This two class period lesson plan is appropriate for a middle or high school English class. It is intended to be impleted after teaching the persuasive essay.
Students will revise, reflect on and rewrite their five paragraph persuasive essay draft.
When teaching the persuasive essay, provide students with this grading rubric so they know exactly how they will be graded.
Persuasive essays need to be focused on fowarding one side of an argument. Students should not try to compare or contrast both sides. If they do acknowledge a point made by the opposing side, they need to refute it with details that show their point of view is superior.
OrganizationAn essay's organization generally refers to its structure. The argument needs to show a logical progression; students can attain this by saving their strongest point for their last body paragraph.
DetailsDetails are what gives a persuasive essay its weight. They should be discussed in the three body paragraphs.
GrammarWhen discussing this component of essay writing, teachers need to prepare specific examples of common grammar errors. For instance, write sample fragments on the board and ask students how these could be corrected into full sentences. Discuss the various ways semi-colons can be used to vary sentence structure and link simple sentences together. Capitalization rules can be quickly reviewed as well.
Students revise their essays, complete the following exercise and then rewrite their essay:
Students should use the Editing and Revision Checklist before completing an essay reflection following the directions below:
Directions: You have completed revising and rewriting your persuasive essay. Staple the final draft on top of the rough draft and graphic organizer.
Now, write a two paragraph reflection about revising your essay to help you reach your goal of writing a successful persuasive essay. Reflecting on your essay is an important step in the writing process and can help prevent you from repeating the same mistakes. When writing your reflection, answer the questions below.
Did you reach your goal of self-improvement from the rough draft you created? If yes, explain what you did to improve. If no, explain how to plan to reach that specific goal in the future.
When instructors teach revising a persuasive essay, they must plan ahead for specific assessments. Students will be assessed on the improvements they make from their first to final draft as well as their thoughtful responses in the essay reflection.