Have you ever been asked to give your opinion on something?  Every day we 
   deal with controversial issues and situations in which we can voice our 
   opinion on a topic. 
   Sometimes it is in simple, every day things like convincing a friend to go to 
   the movies instead of the game; or persuading a teacher to consider moving 
   a test date; or negotiating with your parents to give you an increase in your 
   allowance.  
   Sometimes the issues are very important things such as convincing the 
   school board to change a policy; or persuading your town to build a recycling 
   plant; or convincing an employer to hire you.
   When we want to persuade or convince others to consider our opinion, we 
   are using persuasive techniques.
          The most important persuasive techniques include the following:
                  *consider both sides of the issue
                          In persuasion, being a good negotiator is important.
                          Think of times you tried to convince your parents
                          or friends of something.  As a teenager, tantrums 
                          do not work!  Seeing both sides of the issue is both
                          important and effective.  Communicating this in 
                          your writing is also important and effective; it makes
                          your persuasion skills stronger!
                  *give strong, believable information to convince others
                          As you prepare a persuasive piece of writing, first
                          brainstorm reasons why you feel the way you do.
                          Choose your three strongest reasons for your essay.
                          Each one will be explained and elaborated on in a 
                          body paragraph of your essay.
          PERSUASIVE   ESSAY  MAP
    Introduction  Include a thesis that clearly states your opinion.
    Reason #1 with explanation and detail
    Reason #2 with explanation and detail
    Reason #3 with explanation and detail
    Opposition   State an opposing opinion but refute it.
    Conclusion
   When given the task of preparing a persuasive presentation, brainstorming is 
   important.  Let’s say the topic is recycling plastic. 
   Each issue has two sides—pro and con. Pro is for and con is against.  State your side of 
   an issue clearly.
     PRO:  People need to recycle plastic.
     CON:  People do not need to recycle plastic.
   I am on the PRO side, so next I brainstorm reasons people need to recycle.  
     People need to recycle plastic to reduce garbage.
     People need to recycle to save money.
     People need to recycle to protect the environment.
   My essay’s thesis sentence is generated from these ideas.  The best place for the 
   thesis is the end of my introduction paragraph.  Once I introduce my topic and give 
   some background info on the topic, I clearly state my thesis sentence.
   THESIS:  People need to recycle plastic to reduce garbage, save money, and protect 
   the environment.
   .
  The PRO statements I brainstormed become the topic sentence for each of my three 
  main body paragraphs.  I continue each paragraph with explanation and details to 
  support each statement.
    People should recycle plastic because it would reduce garbage, save money 
    and protect our environment.
              One reason people should recycle plastic is because it would reduce 
    garbage.
              A second reason to recycle plastic is because it would save money.
              Finally, recycling plastic would help protect our environment.