fee allows you unlimited use of
everything the GPS Vehicle Tracking System provides. There is no cost for mapping and no
software required. Mapping is updated every 6 months and software is constantly improved
at no additional cost to you. SafeTrak GPS System provides fast, easy access to key
information such as where your teen is, where they're going, where they have been, and
how fast they're driving. The Teen Driver Tracking Device is easy to install and maintain.
The SafeTrak unit and antenna can both be easily concealed for covert operation.
As a parent, would you feel more secure knowing where your young driver's car is when
they are ...
•
•
•
•
•
•
not home at a designated time?
sleeping over at a friend's house?
out on a date?
out with their friends?
not answering their cell-phone?
driving to college?
What thoughts go through your mind?
•
•
•
•
Have they had an accident?
Should I call all their friends?
Should I call the hospitals?
Should I call the police?
How many times have you gone through this situation yourself? Have you called friend
after friend, only to have your son or daughter rattle off an excuse that “I forgot the time”
or “my cell battery was low” or “I told you where I was, honestly, don't you remember?”
With SafeTrak Teen Driver Tracking System, you no longer need to worry!
Questions for consideration:
1. What specific ideas are included in the ad that would support one side of the argument?
2. What points could you use to counter the ones presented in the ad?
Reprinted from http://www.gpstechnologies.net/products/safetrak.asp. GPS Technologies. Permission pending.
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Student Activity—Writing the Persuasive Essay
Activity Three: Brainstorming Ideas for Addressing the Tasks
Fill out the chart to help you evaluate both sides of the argument and to develop ideas for
supporting those points.
Reasons Parents
should use a Teen
tracking system
Teen driving can be
dangerous
Evidence to support
reason
Fact/Statistic: more
than 5,000 teen
drivers die in
accidents every year
Type of appeal
logical and emotional
Reasons Parents
shouldn’t use a Teen
tracking system
tracking device may
not keep teens from
being distracted as
they drive
Evidence to support
reason
Fact/statistic: Thirty
percent of all car
crashes in the US
involve distraction,
such as textmessaging or talking
on a cell phone
Type of appeal
logical
Evidence to support
reason
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Student Activity—Writing the Persuasive Essay
Activity Four: Writing the Thesis Statement
What is the topic?
Make a general statement about it.
Now write a thesis statement in which you take a position you will defend with appropriate
evidence.
o Look at the pre-writing you have done.
o What is your position on the topic?
o Remember that the task demands that you examine both sides of the issue and
evaluate the pros and cons.
(I believe that) Parents should
(Write your position: for or against.)
because
(Give a GENERAL statement of your reasons.)
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Student Activity—Writing the Persuasive Essay
Activity Five: Writing the Introduction
The introduction to the essay is your opportunity to capture the reader’s attention, to give some
general information about the subject, and to provide the “road map” for your essay—the thesis
statement.
Here are some strategies that you might use to begin your introductory paragraph. You can begin
your paragraph with:
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
ƒ
a quotation that deals with the “big idea” of your paper
a concession
a short anecdote or summary of a story that proves your point
an interesting fact or statistic
a question or several questions that will be answered in the paper
relevant background material
an analogy
a definition of a term or idea that is important to your essay
1. What kind of introduction strategy (from the choices above) might you use to begin this
essay?
2. Choose one and write a “trial” introduction. You may want to revise or change this once
you’ve written your essay. You should end the introduction with your thesis statement.
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Student Activity—Writing the Persuasive Essay
Activity Six: Writing the Persuasive Essay
Below is a sample persuasive essay, based on the prompt in the box. Read over it and think about
how the essay is organized and what kinds of strategies are used to defend the claim, which is
made in the thesis statement.
Rolling Stone Magazine created a list of the 100 greatest musical artists of all time. The Beatles
were ranked number 1 on the list. Write an essay in which you defend or challenge the Rolling
Stone ranking.
Introduction: A sentence or two of general information about the topic. Finish this paragraph
with your Thesis Statement (the claim* that you will defend in the essay).
Music is the universal language. It seems to speak to everyone, but different styles,
songs, and artists appeal to different people. So the idea of claiming one musical artist is the
greatest of all time might be difficult to accept. However, because of their popularity and the
statistics surrounding their music, it is easy to claim, as Rolling Stone does, that The Beatles are
the greatest musical act of all time.*
Body paragraph 1: (Should include a topic sentence)
Topic sentence (which includes a concession/counterargument): I recognize that there have
been artists such as Michael Jackson or Pink Floyd, whose individual albums have outperformed The Beatles. However, I must point out that, when looking at the entire scope of their
career, number one records and album sales still indicate the dominance of The Beatles as the
number one rock band of all time.
Evidence 1 to support claim: The Beatles have sold over 500 million albums, with fifteen of
the 100 best-selling songs and seven of the 100 best-selling albums to their credit. They have
also had 20 number 1 hits. Their Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band, which has sold
over 30 million copies, was ranked as the best album of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine.
(Bold indicates the claim. Shaded areas are the evidence that supports the claim. The boxed
words are the beginnings of the concession and counterargument. )
Explanation of how evidence 1 supports claim: Song and album sales are a way to track the
popularity, and therefore the greatness, of a recording artist.
Transition to next idea: Not only did The Beatles succeed as a group,
Evidence 2 to support claim: the individual members of The Beatles were successful in their
own solo careers as well, with three of the four members having an album reach number one on
the music charts. For example, John Lennon had three number 1 albums and over 15 million
records sold. Paul McCartney’s career is still going strong, with his 2007 album charting at
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Student Activity—Writing the Persuasive Essay
number 3 in its first week. George Harrison and Ringo Starr have also been successful solo
artists.
Explanation of how evidence 2 supports claim: The success of solo careers indicates that each
member was talented and popular, so that, when they were together, that talent was even
stronger.
(Note: This paragraph uses facts/statistics as evidence to support the claim.)
Body paragraph 2: (changing the type of evidence, so we begin a new paragraph)
Transition to the next paragraph (which includes concession/counterargument): While it is
true that occasionally a substandard recording artist may hit it big on the charts, we must also
understand that it takes real talent to produce longevity in any kind of career that depends on
public opinion.
Evidence 3 to support claim: The Beatles’ music is still bought and played today. Sgt. Pepper
hit number 3 on the music charts in 1987, thirty years after it was released. The album 1, a
collection of their number 1 hits, sold 10 million copies in 2000 and 2001. As stated earlier,
Paul McCartney had a successful album released in 2007. His concerts are attended by people
whose ages range from pre-teens to septuagenarians. My own son asked for tickets to see a Paul
McCartney concert for his thirteenth birthday, three years ago.
Explanation of how evidence 3 supports claim: The fact that their music is still being bought
and listened to more than thirty years after their breakup indicates the staying power of the band,
another indicator of their brilliance.
(Note: This paragraph uses examples to support the claim.)
Conclusion: One of John Lennon’s lyrics stated that “all you need is love.” Amazing statistics
and the fact that their music is still in demand combine to demonstrate that the music-listening
public has all the “love” The Beatles “need” to make them the greatest band ever.
(This conclusion illustrates a main idea using a quotation.)
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Student Activity—Writing the Persuasive Essay
Template for Writing the Persuasive Essay
Introduction: Use the trial introduction you wrote that includes a thesis sentence.
Body paragraph 1: (Should include a topic sentence)
Topic sentence (which may include a concession/counterargument):
Evidence 1 to support claim:
Explanation of how evidence 1 supports claim:
Transition to next idea:
Evidence 2 to support claim (This should be the same type of evidence.):
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Student Activity—Writing the Persuasive Essay
Explanation of how evidence 1 supports claim:
Complete this statement; however, this sentence is NOT included in your paper:
This paragraph uses
as evidence to support the claim.
Body paragraph 2: (If you change the type of evidence, you begin a new paragraph.)
Transition to the next paragraph (which may include Concession/counterargument):
Topic sentence:
Evidence 3 to support claim:
Explanation of how evidence 3 supports claim:
Evidence 4 to support claim (if you have another piece of evidence):
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Student Activity—Writing the Persuasive Essay
Explanation of how evidence 4 supports claim:
Complete this statement; however, this sentence is NOT included in your paper:
This paragraph uses
as evidence to support the claim.
Conclusion: Use one of the strategies from below.
Conclusion strategies:
• Ask a pertinent question
• Illustrate a main point with a quotation
• Present a vivid and memorable image
• Provide an accurate and useful analogy
• Offer a final illustration
• Dismiss an opposing idea
• Predict future consequences
• Call for further action
• Return to a scene or anecdote from the introduction
Complete this statement; however, this sentence is NOT included in your paper:
The conclusion uses
strategy to provide a strong ending
for the essay.
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Student Activity—Writing the Persuasive Essay
Activity Seven: Evaluating Your Argument.
These are the same questions you have answered when evaluating other pieces of persuasive
texts. One of your goals should be to make your persuasive writing as polished and professional
as possible. So, treating your persuasive essay like a piece of published work, you will evaluate
your own argument by answering the following questions. Use the text from your essay to
complete the “textual evidence” column.
Questions to evaluate the
argument
What is the writer’s/speaker’s
purpose?
Textual evidence
Answer
What does he/she
hope to accomplish?
Who is the audience?
What assumptions about the
audience does the
writer/speaker make?
What authority does the
writer/speaker have that makes
him/her credible?
What claims does the
writer/speaker make?
What issues are addressed or
ignored?
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