A Persuasive Essay  Addresses an important issue to the writer  Addresses an issue with at least two sides  Is relevant and supported with facts, examples, and personal experience  Is appropriate for the audience

Types of Persuasive Essays  Editorials—offer opinions about current events  Position papers—prepared to influence policy on current issues  Persuasive speeches are presented aloud to an audience

 Generating a Thesis

What is a thesis?  Definition – proposition or statement to be proved

Thesis Characteristics  Last sentence of the introduction  Argumentative or controversial  Specific and limited  Include reasons

A Thesis Should Not:  Be an indisputable fact.  Be a question  Be an unsupportable opinion.

Final Thoughts  WORDING  Do NOT use “I think” or “I believe”  Do NOT write “the purpose of this paper is to show…”

Example  Topic / Question: Should we wear uniforms in public school?  Position – Yes or No  Reasons:  A. eliminate gang related issues  B. eliminate class divisions  C. eliminate peer pressure to wear certain brands

Thesis Statement:  Students should wear uniforms in public schools because it would eliminate gang related issues, class division, and peer pressure to wear certain brands of clothing.

Class Brainstorm  On a sheet of paper, record three debatable questions.  Each person will share one of the three questions.  The class should not react or comment during the sharing period.

Some Things to Consider:  Is the question controversial?  If you wrote a paper on the topic, could you support it with facts, logical reasoning, or other evidence?

How will I be graded?  Check out the rubric on page 147.  To see model essays, go on-line:  PHSchool.com  Enter web-code: edk-9001