Following the Guildline

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Module: Supporting Arguments with Additional Evidence Name: _______________________ Date: __________________

1. Choose a topic for a persuasive essay.

2. Who do you want to persuade? On another sheet of paper, describe your audience by completing the sentences below: I am writing this paper to persuade: My audience has these important experiences, needs, and opinions:

3. On another sheet of paper, create a draft outline. Include at least three arguments supporting your position. Leave some room in your outline for steps 4 through 6, below.

4. On your outline, under each argument, describe what ideal evidence for this argument would be. For example, let’s say your position was that insurance should pay for alternative medicine, and one argument was that acupuncture eases pain. Ideal evidence for this argument would be a study comparing pain levels in people who get acupuncture versus those who don’t. That would probably be enough to convince someone who wasn’t against acupuncture but was against insurance paying for it.

5. Do some research and try to find the ideal evidence you’ve listed in your outline. Note that looking for evidence might give you new ideas—it’s OK to rewrite your outline based on what you find.

6. Add to your outline descriptions of the evidence you did find, even if it wasn’t ideal.

7. Write one paragraph for each of your arguments (at least three total) answering these questions: Is your audience likely to be persuaded by the evidence you found? Why or why not?

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8. Hand in your topic, audience, and outline for a persuasive paper descriptions of ideal evidence for each argument detailed descriptions of actual evidence you found for each argument these cover sheets and the following scoring pages

Advanced Activity (Complete this Advanced Activity if instructed by your teacher.) Go to the editorial page in a newspaper and choose a persuasive essay. Look at how the author used evidence. Write a one-page critique of the author’s use of evidence. Did he or she use enough evidence? Did he or she ever have to make do with less than ideal evidence?

Scoring Pages (Your teacher will fill out these pages.) Module Objective Learners will identify when to support arguments with multiple reliable sources of evidence. Module Strategy

As you review your arguments, ask yourself whether you have provided enough reliable evidence to persuade your audience. Consider adding evidence when

• your audience strongly disagrees with an argument • your argument is supported by an expert opinion rather than a statistic

or a fact Rubric: This writer

____ Yes ____ No specified as “ideal” evidence, types of evidence that would indeed logically and specifically support his or her arguments (as opposed to only being related on the surface).

Comments:

____ Yes ____ No called for multiple pieces of evidence to support arguments that targeted readers are likely to disagree strongly with.

Comments:

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____ Yes ____ No called for multiple pieces of evidence to support an

argument when the only evidence he or she could find was opinion, example, or anecdote.

Comments:

Summary This writer ____ effectively uses the Supporting Arguments with Additional Evidence

strategy. ____ needs more practice. Comments/Next Steps:

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