Transcript Writing Workshop Expository Writing

Unit 1
Persuasive Writing
Defend a Viewpoint
Defend a Viewpoint
Writing a Persuasive Essay
● Persuasive writing or speech is intended to
convince an audience to change their viewpoint or
rise to action.
● In this assignment, you will write a persuasive
essay, defending a viewpoint that expresses an
informed opinion about a topic that interests you.
● You will support your opinion with information
gathered from research on the topic.
Defend a Viewpoint
Assignment
● Plan, write, and revise an essay that supports your
opinion on an arguable topic
Purpose
● To persuade readers to your point of view
Audience
● Someone who disagrees with your standpoint or is
undecided about the topic
Prewrite
Select a Topic
● The best topics for a persuasive essay are those
that have two or more clear factions and are
perhaps controversial.
● Generate a list of four to six such topics.
● Choose the topic that most interests you.
Prewrite
Gather Information
● You may begin your search with the Internet, but
don’t limit yourself to it.
● Scour news media, including television and radio
news shows, newspapers, and news magazines.
● If your topic is not as current, search back issues of
newspapers and magazines.
● If your topic is not of national concern,
consider interviewing the individuals
involved.
Prewrite
Gather Information
● Create an Argument Chart like the one on the next
slide, listing at least five arguments and
counterarguments.
● Try to come up with a counterargument for each
point you make.
● Remember that often the most convincing
argument is made in debunking a counterargument.
Argument Chart
My Argument
The Counterargument
Why I’m Still
Right
Prewrite
Organize Ideas
● Review your chart.
—Do you have at least five distinct points of argument?
— Does every argument have a balanced
counterargument?
—Do you disprove the counterargument in a convincing
way?
● Circle your three most convincing arguments.
● Then number them in the order you want them to
appear in the essay.
Prewrite
Write a Thesis Statement
● Based on the points you have chosen, write a onesentence argument. This is your thesis statement.
● Using information from the Argument Chart, one
student wrote this thesis statement :
A patron whose cell phone rings during
a performance should be fined.
WRITING RUBRIC
A successful persuasive essay has these
qualities:
an introduction that captures the reader’s
interest and identifies the topic
a clear thesis statement that expresses the
argument the author plans to make
a body that provides researched supporting
evidence and acknowledges and refutes
possible counterarguments
a conclusion that reemphasizes the main point
and provides closure
Draft
Write your essay by following this three-part
framework:
Introduction
Body
Point 1
Point 2
Conclusion
Point 3
Introduction Start by “hooking” your
readers.
● Include your thesis statement and the points
you plan to make.
Body Write one paragraph for each main
point of your argument.
● Support each point with information from your
research.
● Include a counterargument as well as a
refutation for each point.
Conclusion Reemphasize the thesis, and
give your essay closure.
Draft
Draft the Introduction
● To capture the reader’s attention and to give the
argument a context, introduce your argument with
—a statistic
—an interesting fact
—an anecdote
—a rhetorical question (a thoughtprovoking question not meant to be
answered)
Draft
Draft the Introduction
● The introduction also states the thesis,
establishing the main idea or point of
the essay.
● Finally, a good introduction generates
interest by insinuating the importance
of your topic.
Draft
Draft the Body
● In the body, state each point you want to make
about the argument.
—Support or prove each point using your research.
● Use the counterargument points from your
Argument Chart.
—Make sure you include your refutation to each
counterargument.
● This is information that you already mapped out in
the Prewrite stage.
Draft
Draft the Body
● Review the three statements you circled on your
Argument Chart and the order in which you
planned to present them.
● Develop each statement into a paragraph by adding
evidence you gathered from research.
Point 2
Body
Evidence
Evidence
Evidence
HENRY
As Robin McKinley, contemporary
fantasy fiction author, notes, “If you are
excited by what you are writing, you have
a much better chance of putting that
excitement over to a reader.”
How can you tell Patrick Henry is
passionate about his topic in “Speech in
the Virginia Convention”?
 Henry acknowledges the validity of his opponents’
arguments but stands firmly by his belief that “The question
before the house is one of awful moment to this country. . . .
I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or
slavery.”
 He chooses words that portray
his convictions: truth, treason,
arduous, salvation, insidious,
pledged, formidable, liberty,
submission.
He ends with a rousing line:
“Give me liberty or give me death!”
Draft
Draft the Conclusion
● A good conclusion does two things:
(1) it summarizes the main point made in the body
of the essay, reemphasizing the thesis without merely
restating it
(2) it brings the discussion to
a close, often ending with a
warning or call to action.
Writing an effective conclusion that reminds
readers of your thesis without merely restating
it can be a difficult but important task. You
don’t want to end an otherwise strong essay
with a weak finish.
As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
the famous nineteenth-century
American poet, once said, “Great is
the art of beginning, but greater is
the art of ending.”
LONGFELLOW
➌ REVISE
Evaluate the Draft
● Evaluate your own writing or exchange papers
with a classmate.
● Examine the content and organization.
—The introduction, body, and conclusion should work
together to prove the thesis.
—Every paragraph should relate clearly back to that main
argument.
—Each paragraph should logically connect to the next.
➌ REVISE
Evaluate Your Draft
● Read the paper a second time to check for spelling
and grammatical errors.
● Use the Revision Checklist to evaluate the writing.
● Consider how the writing can be clarified or be
made more engaging.
● Make notes directly on the paper about its
strengths and weaknesses and the changes that
need to be made.
➌ REVISE
Grammar & Style
● Maintaining a consistent point of view (first,
second, or third person, singular or plural) is
essential.
● Shifting viewpoints within a paragraph or sentence
sounds sloppy and confuses readers.
It’s not fair for one person to disrupt
everyone else because you are he or she is
not willing to turn off your his or her cell
phone.
DRAFT STAGE
Introduction
People have become very dependent
on their cell phones. Every where you
go, you are almost guaranteed to see
people talking on a cell phone. It’s
really annoying when someone’s
phone rings during a movie or play. A
patron whose cell phone rings during
a performance should be fined.
Provides a context for the
argument
States a thesis
REVISE STAGE
Introduction
People have become very dependent
on their cell phones. Every where you
go, you are almost guaranteed to see
people talking on a cell phones. Is
there a point where cell phones
become more annoying than useful?
It’s really annoying when someone’s
phone rings during a movie or play.
When does one person’s convenience
interfere with another person’s
enjoyment of something like a movie
or play? A patron whose cell phone
rings during a performance should be
fined.
Corrects agreement error
Inserts motive
Sets up thesis with another
question, rather than a statement
DRAFT STAGE
Body Paragraph
When you are paying money to see a
movie or play you don’t expect any
disturbances. If every couple of minutes
you hear the ringing or buzzing of a cell
phone, your experience will be ruined.
It’s not fair to disrupt everyone because
you are not willing to turn your cell
phone off. There are certain instances
when having a cell phone on is a
necessity. If this is the case, then you
should turn your phone on silent or
vibrate.
Gives specific example
Acknowledges counterargument
Refutes counterargument
REVISE STAGE
Body Paragraph
When you are paying money to see a
movie or play, you don’t expect any
disturbances. If every couple of minutes
you hear the ringing or buzzing of a cell
phone, your experience will be ruined.
It’s not fair for one person to disrupt
everyone else because you are he or she
is not willing to turn off you’re his or her
cell phone. off. There are certain
instances when If having a cell phone on
is necessary, a necessity. If this is the
case, then you should turn your phone
then it should be set on silent or vibrate.
Adds comma
Corrects point of view
Moves preposition
Adds passive voice;
streamlines language
DRAFT STAGE
Conclusion
Overall, I think that everyone would
benefit from fining patrons for
leaving their cell phones turned on
during performances. Offenders
would learn to respect the people
around them. If they didn’t, they
would literally pay the price.
Enforcing this policy would make
going to a play or movie a relaxing
and enjoyable experience again.
Re-emphasizes thesis
without restating it
Restates main points
made in body
Gives some closure
REVISE STAGE
Conclusion
Overall, I think that everyone would
benefit from fining patrons for
leaving their cell phones turned on
during performances. Offenders
would learn to respect the people
around them. If they didn’t, they
would or literally pay the price.
Enforcing this policy would make
going to a play or movie a relaxing
and enjoyable experience again.
Ignoring the problem will encourage
people’s rude behavior.
Eliminates unnecessary “I”
Combines two sentences
Adds greater sense of closure;
provides a warning
REVISION CHECKLIST
Content & Organization
Does the introduction give the argument a
context and captivate readers?
Does the introduction present a clear thesis
statement?
Does each paragraph in the body clearly relate
back to the thesis?
Does each body paragraph provide enough
relevant evidence gathered from research to
back up its point? Are counterarguments
presented and refuted in a convincing way?
REVISION CHECKLIST
Does the conclusion summarize the essay by
reemphasizing the thesis? Does it provide a
warning or call for action that helps bring the
essay to a close?
Grammar & Style
Do all of your subjects and verbs agree?
Do you use correct tenses of verbs?
Do you use correct pronouns throughout? Do
your pronouns agree with their antecedents?
➌ REVISE
Proofread for Errors
● Read through your essay again to check for any
remaining errors.
● Use proofreader’s symbols to mark any errors you
find.
● Print out a final draft and read the entire essay
once more before turning it in.
Student Model
Review the Student Model final draft on page
115 of your textbook and answer the questions
that appear in red in the margin.
Writing Follow-Up
Publish and Present
● Find out whether your school has a magazine,
journal, or newspaper that publishes students’
writing and submit your essay as an editorial.
● If your essay focused on a
community decision, consider
presenting your argument at a
public meeting on the topic.
Writing Follow-Up
Reflect
● Does the topic you chose seem more or less
pressing now that you have researched it and
written this persuasive essay?
● What have you learned about effective arguments
from having compiled your own?
—Think about arguments you have
heard for other contemporary issues.
Which make the most convincing
case? Why?