Persuasive Writing Info

This week we have been focusing on different persuasive strategies that can be used to convince an audience of your claim, or position on a particular issue.  

Claim – States the main  

point or stance 

Persuasive Strategies

Big Names –  Mentions experts and important people to support the argument 

Example:  Former President Bill Clinton thinks junk food should be taken out of vending machines.

Logos – Uses logic, numbers, or facts to support the argument

Example:  People who own dogs ____ years longer than people without dogs

Pathos – Appeals to the audience’s emotions 

Example:  Include a cute picture of a puppy with a caption that reads "Donate to the Humane Society to save this dog!"

Ethos – Tries to build trust and credibility 

Example:Get me this wallet, Santa, and I can organize all my money and cards.  You know what it's like trying to stay organized.  I know you have to keep all your lists in order.  

Kairos – Builds a sense of urgency for the cause 

Example:  Mom and dad, if you buy me a Nook Color this week, you can get it for 15% off the normal price.

Research – Uses studies and information to make the argument seem more convincing;  

this can be in the form of words, graphs, tables, or illustrations 

Example: A recent study reported in The New Yorker indicated that kids who play video games have faster reaction times.

P.S. Refer to the menu of choices in an earlier post to see whether you chose to create a letter, poster, advertisement, or dialogue.  If you chose to create a friendly letter, check out this site to review the five parts.

This is a copy of the persuasive writing rubric students will be using to assess their work next week.  Copies were distributed during the drafting phase, so that students would be aware of the expectations and could include all of the elements in their piece.

Persuasive Writing Project

Project Elements	Description of Project Element	Self Assessment 3  2  1	Peer Assessment 3  2  1	Teacher Assessment 3  2  1
Followed Directions	-An option from the menu of choices was used -Students made a letter, poster, or conversation as indicated on the menu of choices
Claim	-It is clear what your position is on the issue -The audience can easily tell what you are trying to convince them to think/do
3 Persuasive Strategies	-Three reasons are used to convince the audience -Reasons must be logical and truthful, with no repeats
CUPS	-An effort should have been made to correct errors in capitalization, awkward wording, punctuation, and spelling
Total Score (+2 on time):