4/8-11/08 8th

This week we have been working on a persuasive paper.

Organizing the Persuasive Essay

Step 1: Choose a topic
• Your topic should be an issue that has two opposing views.
• You must have an opinion on this topic.
• Consider your feelings and opinions before you write.
• Consider what evidence and examples you have.

Step 2: Determine Your Purpose
• Decide on your purpose: What will you convince the readers to believe or to do?
• Do not start writing until you have a clear purpose.
• Your purpose determines your thesis statement.

Step 3: Remember Your Audience
• The topic will tell you who the intended audience is (usually some formal group of adults: school board, administration, etc.)
• Keep this audience in mind as you write. (You don’t have to address them by name.)
• Present your arguments in a way that will impress this audience.
• Name calling and angry tirades won’t work.

Step 4: Opening Paragraph—Capture Attention
• The first sentence(s) in your essay should capture attention.
• Your attention-getter must relate to the topic in some way.
• Ways to capture attention:
1. Startling situation or statistic
2. intriguing question
3. Powerful description

Some Way NOT to Begin:
• I am going to tell you about . . .
• Once upon a time . . .
• This is an essay about . . .
• The assignment says I have to write about . . .
• My first main idea is . . .

Step 5: Opening Paragraph—Clearly State Your Thesis
• Thesis = a complete sentence that gives your opinion regarding the issue and what you think should be done.
• A good thesis is short and clear.
• The thesis is what the rest of your paper will prove.
• Example: We should get rid of the candy machines in the schools.
Step 6: Opening Paragraph—Main Points
• After stating your thesis, briefly and clearly mention your three main arguments.
• There should be no question about what you will prove in your essay.
• Example: We should get rid of the vending machines in schools. They contribute to health problems, they cause messes, and they do not earn much money for the school.

Step 7: Opening Paragraph Conclusion/Transition Statement
• At the end of your first paragraph, make a statement the either moves the reader smoothly into the next paragraph or restates your thesis in different words.
• Example: Clearly, vending machines do more harm than good.

Step 8: Second Paragraph—Topic Sentence
• Begin the second paragraph with a topic sentence that clearly states your first main point.
• Example: To begin with, vending machines in schools contribute to health problems for students.

Step 9: Second Paragraph—Specific Supporting Examples
• Support your topic sentence with specific (not general) examples and details.
• Include explanations about how your examples support the topic sentence.
• Address the opposing argument: Explain why it is wrong or why your idea is better.
• Example: Some people argue that kids will get pop and candy anyway, so there is nothing wrong with having the machines in schools, but this goes against the spirit of education. Schools are supposed to help kids stay healthy, not provide them with products that may cause them harm.

Step 10: Transitions
• At the end of the second paragraph or the beginning of the third paragraph, include a transition sentence.
• Example: Not only do vending machines contribute to health problems, but they also create other problems in our school.

Common Transition Words:
• First
• Furthermore
• Another
• Besides
• Although
• Consequently,
• Additionally,
• Next,
• In addition to
• Instead of
• Rather than
• Similarly,
• Therefore
• On the other hand,
• However,
• Finally,

Step 11: Third Paragraph Topic Sentence
• The topic sentence that clearly states your second main point should either be at the very beginning of the paragraph or immediately after your transition statement.
• Example: Vending machines create a lot of litter.

Step 12: Third Paragraph Specific Supporting Examples
• Support your topic sentence with specific (not general) examples and details.
• Include explanations about how your examples support the topic sentence.
• Address the opposing argument: Explain why it is wrong or why your idea is better.
• Example: Many people believe that litter in schools is not a problem. They say, “That’s why we have janitors!” Not only is this incredibly arrogant, but it doesn’t address the fact that the presence of vending machines makes our school look bad.

Step 13: Transition
• At the end of the third paragraph or the beginning of the fourth paragraph, include a transition sentence.
• Example: Some people might overlook the mess because they believe the vending machines bring lots of money to the school, but this is not the case.

Step 14: Fourth Paragraph—Topic Sentence
• The topic sentence that clearly states your third main point should either be at the very beginning of the paragraph or immediately after your transition statement.
• Example: Contrary to popular opinion, the vending machines do not bring in that much extra money.

Step 15: Fourth Paragraph—Specific Supporting Examples
• Support your topic sentence with specific (not general) examples and details.
• Include explanations about how your examples support the topic sentence.
• Address the opposing argument: Explain why it is wrong or why your idea is better.
• Example: The argument that the schools need the money brought in by vending machines is misleading. The amount the machines bring in is such a small part of the total school budget that the money would not be missed.

Step 16: Fourth Paragraph Conclusion Sentence
• End your fourth paragraph with a sentence that concludes your third main point.
• Example: There is no doubt that the school needs more money for programs and supplies, but there are better ways to get the money than by poisoning our students with junk food.

Step 17: Closing paragraph—Restate Your Thesis
• Begin your final paragraph with a concluding phrase and then restate your thesis.
• Don’t use the exact same wording you did in the opening paragraph.
• Example: As you can see, the disadvantages of vending machines far outweigh the advantages, and we should therefore remove them from our schools.

Common Concluding Phrases:
• In conclusion
• As you can see
• To summarize
• It is clear that
• Obviously
• For these reasons
• As I said
• Clearly

Step 18: Closing Paragraph—Restate Your Main Points
• Restate the main points in different words than you used in the opening paragraph.
• Example: Because vending machines are hazardous to students’ health and make the schools look bad, they are not worth the small amount of extra money they bring in.

Step 19: Closing Paragraph Clincher: Powerful Closing
• Conclude your paper with a powerful and memorable final sentence (“clincher”).
• You may refer back to the opening of your paper if you used a good example to capture attention.
• You may end with an intriguing question or a provocative idea.
• Leave the reader thinking!

Step 20: Avoid These Phrases:
• I am going to tell you about . . .
• This is where I talk about . . .
• In this paragraph, I will . . . .

You now have everything you need to organize an excellent essay. You just have to come up with the ideas!