World LiteratureWednesday, December 7, 2011

and

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Today’s Targets

Use the writing process to improve your writing Today’s focus: Revision

Develop skills in persuasive writing Using persuasive voice and selecting persuasive word

choice

Today’s Tasks

1. Instead of a warm-up, read over your two paragraphs and fix any errors you notice.

2. Have paragraphs out to be stamped/checked

3. Peer review help on two paragraphs

4. Revise and add more specific evidence to antithesis/rebuttal paragraph

5. HOMEWORK: • Submit final paragraphs to turnitin.com by Friday morning

at 7:25 a.m. You do not need to turn in a hard copy.

• Bring yellow rubric to turn in for use as score sheet.

Persuasive Skill: Attacking the opposition

• What is the opposition’s strongest argument?-Antithesis

• How can I disprove the opposition’s claim?-Rebuttal and evidence

• How can I use evidence and explain how the opposition’s interpretation of that evidence is flawed?-commentary in rebuttal

Antithesis/Rebuttal

1. State opposing argument (antithesis)

2. Transition word or phrase (but, however, in reality, on the contrary, while it may

be true that …, it is not true that . . .etc.)

3. State your attack on that opposing argument (rebuttal)

4. Provide historical evidence about the culture stated by the opposition. You are

accepting that the ancient culture held this trait but not that Odysseus matches it.

5. Provide evidence to prove how Odysseus does not match this trait.

6. Really work on attacking the opposing side by either providing new, strong

evidence to support a 4th argument or by pointing out the flaws in the opposition

or a different interpretation of the evidence. (“While some may interpret

________ to mean that _________, this actually supports the claim that

___________ by . . .”).

Persuasive Skill: Word Choice

• Is my word choice appropriate to my audience?

• Is it specific and clear?

• Is it persuasive?

Review

We’ve covered evidence Be specific.

We’ve covered commentary. Explain, expand, elaborate.

We’ve covered antithesis and rebuttals. State the oppositions strongest argument and attack it.

Now it is time to consider the words you choose. Remember the Mary Maloney prompt. If you are addressing a jury,

you would want to use words like “police officer” instead of “cop” or “lonely, loving wife” if you were defending her rather than “cold, calculating killer” if were on the prosecution side.

Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Persuasive Language

Persuasive language is choosing just the right words or phrases to use at just the right time with just the right audience. Strong words trigger strong feelings.

Seizes Snarls Dumbstruck Fierce

Effective choice of connotations Mean or strict Late fee or extended-viewing fee Used or pre-owned Surge or escalate

Repeated words or phrases for emphasis I have a dream…(Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved.

Persuasive Language – Find Words that Could Be More Effective

I was a good high school student. One day, with an essay in one hand, I went to class. “I’m done!” I smiled. The teacher took the essay out of my hands and threw it away. She said, “It’s a day late!” I look at my hard work. The teacher didn’t even look at it! The No Late Homework Rule is bad.

Why is the word choice in this paragraph not particularly persuasive or effective?

Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved.

Persuasive Language Example

I am a conscientious a high school student. One day, with a five page essay in one hand, I rushed into the classroom. “I’m done! I’m done!” I panted, beaming proudly. The teacher seized the essay out of my grasp crumpled it into a ball and threw if forcefully in to the recycle bin before me eyes. She snarled, “It’s a day late!” I stared dumbstruck at all of my hard work, balled up like a piece of trash. The teacher didn’t even glance at it! The No Late Homework Rule is a cruel, horrible rule.

How does the word choice impact the power of this example vs. the previous example?