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 one’s

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 don’t make connections between
your ideas, the reader will probably insert their own
thoughts – not always a good idea. In persuasive
writing, it’s important that you LEAD the reader in
the DIRECTION YOU WANT them to go – don’t allow
them to make their own connections.

The following is a list of commonly used

TRANSITIONS.
 Common Transitions

and to sum up
but because
or in conclusion
while consequently
although first
unlike next
while sometimes
however surely
in other words on the other hand
Transitional words are very useful in
persuasive writing because they help you
show BOTH SIDES of the arguments.

Let’s say that you’ve 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.