Module 6

Welcome to our 6th and final module. Over the past few weeks, we've learned how to:

• Conduct effective internet research

• Summarize articles

• Identify the main idea and supporting details

We've also researched the minimum wage in America (and around the world). The goal now will be to develop a persuasive essay in which we establish our own opinion and try to defend it against the opposition.

To get started, let's look at the proper outline for a persuasive essay:

1. Introduction

2. Your Position

3. Your Position

4. Considering the Opposition

5. Conclusion

Each number above represents a paragraph; so, we will be attempting to put together a 5-paragraph essay. For now, don't worry about the introduction and conclusion; sometimes it's easier to write these parts last. So for this part of the assignment, we are going to focus only on the body paragraphs (Numbers 2, 3, and 4).

In the body paragraphs, try to do the following (each paragraph can be 3-5 sentences).

• • Sentence #1: State your position and reason why

    • For example: "I support raising the minimum wage because...." or "I oppose raising the minimum wage because..."

• Sentences #2-4: Provide supporting details like facts, statistics, examples, opinions, and quotations. These supporting details should explain and defend your opinion.

For example:

I support raising the minimum wage because it will help lift millions out of poverty. At the current level of $7.25 per hour, it is very difficult for workers to make enough money to cover basic monthly costs like food and rent. Some statistics show that raising the minimum wage will help nearly 2 million American workers.

Do you see how the first sentence introduces the main idea ("lift millions out of poverty"), and the next few sentences support the idea with details?

Each paragraph should be focused on 1 idea/argument.

To get started, it can help to plan out your essay with an outline. That will make the writing process much easier. For example:

By planning out the ideas and details for each paragraph, it will be easy to stay focused and develop a first draft.

So here's the first part of the final essay assignment:

1. Click here to access the shared Google Doc; remember to "FIle>Make a Copy" - it is due by 12pm on Monday, October 6th.

2. Write the first 2 body paragraphs of your assignment; both paragraphs will be your position.

3. Your assignment will be graded as follows:

After you submit these first 2 paragraphs, we will look at how to write the opposition paragraph, and then finish with the introduction and conclusion!