ENGLISH III – PERSUASIVE WRITING ESSAY
The Future is what you make it, so make it a good essay (2016)
Ms. Senff – Honors English IV
W.11-12.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Objective: Students will be able to write an argumentative essay that supports their viewpoints with valid reasoning while maintaining an academic/professional tone.
. A good high school English education helps provide students:
• The capacity to organize and express your thoughts in a way that affects other people.
• The ability to reliably access good information (i.e. not B.S.), and then being able to use that information to make smart decisions; this is the essence of what research-based assignments are supposed to instill.
• Reading classical literature allows you to become a part of a shared international culture, with a shared cultural vocabulary. To say you have a boss that’s just like Big Brother, Macbeth, or Duncan is to convey three very different ideas. My brother’s dating someone just like Julia from 1984. I just conveyed an ocean of information about this woman. But if you haven’t read the book, you probably don’t know what I’m talking about, but you will!
• Reading in general teaches you how to think more critically; it helps one cultivate the skills necessary to make sense of the world.
• When you get down to it, all of literature is just one collective attempt at making sense of humanity, of what it is to be human – the things about us that defy explanation through the sciences. We have incredible volumes of writing that wrestles with these BIG questions; to suggest that body of literature has nothing to offer you is ridiculous. And while few things you’ve read in high school may have really spoken to you, when that book/poem/song/movie/essay does come along, you will have developed the skills necessary to be receptive to that message.
So here’s the deal: you’ve been in a lot of English classes. You’ve had good experiences and (no doubt) not-so-good-experiences. Taking all that into account, here’s the question: What should we do with this semester? Write an argumentative essay explaining what we should do with this semester, and why we should do it.
Here are the particulars:
• Your essay should be two pages, MLA format, double-spaced (typed), eleven or twelve point font. Do this stuff-( ( (
• You need a beginning, a middle and an end – an introductory paragraph (with a hook and a thesis), body paragraphs (that elaborate on that thesis), and a conclusion.
• This assignment is a super-short paper concerning a topic on which you are an expert. Be concise and make every word count.
• For this AND ONLY THIS piece of writing, you may use first and second person pronouns, but be mindful of overuse. Still avoid phrases like I think /I feel/ I believe.
Things to be aware of when writing this essay:
• Make sure you follow all direction listed.
• Make sure the essay is in MLA format:
o Your Name
o Teacher Name
o Class
o Date ( day, month, year)
• Make sure your last name is in the header only with a page number .
• Make sure the essay is double spaced with 1inch margins per MLA format.
• Do NOT use the following words in your essay:
• Just, so, like ,really, a lot, started, get/got, very or any variation there of
• Any and all slang
• Prewriting thoughts:
o What things have you done in past English classes that have felt like worthwhile educational experiences? Types of readings? Types of activities? Why have they been worthwhile? That is, what has prepared you and how?
o What are your future plans? How will your proposed plan for the remainder of the semester play a part in those plans? What do you want to come away from this class with in terms of skills/knowledge?
o I’m going to fly through these essays; I will attempt to incorporate as many good ideas as I can – it’s in your best interest to take this seriously.
|Criteria |Your points |Point value |
| | |10 |
|Included an introductory paragraph with hook and thesis included. | | |
| | |10 |
|Introduced precise, knowledgeable claim(s), established the significance of the claim(s) | | |
| | |10 |
|Established and maintained a formal style and objective tone while presenting your arguments. | | |
|Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. | |10 |
|GPS – grammar, punctuation, and spelling are reflective of a high school senior = minimal errors! | |5 |
| | |5 |
|Paper is written in correct MLA style. | | |
| | |50 |
|TOTAL POINTS: | | |
W.11-12.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
_______Met Expectations ______Needs Improvement ______Did not meet expectations
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