1. Review Topic Sentences Write 2-3 topic sentences for each of the following topics. Example Topic: Television’s effects on children Topic sentences: 1.Television is harmful to children because it teaches them violence as a way to solve problems. 2.Television can improve a child’s general knowledge.

2. Topics for Topic Sentences 1.Smoking Cigarettes 2.Foreign Travel 3.Space exploration 4.Music 5.Studying a foreign language

3. How to write a Persuasive Essay

4. Writing Assignment #3 You are going to write a persuasive essay, trying to persuade someone to support your position on a topic of your choice. Examples of topics: 1.Why Seoul is a better city to live in than Daejeon. 2.Why we shouldn’t have “English-only” curriculum in South Korea. 3.Why gay marriage shouldn’t be legal. Minimum: 4 paragraphs Maximum: 5 paragraphs

5. What is a Persuasive Essay? A writer takes a stance on an issue, either FOR or AGAINST. Tries to convince the reader to accept his or her point of view. In order to convince the reader, the writer not only states his or her stance with an opinion, but with facts and research.

6. Example of a Persuasive Speech- “Harms of Pop” Listen to someone give a speech about soda/pop (Coke or Pepsi). Listen to how she organized her speech in order to support her position. What are the three points that she argues in her speech?

7. How to choose a topic Find a position that you are not only passionate about, but you can find solid evidence that supports your position. Don’t choose a topic where it is only based on belief or opinion. You need to develop your opinion with facts, statistics, and data.

8. Find out more about the other side Start your essay by defending your thesis statement. Think about a thesis statement that directly opposes your viewpoint. Examine the other side and determine if you have enough evidence to disprove the other person’s viewpoint. Are there any contrasting evidence, inconsistencies, and logic that doesn’t make sense?

9. Define your topic Make sure your topic is clearly defined and objective (no “I” statements). Which topic is the best? 1.Cable modem vs. dial-up 2.Why I chose cable modem over dial-up 3.Reasons why cable modem rules over dial-up

10. Example- “Stem Cell Research” Listen to someone give a speech, trying to convince you that we shouldn’t do embryonic stem cell research. How did he argue against the opposite position? Can you think of other responses in favor or against his argument?

11. How to organize the essay- Introduction Thesis statement Clear definition of the points that support your thesis. Present them in the same order that you’ll use in the body of your essay.

12. Introduction- “Hook and Grabber” Unusual detail Strong statement Quotation Anecdote Statistic or fact Question

13. Example of Introduction More people die on Korean roads in a single year than all the U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq since the fighting began. In this paper I will describe the road conditions and the mentality that leads to this unnecessary, and certainly avoidable, killing.

14. Body of Persuasive Essay Begin each paragraph with a point from your introduction. Support your statements with evidence. As you finish each paragraph, read it from the other person’s perspective (the person opposing your view) in order to check for faulty logic, inconsistencies in logic. Make sure your evidence is specific.

15. Supporting Details When you state something, you need to provide support and your claims have to be explained. Example: “Smoking is bad for you.” Why?

16. Examples of evidence Hypothetical instance (“Suppose that…” “What if…”) Drawing comparisons Analysis Analogy Graphs and statistics

17. Conclusion Summarizing the main points of your argument. State again what the reader must believe and/or do. Incite the reader to do something about the issue (prediction, question, recommendations, quotation).