English- Persuasive Essay

ENG 123 Assignment 2, Milestone 1 Guidelines and Rubric 5-6 Draft

Overview: Persuasion is a constant in each and every one of our lives. No matter where we look, what we read, what we see, or who we interact with, we are inevitably going to encounter some form of persuasion. Advertisements want us to buy things. Newspapers and television want to convince us of what we should feel about events. We are put into positions where we must defend our thoughts and beliefs to others, and the process we apply is typically some form of persuasion. Persuasive writing is one of the most powerful forms of writing—it has the ability to influence one’s thoughts, and also the ability to change one’s mind about a particular issue. The persuasive essay is an ideal opportunity to support an opinion on an issue utilizing researched facts and information. This also gives the chance to recognize that there is an opposing viewpoint to a position and to refute the opposing argument, noting that those who hold the opposing viewpoints are the intended audience of the piece. Prompt: For this milestone, you will submit a draft of your persuasive essay. At this point in the course, if you have completed the previous milestone guided activities, the text boxes should be combined and transformed into a draft. This milestone will help you address the critical elements from Sections I–III below, which will ultimately inform your final submission of the persuasive essay. You have until the deadline to work on this draft. Whatever is completed by the deadline will be submitted to your instructor for grading and feedback. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Introduction This is where readers will have a chance to get an idea of what your essay will be about and what you will prove throughout. Do not give all of your information away here, but give readers a sample of what is to come. Do not forget to review your writing plan to make sure you are hitting all of the points that you planned out, while also stating your argument.

A. Provides an overview of the issue you have selected, briefly describing main points and your argument. B. Compose an engaging thesis that states the argument that you will prove and support throughout your essay. This statement will give direction

to your essay and should be well thought out.

II. Body The body is your opportunity to describe and support your argument in depth. Make sure your thoughts and evidence are clear and organized in a way that is easy for readers to follow and understand.

A. Be sure that you write multiple paragraphs that are focused, clearly state their intent, and move logically from one to the other, building the thesis argument as the essay progresses.

B. Your body paragraphs should support your argument by combining thoughts and ideas with evidence from sources. There is no such thing as a right or wrong argument; the key is how it is supported and the quality of the evidence used.

C. Address and refute any opposing viewpoints to your argument. This is your chance to discredit any opposing views, thus strengthening your own.

III. Conclusion Think of the conclusion as a review of your argument. Use this section to restate your argument and remind readers of your supporting evidence. Think of this as your last chance to persuade readers to agree with you.

A. Review your argument. This section should consist of a review of your main points employed to support your argument. Think of this as your last chance to prove your point or your closing arguments.

B. Your conclusion should articulate insights about your argument established through your essay. This should follow logically from your essay, referring to key points or quotes used to support your argument.

Rubric

Guidelines for Submission: This milestone will be completed through the interactive activity provided in your MindEdge eLearning materials and then submitted through Blackboard. Instructor Feedback: This activity uses an integrated rubric in Blackboard. Students can view instructor feedback in the Grade Center. For more information, review these instructions. Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Needs Improvement (75%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Introduction: Overview

Overviews the issue being analyzed and briefly describes main points of argument

Overviews the issue being analyzed and briefly describes main points of argument but contains issues regarding accuracy

Does not provide an overview of the issue being analyzed

10

Introduction: Thesis

Composes a thesis that states the argument that will be supported and proven throughout the essay

Composes a thesis but contains issues related to clarity or relevancy

Does not compose a thesis 10

Body: Intent Writes multiple paragraphs that are focused, clearly state their intent, and build the thesis argument

Writes multiple paragraphs but writing does not build the thesis argument

Does not write multiple paragraphs 10

Body: Body Paragraphs

Body paragraphs communicate argument by combining thoughts and ideas with evidence

Body paragraphs communicate argument but do not combine thoughts and ideas with evidence

Does not communicate argument through body paragraphs

30

Body: Opposing Viewpoints

Addresses and refutes opposing viewpoints in a way that strengthens the argument

Addresses and refutes opposing viewpoints but not in a way that strengthens the argument

Does not address or refute opposing viewpoints

10

Conclusion: Review

Reviews claim and summarizes key supporting points of essay

Reviews claim and summarizes key supporting points but contains issues regarding alignment to the intent of the thesis

Does not review claim 10

Conclusion: Insights

Articulates insights about argument established through the analysis, following argument logically, referring to key points or quotes used to support argument

Articulates insights about argument established through the essay, but does not follow argument logically or does not refer to key points or quotes used to support claim

Does not articulate insights about argument 10

Articulation of Response

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

10

Earned Total 100%