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ORC Resource Number #3812

Persuasive Essay: Environmental Issues

http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=268

PROFESSIONAL COMMENTARY
Critical stance and development of a strong argument are key strategies when writing to convince someone to agree with your position. In this lesson, students explore environmental issues that are relevant to their own lives, select topics, and gather information to write persuasive essays. Critical stance and development of a strong argument are key strategies when writing to convince someone to agree with your position. In this lesson, students explore environmental issues that are relevant to their own lives, select topics, and gather information to write persuasive essays. Students are guided through the writing process, and supported in generating ideas, writing thesis statements, and revising their writing. Although this lesson focuses on the environment as a broad topic, other topics can easily be substituted for reinforcement of persuasive writing. (author/ncl)

CAREER APPLICATION
While the environment is the identified topic and the lesson lists a number of related resources, the information in the lesson can support writing papers on other topics. In the course of the lesson, students will learn to take a position and defend it. While the environment is the identified topic and the lesson lists a number of related resources, the information in the lesson can support writing papers on other topics. In the course of the lesson, students will learn to take a position and defend it. Teachers can simply use this lesson as a template when constructing a lesson where students define a career technical issue that is worthy of a persuasive essay and then locate the online resources they need to support the position they will write about. (dam)

OHIO STANDARDS

English Language Arts Standards

Writing Process Standard

Benchmarks (5 - 7)

A.	Generate writing topics and establish a purpose appropriate for the audience.
B.	Determine audience and purpose for self-selected and assigned writing tasks.
C.	Clarify ideas for writing assignments by using graphics or other organizers.
D.	Use revision strategies to improve the overall organization, the clarity and consistency of ideas within and among paragraphs and the logic and effectiveness of word choices.
G.	Apply tools to judge the quality of writing.

Benchmarks (8 - 10)

A.	Formulate writing ideas and identify a topic appropriate to the purpose and audience.
B.	Determine the usefulness of organizers and apply appropriate pre-writing tasks.
C.	Use revision strategies to improve the style, variety of sentence structure, clarity of the controlling idea, logic, effectiveness of word choice and transitions between paragraphs, passages or ideas.
E.	Apply tools to judge the quality of writing.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 6)

1.	Generate writing ideas through discussions with others and from printed material, and keep a list of writing ideas.
2.	Conduct background reading, interviews or surveys when appropriate.
3.	Establish a thesis statement for informational writing or a plan for narrative writing.
4.	Determine a purpose and audience.
5.	Use organizational strategies (e.g., rough outlines, diagrams, maps, webs and Venn diagrams) to plan writing.
6.	Organize writing, beginning with an introduction, body and a resolution of plot, followed by a closing statement or a summary of important ideas and details.
8.	Group related ideas into paragraphs, including topic sentences following paragraph form, and maintain a consistent focus across paragraphs.
9.	Vary language and style as appropriate to audience and purpose.
10.	Use available technology to compose text.
16.	Apply tools (e.g., rubric, checklist and feedback) to judge the quality of writing.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 7)

1.	Generate writing ideas through discussions with others and from printed material, and keep a list of writing ideas.
2.	Conduct background reading, interviews or surveys when appropriate.
3.	Establish a thesis statement for informational writing or a plan for narrative writing.
4.	Determine a purpose and audience
5.	Use organizational strategies (e.g., rough outlines, diagrams, maps, webs and Venn diagrams) to plan writing.
6.	Organize writing with an effective and engaging introduction, body and a conclusion that summarizes, extends or elaborates on points or ideas in the writing.
8.	Group related ideas into paragraphs, including topic sentences following paragraph form, and maintain a consistent focus across paragraphs.
10.	Use available technology to compose text.
16.	Apply tools (e.g., rubric, checklist and feedback) to judge the quality of writing.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 8)

1.	Generate writing ideas through discussions with others and from printed material, and keep a list of writing ideas.
2.	Conduct background reading, interviews or surveys when appropriate.
3.	Establish a thesis statement for informational writing or a plan for narrative writing.
4.	Determine a purpose and audience and plan strategies (e.g., adapting focus, content structure and point of view) to address purpose and audience.
5.	Use organizational strategies (e.g., notes and outlines) to plan writing.
6.	Organize writing with an effective and engaging introduction, body and a conclusion that summarizes, extends or elaborates on points or ideas in the writing.
8.	Group related ideas into paragraphs, including topic sentences following paragraph form, and maintain a consistent focus reinforced by parallel structures across paragraphs.
10.	Use available technology to compose text.
16.	Apply tools (e.g., rubric, checklist and feedback) to judge the quality of writing.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 9)

1.	Generate writing ideas through discussions with others and from printed material, and keep a list of writing ideas.
2.	Determine the usefulness of and apply appropriate pre-writing tasks (e.g., background reading, interviews or surveys).
3.	Establish and develop a clear thesis statement for informational writing or a clear plan or outline for narrative writing.
4.	Determine a purpose and audience and plan strategies (e.g., adapting focus, content structure and point of view) to address purpose and audience.
5.	Use organizational strategies (e.g., notes and outlines) to plan writing.
6.	Organize writing to create a coherent whole with an effective and engaging introduction, body and conclusion, and a closing sentence that summarizes, extends or elaborates on points or ideas in the writing.
8.	Use paragraph form in writing, including topic sentences that arrange paragraphs in a logical sequence, using effective transitions and closing sentences and maintaining coherence across the whole through the use of parallel structures.
10.	Use available technology to compose text.
16.	Apply tools (e.g., rubric, checklist and feedback) to judge the quality of writing.

Grade Level Indicators (Grade 10)

1.	Generate writing ideas through discussions with others and from printed material, and keep a list of writing ideas.
2.	Determine the usefulness of and apply appropriate pre-writing tasks (e.g., background reading, interviews or surveys).
3.	Establish and develop a clear thesis statement for informational writing or a clear plan or outline for narrative writing.
4.	Determine a purpose and audience and plan strategies (e.g., adapting focus, content structure, and point of view) to address purpose and audience.
5.	Use organizational strategies (e.g., notes, outlines) to plan writing.
6.	Organize writing to create a coherent whole with an effective and engaging introduction, body and conclusion, and a closing sentence that summarizes, extends or elaborates on points or ideas in the writing.
8.	Use paragraph form in writing, including topic sentences that arrange paragraphs in a logical sequence, using effective transitions and closing sentences and maintaining coherence across the whole through the use of parallel structures.
10.	Use available technology to compose text.
16.	Apply tools (e.g., rubric, checklist and feedback) to judge the quality of writing.

Writing Applications Standard

NATIONAL STANDARDS

Standards for the English Language Arts

Range of materials and purposes for reading

Write, speak, and visually represent to create text

Research and inquiry

Purposes for using spoken, written, and visual language

RESOURCE TYPE

Instructional Resource

PRACTICE LEVEL

Best Practice

STANDARDS ALIGNMENT

Grades 6 - 10

CAREER FIELDS

Agricultural & Environmental Systems;
Government & Public Administration;
General Career Skills

TOPICS

English Language Arts --
Writing;
Writing Applications;
Writing Process;
Research & Inquiry

OHIOWINS TOPICS

Writing Applications;
Persuasive Writing

FOUND IN

AdLIT
Standards First
OhioWINS

KEYWORDS

persuasive essay;
environmental issues;
social issues

Author: Laurie Henry
Publisher: IRA/NCTE