Due date for B-day students: Wednesday, March 21
Writing package specifics, format requirements, content requirements, transitional words appropriate for this letter, important reminders, research database details, and bibliograpy notes are listed below. Students have copies of all materials, models, and instructions relating to this assignment in the RWNB section of their notebooks. We are working on this in class and at home in order to meet the submission deadline.
Advocacy Unit Final Exam Persuasive Letter
DUE DATE: B-day/Wednesday, March 21 A-day/ Tuesday, March 20
Writing Package I will be collecting with final copy
RWNB Notes—These include:
1. Daily warm-ups (March 5-due date)
2. Issue to thesis-prewriting notes
3. Notes-Persuasive strategies
4. Notes-Structure of a persuasive letter
5. Writing Models (3)-Board of Ed letter, year-round schools, school newspaper
6. Reasons Why—Graphic organizer
7. Research notes with bibliography style citations
8. Double-spaced rough draft with revisions and edits noted
9. Typed final copy (See format directions noted below)
10.Business letter envelope-This must include an outside address (name, title, organization, street address, city, state, zip code)
FORMAT REQUIREMENTS
Final copy must be typewritten using a 12-point font and single spacing. In order to write a fully-developed persuasive argument incorporating a minimum of six persuasive strategies, I am expecting a one and one-half to two page letter.
Business letter: See persuasive letter from Ms. Swift to Ms. Logan for model or refer to the generic format model in your notes.
1. Heading: (Writer’s address and date)
2. Inside Address: (Reader’s full name, job title, place of employment, address & zip code)
3. Greeting
4. Body: (Organize ideas in paragraph form. This is a multi-paragraph letter.)
5. Complimentary Close: (Yours truly, Sincerely yours, etc.)
6. Signature: Sign your name
AND Typed Signature
Content Requirements:
• Clear thesis statement: One sentence that CLEARLY states what ACTION the writer wants the reader to take. See models in your notes.
• Well-developed persuasive argument that incorporates 6 or more of the persuasive strategies we have studied. Some of these strategies are required elements in your argument. Please make note of the required strategies listed below:
Storytelling Comparison
Reasons Why (required) Prognosticate
Repetition Go Tribal
Consistency Counterarguments/ Rebuttals (required)
Social Proof(required) Agitate and Solve
Transitional words and phrases that may be helpful:
However, Moreover, In addition, Additionally, Consequently,
On the other hand, Surely you understand that…. For example,
Because of this, While I understand that……, you must know that….
You may be reluctant to adopt my ideas because…..
You might think that this won’t work because….
I know you might have some reservations such as…
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Ask rhetorical questions.
All ideas and words that do not belong to you must be cited. You must identify the source.
Words that don’t belong to you belong in quotation marks.
Quotation marks are placed outside of the other punctuation marks. (Keep the babies inside!)
LETTER OF PERSUASION/ RESEARCH
RESEARCH DATABASE: www.sirs.com
1. Log in
User Name: pgcps
Password: pgcps
2. Click on SIRS Products (This is the second orange bar beneath your user name and password.)
3. Click on Sirs Knowledge Source
4. Look to the right of your screen and you will see TOP 10 PROS AND CONS
5. If you do not see your issue listed, click on more issues
6. Read 3-5 articles that support your persuasive argument.
7. Copy and paste information that helps to support your argument on a word document.
(You may not use all of it, but it is better to have more than not enough. Search for number data, expert opinion, and alignment with outside authorities. You might also discover stories that will personalize your essay, testimonials, or celebrities who agree with your line of thought. You must incorporate six different persuasive strategies in your argument. The right research will make this easy to do. )
8. If you plan to use information from this article, do not leave the site without copying and pasting the CITATION information that appears at the end of the article. You will need this information for your bibliography.
9. Read at least one article that is counter to your argument. You will need to present and rebut two counterarguments in your persuasive letter.
10. Copy and paste the CITATION information that appears at the end of this article. You will need this for your bibliography
CITING YOUR RESEARCH
CONSTRUCTING A BIBLIOGRAPY
If you are using the SIRS database, the citation is noted at the end of each article. If you are not using the SIRS database, you will need to construct the citation as follows:
Basics
Your list of works cited should begin at the end of the paper on a new page with the centered title, Works Cited. Alphabetize the entries in your list by the author's last name, using the letter-by-letter system (ignore spaces and other punctuation.) If the author's name is unknown, alphabetize by the title, ignoring any A, An, or The.
Format Examples
Books
Format:
Author's last name, first name. Book title. Additional information. City of publication: Publishing company, publication date.
Examples:
Allen, Thomas B. Vanishing Wildlife of North America. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society, 1974.
Boorstin, Daniel J. The Creators: A History of the Heroes of the Imagination. New York: Random, 1992.
Hall, Donald, ed. The Oxford Book of American Literacy Anecdotes. New York: Oxford UP, 1981.
Searles, Baird, and Martin Last. A Reader's Guide to Science Fiction. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 1979.
Toomer, Jean. Cane. Ed. Darwin T. Turner. New York: Norton, 1988.
Encyclopedia & Dictionary
Format:
Author's last name, first name. "Title of Article." Title of Encyclopedia. Date.
Note: If the dictionary or encyclopedia arranges articles alphabetically, you may omit volume and page numbers.
Examples:
"Azimuthal Equidistant Projection." Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. 10th ed. 1993.
Pettingill, Olin Sewall, Jr. "Falcon and Falconry." World Book Encyclopedia. 1980.
Tobias, Richard. "Thurber, James." Encyclopedia Americana. 1991 ed.
Magazine & Newspaper Articles
Format:
Author's last name, first name. "Article title." Periodical title Volume # Date: inclusive pages.
Note: If an edition is named on the masthead, add a comma after the date and specify the edition.
Examples:
Hall, Trish. "IQ Scores Are Up, and Psychologists Wonder Why." New York Times 24 Feb. 1998, late ed.: F1+.
Kalette, Denise. "California Town Counts Down to Big Quake." USA Today 9 21 July 1986: sec. A: 1.
Kanfer, Stefan. "Heard Any Good Books Lately?" Time 113 21 July 1986: 71-72.
Trillin, Calvin. "Culture Shopping." New Yorker 15 Feb. 1993: 48-51.
Website or Webpage
Format:
Author's last name, first name (if available). "Title of work within a project or database." Title of site, project, or database. Editor (if available). Electronic publication information (Date of publication or of the latest update, and name of any sponsoring institution or organization). Date of access and
Note: If you cannot find some of this information, cite what is available.
Examples:
Devitt, Terry. "Lightning injures four at music festival." The Why? Files. 2 Aug. 2001. 23 Jan. 2002
Dove, Rita. "Lady Freedom among Us." The Electronic Text Center. Ed. David Seaman. 1998. Alderman Lib., U of Virginia. 19 June 1998
Lancashire, Ian. Homepage. 28 Mar. 2002. 15 May 2002
Levy, Steven. "Great Minds, Great Ideas." Newsweek 27 May 2002. 10 June 2002
