Slow Way Home: Unit II

Lesson 4Slow Way Home Chapter 8

Developing Support in Persuasive Writing

Milinda Jay, Ph. D

For teachers only• This lesson is an important one in that FCAT scoring relies heavily

on the extent of the student’s ability to support his topic. Students with elaborated support consistently score in the 4 and over range. Those with only bare and extended score in the three and under range. Enabling your students to understand and then create multilayered reasons for their ideas will help them in all of their writing.

• Have Word Document: “Supporting your Ideas” ready to hand out on slide 16

• Students will have a contest in which they vote on which group has the best example for each support type. Prizes would be lovely!

• Have “Writing Rubric for first Essay” ready to hand out on slide 31• This lesson contains the assignment for the first summative essay

grade. The assignment is on slide 30.

• Slides 3,13,23 and 30 contain notes to the teacher.

Retell what happened

• In Chapter 7 of Slow Way Home• Each student takes a turn saying one

sentence about what happened in Chapter 7.

Now, predict

• what might happen in Chapter 8.

Read aloud

• Chapter 8, Slow Way Home• How could you use this book to

persuade someone that grandparents should be allowed to have custody of their grandchildren?

Today’s Writing

• Using persuasive techniques in drafting an essay

Sunshine State Standard

• Subject Area: Reading/Language Arts• Strand: Writing Process• LA.910.3.3.2: The student will

revise by creating clarity and logic by maintaining central theme, idea, or unifying point and developing meaningful relationships among ideas;  

Sunshine State Standard

• Subject Area: Reading/Language Arts• Strand: Writing Applications-

Persuasion• LA.910.4.3.2 :The student

will include persuasive techniques.    

Teacher Component

• To create a unique learning community by writing with your students

• To model the process of writing for students with the understanding that teachers have to write drafts, too!

• To donate to the learning community by sharing your experiences and those of your family/friends through memoir

Reviewing Persuasive Techniques

• What were the persuasive techniques you were using to “pitch” your screenplay?

How did you use emotionally charged language to make your point?

Prompt

• Persuade judges to give grandparents the ability to gain only temporary custody of children whose parents have either abused them or have allowed them to be abused.

Prompt

• Persuade judges to give grandparents the ability to gain permanent custody of children whose parents have either abused them or have allowed them to be abused.

Create Teams

• Have students number off 1 through 4.

Divide class into four teams

• All ones will be team One, and so on• Give teams one and three the prompt:• Persuade judges to give grandparents the

ability to gain permanent custody of children whose parents have either abused them or have allowed them to be abused.

• And give teams two and four the prompt:• Persuade judges to give grandparents the

ability to gain only temporary custody of children whose parents have either abused them or have allowed them to be abused.

Have each team

• Come up with two reasons why their prompt is true.

Hand out

• Worksheet on Supporting Your Ideas

Types of Support

• Practice: on the back of this paper, number 1-4 and present a bare, extended, layered and elaborated assertion for the persuasive essay prompt your group is working on.

• Your teacher will guide you in understanding each of the four types.

Work independently

• then share your answers with your group. Your group can then determine which support works best for the class competition.

1. BARE: The assertion or focus idea.

• Example: Students should be allowed to do school fundraisers because they are good for the school.

• Acts like a topic sentence.

• On the back of your paper create an assertion in support of your prompt. Number it “1”

2. EXTENDED: Use of information that begins to clarify.

• Example: Students should be allowed to do school fundraisers because they are good for the school and bring kids together.

• Adds a detail and answers the question “why” in general terms.

• On the back of your paper create an extended example for your assertion. Number it “2”

3. LAYERED: Use of additional details, anecdotes, illustrations

and examples that clarify meaning.• Information should answer, “What do you

mean?” It may seem somewhat off the main subject, but it should connect to the topic.

• Example: Students should be allowed to do school fundraisers because they are good for the school and bring kids together. Our football team is great at teamwork and learned more teamwork bagging groceries at Winn Dixie.

• Adds a detail, Adds interest• On the back of your paper create an

extended example for your assertion. Number it “3”

4. ELABORATED: Use of a series of statements which give information

and collectively help clarify meaning.• Example: Students should be allowed to do school

fundraisers because they are good for the school and bring kids together. Our football team is great at teamwork and learned more teamwork at our fundraiser. When we were raising money to buy new helmets, we all made a pact to meet at 7 am and bag groceries at Winn Dixie. I remember I slept late, and our right guard Tom called me just to make sure I was awake. I knew that he cared about me and our team when he called. When we all arrived, sleepy eyed and droopy, we knew we could count on each other. We set up an assembly line bagging the groceries, and taking them out to the car. We were awesome! We got great tips because we were able to bag the groceries and get them to the cars in record time. We learned to depend on each other in situations beyond the football field on that morning.

• Adds details, adds sensory imagery, adds more concrete examples, connects the support to the assertion

Team Competition• Ok, now you are going to compete against one

another. The team with the most points wins. • Each person in class will create a point card, 1-4. • There are four rounds (one for each type of

support). As each team places its support on the board, each class member holds up a card rating it from 1-4. 1 if it’s a bad example, 4 if it’s a terrific example.

• You may not vote for your own team!• Your teacher will appoint two score keepers to

compile scores. • The team with the most points at the end of each

round wins that round. The team who wins the most rounds wins the competition.

As a group

• Decide which group member has the best example of:

• 1. Bare• 2. Extended• 3. Layered• 4. Elaborated• Be ready to defend each choice.

Round I

• Each team take turns writing one bare assertion on the board and explaining what makes it a good example of bare.

• After each example is posted, audience holds up score cards to be counted by scorers. Remember, you can’t vote on your own group!

• Scorers total the scores and name the winner of round I.

Round II

• Each team takes turns writing their best extended example on the board.

• After each example is posted, audience holds up score cards to be counted by scorers.

• Scorers total the scores and name the winner of round II.

Round III

• Each team takes turns writing their best layered example on the board.

• After each example is posted, audience holds up score cards to be counted by scorers.

• Scorers total the scores and name the winner of round III.

Round IV

• Each team takes turns writing their best elaborated example on the board.

• After each example is posted, audience holds up score cards to be counted by scorers.

• Scorers total the scores and name the winner of round IV.

Grand Winner

Check the group with the most winning rounds.

Your group is the grand prize winner!

Apply it for a Summative Grade

• You’ve seen the best arguments for and against your prompt.

• Your essay assignment is to draft a persuasive essay based on your group’s prompt.

• Feel free to use any information your group or other groups have posted on the board to make your argument.

• Be certain that your essay has an introduction two elaborated assertions, and a conclusion.

• This essay is due when we meet next.

Rubric for Essay I Draft

• Introduction catches the reader’s attention and pulls the reader in with emotionally charged language or other persuasive techniques and an interesting main point or argument. _________ (Possible 15 points)

• The body of the essay contains two elaborated ideas in support of the essay’s main point or argument. _________ (possible 70 points)

• The conclusion gives the essay a feeling of completion and leaves the reader with something to think about. ____________________ (Possible 15 points)

Unit III

• Next week, you will be working on writing a script for your screenplay.