Title of Unit Persuasive Research Paper Grade Level 11

Curriculum Area English Time Frame 7 70-minute in-class periods plus 5-6
hours outside class
Developed By PJ Culliton
Desired Results (Stage 1)
Established Goals/Content Standards
• Solving a problem
• Making a decision
• Formulating a judgment
• Supporting a thesis
• Using correct citation methods
• Organizing a persuasive essay
• Using Standard Written English
• Using reference materials

Understandings Essential Questions

Enduring Understanding Overarching Topical

Writing can be an effective tool to persuade others, influence What makes effective How is a thesis statement
opinions, and help create change or maintain the status quo. argumentation? constructed?

Influencing public policy is an integral part of being a citizen How do composition and style What is the most effective
in a republic. affect the ability to persuade? structure for a persuasive
piece of writing?
Related Misconceptions How do we get others to take
our concerns seriously? What areas of Standard
Written English do we need
Argument is more emotional than intellectual
to review, refine and
Ideas matter much more than style or composition
improve?
Argument and persuasion are one-sided
Persuasive writing is all opinion
Knowledge Skills
Students will know… Students will be able to…

The definition of thesis statement Fill out a pre-writing diagram for a Full and Final Thesis
(Thesis statement, one con, three pros)
The proper placement of a thesis statement, a con agreement, and
a strongest argument Take into account and deal with the opposition

How the structures of the introductory and concluding paragraphs
differ from those of the middle (body) paragraphs
The components of a Full and Final Thesis
The components of a picture-frame paragraph
Write effective topic and concluding sentences
Decide which of their pro arguments is the strongest
Follow directions that explain proper formatting for MLA-
style citations

How to find resources that explain proper formatting for MLA-
style citations
How to find legitimate and/or accurate sources which both
support and refute their position
The purpose of drafting, revising and editing
Choose effective sources to support their arguments
Connect opinions with outside sources to create effective
arguments
Use the writing process to create multiple drafts that show
improvement over time

Use reference materials/writers’ handbooks to assist in

revision and editing

Assessment Evidence (Stage 2)

Performance Task Description (GRASPS)
Support Franklin’s doctrine: “vicious actions are not hurtful because they are forbidden, but
Goal
forbidden because they are hurtful, the nature of man alone considered.”

Role Think like a Revolutionary/Person of the Enlightenment

The majority of the public in the US or lawmakers/enforcers who think that a thing is wrong
Audience
simply because it always has been considered so or because the majority says so

Your mission:
Do what Franklin wanted to do but never got around to by illustrating Franklin’s thesis above
through the use of a single issue.

This project requires that you work with 1-2 other people in the class. Choose your partner(s)
carefully; they should be people you can work with and get together with OUTSIDE OF CLASS.

Situation To begin, look through current newspapers and news magazines to see what issues and
controversies are being talked about in American society right now. Also look at local, state and
federal laws and school rules. Look for topics such as (but not limited to) education; same-gender
marriage; religion; euthanasia; abortion; divorce laws; intermarriage between races/religions; age
of consent laws; specific motor vehicle regulations; prostitution laws; a specific issue relating to
separation of church and state or science vs religion; censorship; gambling. These are just
suggestions; you may do something entirely different. Whatever you choose, it should be
something that matters to you, that connects directly or indirectly with your own experiences.
 Find examples of a view you see being held today by people who believe that something is wrong
because “so-and-so says it’s wrong,” not because the so-called wrong thing actually hurts anyone.
In your presentation, you will argue for the for legalization and/or acceptance of the thing that
some other people are calling wrong even though it doesn’t really hurt anyone.

Once you have a topic, you must sign up for it; topics will be allowed on a first-come, first-served
basis, and a maximum of two pairs/trios in the class can do the same topic.

You will write a 5-paragraph essay (c. 600 words, not including quotations and citations)
supporting your point of view AND make an oral presentation of 5-7 minutes supporting your
viewpoint. It must have a thesis statement as the last sentence of the first paragraph; this must state
clearly your chosen topic and position.
Product/Performance
Your essay must use a minimum of three outside sources to which you have referred for
information and/or others’ views. It must have MLA-style parenthetical citations and a Works
Cited page.
 Standards Rubric for Evaluation of Persuasive Research Essay
Level 4: Excellent
(A/B+ range)
• Presents a clear, focused thesis
statement as the last sentence of
the first paragraph
• Deals effectively with one
opposing argument in the
second paragraph
• Provides relevant and accurate
supporting details that are
placed for maximum effect in
the essay
• Includes all required essay
elements stated in the
assignment directions
• Uses a tone throughout that is
lively and natural, not wordy or
stilted
• Uses language specifically and
accurately, with well-chosen
nouns and verbs
• Has included NO errors in
agreement (noun/pronoun,
subject/verb, etc.)
• Uses varied and clear sentence
construction that produces
natural flow and rhythm.
• Has included NO errors in
sentence construction, such as
run-ons or fragments
• Uses grammar, spelling,
punctuation and capitalization
that are always correct and
always contribute to clarity and
style
• Has developed a superior,
realistic plan to overcome the
difficulties presented by the
issue or situation used.
• Uses correctly-formatted
MLA-style parenthetical
citations throughout the essay
• Has an error-free Works Cited
page that corresponds 100% to
the internal citations in the essay
itself
Level 3: Good
(B/C+ range)
• Presents a thesis statement
as the last sentence of the
first paragraph
• Includes one opposing
argument in the second
paragraph
• Provides supporting
details that are usually
placed effectively in the
essay
• Includes most required
essay elements stated in the
assignment directions
• Uses a tone that is lively
and natural, not wordy or
stilted
• Uses language accurately,
with appropriate nouns and
verbs
• Has included few errors in
agreement (noun/pronoun,
subject/verb, etc.)
• Uses varied and
appropriate sentence
construction.
• Has included a few errors
in sentence construction,
such as run-ons or
fragments
• Uses grammar, spelling,
punctuation and
capitalization that are
generally correct
• Has developed a realistic
plan to overcome the
difficulties presented by the
issue or situation used.
• Uses correctly-formatted
MLA-style parenthetical
citations
• Has a nearly error-free
Works Cited page with few
mismatches between its
entries and the internal
citations in the essay itself
Level 2:Fair
(C/D+ range)
• Presents thesis statement in
the first paragraph
• Includes more than one
opposing argument and/or
misplaces opposing argument
• Provides some effective
supporting details but some
seem misplaced
• Includes some required essay
elements stated in the
assignment directions
• Uses a tone that is sometimes
wordy or stilted
• Uses language that, while
comprehensible to the reader,
fails to show a natural voice
and/or precision.
• Has included several errors in
agreement (noun/pronoun,
subject/verb, etc.)
• Has written an essay that
shows need of revision and
improvement
• Uses dull and repetitive
sentence structure.
• Has included several errors in
sentence construction, such as
run-ons or fragments
• Has failed to correct several
grammar, spelling, punctuation
and capitalization errors
• Has developed a plan to
overcome the difficulties
presented by the issue or
situation used.
• Uses some MLA-style
parenthetical citations within
the essay
• Has a Works Cited page that
often fails to correspond to the
internal citations in the essay
itself and/or contains several
errors in formatting
Level 1: Poor
(D/F range)
• Fails to include a thesis
statement in the first
paragraph
• Deals only with own
positions or arguments,
failing to take the opposition
into account
• Provides few effective
supporting details and/or
misplaces them
• Includes few required
essay elements stated in the
assignment directions
• Uses a tone that generally
wordy or stilted
• Uses language that is
illogical, inaccurate, and
often incomprehensible to
the reader
• Has included many errors
in agreement
(noun/pronoun,
subject/verb, etc.)
• Uses awkward or childish
sentence construction that
impedes natural flow and
rhythm.
• Has included many errors
in sentence construction,
such as run-ons or
fragments
• Has failed to correct many
major grammar, spelling,
punctuation and
capitalization errors
• Has failed to develop a
plan to overcome the
difficulties presented by the
issue or situation used.
• Failed to use MLA-style
parenthetical citations
within the essay
• Has not included a Works
Cited page
 Learning Plan (Stage 3)
Where are your students headed?
Where have they been? How will you
make sure the students know where
they are going?
How will you hook students at the
beginning of the unit?
What events will help students
experience and explore the big idea
and questions in the unit? How will
you equip them with needed skills
and knowledge?
How will you cause students to reflect
and rethink? How will you guide
them in rehearsing, revising, and
refining their work?
How will you help students to exhibit
and self-evaluate their growing skills,
knowledge, and understanding
throughout the unit?
How will you tailor and otherwise
personalize the learning plan to
optimize the engagement and
effectiveness of ALL students, without
compromising the goals of the unit?
How will you organize and sequence
the learning activities to optimize the
engagement and achievement of ALL
students?
They are headed towards applying Enlightenment thought processes
to modern-day issues. They have studied the writings of Franklin,
Paine, Jefferson & the Adamses (Abigail & John). They will be explicitly
told that their task is to think about a modern-day issue and apply a
specific Ben Franklin quotation to it.
Expose them to opinion pieces or positions that are extreme; ask them
to state their opinions on current issues; expose them to instances
when real people have really accomplished something via persuasion.
Reformulating opinion as formal thesis statement. Examining what is
and isn’t a valid thesis statement. Reading opinion pieces that are not
written in 5-¶ format and do not have research to back up arguments,
then reformulating these to be 5-¶ research papers. Providing a
handout on the most common elements of MLA formatting for citing
sources.
They will be required to bring in a per-writing in the form of a full and
final thesis, a first draft, and a second draft. All these will be peer-
edited; I will provide assistance as students request it.
I will watch what they are doing during classwork time and provide
support as they peer-edit in class.
Students will be encouraged to choose topics that matter most to
them. They will be encouraged to work with others whom they want to
work with and who are interested in the same topic and hold the same
position on it. (This is on composing the paper itself; peer editing
groups will be pre-selected by me.)
Students will be provided with an assignment schedule with due dates
for all the different steps involved. The sequence will allow them to
start with something less threatening (looking at published pieces and
revising these) and move towards expressing their own ideas, to then
expressing these ideas in a formal essay and backing them up with
research.
 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Introduce the Introduce Thesis Introduce Full and Finish yesterday’s First draft DUE. Do
Persuasive Research Statement. List current Final Thesis. Look at demonstration if peer editing using the
Essay assignment; look event topics on the an opinion piece that is necessary. Look at 5-¶ assessment rubric as a
at an example. Find board. Narrow down to not written in the format; demonstrate checklist. Write 2nd
two current event those to the ones that format to be used for the difference in shape draft.
topics that interest you are controversial, on this essay; turn it into between into &
(30 mins in class using which a position can be one that is, and find concluding ¶’s and
school handbook, news taken. Develop a thesis research to back up its body ¶’s.
magazines, newspapers stating a position on arguments. (Students
or WWW; finish for each topic. Homework will identify its thesis, Take full and final
HW). If time, show is to decide on a topic its supporting thesis and use it as an
news clips or websites and thesis statement for arguments and a con outline to create a first
on controversies. your paper. argument, and the draft.
places in which
research is needed;
teacher will
demonstrate how it can
be rewritten and
research added in.)

HW= Write your own

full and final thesis
(thesis statement, 3 pro
arguments, one con
that relates to a pro) &
find three valid sources
of information related
to your topic

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

nd
2 draft DUE. Review Continue peer editing. Final draft DUE.
MLA citation formats. Write Final draft.
Do peer editing using
the assessment rubric
as a checklist.
Obama waves magic wand
Banning Prayer in Public Schools Has Led to America's Demise — The Forerunner
Resegregation Now - New York Times
Should Creationism Be Taught in Public Schools? - US News and World Report
Where Evolution Has Gaps, Creation Might Offer Answers—If We Will Listen - US News and
World Report
Intelligent Design is Not Science, and Should Not Join Evolution in the Classroom - US News and
World Report
FIELDS: Making war over history - Washington Times
BARBER: Barney and Barack's anti-religion agenda - Washington Times
Public Schools Are Cheating the Children by John Stossel
Cheerleading for Christ: not in public schools
Obama’s Race to the Top competition won’t fix public schools / The Christian Science Monitor -
CSMonitor.com
Gregory Kane: Banning prayer in schools hurts public morality | Washington Examiner

IMMIGRATION