Resources for Persuasive Writing

Overview of Persuasive (Argumentative) Writing from Purdue Owl

Issues & Controversies

ProCon.org  

Hemingwayapp.com -- a web-based "writing coach" that points out overly long and complicated sentences, overuse of adverbs, excessive wordiness, and more.  Try it and you'll learn something about yourself as a writer.

Prove It! An Intro. to Persuasion

Prove It!

You are a lawyer involved in the case spelled out below.  Your job is to read the facts, think about the facts, think outside the facts, and then develop a logical, well-supported case to prove the guilt or innocence of the accused.  We will not actually conduct the case in class, but your job is to spell out what you would research, what you would aim to find out, and how you would support your case.


The case:

The theft of $2 million has been reported by Bangor Savings Bank in Bangor, Maine.  The bank believes it was an inside job because no doors, windows, or locks were broken during this nighttime robbery.  They believe that whoever entered had a key and also had knowledge of the security camera and alarm system.  .  

The accused is Janet Con, a 32-year old former employee of the bank.  Evidence gathered at the bank included a security camera video that showed a shadowy, hat-wearing figure who seems to resemble Janet Con.  Additionally, a partial fingerprint of Ms. Con was found on the door to the vault.   

Create an outline for your case that looks something like this:

Janet Con is __________________________ (guilty/ innocent)  Choose one.

Issues to Investigate:

--Argument 1 and supporting details:

• We would investigate and aim to show . . .
• We would investigate and aim to show

--Argument 2 and supporting details:

--Argument 3 and supporting details

(The more arguments you can present,  and more more closely you are able to tie the details (evidence) with your case, the better chance you have of winning the case.  Be creative.  Think outside the box.  Leave no stone unturned.

Midyear Exam -- Essay Prompt

Essay Prompt:

How do our beliefs about freedom of speech define us?

Where do you personally stand on the continuum between absolute freedom of individual expression and limitations that my be imposed for the "good of the group"? Where does our nation as a whole stand in comparison with other nations? What are the benefits and drawbacks of your / our beliefs? Refer to 3 or more case studies as examples.  

Respond in an essay of 4 or more well-developed paragraphs.

 Sample Essay Outline:
 1. Intro. / My beliefs about freedom of speech 
 2. How my beliefs have affected my decisions & practices.  Include benefits & drawbacks of my beliefs -- refer to 
       case studies & experiences 
 3. American in general -- beliefs about f.o.s. 
 4. Americans in general -- Benefits & drawbacks of American beliefs -- refer to case studies 
      & experiences 
 5. Closing -- summary statement and comment in response to prompt

Beowulf Resources

Fate vs. Free Will Resources

Beowulf -- Easy to read version

Beowulf -- Hypertext version

Beowulf in 100 Tweets

Beowulf -- Greene Hamlet Resources 

Beowulf Translations.net

Tim Romano Translation

Beowulf -- Translations.net zip file
(This valuable site with dozens of translations of Beowulf from different time periods is now available in the form of a Google-hosted zip file that can be downloaded, expanded, opened, and then used as a website that will be private to your own computer.  To download, click the link above and then click the download link on the top right corner of the page.)

Resume Resources

A list of ACTION VERBS for your resume is at:
Boston College Career Center
A sample FUNCTIONAL RESUME is in Google Doc format
here.
A useful online Resume Builder is at
http://www.resumizer.com/
Another good option for resume templates is via Google Docs.
(If you don't have a Gmail account, see me for the login info for the class Gmail account.)

Resume Headings: Activities Activities & Interests Additional Experience Additional Skills Additional Training Affiliations Associations Awards/Recognitions Career Goal Career Objective Certifications Coaching Experience Achievements Community Involvement Community Service Computer Skills Conferences Attended Education Employment Employment History Employment Objective Experience Goals Highlights of Qualifications Hobbies & Interests Honours & Awards Language Skills

Memberships Extracurricular Activities Objective Personal Achievements Presentations Publications Qualifications Related Activities Related Experience Relevant Experience Relevant Skills Scholarships & Awards Skills Special Skills Summary of Qualifications Teaching Experience Technical Skills Training Volunteer Activities Volunteer Experience Volunteer Work Work Experience

Just for Fun:  An extensive list of resume bloopers and blunders is at jobmob.co

Assignment for December 9

1.  Read the following two essays:
           Sample Essay #1 (submitted to Princeton)  http://www.quintcareers.com/collegegate4.html
           Sample Essay #2 (submitted to Cornell)  http://www.quintcareers.com/collegegate5.html

2. Write a critique of the 2 essays in which you compare the essays in term of the following.  (Write a brief paragraph on each):

• contains rich use of detail
• shows voice and personality
• portrays values likely to be important to the college

3. Submit your completed critique to the basket in front of the classroom.

4.  Use the remaining time to draft, revise, or polish your own college admissions essay.

College Admissions Essay Tips & Resources

The College Board has useful section on Essay Skills for the college admissions essay. Included are a section on how to choose a topic and tips on writing the essay itself.

Samples of successful essays can be found at quintcareers.com/ and at
college-admission-essay.com

The Common Application essay prompts are at http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays/a/common-application-essay-prompts.htm 

Bad topics for your college essay are graciously provided for you at:
http://collegeapps.about.com/od/essays/tp/bad-essay-topics.htm

A list, "Top Ten Common College Admissions Mistakes," is at
www.college-admission-essay.com/collegeadmissionessaymistakes.html

An extensive list of college admissions essay topics is at:
http://www.eduers.com/University/College_Admission_Essay_Topics.html

True fact: You can pay more than $1000.00 to have a professional essay editing service such as EssayEdge help you with your essay. (Or you can just ask me and get help for free).

The College Board suggests you compete the following as part of your brainstorming process:

• Discover Your Strengths: Do a little research about yourself: ask parents, friends, and teachers what your strengths are.
• Create a Self-Outline: Now, next to each trait, list five or six pieces of evidence from your life—things you've been or done—that prove your point.
• Find Patterns and Connections: Look for patterns in the material you've brainstormed. Group similar ideas and events together. For example, does your passion for numbers show up in your performance in the state math competition and your summer job at the computer store? Was basketball about sports or about friendships? When else have you stuck with the hard work to be with people who matter to you?

Reading for Variety

Standard 2 in English reads: "Students will read a wide variety of literature from many periods and genres to build an understanding of the dimensions of human experience."

It's a worthwhile standard and one that we hope you continue to build on through your lifetime.

Your Quarter 2 online reading journal, which is due by Jan. 21 (no penalty for getting it done early!), should include a personal reading list of books you have read during high school. It's ok to include a few favorite titles from your earlier years as well. Details, as well as a sample list, are below:


The goal is to list 12 or more titles that you have read in entirety during high school. These can be assigned texts or independent reading. If you have read dozens and dozens of books, it is ok to list only the top most memorable titles in your post. If you have read fewer than 12 books, it is ok to list books that you have read at least in part.

Listing author names is also a nice touch.

Sample List: The Adventures of Ulysses
Monster
The Outsiders by SE Hinton
To Kill a Mockingbird
Romeo and Juliet by Wiliam Shakespeare
Night
Speak
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
After the First Death by Robert Cormier
Where the Heart Is
The Crucible
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Scarlet Letter
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Where Men Win Glory by John Krakauer --IR
Into the Wild by John Krakauer --IR
Great Heart: The History of a Labrador Adventure --IR
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race
the World Has Never Seen --IR

*IR= Independent Reading

Poetry Out Loud!

Every senior at SDHS is expected to find and learn a poem and to present it during our classroom competition.  (The date of this competition will be announced soon).

Poems are at http://poetryoutloud.org/poems-and-performance/find-poems

Poetry Out Loud learning goals include:

• in-depth understanding of a poem
• exposure to a variety of poems through the classroom competition
• develop skills in memorization
• develop ability and confidence in public speaking
• increased appreciation of poetry

Poems that are high on the short, easy, & accessible scale include:
"Another Feeling," "Battlefield," "Boy and Egg," "Carmel Point," "Catch a Little Rhythm," "The Cities Inside Us," "Domestic Situation," "Dream Song 14," "Eagle Plain," "Golden Retrievals," "Keeping Things Whole," "Layabout," "The Last Laugh," "The Lamb," "Question," "Sadie & Maud," "Thoughts in a Zoo," "War Widow," "Youth."

Loaded Words and Your Issue

Loaded words, as we have defined them, are words that have a strong positive or negative "charge" to them.  Your job, in this part of the project, is to read a number of news articles related to your topic and to highlight any use of loaded words as you do so.

The next step is to group the loaded words according to which side of the issue is likely to use them and whether they are positive or negative.

Finally, you will use your list of loaded words to write up this section of your report.  Additional guidelines and a sample Section #6 are on a Google doc.

Norman Rockwell, "Freedom of Speech"

 Interpretation:  Why is this man standing?  What is going on?

What attitude do the other people seem to have toward him?

How is he different from them?  Are there places in the world

where this kind of scene could not take place?

The Merchants of Cool

Please respond to prompt #1 below. 

Then watch Merchants of Cool, Ch. 1, "Hunting for Cool," and Ch. 2 "Under the Radar Marketing" at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/cool/view/

Then respond to prompt #2 below.

Prompt #1 (before viewing):  What is your sense of how new products become cool?  What makes everyone want them?  Are you a cool kid?  Why or why not?

Prompt #2 (after viewing):  What did you learn that you didn't know before about how things get to be cool?  Does this new knowledge make you any more (or less) willing to participate in that ongoing teen quest to be cool?

Resources for Research on Freedom of Speech Issues

News articles about these issues also mention the types of people who are most involved in the issue and why those people believe what they do about the topic. 

Google News Search:
https://news.google.com/

ProQuest News Search:
via Marvel -- scroll 2/3 down the list of links and click "ProQuest Newspapers"

Google Blog Search:
http://www.google.com/blogsearch

ProCon.org
http://www.procon.org/

Issues & Controversies
http://www.2facts.com/icof_home_feature.aspx

Euphemisms, Loaded Words, & Double-Speak

A euphemism is a word or phrase used in place of another word or phrase.  Often euphemisms are used in order to mislead, to confuse, or to neutralize the reaction of an audience.  An example of an euphemism is to call a used car a "pre-owned vehicle." 

Loaded words are words used to engage the emotions of the reader or listener.  These are words that have strong connotations.  Some loaded words (especially the ones with positive connotations) are also euphemisms.  When Maine legislators who oppose the "estate tax" started calling it the "death tax," they were using loaded words.

Double-Speak is another term for ambiguous language that is intended to deceive of confuse.  Double-speak involves the use of words or phrases such as "War is peace" or "genuine imitation leather."   Double-speak is the use of words in an attempt to make something untrue, true.

Campaign Bumper Stickers

Your challenge is to create a campaign bumper sticker that communicates who you are, what you believe, and why people should vote for you -- all within the space of less than 0.5 square foot and using fewer than a dozen words.

Resources to Review as a Class:
Sample Stickers with Brief Critiques (slideshow)
Typography Basics 
The Basics of Fonts & Typography  (Site temporarily down)

Additional Resources:
Color as Symbol
How Color Communicates Meaning
Color Symbolism
10 Awesomely Dorky Facts About Fonts

Tips for Creating Your Campaign Sticker:
1. Use the Drawing Program on Libre Office
2. On Libre Office Draw, Go to "Format," select "Page," and then change your document width to 9 inches and your document height to 3.5 inches.
3. Set your background color.
4. Add text and images.  (Images can be from clipart or can be located on Google images and pasted to your sticker from your clipboard.)