1. Persuasive Writing Unit

2. Issue: Immigration
Watch the following video clip about illegal immigration:
language-arts-persuasive-writing-video.htm

3. Immigration Prompt
Should illegal immigrants who are living and working in the U.S. be granted citizenship rights? Provide clear evidence and quotes from credible sources to support your position.
-or- Do you support Arizona Senate Bill 1070 that makes it a state misdemeanor crime for an alien to be in Arizona without carrying the required documents? Provide clear evidence and quotes from credible sources to support your position.

4. Issue: Football- Too Dangerous?
Is football safe enough for children and teenagers? In general, do you think the value of playing a sport is worth any physical danger it might pose?
Write a position statement that expresses your perspective.
Find two or three facts from the article to support your claim.

5. Two Sides
Find three facts from the article that support the claim that the potential injuries that can occur from football are NOT worth the risk of playing the game.
Find three facts from the article that support that claim that football is safe.

6. Student Example
Position Statement: The NFL, NCAA, and other football associations need to take football injuries very seriously to provide safety for all players. One step that these organizations can take is to require teams to use HIT system helmets. This helmet allows coaches and doctors to monitor the number of blows to the head. The average lineman using a HIT helmet logs anywhere from 1000 to 1,500 hits per season (Goldman, 3).

7. Football Safety Prompt
Is football safe enough for children and teenagers? In general, do you think the value of playing a sport is worth any physical danger it might pose? Provide clear evidence and quotes from credible sources to support your position.

8. Global Warming Prompt
An international group of scientists has announced that
global warming is here and that “Humans are very likely
the blame”. Do you agree or disagree with this
declaration?
* If so, how and why, and what should be done to change the trend?
*If not, who/what is responsible for the trend? What can be done to change the trend?
Provide clear evidence and quotes to support your
answer.

9. Outlining
Please write your thesis/position statement in the appropriate box on your worksheet.
Early finishers, work on filling in the other two boxes.
If you need more room, feel free to write these on a sheet of notebook paper instead.
You may use your comp book, but you will need to rip it out to turn it in with your essay.

10. Cyberbullying
Do you think the government should draft legislation to address cyberbullying?
Should parents have their child’s internet/social networking passwords to monitor their online activity?
Is it the school administrator's responsibility to punish bullies, even when their activities have not taken place on campus? Or should children's rights to free speech be protected, even when that speech does emotional harm to another student?

11. Cyberbullying Prompt
What should the punishment be for acts like cyberbullying and online humiliation? Should parents and teachers be held accountable if they did not step in to stop the bullying?
-or- If a person commits suicide because of cyberbullying, should bullies be convicted of manslaughter? Provide clear evidence and quotes from credible sources to support your position.

12. Animal Testing Prompt
Medical researchers, cosmetic companies, and others often perform experiments on animals. Many people feel that experimentation on animals is wrong and should be stopped immediately because animals do feel pain, and there are other alternatives. How do you feel? Provide clear evidence and quotes from credible sources to support your position.

13. Which word has the most negative connotation?
stuck up / proud
wimpy / weak
unmotivated / lazy
unusual / weird
determined / stubborn
perspire / sweat
junk food / fast food
slow / cautious
old / mature
stare / look
old / mature

14. Harness the Power of Language
Illegal alien / undocumented immigrant
bully / aggressor, tormentor, villain, violator
bullying / persecuting, victimizing, tormenting
testing / experimentation, mutilation, torture, cruelty
animal subjects / innocent victims
climate change / global warming
catastrophic effects / detrimental effects
skeptics / deniers
concussion / brain trauma
safety precautions, guidelines / rules, limitations
issue / problem, crisis

15. Today’s Objectives Preview persuasive essay rubric.
Watch a video that explains persuasive appeals and discuss how to apply it to your own writing.
Learn how to address the opposition in a counter-argument.
Preview persuasive writing checklist.

16. Types of Persuasive Appeals
Logical Appeals
a. evidence, facts, statistics
b. expert opinion
c. examples
Emotional Appeals
a. word choice / connotation
b. visual details / imagery
Ethical Appeals
a. reputation
b. sincere, honest tone
Try to incorporate all of these strategies into your writing
They will be putty in your hands!

17. Counter-Arguing
Recognize and acknowledge the reader’s concerns and objections
Show the reader that their objections are invalid or irrelevant.
Your voice should be assertive, yet restrained; do not attack the reader or they will be offended and will not take your side.
Respectfully disagree with the objections using clear, logical evidence and reasoning.

18. Framework for Counter-Argument
“It might be said that_______, however…”
“It could be argued that______, but…”
“Some people say/believe/think/feel that____ This is untrue/incorrect/not the case/ because__________ or according to_______”
“While critics argue that________”
“While some may say that_______,

19. Example
Many people adhere to an “eye for an eye” philosophy, however, until our society is able to eradicate all possibility of human error in its judicial system, capital punishment must be banned.

20. What is Plagiarism? “Failing to cite quotations and borrowed ideas.
Failing to enclose borrowed language in quotation marks.
Failing to put summaries and paraphrases in your own words.”
(Bedford Handbook, 570)

21. Paraphrasing: Is this Plagiarism?
Original Source
If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists.
(An excerpt from an article by B. Davis)
Version A
The existence of a signing ape unsettled linguists and startled animal behaviorists (Davis, 26).
This exercise is from The Bedford Handbook

22. Answer A Original Source
If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists.
Version A
The existence of a signing ape unsettled linguists and startled animal behaviorists (Davis, 26).
Answer: Plagiarism. Even though the writer has cited the source, the writer has not used quotation marks around the direct quotation, "the existence of a signing ape." In addition, the phrase, "unsettled linguists and startled animal behaviorists," closely resembles the wording of the source.

23. Paraphrasing: Is this Plagiarism?
Original Source
If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists.
Version B
If the presence of a sign-language-using chimp was disturbing for scientists studying language, it was also surprising to scientists studying animal behavior (Davis, 26).

24. Answer B Original Source
If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists.
Version B
If the presence of a sign-language-using chimp was disturbing for scientists studying language, it was also surprising to scientists studying animal behavior (Davis, 26).
Answer: Still plagiarism. Even though the writer has substituted synonyms and cited the source, the writer is plagiarizing because the source's sentence structure is unchanged.

25. Paraphrasing: Is this Plagiarism?
Original Source
If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists.
Version C
According to Flora Davis, linguists and animal behaviorists were unprepared for the news that a chimp could communicate with its trainers through sign language (Davis, 26).

26. Answer C Original Source
If the existence of a signing ape was unsettling for linguists, it was also startling news for animal behaviorists.
Version C
According to Flora Davis, linguists and animal behaviorists were unprepared for the news that a chimp could communicate with its trainers through sign language (Davis, 26).
Answer: No plagiarism. This is an appropriate paraphrase of the original sentence.

27. A Summary of Proper Citation
Exact phrases
Quotation marks around the phrase
Cite the author in the text (author’s last name, page number); include the source on your Works Cited page.
Paraphrasing
Change the wording AND sentence structure
Cite the author in the text; include the source on your Works Cited page.
Ideas
Common knowledge
No need to cite