Persuasive Writing

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Persuasive Writing
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We are learning to

• Identify and write/assess our persuasive essays
• What we are looking for today
• able to consider both sides of an argument
• able to use appropriate linking words/phrases
• Able to use evidence effectively
• Able to reach a reasoned conclusion

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What do we know about Persuasive Writing already?
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Are cats good or evil?
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Cats are great Cats are evil

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What is a Persuasive Text?

• A persuasive text favours one side of an argument
• It considers another opinion (but disproves it)
• It comes to a conclusion based on evidence.
• It persuades others to agree with this
  conclusion.

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Features of a Discursive Text

• Structure
• Paragraphs
• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion
• Persuasive Language
• Evidence
• Linking words
• Sentences that introduce each point

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Introduction

• Introduce your argument
• Give some general background information (for
  those of us who are not walking encyclopaedias)
• Explain what you will be talking about in your
  essay.
• Do all this without saying my, I, our,
  we, us, me, you, or this essay.
• Try writing your introduction in your jotter now.

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1 Argument per Paragraph

• S - Statement
• Give your argument a topic sentence that
  introduces the argument and uses an appropriate
  connective.
• E Evidence
• Give us the benefit of all your (researched)
  wisdom on the topic and tell us why we should
  believe you.
• A Analysis
• All this informations nice, but what has it got
  to do with the overall argument.

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Conclusion

• By this point, weve pretty much forgotten what
  you were saying in the first place so remind us
  of what the essay was about again.
• While youre at it, can you also remind us what
  arguments you talked about again? (avoid doing
  this all in the same sentence though, because we
  get confused.)
• We want to know what YOUR opinion is, so make a
  decision and tell us about it (without mentioning
  yourself).

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Connectives

• Connectives (also called a conjunction) are words
  and phrases that link different ideas together.

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Connectives

• They are particularly useful when placed at the
  beginning of a paragraph to introduce what that
  paragraph will be about (also called a topic
  sentence).

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Connectives

• For example
• Firstly, it has been said that phone use in
  classrooms can promote reading.

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Connectives (can you think of any)
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• According to
• To begin with
• First of all
• First and foremost
• With regard to
• It is often said that
• To start with
• As far as -- is concerned

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• IMPORTANT
• If there is no way you can link a point you are
  making, you should think about whether it really
  belongs there!

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Connectives

• As well as
• Moreover
• Further /Furthermore
• Additionally
• Besides
• What is more
• Similarly
• Equally
• Alternatively
• In contrast
• Conversely
• This said
• On the contrary
• However
• Despite
• Even though