UNIT 2
Embedded Assessment 2- Alternative
WRITING A PERSUASIVE LETTER
Assignment
There is a policy in your school, which states that students cannot use cell phones. Do you agree or disagree with this policy. Write a persuasive letter to your principal in which you justify your position and provide convincing reasons for your positions. (point/counterpoint)
Steps:
Prewriting
¨ Think about all of the reasons cell phones should be allowed in school. Write these on the chart below.
¨ Think about all of the reasons cell phones should not be allowed in school. Write these on the chart below.
.
¨ Choose your position. Circle the side of the chart with your arguments to justify your position.
USE A THINKING MAP, OR ANY OF THE GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS ATTACHED
For example:
CLAIM / OPPOSING VIEW POINTSStarting later will allow more sleep for students. Rested students are good students
Starting later will take time away from after school activities. Sports, jobs etc…
OR:
Planning:
¨ Think about the organization of the persuasive writings we have done together such as “Should We Have Pets”
¨ Establish a position-Cell phones should not be allowed at school OR Cell phones should be allowed at school.
¨ Using a thinking map or graphic organizer, plan your writing. Make sure to have the elements of good expository writing. (Hook, Thesis, Topic Sentence, Body paragraphs, Conclusion)
______
______
______
______
______
Introductory paragraph
¨ A HOOK that catches the reader’s attention.
¨ A DESCRIPTION of the event or situation.
¨ A THESIS STATEMENT- A thesis consists of the topic, which is cell phones in school, and an opinion that will be developed in the persuasive paper. Write at least a one-sentence statement that expresses the point you will make about the subject of your essay.
Body Paragraph (confirmation paragraph)- Make sure to supply several reasons to support your claim. Balance emotion with fact. Stick to one side of the argument!
¨ A topic sentence in each paragraph that states the claim
¨ Examples, EVIDENCE and explanations (commentary) that support your opinion.
¨ Use descriptive words
¨ Use Transitions to help the reader follow your ideas.
Concluding Paragraph
¨ A topic sentence that reminds the audience of your original thesis idea-restate your claim
¨ Wrap up the argument
¨ Provide a new appeal to needs or values
¨ Add additional commentary
¨ Ask for readers to take action or change thinking
¨ Refrain from repeating information.
Revision through Self -Assessment
¨ Once you have drafted your persuasive letter, consider where you might make your description or explanation even clearer by using a comparison such as a simile.
¨ Refer to the revision work you did for Activity 1-12 to find places where you might combine short, related sentences with a semicolon.
¨ Review the checklist of the elements of effective expository writing to be sure that your writing includes those elements. Mark your text as follows:
o Highlight (you may want to use different colors) the following elements in your writing. If you have a small amount of highlighting,
you will probably want to revise the elements in your final draft;
§ Transitions (words or phrases)
§ Vivid verbs
§ Closely related ideas that are combined with a semicolon
§ Descriptive details
§ Evidence to support your claim (facts, stories, details etc…)
§ Commentary: explanation of the significance of the evidence or the connection to the claim
¨ Read your writing softly to yourself, correcting any mistakes that you notice along the way.
¨ Revisit the assignment and rubric and ask yourself how successful you have been in meeting the criteria of the assignment. Make notes, either in the margin or by sing sticky notes, of any changes you want to make.
Revision through Reader Response
¨ Exchange papers with another student. Read a copy of the entire persuasive writing very carefully; then respond to the questions/ directions.
¨ Underline especially strong evidence in the writing.
¨ Put a big star by one area that could benefit from more detail. What might your partner do in this section?
¨ What is the hook the writer uses to get his reader interested? Suggest an idea that would grab the reader’s attention if there is no hook.
¨ Explain in your own words how the writer has proven one side or the other with regard to cell phones in school.
Editing and Publishing
¨ Read your partner’s comments and your self-evaluation. Which parts of your persuasive letter will you improve? What specific improvements will you make?
¨ Check your spelling. Carefully check your use of semicolons, commas, periods and any other punctuation. Use all the tools available to you (dictionary, thesaurus, spell check on a computer if available) to create a draft that is as error free as possible.
¨ Produce a publishable draft of your persuasive letter, following your teacher’s directions for formatting.
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