persuasive lib guide
LIB GUIDE INFO:
SD117
LIBRARY
CITATION ASSISTANCE:
Bibme.org
Citation Machine
Purdue OWL
MLA HOUSE OF STYLE GUIDE
WRITING RESOURCES:
They Say/I Say Writing Templates
They Say/I Say Templates 2
Craft of Research
SD117
LIBRARY
CITATION ASSISTANCE:
Bibme.org
Citation Machine
Purdue OWL
MLA HOUSE OF STYLE GUIDE
WRITING RESOURCES:
They Say/I Say Writing Templates
They Say/I Say Templates 2
Craft of Research
Persuasive essay assignment
The primary purpose of a persuasive essay is to convince readers to think the way that you do about a subject. To accomplish this goal, you will have to establish a reasonable and thoughtful argument supporting a subject or a position you have strong feelings about.
Without using personal declarations (“In my opinion,” “I think,” “I believe,” “It seems to me,” etc.), you should explain to your audience why your stance on the issue is the most logical. This will require you to clearly choose one side of a topic and provide evidence to defend your position. In order to prove your argument, you must offer further research to support your claims. You must use information from at least three outside sources. A minimum of three quotes supporting your argument is required for this paper.
Requirements:
Without using personal declarations (“In my opinion,” “I think,” “I believe,” “It seems to me,” etc.), you should explain to your audience why your stance on the issue is the most logical. This will require you to clearly choose one side of a topic and provide evidence to defend your position. In order to prove your argument, you must offer further research to support your claims. You must use information from at least three outside sources. A minimum of three quotes supporting your argument is required for this paper.
Requirements:
- 2-3 pages in length
- Use an original, creative, and properly punctuated title
- Begin your paper with a strong claim sentence in the introduction, specifically indicating which “side” of the argument you will prove
- Support your position with two-three specific reasons (one per body paragraph)
- Use at least three quotes to support your opinion.
- Use at least three sources: they must be from the library online databases
- Cite and punctuate your quotes properly according to MLA guidelines
- Begin each body paragraph with a topic sentence, and end each body paragraph with a concluding sentence
- Use MLA formatting, and make sure that your final draft includes a title page and a works cited page
- Use third person throughout the paper
- No contractions
- End with a strong conclusion
Possible Essay Topics:
Your persuasive essay will focus on a specific controversial issue. According to dictionary.com a controversy is defined as “a dispute, especially a public one, between sides holding opposing views.” You may choose from the list of questions below or request teacher approval for another topic.
Your persuasive essay will focus on a specific controversial issue. According to dictionary.com a controversy is defined as “a dispute, especially a public one, between sides holding opposing views.” You may choose from the list of questions below or request teacher approval for another topic.
- Should assisted suicide be legal?
- Does religion have a place in public school?
- Should teachers be armed in schools?
- Should sex education be required in school?
- Should performance enhancing drugs be allowed in professional sports?
- Is social media and technology making us less social?
- Is media hurting our self image?
- Does media distort our sense of reality?
- Are women and men equal in society today?
- Should the government regulate companies to protect the environment?
- Should standardized tests be used to determine student performance?
- Do celebrities have a right to privacy?
- Should there be stricter regulations on the food industry in America?
- Has technology made teenagers more sexually active than previous generations?
- Is pride necessary for success?
- Is empathy missing from the 21st century?
- Is an individual’s personal privacy more essential than national security?
- Should all U.S. citizens be required to serve in the military for one year?
- Should U.S. citizens be required by law to vote?
- Are law enforcement cameras a violation of privacy?
- Should Internet usage require a license?
- Do the benefits of animal testing outweigh the cons?
- Is the United States doing enough to stop racism?
- Is bullying worse today than it was in the past?
- Should drug offenses (using) be treated as a health issue or a criminal offense?
- Should certain kinds of ads (alcohol, cigarettes, prescription medication) be banned?
- Do children learn better in single-gender schools?
- Should it be illegal to use animals for sports and entertainment?
- Is censorship needed on the internet?
- Should college tuition be free/affordable for U.S. citizens?
- Should schools start later in the day?
- Should parents let their children play tackle football?
- Do we give children too many trophies?
- Is your generation more self-centered than earlier generations?
- To what extent should the US get involved in other countries’ affairs?
We will be separating this assignment into three parts. Each part will be graded at a different time, and then you will put it all together for a final draft. Unlike other written assignments this year, you’ll be printing out each section and physically turning it in. These assignments will all be due at the end of the school day.
research and essay parts/due dates
Part 1: The research
Before you start writing, you have to research, like, a lot. The research part of this paper is the most important part. You need to find the best information to support your claim. In order to find the best information, you’ll need to find, read, and annotate 5 articles. Part 1 of your paper will be finding, printing, annotating, and turning in those articles.
Due: 5/3
Part 2: The body
After your research is completed, it will be time to start putting all of that information you learned into paragraph form. In your body paragraphs, you need to use the appeals we talked about in class: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Your body paragraphs must include useful statistics and background information that will convince the reader that this cause is worthwhile and truly needs help.
Due:5/9
Part 3: The Counterargument
In this paragraph you’ll be acknowledging a possible argument against your claim. You will announce that a different conclusion could be drawn from the facts that you present, a disadvantage or drawback to what you’re proposing, and/or an alternative explanation that could make sense based on the information that you’ve found.
Due: 5/11
Part 4: The Introduction
After your attention getter, provide useful background information about your topic, you should have plenty of this from all of your research. Perhaps include a story of a real person, or a scenario that better explains your issue. You must include a claim statement indicating your position on the topic you choose. Therefore, you need a specific argument to clearly support your position. Narrow your focus and include your claim statement as the last sentence in your introduction.
Due:5/13
Part 5: Conclusion
Leave your reader with a thought or message as a “clincher” to finish your essay. Try to connect your conclusion back to your introduction. Use that story you told or the background information that you gave in the introduction to connect your thoughts and close out the essay.
Due:5/13
PEER REVISION: 5/17
FINAL DRAFT: 5/23
Before you start writing, you have to research, like, a lot. The research part of this paper is the most important part. You need to find the best information to support your claim. In order to find the best information, you’ll need to find, read, and annotate 5 articles. Part 1 of your paper will be finding, printing, annotating, and turning in those articles.
Due: 5/3
Part 2: The body
After your research is completed, it will be time to start putting all of that information you learned into paragraph form. In your body paragraphs, you need to use the appeals we talked about in class: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Your body paragraphs must include useful statistics and background information that will convince the reader that this cause is worthwhile and truly needs help.
Due:5/9
Part 3: The Counterargument
In this paragraph you’ll be acknowledging a possible argument against your claim. You will announce that a different conclusion could be drawn from the facts that you present, a disadvantage or drawback to what you’re proposing, and/or an alternative explanation that could make sense based on the information that you’ve found.
Due: 5/11
Part 4: The Introduction
After your attention getter, provide useful background information about your topic, you should have plenty of this from all of your research. Perhaps include a story of a real person, or a scenario that better explains your issue. You must include a claim statement indicating your position on the topic you choose. Therefore, you need a specific argument to clearly support your position. Narrow your focus and include your claim statement as the last sentence in your introduction.
Due:5/13
Part 5: Conclusion
Leave your reader with a thought or message as a “clincher” to finish your essay. Try to connect your conclusion back to your introduction. Use that story you told or the background information that you gave in the introduction to connect your thoughts and close out the essay.
Due:5/13
PEER REVISION: 5/17
FINAL DRAFT: 5/23
Gathering background for your topic
Before you can begin serious research or write a claim, you must gain some insight into the complexity of your topic. Your objective in the beginning is to read widely about your topic. Spend time reading to help you understand the issue and its pros and cons.
Getting Started
What is your topic: ___________________________________________________________________________________
Getting Started
What is your topic: ___________________________________________________________________________________
- Click HERE for the LIBGUIDE
- Under the databases tab, choose Opposing Viewpoints in context.
- Either find or search your topic.
- Read the overview of your topic.
- Now, read some articles. You can search further on Opposing Viewpoints, other databases, or even the background on wikipedia (you won’t use this as a primary source but it is okay to use for background knowledge)
pro/con chart
persuasive speech
You have chosen an issue, done your research, and written a paper. It’s now time to persuade your audience. Provide all three sources that you used in your paper throughout your speech that support your argument. Make sure you have an introduction, you support your topic, you include your counterargument, and you conclude the speech a call to action.
Remember to address your audience, which is now very specific and may be different from your paper. Make use of the rhetorical appeals: ethos, logos, and pathos.
It should be between 4-5 minutes long. You will be allowed to use note cards (front side only please) which will be turned in at the completion of your speech. You will be evaluated on delivery skills as well as the organization of your speech.
Requirements:
Remember to address your audience, which is now very specific and may be different from your paper. Make use of the rhetorical appeals: ethos, logos, and pathos.
It should be between 4-5 minutes long. You will be allowed to use note cards (front side only please) which will be turned in at the completion of your speech. You will be evaluated on delivery skills as well as the organization of your speech.
Requirements:
- 4-5 minute speech
- At least one visual aid that supports and explains your topic (A visual aid is NOT paragraphs of text on Google Slides).
- Sources
- 2 database articles
- 1 other source