Melissa+Roberts

=The Persuasive Essay: Moving Beyond the 5-Paragraph Form= 

Overview:
Students will explore the persuasive essay through a recursive writing process. They will use political cartoons and newspaper articles to familiarize themselves with taking a stance on various topics. They will also be read a passage from Margaret Wise Brown's The Important Book, to borrow the poetic form for the outline of their persuasive essays on the topics of their choice. Students will also be permitted time to do Internet research on their topics, with which they will turn their poems into 5-paragraph essays. The essays will be revised, with the help of peer editing, and expanded past the 5-paragraph form to include more details and counter-arguments. This unit is ideal for students who have not had much practice with writing essays of those who have not gone past the 5-paragraph form. (Grades 9-10)

From Theory to Practice:
This assignment intends to show students that their voices matter. Many students have opinions about inequality that they do not mind sharing (and sometimes yelling) in the classroom and in everyday life, but they do not know how to argue in a respectable manner. With this unit, students will utilize the voice and style appropriate for different audiences (with an informal letter and a formal opinion piece), allowing them to better convey their thoughts and opinions to others.

Objectives:

 * Learn to write using a recursive writing process to form a final product
 * Utilize internet sources for research and citations
 * Generate and defend an argument
 * Recognize and consider stylistic techniques
 * Select an appropriate audience
 * Give and receive constructive criticism to make revisions
 * Analyze images to find meaning
 * Verbally express and refute arguments


 * 1.1 - Writing Process
 * 1.3 - Purpose and Audience
 * 1.4 - Inquiry and Research
 * 1.5 - Finished Products

Sources:
Beers, Kylene, Robert E. Probst & Linda Reif. "Writing: Commonsense Matters." __Adolescent Literacy: Turning Promise to Practice__. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2007. 189-212.

Christenson, Linda. "Acting for Justice." __Reading, Writing, and Rising Up__. Milwaukee: Rethinking Schools, 2000. 81-87.

Birkenstein, Cathy and Gerald Graff. __"They Say, I Say": The Moves that Matter in Persuasive Writing__. W. W. Norton & Company, 2007.

Activities:

 * Session 1: //Political Cartoons//** [[file:Political Cartoons Detailed Plan.doc]]
 * Students view selected political cartoons (Discussion/Activity Prompt)
 * Reader Response Journal (RRJ) - Students respond to what they think the cartoon means
 * Discussion, followed by more cartoons


 * Session 2: //Newspaper Articles//**
 * Students individually search through newspapers (local, national, international) to find articles that interest them
 * Report facts to the class (no opinion necessary for this day)


 * Session 3: //Choosing a Topic, Writing a Thesis//**
 * Brainstorm topic ideas
 * Use blackboard to categorize topics into categories of: local, national, and international
 * Discuss topics
 * Each student chooses topic of interest
 * RRJ: Journal for about 10 minutes about why they would like to write about selected topic (Pre-Writing Activity)
 * View “good” and “bad” theses (show examples for previous years, if available). Have students practice writing their own
 * In small groups, workshop theses


 * Session 4: //"Important" Poems//** [[file:Important Poems Detailed Plan.doc]]
 * Mini-Lesson: Writing Game.
 * Read except from The Important Book, by Margaret Wise Brown. [|Find it on Amazon]
 * Students use format of book to write “Important” poems, using their selected topics.


 * Session 5: //Workshop Day//**
 * Workshop “Important” poems (Peer Review)


 * Session 6: //Research Day//**
 * Review or Introduce MLA citation format so that students know what information they will need to write down while researching
 * Students should begin to look up supporting information for their three main points from their “Important” poems.


 * Session 7: //Newspaper Articles//**
 * Students again search for articles that interest them (can be about their selected topics, but does not need to be)
 * Report back to the class, just time adding opinion (just student opinion, no counter-argument)


 * Session 8: //The 5 Paragraph Essay//** [[file:5-Paragraph Essay Detailed Plan.doc]]
 * Discuss and demonstrate how to write a 5 paragraph essay
 * Students start essays using “Important” poem for structure. They should continue working on this assignment for the remainder of the class period.


 * Session 9: //Voice & Audience//** [[file:Voice and Audience Detailed Plan.doc]]
 * RRJ: students write an informal letter to a friend/relative about their topics.
 * Discuss the concepts of voice and audience (Grammar Lesson)
 * Look at newspaper headings to study passive/active voice (Grammar Inquiry)
 * Students should apply these techniques to their own essays


 * Session 10: //Workshop Day//**
 * Workshop 5 paragraph essays (Peer Review)


 * Session 11: //Debate//** [[file:Debate Detailed Plan.doc]]
 * Students must practice arguing points of selected arguments (teacher should look for topics that students are not using, so as not to show favoritism. It may be something silly like peanut butter vs. jelly, or one movie vs. another).
 * Students note the counter-arguments of their peers and try to refute them to defend their side


 * Session 12: //Research Day//**
 * Students will use class time to research counter-arguments for their pieces.
 * After finding counter-arguments, they will look for ways to refute them.
 * HW: Add new research and counter-arguments to essays, moving past the 5-Paragraph form (Due in 2 sessions, for workshoping).


 * Session 13: //Newspaper Articles//**
 * “They Say, I Say” - students will learn formats for making arguments that involve counter-arguments. [|This Book on Amazon]
 * Students will once more select newspaper articles to report to the class. This time they will utilize opinion & counter-argument while reporting to the class.
 * Home Work (Assignment Sheet) [[file:They Say, I Say Assignment Sheet.doc]]


 * Session 14: //Workshop Day//**
 * Students will use this class period to workshop their final essays (Peer Review)
 * Students should bring copy of their homework assignment to use as a reference while reviewing each others' work


 * Session 15: //Final//**
 * Students will write a final reflection on their work throughout this unit and what they have learned and experienced while using the writing process. They will note strengths and weaknesses, as well as what they may have done differently (students can type these in the computer lab). (Self-Reflection)
 * Students will submit their final essays. Essays will be collected and published into a class book. [[file:Persuasive Essay Rubric.doc]]