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Persuasive Writing Practice. 10 th Lit Comp. Establish a clear position. Write a strong, interesting sentence expressing your position based on the following prompt:
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Persuasive Writing Practice 10th Lit Comp
Establish a clear position Write a strong, interesting sentence expressing your position based on the following prompt: Most colleges and universities use the results of standardized tests to gauge the aptitude of prospective students. Write a persuasive essay about whether they should continue to do so.
Decent Example: The practice of using standardized tests to gauge student aptitude should be discontinued as it is a poor reflection of a student’s true ability.
Bad example: I don’t think that people should use standardized tests to judge other people.
Let’s Do It Again Write a clear position statement based on the following prompt: Many students do not think the subjects they study in school prepare them for the real world they will face after graduation. The principal at your school is asking students for their opinions about new courses that could be offered to prepare students for life after high school. What new course do you think should be offered?
Decent Example This school should offer a course on money management because it is a valuable skill students will need for the rest of their lives.
Bad Example I wish we had a course about money management because that would be really good and everyone would like it.
Introductory Paragraph Now that you have your clear position statement, let’s create the introductory paragraph! Make it interesting! Historical reviews: brief review of the history of the topic or recent news story Anecdotal: a little story that leads to your topic Surprising Statement: attention getting/shocking Famous person: What do celebrities/experts say?
Historical Review Intro Standardized tests were not a part of our original American educational system. In fact, standardized testing was not required in the United States until 1965. Today we use standardized testing primarily because it is a cheap and efficient way to assign a number to a student’s ability. In spite of its cost savings, standardized testing is not an accurate measure of student ability and therefore colleges and universities should not use such test results as a primary factor in their admissions decisions.
Anecdotal Kate’s hands trembled as she opened the envelope containing her SAT scores. She had worked so hard through high school to develop her skills and devoted her evenings to homework and extracurricular activities. She had earned a 4.0 grade point average and had been voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by her fellow classmates. When she looked at her scores, her heart sank. In spite of her years of work, she realized that her lifelong dream of attending Yale would never come true. Those few brief hours taking the standardized test had killed that dream for good.
Surprising Statement How can our educational system crush a young girl’s lifelong dream in less than a day? The answer is standardized testing. Colleges and universities place so much emphasis on standardized test scores that they virtually ignore what is really important: the student and her true ability. When a student does not do well on her SAT or ACT, all of her other accomplishments mean practically nothing in the eyes of a college admissions officer. When a student does not do well on a single standardized test, she may find that the test score alone bars her from ever being admitted to the college of her choice. Standardized tests cannot accurately measure student ability or achievement, and colleges and universities should therefore not place as much emphasis on them as they currently do.
Famous Person Last week the United States Secretary of Education admitted that standardized testing is not an accurate predictor of a student’s academic success. Yet colleges and universities still use such tests as primary factors in their admissions decisions. Because these tests cannot accurately measure a student’s true ability, it is time for colleges and universities to change their methods of selecting students and place less emphasis on standardized test scores.
Your Turn Select one of the following topics and write an introductory persuasive paragraph, including a strong and clear position statement. Is the United States obligated to help foreign countries where human rights violations are occurring? Should Katniss choose to spend the rest of her life with Gale or Peeta (at the end of The Hunger Games)
