Persuasive Essay Notes Midterm Exam

Persuasive Essay Notes
Midterm Exam
Prewriting and Organizing
•Do I have strong feelings
about this issue or topic?
•Which of my reasons are
most important in order to
support my topic?
A good thesis statement will…
• state your opinion and
yours ONLY
• not include the “other
side” of the issue
• not be stated as a
question.
• sometimes begin with “I
believe” so the reader will
not be mistaken as to
what you are supporting
Sentence structure should…
• be written in logical
order of events
• include the proper
punctuation such as
commas to separate
logical order of events
• Example: Once she
decided to choose the
book, it took a long
time for the students to
read it.
Supporting your reasons means you
must include some of these…
•
•
•
•
•
•
evidence
anecdotes
statistics
interviews
examples
research or survey
results
Evidence/Anecdote
• When schools were
closed after a recent
flood and the school
buses were not running,
my father had to leave
his job early to pick us
up from school.
Evidence/Fact
• My reasons for wanting
an extended lunch
period are not
completely ridiculous. I
am angry about not
having enough time to
eat my lunch due to the
long line and wait time.
Reasons
• Teenagers who spend
excessive time on their
iPhones playing games
might miss out on
personal relationships
with friends and family.
Evidence/Fact
• Memory loss is a real
problem among older
people. (evidence)
Aging contributes to
diseases such as
Alzheimer’s Disease, a
real disease that is
diagnosed and can be
treated.(fact)
Reaching the reader and
acknowledging concerns…
• It is acceptable to me
when kids use the
computer for
worthwhile purposes.
There are worthwhile
reasons for kids to use
the computers.
(addressing reader’s
concerns)
Restatement of Opinion
• Should always “say
what you mean and
mean what you say”
• Should not be stated
the same way as
introduced
• Should briefly
summarize reasons for
supporting opinion
Call To Action
• The reader should be
reminded to “do”
something or “act” on
what you have
persuaded them to do
Personal Narrative Essay Notes
Midterm Exam
Prewriting and Organizing
•Does my topic contain a
conflict or a surprise?
•Can I ask the 5W-How
questions about the
incident I plan to write
about?
Attention Grabbers!
• Grab your reader’s
attention so that they
will want to keep
reading
• Use creative ways to
entice your reader
• My family takes a
vacation to the beach
every summer.
• The smell of the salty
air lets me know we are
getting closer to
paradise.
Dialogue
• When including
• Example: “Hey, Dad,” I
dialogue in your essay
said, “they have free
don’t forget to include
balloon rides at the
proper punctuation and
fair.”
capitalization.
Transitional Words
• Use transitional words
that “fit”
• Reread the sentence so
that you know “the
point in time”
• Commas are used after
transitional words and
phrases
•
•
•
•
•
Examples:
Finally,
Then,
Next,
However,
Precise Words
• Use “precise words” to make your feelings
known so that the reader understands exactly
how you feel
• Words like good, stuff, and got scared don’t
really represent a precise word
• Good=Excellent
• Stuff=belongings
• Got scared=panicked
Sensory Details
• Use sensory details to give
the reader a better
“picture” of what you are
feeling, seeing, or touching
• Sensory details make the
reader want to read more
because he/she can
“visualize” the writer’s
feelings
• Example: In an instant, I
felt like I was slowly and
softly floating above the
puffy white clouds.
Meaning of Experience
• A meaning of experience
must be included in the
conclusion of a personal
narrative
• MOE gives the reader
insight into the writer’s
thoughts and feelings
after experiencing an
event that he/she has
written about.
• MOE gives purpose to
your personal narrative
writing