Persuasive Essay Format: Introduction

Fishing! a.k.a. HOOK OPENER

a. QUOTE
b. QUESTION
c. FACT or STATISTIC
WHAT are we talking about here?
Also called the topic sentence.
WHO are you writing this for, and why would they care?
This is your audience.
Write a thesis that TAKES SIDES and identify at least 3
MAIN POINTS that prove your side.

Persuasive Essay Format:

BODY
(should be 4 paragraphs total)

3 paragraphs:
Each one has a TOPIC SENTENCE.
Find several REASONS supporting thesis and write one
paragraph on EACH ONE.
Support them with detailed EXAMPLES and EXPLANATIONS.

1 paragraph:
Reader COUNTERARGUMENTS.
Why are they wrong?
also known as the REBUTTAL.

Persuasive Essay Format: Conclusion

Echo thesis (RESTATE IT, STILL TAKING SIDES)

Re-mention the three main points you made, the
counterarguments, and your rebuttal.
Include a SO-WHAT, a sense of closure and why this matters.
Movie ending FEEL IT! powerful!

When you finish, double check:

CAPITALIZATION
each sentence begins with a capital
all names begin with a capital
each important name in the title begins with a capital
ORGANIZATION
handwriting is neat
order of events is easy to follow
beginning and ending make sense
all sentences are complete with subject and verb
transitional words and phrases are used correctly
PUNCTUATION
quotation marks are used when ended
commas are used when necessary (pause, list, quotations)
sentences end with a period or another type of punctuation
SPELLING
words are spelled correctly

Supporting Arguments with Facts

Creating a successful persuasive essay requires that
you use FACTS, not opinions. In order to write a
convincing paper, you must first TAKE SIDES and
then USE EVIDENCE.
Fact: Something that is TRUE. A fact is based on
direct evidence, actual experience, or observation.
Opinion: Statement of BELIEF. It shows ones
feelings about a subject.

Read the two columns on

your paper with a partner!
One side is FACT and the
other OPINION. Which is
which? Discuss how you
know.

Here are a few examples of FACTS WITH SUPPORT:

1. Jessie loves to read. Her favorite authors are
Beverly Clearly and Louis Sachar. She likes to read
for at least an hour every night after dinner.
2. It is important to read to young children. Research
shows that children who are read to from birth until
they reach school age score significantly higher in all
academic areas.
Note: It is important to make sure that your evidence SUPPORTS
YOUR ARGUMENT clearly. Make sure they MAKE SENSE and FIT
together.

Transitions

Transitional words are used to show HOW IDEAS

ARE CONNECTED. Transitions take your reader
FROM ONE THOUGHT TO ANOTHER. More
importantly, if you dont make connections between
your ideas, the reader will probably insert their own
thoughts not always a good idea. In persuasive
writing, its important that you LEAD the reader in
the DIRECTION YOU WANT them to go dont allow
them to make their own connections.
The following is a list of commonly used
TRANSITIONS.

Common Transitions

and
but
or
while
although
unlike
while
however
in other words

to sum up
because
in conclusion
consequently
first
next
sometimes
surely
on the other hand

Transitional words are very useful in

persuasive writing because they help you
show BOTH SIDES of the arguments.
Lets say that youve just finished reading
about the Iditarod Alaskan Dog Sled Race
and want to use that race as a focus for your
persuasive writing. In particular, you plan to
focus on how some people think that the
animals are treated cruelly.

One of the first things you need to do is STATE

BOTH SIDES OF THE ARGUMENT.
Animal rights groups say the Iditarod
race is cruel to dogs and should be
discontinued. Mushers, ON THE OTHER
HAND, say their dogs are treated better
than most animals and are bred to race.
In this example, on the other hand is the
TRANSITIONAL PHRASE.
You should try to use AT LEAST TWO transitional
phrases PER PARAGRAPH to start.