Persuasive Essay
What is 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.
 In order to convince the reader, you need
more than an opinion; you need FACTS or
EXAMPLES to support your opinion. DO
THE RESEARCH!
Persuasive Essay Topics
①
②
③
④
⑤
⑥
⑦
⑧
Should your school require uniforms?
Does watching too much TV have a negative impact on kids?
Should homework be eliminated?
Should smoking be illegal?
Should animal testing for scientific research be illegal?
Do violent video games have a negative impact on kids?
Should the death penalty be legal?
Should wearing a helmet be a law for all snowboarders, skateboarders,
rollerbladers, and bicycle riders?
⑨ Are professional athletes paid too much money?
⑩ Should all schools be year-round schools?
Requirements
For the Persuasive Unit, you will be
required to:
Write a four-paragraph essay
Persuasive Writing
o Each persuasive essay will need to address the argument and
the counterargument.
o Argument: a reason or set of reasons given to support
your opinion
o Example: The novel To Kill a Mockingbird should be
banned in schools for the numerous violent scenes.
o Counterargument: reason or set of reasons given
against your opinion
o Example: One might think that To Kill a Mockingbird
should not be banned because it teaches students an
important life lesson.
o Rebuttal: to provide evidence that refutes the
counterargument
o Example: However, there are many alternate ways for
students to learn this valuable life lesson.
Your Turn…..
o Choose a side: Athletic sports should be removed in schools.
o ARGUMENT:
o COUNTERARGUMENT:
o REBUTTAL:
Prewrite - First Due Date
 Your first due date is TUESDAY, April 12th
 You need to come to class with:
Your topic chosen
Prewrite complete:
Two strong arguments FOR your topic
(include research if that will emphasize
your point)
One strong argument OPPOSED to your
topic (might need to include research if
that helps you to argue against this
point)
Writing the Persuasive Essay
INTRODUCTION
BODY (JUSTIFY YOUR POSITION)
BODY (ADDDRESS THE
COUNTERARGUMENT)
CONCLUSION
Paragraph #1: Introduction
HOOK
 Start with a HOOK to catch the reader’s attention.
 Possible HOOKS:
 Unusual Detail: Manitoba, because of its cold
climate, is not thought of as a great place to be a
reptile. Actually, it has the largest amount of
garter snakes in the world!
 Strong Statement
 Quotation
 Anecdote (story)
 Statistic or Fact
 Question
Paragraph #1: Introduction (cont’d.)
Briefly describe your topic. (**DO NOT
give away your argument!!!)
Your thesis statement should:
Tell the reader the topic of your essay
Give your opinion on the topic
Give one reason you feel this way
Paragraph #2: Body Paragraph
SUPPORT YOUR OPINION
Begin with a topic sentence that
supports your thesis
#1 strongest argument of why you
support this topic.
Support your position with facts,
statistics, or research (CD)
2 commentary sentences that
demonstrates thoughtful insight.
End with a concluding sentence
Paragraph #3: Body Paragraph
COUNTERARGUMENT
Begin with a thoughtful topic sentence
Discuss the strongest argument
AGAINST your opinion
Express your opinion about this
argument (rebuttal)
Concluding sentence
Counterargument Starters
o
o
o
o
o
One might object that . . . .
It might seem that . . . .
Admittedly . . . .
Of course . . . .
However, but, yet, nevertheless, still
Counterargument/Rebuttal Example
o Athletic sports should NOT be removed from
schools.
o COUNTGERARGUMENT:
One might object that athletic sports in school results in the
students missing too much class time and missing important
lessons. However, students actually end up learning the
importance of responsibility because they must make an
appointment with their teacher in order to make up the missed
assignments and receive one-on-one tutoring. Students are
required to make up the missing work because they must
maintain a certain grade point average in order to participate in
school athletics.
Paragraph #4: Conclusion
Reconnect to your hook
Restate thesis statement using new
vocabulary
Summary of body paragraph #1
Suggest how the problem/issue could
be solved. Ask for the reader’s support.