PERSUASIVE ESSAY:
The steps to writing
FIRST THINK OF A TOPIC
Now state your opinion on the topic to create a
claim statement
EXAMPLE: Uniforms should be mandatory for all
students in public schools.
NOW LIST THE REASON IN FAVOR AND
AGAINST
In favor of uniforms
Build unity and pride
in school
 Prepare for future
professional
appearance
expectation
 Decrease bullying
 Increase academic
success

Against uniforms
Expensive
 Infringe on freedom of
expression
 Unattractive
 Uncomfortable

NOW IT’S TIME FOR SOME RESEARCH
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Google is acceptable
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When you find information you want to use write
it down
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School database is better
If on ipad you can bookmark the page
Important info to note about sources you use:

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Title
Webpage (Site name– Ex: Discovery Channel)
URL (www.fdhfskahf.com)
Author (if there is one)
Copyright date (found at very bottom of page)
BODY PARAGRAPH EXAMPLE
 Like
any other facility, keeping a school open
requires a great deal of money. When a school
changes to a year-round schedule, the costs
skyrocket. According to year-round.com keeping a
school open in the middle of the summer requires
air-conditioning which adds significantly to a
school’s expenses. The cost of keeping schools open
becomes immensely high. A high school in Arizona
had a cost increase of $157,000 when they switched
to year-round. Some schools may not be able to
handle such increases, and other schools that can
handle these expenses could be doing better things
with the money. The year-round schedule is not
the best choice for financial savings.
RED= TOPIC SENTENCE
BLACK= TRANSITION SENTENCE
BLUE= EVIDENCE/LOGICAL GREEN= WARRANT/EXPLANATION
 Like
any other facility, keeping a school open requires
a great deal of money. When a school changes to a
year-round schedule, the costs skyrocket. According to
year-round.com keeping a school open in the middle of
the summer requires air-conditioning which adds
significantly to a school’s expenses. The cost of keeping
schools open becomes immensely high. A high school
in Arizona had a cost increase of $157,000 when they
switched to year-round. Some schools may not be able
to handle such increases, and other schools that can
handle these expenses could be doing better things
with the money. The year-round schedule is not the
best choice for financial savings.



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1st reason/argument = uniforms decrease bullying
 Topic Sentence paragraph #1= Uniforms should be mandatory
because they decrease bullying.
Fact/Example/Reason (Evidence) = In South Carolina schools
have seen a 54% decrease in bullying since they implemented
uniforms. CNN.com (Mark Anthony)
 According to Mark Anthony on CNN.com schools in South
Carolina have seen a 54% decrease in bullying since they chose
to implement uniforms.
Warrant/Explanation– Personal explanation of how the Evidence
proves the topic sentence correct
 This is just one of the school systems that have witnessed the
benefits of uniforms in relation to bullying. Bullying is a
problem in today’s schools that needs to be remedied. All
people who want to end bullying should be advocates of
uniforms in schools.
It’s in the warrant that you actually do the persuading. This is
where you explain why someone should agree with you.
 Never use first person pronouns in academic writing

Uniforms should be mandatory because
they decrease bullying. According to Mark
Anthony on CNN.com schools in South
Carolina have seen a 54% decrease in
bullying since they chose to implement
uniforms. This is just one of the school
systems that have witnessed the benefits
of uniforms in relation to bullying.
Bullying is a problem in today’s schools
that needs to be remedied. All people who
want to end bullying should be advocates
of uniforms in schools.
COUNTER-ARGUMENT
•Located
between final body paragraph and
conclusion
•Address
the important counter arguments
•Explain
why someone might hold that view
•Explain
to audience the solutions to this argument
•This
is an appeal to ethos---it allows the reader
comfort that you are knowledgeable on both sides of
the argument and that you care about your audience.
COUNTER-ARGUMENT EXAMPLE
THE PROBLEM OF CARRYING HEAVY BOOKS HOME COULD BE SOLVED BY
MAKING ALL TAKE-HOME TEXTBOOKS AVAILABLE ONLINE.

Of course, some might ask about the availability of
wifi and internet access outside of school. What if a
student does not have the access or equipment needed
at home? Well, computer literacy is extremely
important in our day and age but unfortunately not
all families can afford to meet these media needs. Wifi
is available on cellular devices and tablets; it can be
accessed at most fast food locales and public libraries.
Students are even permitted to borrow certain
technical devices from the school library, if that
program is available, should they not have any other
means to access the available free internet sources.
There are multiple options for students that may not
have a home set-up if they are only willing to search.
CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH
•Final
paragraph in the paper
•Restates
the claim of the paper
•Summarizes
•Finishes
the main reasons of the paper
with a call to action
CONCLUSION EXAMPLE

It’s evident that year-round schooling is not the
best option for the school calendar. There is
absolutely nothing wrong with the traditional
calendar; it allows for financial gain, doesn’t
disrupt the learning process, and gives students
the time they need in summer camp to build the
skills they cannot build in school. There is no
need to change something that works so well. The
final bell rings. Let’s make sure this bell mean
that the “real” summer vacation has come.
INTRODUCTION
•Hook
(Fact, story, scenario or statistic that gains
the reader’s attention)
•Background
(Information about the topic to help
the reader better understand what you are
persuading)
•Claim
(ALWAYS the last sentence of your first
paragraph)
INTRODUCTION EXAMPLE

The final bell rings. It’s the last day of school,
and summer has finally come! Students don’t
have to think about school for at least another
two and half months. That is the way that is
should always be. The year-round calendar for
schools is in discussion in several parts of the
United States. There are numerous downsides to
year-round schooling. It has no positive effects on
education, it adds to costs, and it disrupts the
long-awaited summer vacation. Schools should
continue using the traditional calendar and not a
year-round schedule.
WORKS CITED PAGE
•ALWAYS
•NEVER
is the final page
shares its space with anything else
•Completed
in MLA format
•Organized
in alphabetical order based on first
word in citation.
•The
first word is also used for citations in-text.
WORKS CITED EXAMPLE
WORKS CITED EXAMPLE
Doesn’t share
a page with
essay.
First word of
Citation
Attached at
end of essay
as final page.
WORKS CITED REFERENCE
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Webpage

Author last name, first name. ”Title of page.” Name
of Website. Name of institution/organization affiliated with
the site (sponsor or publisher), copyright date. Medium of
publication. Date of access.
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Example:
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
Lector, Hannibal. “How to Cook Brain.” Cooking with
Friends. Hannibal’sHouse, 2013. Website. 01
December 2013.
Book
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Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book. City of
Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of
Publication.
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Example:

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. New York, Alfred A. Knopf,
2005. Novel.