Literary Essay Writing
The genre of argumentative writing encompasses many different types, e.g. petitions, persuasive letters, and op-eds, debates, and appeals. Each demands different structures and strategies to produce effective pieces of writing that both inform the intended audiences and defends the writer's position. In our unit, we are teaching students to research topics to by reading to learn about the topic before taking a position. Approaching the research with a neutral stance teaches students to evaluate the evidence or details that the author's have included, determine the biases that authors bring to their writing, and understand how details and statistics can be manipulated to support different positions. Students then go through the process of sorting and organizing their evidence, choosing their stance, and writing an essay that includes a thesis, supporting paragraphs, counter arguments, and a conclusion. Students will included craft moves specific to this genre of writing: selected evidence that is angled to support their points, unpacked evidence, precise word choices that have a strong effect on the readers, and scholarly voice to create a tone and pace for the piece.
Students will write a persuasive letter to the principal about chocolate milk, an op-ed about Mt. Everest, and a final piece on their reading topic.
Students will write a persuasive letter to the principal about chocolate milk, an op-ed about Mt. Everest, and a final piece on their reading topic.