Persuasive Essay
Introduction
A Writer’s Checklist
Choosing an issue
Writing your opinion statement
Considering your audience
Supporting your point of view
Concluding your persuasive essay
A Writer’s Model
Your Turn: Writing a persuasive essay
Introduction
What is your opinion about
how long your school year should be?
requiring students to do volunteer work?
whether music downloaded from the Internet
should be free?
Each of these issues could be the subject of a powerful
persuasive essay.
Introduction
Your words can make things happen! Persuasive writing
is about convincing readers to believe as you do about
an issue that is important to you.
Not only can you change readers’ minds, you can
influence them to take action and make the world a
better place.
A Writer’s Checklist
When you write a persuasive essay, you should
 Choose an issue about which you feel strongly.
 Write an opinion statement, or thesis, that tells
your point of view on the issue.
 Consider your audience. Think about who you are
trying to persuade and how to influence that person
or group.
 Support your opinion statement with strong reasons
and solid evidence.
 Conclude your essay with a summary of your
reasons and a powerful call to action.
Choosing an issue
What will you write about? Find an issue by
• brainstorming topics that are important to you
• watching the news on television or reading news
items in an online newspaper
• finishing the sentence “If I could change anything
about the world, it would be ________ .”
A good issue is one about which people
disagree and about which you and other
people have strong feelings.
Choosing an issue
Isaac created this chart to evaluate the issue for his
persuasive essay.
Issue
Is this an issue about
which people disagree?
Do I feel strongly
about it? Why?
Can I make this
topic interesting
to others?
Licensing pets
Yes. Some people who own
pets would not want to pay for
licenses.
Yes! Licensing pets is a good
idea because it’s in the best
interest of the owners and
their pets.
Yes. I can explain to them how
the issue affects pet owners
and non-pet owners alike.
Writing your opinion statement
Once you have chosen an issue, write an opinion
statement.
An opinion statement, or thesis, tells both your issue
and your point of view on it.
Issue: Licensing pets
+ Point of view: Pets should be licensed
Opinion statement: Licensing pets has benefits
for both you and your pets.
Considering your audience
Next, consider your audience. Whom do you want to
persuade? What do those people care about?
Most issues affect more than one group of people. To
identify the audience for your essay, ask yourself,
“Who is interested in this issue?”
Identify at least two groups
who might care about your
issue.
Decide which group you want
to write for.
Considering your audience
Isaac identified two groups.
People who own pets would find this issue
important. People who are concerned about
animal welfare may also be interested.
Then he decided which group to address.
I want to convince pet owners, because they
are the ones who would have to pay for the
licenses.
Considering your audience
Now analyze your audience so that you can choose
the reasons and evidence that will make the biggest
impact on this specific group of people.
What type of people make up my audience?
What is important to this audience?
How does this group feel about my issue?
Why might people in this group disagree with me?
Considering your audience
Isaac created a chart to analyze his audience.
What type of
people make up
my audience?
What is important
to this audience?
How does this
group feel about
my issue?
Why might people
in this group
disagree with me?
pet owners
their pets
Many of them probably won’t
want to get their pets licensed.
They won’t want the bother and
expense of licensing their pets.
Supporting your point of view
In a persuasive essay, you must support your
opinion with solid reasons and evidence. This builds
a convincing argument with which to persuade readers.
issue
reason
evidence
reason
evidence
evidence
reason
evidence
Supporting your point of view
Reasons tell why you hold your point of view about an
issue. The reasons you give must make sense if they
are to persuade your reader.
Opinion statement: Middle school students should start
their school day later.
Solid reason: According to recent studies, teenagers’ sleep
patterns show that they are alert late at night and need to
sleep later in the morning.
Weak reason: I really don’t like getting up early.
Supporting your point of view
To put together the reasons that support your opinion
statement, first write down the reasons you already
have. Then, do research to add to that list.
Reasons:
Licensing pets helps locate missing pets.
Licensing pets makes pet owners more responsible.
In our state, a pet must have had its rabies shots in
order to be licensed.
Supporting your point of view
Give at least one—and preferably two or three—strong
pieces of evidence to support each reason in your
essay. There are many types of evidence:
facts
statistics
anecdotes and
examples
expert opinions
Supporting your point of view
A fact is a statement that can be proved true.
In our state, the money generated by pet licensing goes
for the care of stray animals.
A statistic is a fact in number form.
The money generated from pet licensing helps care for
50% of the strays in our state’s shelters.
Supporting your point of view
An anecdote is a brief story that illustrates an idea.
My friend Mike had a cat that ran
away two weeks ago. Mike’s cat
wasn’t licensed, so his chances of
getting the cat back are lower.
An example is a specific
instance that illustrates a
general idea.
Microchips used for pet licensing are
very small; they are usually the size
of a grain of rice.
Supporting your point of view
An expert opinion is the opinion of an authority on
the issue.
A veterinarian at a local
animal shelter, Dr. Tamesha
Lane, says, “We can now
afford to care for more strays
here with the money
generated by pet licensing.”
Providing support for your point of view
Make sure the evidence you use in your essay clearly
and directly supports each reason that you give.
Reason
Evidence
Evidence
Evidence
Licensing pets ensures that pet
owners will be more responsible
about the health of their animals
and other animals.
When pets are licensed, they are
seen by a vet who gives them a
quick examination.
In some states, pets must have
their rabies shots before they
can be licensed.
The vet will treat a pet’s
infectious disease so it is not
passed on to other animals.
Supporting your point of view
Here are some ways to find additional reasons and
evidence to support your opinion statement.
Interview people who
know about your issue.
Research your issue. Find
magazine articles, books,
and reliable Web sites with
information about your issue.
Conduct a poll to see how many
students agree with your point of
view, and, if not, why not.
Concluding your persuasive essay
Conclude your persuasive essay by restating your
opinion in a new way.
Then give a summary of the reasons that support
your opinion.
If you your essay has been persuasive enough, your
audience will want to know what to do next. Include a
call to action with suggestions.
Write to your city council and tell them that you would
like this policy changed.
A Writer’s Checklist
Use the checklist as you look at the following Writer’s
Model and then evaluate and revise your own
persuasive essay.
 Choose an issue about which you feel strongly.
 Write an opinion statement, or thesis, that tells
your point of view on the issue.
 Consider your audience. Think about who you are
trying to persuade and how to influence that person
or group.
 Support your opinion statement with strong reasons
and solid evidence.
 Conclude your essay with a summary of your
reasons and a powerful call to action.
My parents taught me to be
responsible for our pet dog Jake. That
is why we have licensed him.
Licensing your pet has benefits both
for your family pet and for you.
Licensing can help you locate your
pet if it is lost. In some states, a pet
receives a license tag, but in our
state, a chip with contact information
is placed under your pet’s skin. If
your pet runs away, whoever finds it
can take it to the nearest shelter.
Workers at the shelter can scan the
chip and find contact information.
opinion
statement
reason #1
fact
My friend Mike had a cat that ran
away two weeks ago. Mike’s cat
wasn’t licensed, so his chances of
getting the cat back are lower.
Not only will licensing help you
locate a missing pet, but it will also
ensure that you are a responsible pet
owner and keep up with your pet’s
shots. In our state, a pet must have
had its rabies shots in order to be
licensed. Rabies is a serious and
deadly virus that can be transmitted
from one rabid animal to another.
anecdote
reason #2
fact
Furthermore, licensing pets is
beneficial because the money from
licensing helps care for 50% of all the
strays in our state’s shelters,
including the shelter in our town.
reason #3
Licensing a pet only costs $12.00.
While some people may think this is
too expensive, it really is not much
money to protect your pet and bring
you peace of mind if your pet is lost.
fact
It is important to take care of
your pets. Part of being a responsible
pet owner includes purchasing a
license for your pet.
statistic
counterargument
addressed
restatement of
opinion
Clearly, licensing pets is a win-win
idea for both pets and their owners.
Licensing helps owners locate their
missing pets, reminds them to get
their pets vaccinated against rabies,
and supports the work of animal
shelters in caring for stray pets. If
you own a pet, please make plans to
get it licensed immediately.
conclusion
summary
of reasons
call to action
Your Turn: Writing a persuasive essay
Write a persuasive essay in response to one of the
prompts below. Then, use the Writer’s Checklist and
the Writer’s Model as a guide to evaluating and revising
your work.
Some people feel that all students should be required
to study a foreign language for four years. How do you
feel about this idea?
The city council wants everyone under sixteen to wear
a helmet when rollerblading, biking, and skateboarding.
What is your opinion on this issue?
The End