Persuasive Essay

Monday, January 4, 2010..........Happy New Year!!!

Person of the Century - Project Overview

Objectives: Students will review the basics of a PERSUASIVE ESSAY
Students will review the specific details for the overall project

1. Students will look over and discuss the PSSA check list and rubric .

CHECK LIST- This must be completed and turned in with your final draft.
http://www.pssa-prep.com/rubricscheck.pdf

RUBRIC -
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NAFSON3H
2. Persuasive Essay Notes:

Definition of Persuasive Writing: Persuasive essays include material that tries to move a reader into taking an action, forming a new opinion or changing an opinion

Function of Persuasive Writing: requires writers to think critically and take a position on an issue of importance in school, work or the community

Types of Persuasive Writing: editorial, letter, proposal, explanation, defense of an issue, speech writing, persuasive essay, defense of a hypothesis, public service announcement, personal viewpoint essay, application/ resume and comparison/ evaluation.

3. Students will be researching their Person of the Century in the library.

- Students will select a prominent person form the 20th or 21st Century. You will be writing an
essay to nominate this person for the "Person of the Century Award"

20th Century - 1901-2000
21st Century - 2001-present

Research Specifics:
In your paper, you will have to include a minimum of three reasons explaining why your person deserves to win the Person of the Century Award.

A. Suggestions:
- Your person is influential in a positive way.
- Your person is admirable.
- Your person has overcome something challenging in their life in order to achieve certain goals.
- Your person has helped the community and taken part in volunteer work for the good of humanity.
- Your person gives hope to others and has leadership abilities.

B. In order to make those three reasons valid you must back them up with authentic evidence and examples. What has your person actually done that will prove an attribute they might have? How are you going to demonstrate that your person actually portrays those qualities?

C. You must have a minimum of three examples for each reason.

By the end of class today students should have chosen a person that they will be nominating and writing about for the Person of the Century Award.

Paper Specifics
1. Each student must have a research notebook...specifically for this project
2. The notebook will be graded
3. The paper may only contain research that makes up 25% or less of the entire paper
4. The paper will be 2 pages in length
5. The paper will follow MLA rules for set-up and research
6. The paper will ALSO contain the following:
A. An outline page
B. A Works Cited page
C. A peer-edited rough draft
D. Attached PSSA rubric

7. Sources- Minimum of 3 sources cited in the paper; 1 must be a tangible source.
*That means information must be collected from 3 or more different sources in your notebooks*
A. NO random Google searches.
B. Absolutely NO Wikipedia or Wiki sources of ANY kind.
C. All online sources must come from Power Library.

You will be using a combination of direct and paraphrased quotes. Partial quotes are acceptable.

Standard: 1.4.11.C

Include a clearly stated position.
Include convincing, elaborated detail.
Make sure the paper is properly cited.
Develop reader interest.
Anticipate and counter reader concerns arguments.
Include a variety of methods to advance the argument or position.