writing interpretive, narrative, expository, and persuasive
TRANSCRIPT
WritingInterpretive, Narrative, Expository, and Persuasive
Table of Contents§
§ Interpretive writing gives different perspectives or explanations on a piece of literature§
§ Narrative nonfiction writing tells a true-life story or a person or persons§
§ Narrative fiction writing presents characters in a conflict that is first developed and then resolved
§ § Expository writing examines a topic in detail in order to
better understand it§ § Persuasive writing present’s a writer’s idea or position
and then provides evidence to support or prove it
Interpretive
Narrative Nonfiction
Narrative Fiction
Expository
Persuasive
WritingInterpretive
Five Easy Steps§ Prewriting
§ Brainstorming possible topics§ Choosing topics§ Gathering details§ Organizing§ Drafting
§ Introduction, body, and conclusion§ Revising§ Coherence§ Development of ideas§ Word choice§ Point of view§ Literary elements§ Editing§ Conventions§ Sentence structure§ Publish
Writing Traits 2. Organize
1. Focus and Coherence A. Clear purpose or thesis B Connecting ideas throughout sentences and paragraphs
3. Development of Ideas A. Effective supporting details for thesis or purpose of the essay
4. Voice
A. Evident
writer’s
personality
B. Appropriate
language and
tone for
audience
5. Conventions A. Rules of grammar, sentence structure,
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
A.
Distinctive
beginning,
middle,
and end
Interpretive Writing
§ When someone wants to explain an
aspect or idea of a literary text, they
use interpreting writing
§ Interpretive writing gives different
perspectives or explanations on a piece
of literature
Why do you think there could be different interpretations of a literary work? Why might this be important?
Subject v. Theme§ To write an effective interpretive essay, you must
distinguish between the subject and theme of the literary work.
§ The subject describes what the story is about:§ In the novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the
subject is a story about a young boy who discovers he is a famous wizard born into an infamous destiny.
§ The theme is the message about life the story suggests:§ The theme in the novel Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s
Stone is that though desire is not necessarily wrong or bad, it can be dangerous when overblown desire makes people lose perspective on life.
Listen to Ray Bradbury’s There
Will Come Soft Rains on page
1000 of your textbook. Pay
close attention to possible
messages the author is trying
present to the audience.
Review your subject and theme. Find four specific examples from the text that support your theme. Include a quote and page numbers.
Identifying a Theme§ To help you find an important and meaningful theme of your novel, use these
strategies and questions to help guide you§ Strategies
§ Look for clues in the title§ What clues does the title offer about a main theme? Explain.
§ Look in the novel for the author’s statement about life
§ Identify a life lesson that emerges in the novel§ What lessons about life do the main character’s actions
reveal?§ Are there any symbols that play a significant role in the
novel? How do they relate to the main character’s actions?
Try identifying the theme of
the following short stories.
Be sure to identify a
message from the author or
a life lesson learned from
the story.
Identify the subject (what the novel is
about) and three possible themes
(messages about life) from your
literature circle novel with your group
and write them in a three column chart.
Remember, a novel usually contains
multiple themes.
Your Turn!
Novel Subject
Theme
Interpretive Paragraph
Analysis§ When writing an interpretive paragraph
analysis, include some of the following
guidelines:
§ In the opening sentence, include the title, author,
and subject of the novel.
§ In the body sentences, briefly describe the
elements (characters, plot, setting, symbols) of the
novel and stylistic devices that reveal the theme in
a thorough explanation with direct quotations
§ In the closing sentence, state the theme of the
novel§ Helpful Hint: Use rhetorical
devices in your writing to engage
the audience!
Example Paragraph Analysis Scrooge’s Awakening In Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, the main
character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is a hard-hearted man who sees
no meaning in Christmas. reveal that he has become more and more focused on his business, shunning contact with friends and relatives. Scrooge is a living in a cocoon of selfishness, blinded to the world beyond
his counting house. One Christmas Eve Scrooge follows his
usual holiday pattern – refusing requests for charity, berating
his employee for wanting to take Christmas Day off, and rejecting the holiday dinner invitation of his only nephew. But
as darkness falls, the shifts to mysterious images of deceased acquaintances, lost youth, and a prophecy of Scrooge’s own cold and lonely death. What he sees horrifies
him and ironically brings him to his senses. Scrooge learns
that Christmas is a yearly reminder about the importance of
love and the rewards of generosity and kindness toward one’s
fellow humans.
Flashbacks
character
setting
Your turn! Use the
story There Will
Come Soft Rains to
write an interpretive
paragraph analysis.
Be sure to include
elements that
reveal the
theme.
Embedding Quotes§ To include an essay with well-developed quotations,
keep in mind these following guidelines:§ Introduce the quote with reference of the author
§ Sir Winston Churchill once said "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
§ In Shakespeare’s play As You Like It, Touchstone says to Audrey in the Forest of Arden "The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.“
§ Include the quote as part of a larger idea in a sentence§ The idea of the world void of the novel would not be “because it has
exhausted its powers but because it exists in a world grown alien to it” is the basis of an uncreative population.
§ Though including quotes helps build your case with evidence, quote as infrequently as possible to prevent your essay from becoming a parroting of someone else’s ideas
Example Embedded Quotes Excerpt from Monsters Are Made, Not Born Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein traces the plight of Victor Frankenstein, a scientist tortured by the thought that he is responsible for bringing into the world a hideously deformed, vicious creature. Through Frankenstein, Shelley expresses her fears that science left unchecked could be dangerous. However, in the end that theme is not nearly as moving as the monster’s message –– mistreating others is risky. This theme becomes clear when he states “There was none among the myriads of men that existed who would pity or assist me; and should I feel kindness toward my enemies?” It is the monster’s plight that haunts the reader as the monster recalls that he sought shelter from the weather, but “still more from the barbarity of man,” and no shelter was given.
Use your interpretive
analysis paragraph of
There Will Come Soft
Rains to practice
incorporating direct
quotes. Include one of
the quotes and embed
it in the rewritten
p
aragraph.
Interpretive Essay Guidelines
§ Write an interpretive essay over a given topic concerning your literature circle novel§ Introduction with clearly defined thesis, body
with topic sentences and supporting details, and conclusion paragraph summarizing ideas
§ Typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12” font. 1” margins
§ 1 ½ - 2 pages in length§ Citations for three direct quotes from the
novel supporting the thesis
Read the interpretive
analysis example essays
Land Values, Sharing
Control, and For as Long
as We Both Shall Live...
Prewriting 2. Choose
the theme
you will write
about
1. Brainstorm several possible themes that fit the novel A. Use the title B. Find the author’s statement about life
C. Identify a life lesson
3. Gather details from the story that reveal the theme A. Literary Elements B. Significant events C. Character thoughts
4. Identify direct
quotes from the
novel that
support the
theme
A. Make sure
they make sense
in context with
the theme
5. Create your thesis statement A. Combine the element, character, or action with the theme to create the thesis
Gather details from the
novel that support your
theme by listing literary
elements, significant
events, and character
thoughts and feelings that
reveal the theme.
Selecting Direct Quotes
§ Use direct quotations from your novel
to emphasize important points of the
theme
§ Things to keep in mind when choosing
quotes:
§ Purpose (theme) of the essay
§ Does the quote not only relate to the theme, but
does it also develop your evidence?
§ Context (presented evidence) of the essay
§ Does the quote make sense within the context, or
the presented evidence of the essay, that you are
trying to make?
Your turn! Identify and list 6-8 important quotes that relate to and develop the theme of your essay. Be sure to include the page number!
Creating Your Thesis§ Now that you’ve gathered details, you
are ready to write your thesis statement§ The thesis statement should connect your
focus of the novel (elements, characters, or actions) to the theme
§ In this example, the focus was a character and the theme was tradition vs. change. Together, the thesis statement above was formed to connect the ideas.
Okonkwo
Character
becomes ensnared in the clash of two cultures
Theme
Okonkwo becomes
ensnared in the clash of
two cultures.Thesis
Organize§ When it comes to organizing your essay, there
are four main types to consider:§ Description – explain a topic by listing
characteristics, examples, or features by focusing on one thing and its components
§ Chronological – listing items or events in a sequential order
§ Compare and Contrast – explains how two or more things are alike and how they are different
§ Cause and Effect – listing one or more causes or events and the resulting consequences by explaining how or why something happened, exists, or works
§ Your organization is determined primarily by your thesis
Your turn! Now that
you’ve decided upon a
thesis, you will need
to organize your
details. Choose your
text structure and
organize your details
in a graphic organizer.
Drafting 2. Narrow
the start
of your
essay to your
focus.
1. Begin your essay with an introduction A. Make sure you clearly identify your focus that includes the main ideas of your essay B Make sure you establish a unique voice
3. Begin the body of your essay with your first main idea A. Make sure you follow the text structure for your main ideas
4. Explain the
supporting
details for each
of the main ideas
A. Make sure to
create a new
paragraph for
each new main
idea
5. Close your essay with a conclusion A. Make sure you summarize the main ideas and focus of your essay
Create the introduction
for your interpretive
analysis essay. Be sure to
include the title, author,
and subject of the book,
as well as the thesis.
Introduction and Body
§ When you write your introduction, be sure
to keep in the mind the following things:
§ Title and author
§ Background plot or character information
§ Thesis statement
§ When working on your body, be sure to
address the major points or examples that
reveal the theme
§ Use your example events, characterization, or
literary elements to create your topic sentences
§ Be sure to use transition words and phrases to
help connect ideas for coherence
Create your topic sentences for your essay. Make sure these are IMPORTANT examples that help reveal the theme. Be ready to explain these points.
Conclusion§ Conclusions are a summarization of the
main points and thesis of your essay. Think about the following things as you write:§ Restatement of the theme from the introduction§ Review of the main examples or points
§ Remember that themes can be shown through characters or conflict. Theme is a perception about life or human nature that the writer shares with the reader.
Create the ending
paragraph for your
essay. Be sure to
review the points and
the theme of the novel.
Citations§ Before you begin revising and editing your
rough draft, you need to include proper citation of your quotes:§ For each quote, you need to identify the page number:
§ When Deuce asks Fade how he got his name, he replied, “’It came off an old bottle…’” (p. 135).
§ Stalker and Tegan never got along, but after eight days of traveling “they were careful to keep the animosity silent and simmering” (p. 211).
§ The bibliography citation for everyone will be in MLA format:
§ Author’s last name, first name. Title. Publishing City: Publishing Company, Publishing Date
EXAMPLE CITATION for BIBLIOGRAPHY
Meyer, Stephanie. Twilight. New York: Hachette Book Group, 2005.
Nix, Garth. Abhorsen. New York: HarperCollins Pub., 2003
WritingNarrative Nonfiction
Five Easy Steps§ Prewriting
§ Brainstorming possible topics§ Choosing topics§ Gathering details§ Organizing§ Drafting
§ Introduction, body, and conclusion§ Revising§ Coherence§ Development of ideas§ Word choice§ Point of view§ Literary elements§ Editing§ Conventions§ Sentence structure§ Publish
Writing Traits 2. Organize
1. Focus and Coherence A. Clear purpose or thesis B Connecting ideas throughout sentences and paragraphs
3. Development of Ideas A. Effective supporting details for thesis or purpose of the essay
4. Voice
A. Evident
writer’s
personality
B. Appropriate
language and
tone for
audience
5. Conventions A. Rules of grammar, sentence structure,
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
A.
Distinctive
beginning,
middle,
and end
Prewriting 2. Choose
the topic
you will write
about
1. Brainstorm several possible topics that are important to you A. Make sure they will answer the prompt B Make sure you know a lot about the topic
3. List main ideas that help explain your topic A. Make sure the ideas are clearly related to the topic and help support your answer
4. List details
that help explain
your main idea
A. Make sure
they make sense
B. Make sure
they are
important to the
main idea
5. Organize your details with a text structure A. Make sure you put your information into a logical order for your text structure
Write about a time in your life when
you changed.
Selecting a Topic
§ Before selecting a topic, you need to
write down several possible options
that will answer the prompt
§ Examples:
§ Was hospitalized with an appendicitis attack
§ Took a train trip with my grandmother
§ Went canoeing with the youth group
§ Participated in the school’s spelling bee
§ Joined the Junior Drum and Bugle Corp
§ Volunteered at the local nursing home
§ Helped my neighbor take care of her dog
Your turn! List a number of important experiences in your life. Circle the experience you want to use as the topic of your
personal narrative.
Focusing Your Topic§ When focusing your topic, you need to be able
to explain what you will be writing about in your essay
§ Weak topics:§ One Saturday night a year ago, I learned that my
friends are not always right.§ The last month of track meets really taught me
something.
§ Strong topic:§ The last month of track meets taught me that
champions are made from discipline, determination, and sweat.
Carefully read the following sentences. Then
identify the ones you feel you make a good focus
for your personal narrative.
§ Christian and I had played in tennis tournaments
all summer, but we learned more about
friendship than tennis.
§ I met my grandfather for the first time at my
cousin’s wedding.§ I surprised my mother by making supper.
§ I lived with my grandparents for a semester while
my parents were busy starting a new business.
§ When my little sister was born, my life changed
completely.
Your Turn!
Gathering Details
§ The next step in the prewriting step is to
gather details for your topic with main
ideas and supporting details
§ A main idea is what the paragraph is
primarily about and it helps describe the
topic
§ A supporting detail are smaller facts in the
paragraph that help explain the main idea
§ Using a chart to organize your
main ideas and supporting details
will help you in the next step.
Key Events Details Change
First day of practice
hot summer daysore feetMr. D. – very strict
doing new things can be uncomfortable
Daily practices
intense practicesbumping into peoplequickly improved
wanted to quit, but was determined to get better
Parades and competitions
teamworkperformed in all kinds of weather
could face difficult challenges even though overwhelmed
Your turn! Record
your key events in a
chart like this one
with details and
resulting changes
from the event.
Organizing Text Structure§ In order to accurately write a logical essay, you must decide in what order you present your information
§ Choosing a text structure will allow you to do this§ Chronological – Step by step§ Cause and Effect – Something happened as a result
of something else§ Compare and Contrast – Similarities and differences § Helpful hint: Use the text structure handout to help you when you are writing - - especially for TRANSITIONS!
Drafting 2. Narrow
the start
of your
essay to your
focus.
1. Begin your essay with an introduction A. Make sure you clearly identify your focus that includes the main ideas of your essay B Make sure you establish a unique voice
3. Begin each body paragraph with a main idea (topic sentence) A. Create new paragraphs for each new main idea B. Follow text structure
4. Explain the
supporting details
for each main
idea
A. Maintain
personal voice
and tone
B. Include
dialogue
5. Close your essay with a conclusion A. Make sure you summarize the main ideas and focus of your essay
Introduction
§ When writing an introduction for a
personal narrative, you need to think
about the following things:
§ Engage the reader
§ Establish a clear focus that includes your
experience and how it changed you
§ Establish a unique voice
§ The following paragraph introduces the
example topic of the summer during the Drum
and Bugle Corps:I was never interested in joining any
group or sport during the summer. I liked
hanging out with my friends and doing odd jobs
to make extra cash. But then last summer I
decided to do something different. I joined the
Warrentown Junior Drum and Bugle Corps. It
was the best decision I’ve ever made, because it
helped me make a confident and outgoing
person who enjoys working with others.
Introduction Example
Body Paragraphs§ Now that you have the reader’s attention
and established your focus, it’s time to add details.
§ Use your graphic organizer with your main ideas and supporting details to start writing your body, but as you do, keep in mind the following things:§ Choose words that maintain your voice and
create an appropriate tone§ Use dialogue to help engage the reader
Establishing Tone
§ In the examples below, note how the writer
changes neutral words to words that illustrate
attitude, or tone
§ Neutral – Mr. D. walked before us and spoke loudly.
§ Strong – Mr. D. paced before us and barked loudly.
§ For each of the sentences, determine which
word in parentheses helps enhance, or
strengthen, the tone
§ The tough schedule (affected, shook) my confidence.
§ Mr. D. told me my playing added (spark, something)
to the trumpet section.
§ Before the competition, Mr. D. (huddled, met) with
us like (leader, football coach).
Body ExampleI will never forget my first day of practice with the
drum and bugle corps. The direction, Mr. DeRusha, stepped
onto the football field and ordered us all to sit along the 50-
yard line. I nervously tapped the keys of my trumpet. I’d
heard that Mr. D. had a reputation for being tough. He
looked like one of those army drill sergeants on TV. He was
tall and had a fresh crew cut, and when his voice exploded
through the bullhorn, I shivered, even though it was almost
70 degrees outside.“Listen up, people!” he barked. “Welcome to the
Warrentown Junior Drum and Bugle Corps. Being in a drum
and bugle corps means you are alert and prepared at all
times. Is that understood?Ӥ Helpful hint: Make sure you refer back to your focus
statement and consider the consequences of your own and
other’s decisions and actions to show what you’ve learned!
Conclusion
§ The ending paragraph of your essay is
called the conclusion; it should be a
reflection on the decisions or actions you
made and the significance of the event of
experience
§ A conclusion should:
§ Review the main ideas and focus
§ Add new insight or lesson that is learned from
the event or experience
§ The personal change does not have to be a
major turning point in the writer’s life;
the change can simply be that the writer
sees things in a different light.
§ Make sure you explain your change and how
it came about through a reflection back on
the event or experienceI still get goose bumps when I think about
the band. Mr. DeRusha is a great director who
taught me about discipline and respect. After
last summer I am not the same Jon Bowers
anymore. Today I feel good about my ability to
play the trumpet, and I actually enjoy
performing in front of people. When I look back
on my decision to join the band, I realize it was
one smart move!
Conclusion ExampleBegin the rough draft of your essay. Be sure to keep in mind your focus statement and your text structure as you write.
Revising &
Editing D. Essay
about one
experience/event
E. Evident
personal voice
and point of view
1. Check for internal and external coherenceA. Clearly stated focus and changeB. Paragraphs relate and explain focusC. Follow text
structure
2. Check for development of ideas and voice A. Use precise nouns, verbs, and adjectives B. Consistent point of view
3. Check for subject-
verb agreement and
sentence structure
A. Single and plural
subjects match
verb tense
B. Varied simple,
compound, and
complex
sentences
4. Check for mechanics and spellingA. Capitalization and punctuationB. Spelling and
homonyms
STAAR Practice
§ Personal Narrative (non-fiction story about
a real event that affected you in some way)
§ Each personal narrative prompt will
appear with a picture, an explanation of
the picture,
and the prompt.
§ Sometimes it’s hard to make a decision
because there are so many choices.
§ Write a personal narrative about a time
when you had to make a decision. Be
sure to write in detail about the choice
you made and describe what happened
as a result of your decision.
Strategies§ When writing a persona narrative, keep in
mind the following writing strategies:
§ Start by brainstorming possible experiences
answering the prompt§ Create a thesis statement that answers ‘what’ and
‘how’§ Create a graphic organizer with the main ideas
and supporting details and organize with a text
structure§ Write the rough draft with the intro, body, and
conclusion§ Revise for organization, idea development,
transitions, and length§ Edit for grammatical conventions§ Rewrite the final essay in the test booklet
Your turn! Write a personal narrative about a time when you accomplished something important through hard work. Be sure to describe what you were trying to accomplish, and how your hard work paid off.
WritingExpository
Five Easy Steps§ Prewriting
§ Brainstorming possible topics§ Choosing topics§ Gathering details§ Organizing§ Drafting
§ Introduction, body, and conclusion§ Revising§ Coherence§ Development of ideas§ Word choice§ Point of view§ Literary elements§ Editing§ Conventions§ Sentence structure§ Publish
Writing Traits 2. Organize
1. Focus and Coherence A. Clear purpose or thesis B Connecting ideas throughout sentences and paragraphs
3. Development of Ideas A. Effective supporting details for thesis or purpose of the essay
4. Voice
A. Evident
writer’s
personality
B. Appropriate
language and
tone for
audience
5. Conventions A. Rules of grammar, sentence structure,
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
A.
Distinctive
beginning,
middle,
and end
Expository Writing
§ When someone wants to separate
something into types or parts, you are
classifying it
§ Expository writing explains a concept
or idea by presenting information with
supporting evidence
§ Expository writing
§ Topic sentence begins each paragraph
§ Body sentences present the categories and
specific supporting details in the paragraph
§ Closing sentences wraps up the paragraphs
When might you use expository writing? Why would it be important to correctly write an expository essay?
Prewriting 2. Choose
the topic
you will write
about
1. Diagram several possible topics that you know a lot aboutA. List different categories under each topicB. Check topic for being too narrow or broad
3. Gather and sort details A. List details for each of the categories for the topic
4. Write the
topic sentences
A. Topic
sentences
should name
the topic and
mention its
categories
5. Organize your details with a text structure A. Make sure you put your information into a logical order for your text structure
Susan B. Anthony once said, “Modern invention has banished the spinning wheel, and the same law of progress makes the woman of today a different woman from her grandmother.” Some inventions have had a huge impact on the way we live our lives. An invention may make our jobs easier, or it could change the way we communicate, or it might provide us with great entertainment. Write an expository essay describing an invention that has influence your life.
Selecting and Gathering
§ Whenever you are trying to decide between
two things, you are comparing and
contrasting them.
§ Look at how these things are similar/positive,
and how they are different/negative. Then using
this information, make a decision about the topic
§ For the topic, list as many details as
possible for both subgroups
§ Organize your details in a graphic organizer,
such as a two-column graph to help keep your
ideas straight
§ The viewpoint that the details best support is the
best choice for a topic
Forming a Thesis Statement
§ When writing an expository text, the focus statement (the guiding statement explaining what the essay is about) is called the thesis statement
§ A thesis statement should contain the topic to be addressed and the specific viewpoint to explain§ Madison and Seattle may seem different, but they have
much in common in terms of entertainment.§ Hunger persists in certain countries because jobs are
scarce and farming in the infertile soil is rarely profitable.
Creating Your Thesis
§ Now that you’ve gathered details, you
are ready to write your thesis
statement
§ Remember, the thesis should include the
topic being addressed and the viewpoints
being explained
School
uniforms
Topic
provide
benefits
Viewpoin
t
School
uniforms
provide
benefits to
students,
parents, and
educators.Thesis
§ In this example, the topic is addressing the
benefits of school uniforms. The author then
chose to say who they were benefiting, thus
producing the thesis.
Brainstorm about your
prompt, identify the
topics, gather details, and
create a thesis statement
about your topic.
Topic Sentences§ Topic sentences begin the body paragraphs and should help support your thesis statement
§ Strategies:§ Keep in mind your thesis statement § Make sure each topic sentence supports the
viewpoint addressed in the thesis statement§ Include a transition to introduce the next
supporting evidence smoothly§ Examples:§ One common way animals protect themselves is
by changing color to blend in with their environment.
Your turn! Create the topic sentences
for each of your body paragraphs and organize them in a logical order for
your rough draft.
Drafting,
Revising, Editing,
and Publish
C. Use only
details that
support your
thesis
D. End essay with
conclusion
reviewing
your viewpoint
1. Create your rough draft using your graphic organizerA. Start your essay with an introduction that includes the thesis
B. Start each body paragraph with topic sentences
2. Revise your rough draft A. Check for focus and coherence B. Check for text structure and the development of your ideas C. Check for voice and tone
3. Edit your rough
draft
A. Check for
spelling,
punctuation,
sentence
structure,
capitalization, and
grammar errors
4. Rewrite your essay after making your changes A. Be sure to write clearly and legibly
STAAR Practice
§ Expository (non-fiction essay explaining your
opinion about something: NOT PERSUASIVE!)
§ Each expository text will have three parts: a
quote, a statement explaining the idea, and
the prompt
§ READ the following quotation.
Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over
if you just sit there. ~ Will Rogers
§ THINK carefully about the following statement.
Success comes from hard work. If you are not
willing to work for what you want, then you will
probably never achieve it.
§ WRITE an essay explaining why hard work is
necessary to be successful.
Strategies§ When writing an expository essay, keep in
mind the following writing strategies:
§ Start by listing main ideas and supporting
details that support your opinion in an
organizer§ Arrange your ideas in a logical text structure
§ Create a thesis statement identifying the
‘what’ and ‘why’§ Write the rough draft including the intro, body,
and conclusion§ Revise for idea development, transitions,
personal conclusion, and length§ Edit for grammatical conventions§ Rewrite final essay in test booklet
Your turn!THINK carefully about the following statement.It has often been said that nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something. Every act of goodness and charity, not matter how small, makes the world a better place.WRITE an essay describing something that you can do to make the world a better place.
WritingPersuasive
Five Easy Steps§ Prewriting
§ Brainstorming possible topics§ Choosing topics§ Gathering details§ Organizing§ Drafting
§ Introduction, body, and conclusion§ Revising§ Coherence§ Development of ideas§ Word choice§ Point of view§ Literary elements§ Editing§ Conventions§ Sentence structure§ Publish
Writing Traits 2. Organize
1. Focus and Coherence A. Clear purpose or thesis B Connecting ideas throughout sentences and paragraphs
3. Development of Ideas A. Effective supporting details for thesis or purpose of the essay
4. Voice
A. Evident
writer’s
personality
B. Appropriate
language and
tone for
audience
5. Conventions A. Rules of grammar, sentence structure,
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
A.
Distinctive
beginning,
middle,
and end
Persuasive Writing
§ Persuasive writing helps you address a
difference of opinion. By clearly stating a
position and defending it with facts and
logical reasons, you can convince others
to agree with you
§ When writing a persuasive essay, it is
important to include a variety of effective
supporting details:
§ Facts
§ Statistics
§ Case studies
§ Anecdotes
Prewriting and
Drafting2. Identify
a strong
opposition
statement
to rebut
1. Create a reasons chart to support your positionA. Include various logical reasons B. Explain with
supporting evidence using precise, factual data
3. Counter an objection A. List several logical reasons to the important, objectionable statement that support your viewpoint
4. Organize
your logical
reasons
A. Rank your
reasons by order
of importance
and relative
value
5. Outline A. Create an outline of your logical reasons to support your viewpoint
Every issue has two sides. Write an essay
explaining your issue’s point of view and give
logical reasons for your position.
Logical Reasons Supporting Evidence
Food banks do a great job of getting food to the people who need it
- 36 million served in 2011- food banks know local
situation
Food banks help businesses and the environment
- keep food out of waste stream- accept food from restaurants,
grocery stores, etc.
Food banks are economically efficient
- don’t require fancy offices or tons of paperwork
§ After you have chosen your topic and stated your opinion, you need to use a range of appeals – facts, data, case studies, and anecdotes to convince your audience
Reasons ChartCounter Arguments and
Rebuttals
§ When you include a counter argument, it shows
that you’ve thought and understood what
someone may say against your argument
§ A rebuttal is a statement that shifts the argument
back to your viewpoint and offers a possible
solution to the counter argument
§ Examples:
§ Counter Argument:
§ Government programs like food stamps provide all the help
people need
§ Rebuttals:
§ Even with food stamps, the hunger problem has grown
§ Despite government help, millions of people still visit food
banks
§ Applying for food stamps takes time and some people need
food right away
Identify your position, read the
research information, create a
list of logical reasons supporting
your point of view, two counter
arguments, and rebuttals. Then, organize the information in
order of importance
Drafting B. Start eachbody
paragraph
with a topic
sentence that
identifies
a new
reason
1. Create your rough draft using your graphic organizer and outlineA. Start your essay with an
introduction that engages the reader and states your issue and position 2. Provide background information, specific logical reasons, and supporting evidence in the body paragraphs A. Include precise information supports your viewpoint
3. Address an
important
objection
A. List several
rebuttals to the
objection that
support your
viewpoint
4. End your essay with the conclusion A. Reemphasize your position by summarizing your main points
Persuasive Techniques
§ The Greek philosopher Aristotle divided the
means of persuasion (the use of appeals)
into three categories:
§ Ethos – credibility of the author’s argument
§ Logos – logical supporting examples and
evidence
§ Pathos – emotional element to reach the
audience
§ These three appeals are core in answering
the question: What does the author
(speaker, cartoonist, advertiser, filmmaker,
etc.) want the audience (reader, listener, or
viewer) to feel, think, or do?
§ How well an author/speaker presents
him/herself
§ Questions for considering a writer’s
ethos:§ Does he or she seem knowledgeable?
Reasonable? Trustworthy?
§ Does he or she treat their opponents with
fairness and respect, or do they take cheap
shots?
§ Does he or she try to establish common
ground with the reader/audience?
Ethos: Ethical Appealsthe source’s credibility: the author’s authority
over the content
What Ethos Looks Like:
§ When an author/speaker:
§ appeals to a perso
n’s conscience,
morals, standards, v
alues, or
principles
§ tries to
convince the reader/audience
that he/she is of good character
§ is qualified to make his/h
er claims
§ cites relevant authoriti
es
§ quotes others accurately and fairly
Ethos Example"If, in my low moments, in word, deed or
attitude, through some error of temper,
taste, or tone, I have caused anyone discomfort, created pain, or revived someone's fears, that was not my truest self.
If there were occasions when my grape
turned into a raisin and my joy bell lost its
resonance, please forgive me. Charge it to
my head and not to my heart. My head--so
limited in its finitude; my heart, which is
boundless in its love for the human family. I
am not a perfect servant. I am a public
servant doing my best against the odds."
(Jesse Jackson, Democratic National Convention
Keynote Address, 1984)
§ How well an author/speaker uses well-organized textual evidence to support his/her claim
§ Questions for considering a writer’s logos:§ What is the author’s thesis?§ What points does the author offer to support
his/her thesis?§ Are ideas presented in a logical order?§ Does the author introduce counter arguments
and rebuttals to help support his/her claim?
Logos: Logical Appealslogic used to explain claim: facts and statistics
used to support argument
What Logos Looks Like:
§ When an author/speaker:
§ involves facts or figures
§ uses reputable research
§ quotes authorities on the topic
§ uses cause and effect information
§ makes comparisons through analogies
§ presents information as common
sense§ reviews precedents
Logos Example
“Rational choice theory in political
science has made much of the fact
that it is seemingly irra
tional to
vote in a large-scale election. This
is because the probability that your
single vote will determine the
outcome is generally very close to
zero, while the act of voting entails
some small, but real, costs. Even in
a close election, like Florida in
2000, an individual’s vote would
really “count” only if the margin of
victory was exactly one vote. ”
§ How well an author/speaker taps into the audiences emotions§ Questions for considering a writer’s pathos:§ Does the topic matter to the audience?§ Does the writer include anecdotes (memorable stories)?
§ Does the writer appeal to the audience’s emotions, personal memories, fears, etc.?§ Is the emotional appeal effective or overwhelming?§ Is the writing overloaded with facts and figures?
Pathos: Emotional Appealsemotional or motivational: use of vivid or emotional language and sensory details
What Pathos Looks Like:
§ When an author/speaker:
§ appeals to the heart
§ expresses emotions
§ shows sympathy
§ uses imagery or figurative language
§ carefully constructs sentences to
pick out emotional language
Pathos Example
“Hilary Clinton used a moment
of brilliantly staged emotion to
win the New Hampshire
Democratic primary… As she
answered questions in a diner
on the morning before the
election, Mrs. Clinton’s voice
began to waver and crack
when she said, ‘It’s not easy…
This is very personal for me.’"
Your turn! For each
of the following examples, identify the appeal in your group. Then, use text evidence to support your answer.
Rough Draft§ The introduction should capture the reader’s attention,
address the topic with background information, and state your position
§ The body paragraphs should include your logical reasons, ordered from your most important and relative to the least, finishing your evidence with the counter argument and rebuttal in the final body paragraph§ Use transition words and phrases to smooth the flow of evidence in
the essay§ Example: One reason ---- Another reason ---- Most importantly
§ The conclusion should restate your position and summarize the main reasons, as well as leave the reader with an important final insight to the topic
Your turn! Create your topic sentences
and then write your
rough draft, including the introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs.
Revising &
Editing 2. Transitions
are used to
promote a
unified and
logical order to
the argument
1. Check for coherence and focus of the positionA. Topic sentences focus on the thesis statement
B. Position is consistent throughout the essay
3. Check for development of ideas A. Facts and statistics clearly show the problem B. Explain how the problem affects people C. Convincing argument
4. Check for an
authoritative and
respectful voice and
tone
A. Formal,
knowledgeable
language that is
respectful to
other viewpoints
5. Check for grammatical conventionsA. Capitalization and punctuationB. Spelling, mechanics, and sentence structure
WritingNarrative Fiction
Five Easy Steps§ Prewriting
§ Brainstorming possible topics§ Choosing topics§ Gathering details§ Organizing§ Drafting
§ Introduction, body, and conclusion§ Revising§ Coherence§ Development of ideas§ Word choice§ Point of view§ Literary elements§ Editing§ Conventions§ Sentence structure§ Publish
Writing Traits 2. Organize
1. Focus and Coherence A. Clear purpose or thesis B Connecting ideas throughout sentences and paragraphs
3. Development of Ideas A. Effective supporting details for thesis or purpose of the essay
4. Voice
A. Evident
writer’s
personality
B. Appropriate
language and
tone for
audience
5. Conventions A. Rules of grammar, sentence structure,
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
A.
Distinctive
beginning,
middle,
and end
Prewriting &
Drafting2. Narrow
down your
topic and
choose the
topic you
will write
about
1. Brainstorm several possible topics that are interesting to you A. Make sure they are appropriate for your audience B Make sure you use your imagination
3. Develop engaging story plot A. Use sensory details to create a believable setting & interesting characters B. Include conflict for well-paced action
4. List sensory
details and literary
devices
A. Sight, sound,
smell, taste, and
feel
B. Flashbacks,
foreshadowing,
suspense,
dialogue, etc.
5. Organize your details with plot structure A. Begin with the exposition, build suspense through conflict to the climax in the middle, and end with the resolution
Choose one of the listed prompts from the Writing Activities slide and begin
your prewriting and drafting!
Drafting Checklist
§ While writing, aim at writing your ideas and describing,
not making your writing perfect. Keep in my the
following things as you write:
§ Create a plot web with descriptions of setting and
characters – be sure to include sensory details and motivations
§ Determine a conflict and describe/hint at it
§ Use vivid words and descriptions to help the readers
experience what the characters experience
§ Develop characters who respond to each situation based on
their individual personalities
§ Keep the action moving and focused on the conflict – be
sure to describe the events chronologically, building to the
climax
§ Use literary elements and rhetorical devices to create a
specific mood to show how the characters feel
§ Finish by describing the resolution of the conflict, or
additional details on how the resolution came about, and
how the character’s ideas/feelings have changed as a result
of the experience
Revising &
Editing 2. Check
the setting
is believable &
identifiable
as specific
type of
fiction
1. Check for engaged audienceA. Opening introduces interesting main character and creates specific setting
B. Conflict is evident and well-developed
3. Check plot development A. Chronological events lead to buildup of suspense and climax B. Dialogue helps develop the story C. Literary elements to enhance story
4. Check for
loose
plot ends
A. Answer ‘What
happened next?’
and ‘How’d
characters react
after the climax?’
B. Sum up the theme
5. Check for grammatical conventionsA. Capitalization and punctuationB. Spelling, mechanics, and sentence structure
STAAR Practice
§ Literary (fictional story that is NOT
about personal experiences)
§ Each literary text will come with a
picture and a prompt.
§ Look at the photograph.
§ Write a story about significant loss.
Be sure that your story is focused
and complete and that it has an
interesting plot and engaging
characters.
Strategies§ When writing a literary essay, keep in
mind the following writing strategies:
§ Start by creating the plot diagram§ Fill in the plot diagram with characters,
setting, conflict, climax, and resolution
§ Begin structuring the story using the
seven-sentence story technique§ Revise the story by adding details through
adjectives/adverbs, figurative language,
and dialogue§ Go back and edit for conventions§ Rewrite final essay in test booklet
Your turn! Write a literary essay about achieving goals. Be sure that your story is focused and complete and that it has an interesting plot and engaging characters.