Name________________________________________ Class_____________________ Date ____________________
Unit 2
Persuasive Writing: Nominating
a Hero
WRITING ASSIGNMENT
A persuasive essay is a short nonfiction work that expresses a writer’s thoughts about a single subject. A
good essay develops a single idea, or thesis, and is organized into an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. A persuasive essay is written to advance or promote an opinion. For this assignment, you will write a
persuasive essay in which you nominate someone as a hero.
PREWRITING
WRITING WITH A PLAN. Write the names of at least two people you could nominate as a hero. Then freewrite
three or four sentences next to each name, telling why that person would be a good candidate for a hero
award. Then select the person you want to write about.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
An anecdote is a usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or biographical incident. Plan to
include at least one anecdote in your writing that will help persuade your readers that your person is a
hero.
FINDING YOUR VOICE. Since you will be trying to persuade your peers that the person you nominated is a
hero, your voice needs to be convincing, yet honest. Circle the example below that uses a convincing
and honest voice.
My dad is my hero because he never stops trying, even when things are really tough for him.
My dad is a hero. He’s the greatest dad there ever was.
28
UNIT
2
GUIDED WRITING
© EMC
Name________________________________________ Class_____________________ Date ____________________
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
Who I nominate as a hero:
Why I nominate this person as a hero:
Supporting Evidence:
Interesting Anecdote:
How this person inspired me:
© EMC
GUIDED WRITING
UNIT
2
29
STUDENT MODEL—GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
Who I nominate as a hero:
Christopher Reeve
Why I nominate this person as a hero:
• He tries hard not to let his problems affect his family too much.
• He works hard to increase research for disabilities and to help others, not
just himself.
Supporting Evidence:
• He tries to keep his young son Will carefree and to
be a good father to his teenage children.
• He won’t let himself become a drepressed “hulk” in a
wheelchair because he cares about his wife.
• He lobbies hard by speaking about the need for
more research for people with disabilities
Interesting Anecdote:
How this person inspired me:
I’m going to do the best I can and help others, too.
30
UNIT
2
GUIDED WRITING
© EMC
STUDENT MODEL—DRAFT
I would like to nominate Christopher Reeve as a true hero. Many
reword
people thought he was pretty heroic when he played Superman in the
movies. But in 1995, Mr. Reeve had an unfortunate accident: her was
thrown from his horse, and his spinal cord is injured. He has to use a
was
wheelchair now. I have just recently read Christopher Reeve’s book,
Still Me. After reading this book, I think he is now a real hero, not
just a pretend hero in the movies, because he has worked so hard not to
let his problems fall too heavily on his family. And also, he works
add more
specific
supporting
evidence
hard to improve the lives of many people with disabilities, not just
himself.
© EMC
GUIDED WRITING
UNIT
2
31
Name________________________________________ Class_____________________ Date ____________________
UNIT 2
LANGUAGE, GRAMMAR,
AND
STYLE: USING VERB TENSES CORRECTLY
Verbs carry a concept of time, called tense. Two kinds of tenses are the simple tenses—past, present, and
future—and perfect tenses—present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect. In a piece of writing, it is
best to be consistent with verb tense instead of jumping from one to another.
SIMPLE TENSES
Present tense verbs show that something is happening now. Past tense verbs talk about something that happened before now, and future tense verbs talk about something that will happen in the future.
Present tense
Today I play soccer.
Today I do play soccer.
Today I am playing soccer.
Past tense
Yesterday I played soccer.
Yesterday I did play soccer.
Yesterday I was playing soccer.
Future tense
Tomorrow I will play soccer.
Tomorrow I will be playing soccer.
PERFECT TENSES
The perfect tenses express past, present and future, but they add information about actions
that continued over a period of time and were completed in the past or will be competed in
the present or future. All perfect tenses use some form of the helping verb to have.
Present perfect tense
Today I have played soccer. Today I have been playing soccer.
Past perfect tense
Yesterday I had played soccer. Yesterday I had been playing soccer.
Future perfect tense
Tomorrow I will have played soccer. I will have been playing soccer.
One error that student writers make is to shift tense in the middle of a piece of writing. Each
piece needs to maintain a consistent tense.
32
UNIT
2
GUIDED WRITING
© EMC
Name________________________________________ Class_____________________ Date ____________________
EXERCISES
A. Identifying Consistent Verb Tense
Identify the tenses for the verbs that are underlined.
After Reeve’s accident, he learned that a hero is
________________________
“an ordinary individual who finds the strength to
________________________
persevere and endure in spite of over-whelming
________________________
obstacles.” I agree with that definition. Christopher
________________________
Reeve played a hero in the Superman movie, but he
________________________
actually is a hero because of the way he perseveres
________________________
and helps his family and others with disabilities.
________________________
B. Fixing Inconsistent Verb Tense
Edit the following sentences, showing how you would fix the errors in verb tense.
He also thought people like Houdini or Lindbergh are heroes.
Most kids today sit around and watched television.
My grandparents start the restaurant years ago.
C. Using Consistent Verb Tense
Write a short essay, or use your essay from the writing assignment. Identify any sentences that use
improper or inconsistent verb tense, and fix the problems.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
© EMC
GUIDED WRITING
UNIT
2
33
Name________________________________________ Class_____________________ Date ____________________
SELF-EVALUATION—NOMINATING
BY
A
HERO
______________________________________________________
•
How persuasive is the essay? What additional information would help it be more persuasive?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
•
Does the introduction to the essay contain a thesis statement? Try to restate the thesis statement
clearly. What additional information would help clarify it?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
•
Does the body of the essay contain enough supporting evidence for the thesis statement? What
details could be added to support the thesis? What details should be deleted because they do not
support the thesis?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
•
Does the body of the essay offer an anecdote about the person? How effectively does it persuade the
reader that the person is a hero?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
•
How well does the conclusion restate the thesis and major supporting ideas in different words?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
•
Which words and sentences present the most honest and convincing voice? Which word presents
the least honest and convincing voice?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
34
UNIT
2
GUIDED WRITING
© EMC
PEER EVALUATION—NOMINATING
BY
A
HERO
________________________________
•
FOR
_______________________________
How persuasive is the essay? What additional information would help it be more persuasive?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
•
Does the introduction to the essay contain a thesis statement? Try to restate the thesis statement
clearly. What additional information would help clarify it?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
•
Does the body of the essay contain enough supporting evidence for the thesis statement? What
details could be added to support the thesis? What details should be deleted because they do not
support the thesis?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
•
Does the body of the essay offer an anecdote about the person? How effectively does it persuade the
reader that the person is a hero?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
•
How well does the conclusion restate the thesis and major supporting ideas in different words?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
•
Which words and sentences present the most honest and convincing voice? Which word presents
the least honest and convincing voice?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
© EMC
GUIDED WRITING
UNIT
2
35
Name________________________________________ Class_____________________ Date ____________________
Level 4 Model (Textbook Model)
“Why Christopher Reeve is a True Hero” by Nina Brandt
Christopher Reeve was the hero of the first Superman movie. Then, in 1995, Mr. Reeve had an unfortunate
accident: he was thrown from his horse, and his spinal cord was injured. He is confined to a wheelchair
now. After reading his book Still Me, I think he is a real hero because he has worked so hard not to let his
problems fall too heavily on his family. He also works hard to increase research for disabilities. This may
help thousands of people in the future.
It has been very difficult for Christopher Reeve to adjust to suddenly being in a wheelchair. In Still
Me, he says he misses his “freedom, spontaneity, action, and adventure.” Yet, in spite of that, he realizes
how important it is not to cause his family too much worry. He tries to keep his young son carefree. He
tries to be close to his two teenagers, Matthew and Alexandra, and to give them fatherly advice. He
won’t let himself become a “depressed hulk” in a wheelchair because he cares about his wife. So he tries
very hard not to spend too much time turning inward and mourning the past.
As you know, I use a wheelchair, too. It’s so frustrating not to be able to do so many of the things
that most of you can do. Mr. Reeve’s story has really inspired me, though. I’m going to do whatever I
can, and I’m going to do it well. I’m going to help others, too.
Before Reeve’s accident, he spent much of his time helping others. He helped lead a demonstration
to free imprisoned artists in Chile, encouraged the United Nations to ban drift-net tuna fishing, and lobbied to protect the Hudson River. He worked with Amnesty International, Save the Children, and the
Creative Coalition. Even after his accident, Reeve has continued to work to help other people. His fame
has allowed him to raise public awareness about spinal injuries, and his drive for success has pushed him
to participate in many programs and appear before many audiences, despite his disabilities.
In an interview with Steve Younis, webmaster of The Christopher Reeve Homepage, at
http://www.geocities.com/ Hollywood/Studio/4071/frameset.html, June Fox—the editor who assisted Reeve
in transcribing Reeve’s words for Still Me—tells about Reeve’s determination. When confined to his bed for
health reasons, Reeve would not stop working. She says, “One day his doctor told him that he would have
to stay in bed for a month in order for a wound to heal. Chris was so depressed about this that he sent me
home. He asked me to do what I could on the current chapter on my own, and to come back the next
morning. By the next day, he was in complete control of his emotions and we were able to continue working. . . . I have tremendous respect for the way Chris always overcomes these emotional and physical setbacks. He does it through the sheer force of his own will and self-discipline. He refuses to give in to self-pity. I
don’t think many people could do what he does.” “More than anyone else I know, he has taken responsibility for his life and what he chooses to do with it,” Fox relates, “Everything he does is because he knows its
value, from lobbying for scientific research to listening to his wife to playing with Will.”
Level 3 Model
Chief Joseph, A Real Hero
By Rob Heredia
I nominate Chief Joseph of the Nez Percé as my hero because he had a kind heart and didn’t want
anything to harm his people. He was also courageous and brave.
His father was the first Chief Joseph. He tried to live in peace with white people. Then there was a
gold rush into Nez Percé territory and the government took six million acres of their land. The Nez Percé
chief refused to move his band from the Wallowa Valley to a small reservation in Idaho. He died, and his
son Joseph was elected as the new chief in 1871.
Chief Joseph finally agreed to move to the new reservation when the cavalry threatened to attack.
On the way, twenty Nez Percé warriors staged a raid on some nearby settlements and killed several
whites. The army pursued, but the Indians fought very skillfully for over three months in four major battles and other skirmishes. There were only 700 Indians in their band with fewer than 200 warriors. They
fought against 2000 U.S. soldiers.
36
UNIT
2
GUIDED WRITING
© EMC
Name________________________________________ Class_____________________ Date ____________________
Finally, Chief Joseph surrendered on October 5, 1877. He made a famous speech. He said, “I am
tired of fighting…It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. My people,
some of them, have run away to the hill, and have no blankets, no food…Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired.
My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever.”
Chief Joseph inspires me because he continued to speak out so powerfully against the injustice the
United States had toward his people. He wanted freedom and equality for the Native American people,
too.
Chief Joseph was courageous and brave. He fought so skillfully for such a long time, but he surrendered because he loved his people and didn’t want them to suffer. I think he makes a great hero.
Level 2 Model
My Hero
by Bill Noyes
My Hero is Ludwig van Beethoven. In his lifetime (1770-1827) he was considered one of the greatest composers to live. He created 849 separate pieces! His father pressured him to play and his mother
didn’t want him. In 1783 he first accompanied an opera. He started to really love music! In 1787 his
mother died. He got relief from his family when he got a job being a tutor for two children. The mother
of the children introduced him to Mozart; he played for him, and probably took lessons from him. He is
my hero because I love music and play the piano (he made pieces for the piano). When I play piano,
and if I don’t sound great, I think of the pieces Beethoven played that I can be playing in a short while if
I practiced. Also he’s my hero because he never gave up. When he first tried to learn the piano under the
pressure of his father who wanted him to become the next Mozart, he failed. But he kept going and
studied music and became popular in Europe and later with the British. In his later years he began going
deaf, but he kept making music as hard as it was. Later in 1824 he became completely deaf. He lost his
life from a serious cold on March 26, 1827.
© EMC
GUIDED WRITING
UNIT
2
37
Name________________________________________ Class_____________________ Date ____________________
Rubric for Persuasive Writing: Nominating a Hero
Assessment
Scoring Guide:
Category
4
3
2
1
0
—
—
—
—
—
Strong
Competent
Developing
Emerging
Not Yet
Writing Characteristic
Self
Score
Peer
Score
Teacher
Score
The essay develops a persuasive case for the writer’s
nomination of a hero.
Focus and
Construction
of Knowledge
The body of the essay offers an anecdote about the person. The anecdote helps develop the writer’s argument.
The essay explains why the writer’s hero inspires the
writer.
The introduction to the essay contains a thesis statement.
Organization
and
Elaboration
The body of the essay contains sufficient supporting evidence for the thesis statement.
The conclusion restates the thesis and the major supporting ideas in different words.
The paper reflects an honest and convincing voice.
Voice and
Word Choice
The writer uses solid details to help form his or her argument.
The essay concludes with impact, convincing the reader of
the writer’s argument.
The writer uses consistent verb tense in the essay. Verbs
accurately depict the passage of time.
Construction
of
Language
The writer demonstrates a good grasp of standard writing
conventions.
The paper is free of misspelled words.
38
UNIT
2
GUIDED WRITING
© EMC