lements toward building a good persuasive essay include
* establishing facts
to support an argument
* clarifying relevant values
for your audience (perspective)
* prioritizing, editing, and/or sequencing
the facts and values in importance to build the argument
* forming and stating conclusions
* "persuading" your audience that your conclusions
are based upon the agreed-upon facts and shared values
* having the confidence
to communicate your "persuasion" in writing
When you set out to persuade someone, you want them to accept your opinion on an issue: you want to change that person's mind to your way of thinking. To do this, you will - just as with 'writing to argue' - be presenting a written argument; but when you are trying to persuade, your argument will need to be more one-sided than the balanced presentation of views typically required in a "Writing to Argue" essay question. This is because persuasion is based on a personal conviction that your way of thinking is the right way.
This lesson encourages students to use skills and knowledge they may not realize they already have. A classroom game introduces students to the basic concepts of lobbying for something that is important to them (or that they want) and making persuasive arguments. Students then choose their own persuasive piece to analyze and learn some of the definitions associated with persuasive writing. Once students become aware of the techniques used in oral arguments, they then apply them to independent persuasive writing activities.
Introduce the power and the purpose of persuasion; develop student
knowledge of strategies/techniques associated with persuasion; develop student ability to identify authors' purpose, arguments, and supporting evidence; develop students' abilities to conduct research in order to support a perspective with supporting
evidence.