Assignment #1 Persuasive Essay

The purpose of a persuasive essay is to convince the audience to agree with the facts, shared
experience, and getting the argument statement point across. When writing a persuasive essay we
want to lure the audience into adopting the thinking style that we are selling to them.
These are some key elements that would influence a well-built argument:
Facts and details: These will help support an argument
Clearly stating the values: Giving the audience an understanding point of view
Creating a good conclusion and stating it
Persuading the audience: capturing the audience attention and getting them to take your
side
Have confidence in yourself and the work
Editing
Lets Get Started:
I would like to start out with free writing in your daybooks. You can used this time to brain
storm about your topic, free write in you just want to get your thoughts or feelings down about
the assignment. You will have 10-15 minutes to do so. (Do Not Stop Writing for This Time
Frame) answers could be asked after the time is up.
To get started I have added a list of things that could be used in the following persuasive essay.
However if there is any other topic that would like to be used that is not on this list feel free to
ask me and we will make that arrangement.
Should schools be allowed to have pep rallies?
Should the legal driving age be raised to 18?
Should Cell Phones be permitted in school?
Should students have to wear uniforms?
Should state colleges be free to attend?
Should all American citizens have to complete a year of community service?
Should students be required to take Spanish classes?
Should the voting age be lowered to thirteen?
Should the driving age be raised to twenty-one?
Should students be paid for having good grades?
Should students textbooks be replaced by notebook computers?
Should students have to pass a basic skills test to graduate high school?
Should schools raise money by selling candy and sugary soft drinks to students?
Should girls be allowed to play on boys sports teams?
Should teens be able to buy violent video games?
Starting With a Draft:
When starting the draft of the persuasive paper I want you all to just free write. Do not worry
about errors, grammar, spelling, or punctuation. There will be up to 4-6 paragraphs included
into this essay depending on how you write it.
Introduction: This is usually the attention grabber, which the writer captures the attention
of the reader. In this paragraph you will introduce the topic that will be discussed throughout
the essay. Make sure to inform the reader of your point of view that will be argued. In the
persuasive paper included the 3-4 supporting details that will back up the argument.
Paragraph Body: The 3-4 supporting details will make up the body of the persuasive
essay. I would like to see the use of Quotes, facts, and personal experiences in these
paragraphs to persuade the reader to want to take your side. It is also important to establish
flow into each paragraph so that it make since and well organized. When using quotations or
borrowed facts from different web sites it is required to have the proper citation.
Conclusion: This is where you put the bow on the present. In this paragraph restate the 3-4
supporting details as well as the point of view in which you sided with. The last few
sentences could be words of encouragement to show why you as the writer feel as if the
readers should take your side.
Revise/Reread The essay: Take a break and then go back to this paper and reread over
it. Ask yourself if you would agree with the writer, ask yourself if you think anything is
missing or could have been said better. Fix grammar, punctuations, spelling, or sentence
structure.
Portfolio: This is a project that will be kept to see your progress through each step
Outline: Brain Storm ideas
Draft
Revised Paper
Final Draft



Persuasive Paper Rubric
Statement of Purpose &
Focus Of Organization
Evidence & Elaboration Editing & Convention
Throughout the Essay the
statement is clear and the
supporting details remain on
topic:
claim is clearly stated,
focused, and strongly
maintained
claim is introduced
and communicated
appropriately for the
purpose, audience,
and task
alternate or opposing
claims are clearly
addressed (grades 7-
11)
The response has a
clear and effective
organizational
structure creating
unity and
completeness:
a variety of
transitional strategies
is consistently used to
effectively clarify the
relationships between
and among ideas
progression of ideas
from beginning to end
is logical
introduction and
conclusion are
effective for audience
and purpose
appropriate sentence
structure variety
produces strong
connections among
ideas
The support provided to back
up the point of view that was
argued in the essay.
claims are supported
with relevant
evidence from
credible sources and
clear reasoning
use of evidence from
sources is smoothly
integrated, cited,
comprehensive, and
concrete
a variety of effective
elaborative
techniques is used
The response
demonstrates
strategic use of
language to produce
clear communication:
precise language
clearly and
effectively expresses
ideas
use of academic and
domain-specific
vocabulary is clearly
appropriate for the
audience and purpose
This will be scaled based
upon the level of writing
used in the paper.
some errors in usage
and sentence
formation may be
present, but no
systematic pattern of
errors is displayed
use of punctuation,
capitalization, and
spelling is adequate
References and Citation: When using information from other authors or websites please be
responsible for citing the work. If you choose not to then it will be plagiarism and it can cost
you to lose points. Use the MLA format.
Reflection:
I kept everything the same the only thing that I would like to go back and look over is the
rubric. Listed above is a sample paper from one of my participating students. As a form of
assessment I will count the final paper as a grade and that will be their test to see how they
improved throughout the process of this assignment.
Process Work:










SAMPLE ESSAY
Ms. Richardson

The Dark Side of the Pill
Birth control pills have been widely used in the United States since it was approved for
means of contraception in 1960. Originally, it was only approved for women who had
reproductive health problems, but those restrictions were eventually lifted, despite the list of
serious side effects. Even though a supposedly safer versionit had a lower dosage of
hormoneswas introduced in the late 1980s, numerous side effects still persist and there are
thousands of lawsuits pending against drug companies because of health problems resulting from
The Pill (Nikolchev.) Even besides the health risks, there are other side effects that have a
surprising impact on womens bodies and the decisions they make.
The first surprising thing about birth control pills is that they throw off a womans taste in
men. Researchers in Switzerland conducted the sweaty T-shirt study which involved women
smelling sweaty t-shirts that had been worn by men that they didnt know. Women who were
not taking The Pill preferred the scent of men who are genetically different from them. Swiss
zoologist and head of the study, Claus Wedekind, explained that, biologically, this is very logical
because children born from genetically different parents have the ability to fight off a wider
range of diseases. It makes sense that a woman would choose a man with whom she would have
the healthiest children. Women who were on The Pill, however, preferred the scent of men who
were genetically similar to them (Crocker.)
According to another study, birth control pills make you less attractive to men. A
females hormone levels fluctuate throughout her menstrual cycle, peaking during ovulation.
This higher concentration of hormones causes changes in facial appearance, and body odor, as
well as a higher vocal pitch. According to ten years of research, these changes cause women to
be more attractive to men. This makes a lot of sense biologically because this is during the time
when a woman can become pregnant. But not unlike the sweaty t-shirt study, women who
take birth control pills miss out on this monthly opportunity (Crocker.)
Some people also believe that birth control pills can cause infertility because the
synthetic hormones used in The Pill are thought to damage a womans reproductive system. This
is a very controversial stance and has yet to be proven. However, many researchers do believe
that it indirectly causes infertility because it allows women to silence their biological clocks and
fly right through their prime. By the time a woman realizes that shes getting older and still
wants to have a family, often times she finds herself struggling to get pregnant and must turn to a
fertility clinic for help (Crocker.)
There still may be long term side effects that we dont know about yet. Drug companies
are always changing and improving oral contraceptives, but they will never come without a
price. Every day, women have a choice to make. Are you playing Russian roulette with your
health?



Sources
The Daily Beast: Should You Quit The Pill? by Lizzie Crocker
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/11/06/new-study-highlights birth-control-pill-s-
negative-side-effects.html
PBS: A brief history of the birth control pill by Alexandra Nikolchev
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/a-brief-history-of-the-birth-control-
pill/480/
Final Draft
Sarah Scoggins
April, 2014
Persuasive Essay Assignment
ENGL483, Ms. Richardson
I believe that cellphones should be permitted in schools. There are many
reasons, both pros and cons, but I personally believe that the pros out weigh the
cons. In this following essay, I will argue that students having their cellphones on
them while in school would be beneficial. I will give two examples of why it
would be a good change and also provide a way that could be useful when
implementing this plan.
With this day and time one can never predict what will happen to them the
very next second. One of the most frequent events that are occurring in schools are
shootings. One after the other, schools are becoming a habitat for crime and
violence. Personally, If I were to be in lock down and involved in a school
shooting, I would want to contact my parents right away. I believe that one of the
most efficient ways to contact parents fast is for the students to have their
cellphones on them. As a school, there job is to protect us students, but in a
scenario like this, it is very important that we make our parents aware of our well-
being. During a crisis such as I mentioned, communication is key and also
necessary!
Another aspect of arguing that coincides with communication is the fact that
the school could send out a mass alert for any reason. At this point, school systems
are calling each student's house and leaving a message on their machine. I
personally believe that a text message is much more efficient. For example, if a
student is on their way to school, then how would they know that school was
cancelled due to inclement weather. They won't receive the call at home when they
are on the road. In my case, neither my parents, or myself would be home to
receive a
call if I am headed to school and my mother and father are at work. I believe that
mass message alerts would be very beneficial, also in the time of a school
shooting.
One plan that I believe could be implemented and be extremely beneficial is
having the students carry their cellphones in their pockets. I know that most
teachers struggle with keeping students off of their phones already, but most do so
to rebel, and if they are allowed to have them on them then they have nothing to
rebel against. I suggest that the students be allowed to carry their phones, but must
have them off and in their pocket. I think that if they made the punishment stricter,
then students would think before they broke the rules. To take a student's phone
away until 3:00 pm the same day is not punishment. They shouldn't be on their
phone during that time period anyways; therefore, it is not truly affecting them.
Punishment would be taking their phone and not allowing them to pick it up,
instead have their parents pick it up 24 hours later. To go without their phone for
24 hours would be a detrimental 24 hours to a teenager. So, I say that cellphones
be permitted in school, but if seen being used or out of their pockets that they be
taken and not be allowed to pick them up until the next day after school by their
parents.
There are many other ways that cellphones could be a good or a bad thing in
the school setting, but I think that these are the most important. Cellphones can be
a good thing if you allow them to be. Cellphones could be your saving grace in a
crisis. Students would need limits of course, but would be less likely to rebel if
they are allowed to carry them anyways. If anything, the plan could be
implemented on a temporary basis to see the response of the students.

Final Draft
Olivia Teague
Ms. Richardson
The Dark Side of the Pill
Birth control pills have been widely used in the United States since it was
approved for means of contraception in 1960. Originally, it was only approved for
women who had reproductive health problems, but those restrictions were
eventually lifted, despite the list of serious side effects. Even though a supposedly
safer versionit had a lower dosage of hormoneswas introduced in the late
1980s, numerous side effects still persist and there are thousands of lawsuits
pending against drug companies because of health problems resulting from The
Pill (Nikolchev.) Even besides the health risks, there are other side effects that
have a surprising impact on womens bodies and the decisions they make.
The first surprising thing about birth control pills is that they throw off a
womans taste in men. Researchers in Switzerland conducted the sweaty T-shirt
study which involved women smelling sweaty t-shirts that had been worn by men
that they didnt know. Women who were not taking The Pill preferred the scent of
men who are genetically different from them. Swiss zoologist and head of the
study, Claus Wedekind, explained that, biologically, this is very logical because
children born from genetically different parents have the ability to fight off a wider
range of diseases. It makes sense that a woman would choose a man with whom
she would have the healthiest children. Women who were on The Pill, however,
preferred the scent of men who were genetically similar to them (Crocker.)
According to another study, birth control pills make you less attractive to
men. A females hormone levels fluctuate throughout her menstrual cycle, peaking
during ovulation. This higher concentration of hormones causes changes in facial
appearance, and body odor, as well as a higher vocal pitch. According to ten years
of research, these changes cause women to be more attractive to men. This makes
a lot of sense biologically because this is during the time when a woman can
become pregnant. But not unlike the sweaty t-shirt study, women who take birth
control pills miss out on this monthly opportunity (Crocker.)
Some people also believe that birth control pills can cause infertility because
the synthetic hormones used in The Pill are thought to damage a womans
reproductive system. This is a very controversial stance and has yet to be proven.
However, many researchers do believe that it indirectly causes infertility because it
allows women to silence their biological clocks and fly right through their prime.
By the time a woman realizes that shes getting older and still wants to have a
family, often times she finds herself struggling to get pregnant and must turn to a
fertility clinic for help (Crocker.)
There still may be long term side effects that we dont know about yet.
Drug companies are always changing and improving oral contraceptives, but they
will never come without a price. Every day, women have a choice to make. Are
you playing Russian roulette with your health?