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What are powerful words? Did you use them in your HSPE practice prompt yesterday? If so, how? If not, why not?

75 words

HSPE Writing Lesson

Elaboration: Compromise and Problem solving

Do Now Agenda

PERSUASIVE WRITING

Elaboration Techniques:

Compromise & Problem Solving

Statistics

COMPROMISE &

PROBLEM SOLVING

COMPROMISE & PROBLEM SOLVING

What does this mean?

A compromise is when people try to find asolution to their disagreement that both people findacceptable. Usually both parties have to give in alittle on what they want in order to reach anagreement.

When you problem-solve in your writing, you explain a problem or an issue, then offer a solution to the reader.

Both types of Elaboration/Argumentation take the other person’s perspective into consideration.

What Might These Look Like?

If kids want to spend time with their friends after the hours listed by a town’s curfew, then they can just arrange a sleepover for the night. This way kids are off the streets, and safe, but they can still be with their friends as long as they want.

Topic: proposal for an 8:00 p.m. curfew in your town for students under 17 years of age.

Since officials in town are insisting on imposing a curfew, they should consider changing the time to allow kids a little more freedom. A curfew of 10 o’clock would be much more bearable for most teenagers.

Compromise

What Might These Look Like?

I understand that the teachers at our school want to find a way for students to be successful. The best way for students to do better is to give them a specific enrichment class every day where they can get more specific help in the subject area where they are struggling.

Topic: your high school is looking for ways to improve the student passing rates.

For students who are struggling in school, our teachers should offer lunch help a few days a week to tutor students one-on-one. This way kids get personalized help, and the kids who really want to get better will show up and really use the time well.

ProblemSolving

Problem Solving:Great Transitions!

A possible remedy…

The best solution…

A better way…

The proposed solution…

To correct this issue…

The real problem is…

The underlying issue is…

The specific problem is…

We have to acknowledge…

Many people are aware…

Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Modified 11/08

Since the world dumps tons of garbage and waste onto the planet every day, recycling should become the law. The real problem is that every week, each family of four generates enough trash to fill two 32 gallon garbage cans. This happens because people are lazy, have busy lives, and buy products with excessive packaging. If people knew there was an immediate consequence for this waste, they would be more inclined to recycle. We must acknowledge that no one likes to pay a fine or have the government tell them what to do, but if recycling were required, we could reduce the amount of trash produced by at least 50%. The best solution to curbing pollution is to enforce recycling by law.

Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Modified 11/08

Problem Solving Identification:Can You Find Examples?

Underline the examples of PS and circle the transitions you find.

I believe that there are more effective ways to get the message across that the current behavior is unacceptable than to tether kids to chairs for the ½ hour they eat lunch. Just because some students are noisy, disruptive, and disorderly doesn’t mean that all the students are. It is unfair to punish those who are being perfectly well behaved. We could institute lunch detention, where disruptive students eat in a classroom, unable to talk with friends. This could be the consequence of the “three strikes you’re out” rule where if a student is caught with unacceptable behavior three times, consequences are then dealt. There are more practical ways to deal with disorderly kids than with assigned seating at lunchtime.

Copyright © 2007 Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All rights reserved. Modified 11/08

Compromise Identification:Can You Find Examples?

Underline the examples of compromise that you find in the selection.

Let’s Try it Together!

Compromise

Last weekend you decided that I am grounded until after Christmas because of my grades, since you want me to spend more time working on homework instead of out with friends.

While I understand completely that I need to work harder in school… (now you finish this sentence – do you have a compromise? What can you give in return for what they want?)

(so…now write a follow-up sentence. How does this compromise give both of you what you want? How is it equally satisfactory? )

Topic: You’re writing a letter to your parents to adjust a punishment.

Try It With a Partner!

Problem Solving

Topic: Your school wants to keep students inside at lunch time due to the garbage and the graffiti that has been found lately.

On yesterday’s announcement the councilor told the student body that we will no longer be allowed outside during lunch because of the littering and graffiti issues at our school.

However, I think that the real problem is … (hmmm. How could you explain the problem so that not everyone is blamed and punished?)

To correct this issue… (what is your solution? How could you fix the problem without keeping all the students inside at lunch?)

Notice the underlined words – those are the transitions that were listed in an earlier slide. Use these as sentence starters.

YOUR TURN!WRITE YOUR OWN “COMPROMISE”

Consider Friday’s practice write about making Timberline a closed campus.Provide an example (2-4 sentences) where you could use either a compromise or a small problem solving argument for the position that you took. Complete in you Interactive Notebook.Write! 5 minutes

YOUR TURN!WRITE YOUR OWN “COMPROMISE”

Consider Friday’s practice write about making Timberline a closed campus.Provide an example (2-4 sentences) where you could use either a compromise or a small problem solving argument for the position that you took. Complete in you Interactive Notebook.Write! Share your examples with a partner. Discuss how you strengthened your argument by using compromise or problem solving.

DO NOWWhat are compromise and problem solving in essays? How do you use them.75 words

STATISTICS AS

ELABORATION

WHY DO I USE STATISTICS TO PERSUADE?

The use of statistics as a form of elaboration is a solid writing technique that will most often be used in persuasive writing or analytical essays. Statistics are great because they…

give hard evidence that what you’re trying to

prove is true

show that there is serious research that supports

what you’re trying to prove

make you sound like a professional and an

expert

NOTE: THERE ARE RULES!

When writing a real essay for your classes in school,essays that are requiring you to do research and togive factual support to your ideas,

DO NOT MAKE UP YOUR STATISTICS !!!!!!

You can get in a lot of trouble for this and willprobably (definitely) fail the assignment.

If you take your facts, numbers, or statistics fromanother source, remember to use a citation to showwhere you got your information. 

… AND EXCEPTIONS, TOO!

However, for HSPE purposes, or for any type of On- Demand Write, it is perfectly acceptable to make up the statistics to use. Why is this okay for these types of papers?

with an on-demand write, you have no access to computers or research to find real statistics

using a made-up statistic shows you know the power of facts in an essay; you know your “writing toolbox” and how to use it!

using a made-up statistic shows that you know how to use facts to support your ideas, but you just can’t get any at the moment because you’re locked into your desk

WHAT MIGHT THIS LOOK LIKE?

While our school does a great job with having Honor Level Activities, we need more dances at night. When students were polled about evening dances, 96% agreed they would like to have them more often.

These are made up statistics!

In the potential/kinetic experiment, two model cars were sent down slopes of different heights. The race was conducted ten times, and 90% of the time the car from the steeper slope moved the farthest & fastest.

IN A PAPER FOR A CLASS…

Since the Constitutional Convention was so soon after the Revolutionary War, many people were afraid of the federal government having too much power. Initially 63% of delegates were against the idea of having a central government in the United States (www.histstats.com).

Note that I included citations in these examples.

Kick-boxing is a great way to tone muscles and lose weight, while still having fun. Recent studies show that the average female burns 650 calories for a 45 minute session, which is 40% more than jogging the mile in P.E. (Time, Feb. 2006).

FORMATTING IS IMPORTANT!

When you use a statistic in an paragraph, keep in mind three important parts:

Make sure you’ve chosen a strong statistic

Reference the source of the statistic (can be a citation)

Use a summarizing phrase or sentence that explains the significance of the statistic

Let’s Try it Together!

A definite improvement to our lunchroom would be to have a small Taco Bell stand set up in one corner of the cafeteria.

(so…now write a follow-up sentence. How does this statistic help build your argument?)

Topic: Offering a wider variety of lunch choices in school.

(now write a sentence that includes a statistic to support the idea that Taco Bell needs to be added to the lunchroom)

Try It With a Partner!

Topic: Your district is asking people to give input on school start times.

Starting school time later would be really helpful for most teenagers because it would give them more time in the morning to get the sleep that their bodies need.

(again, write a follow-up sentence. What significance does your statistic have? How might it sway your reader?)

(this time insert a statistic like one you might find in a magazine or online. Include a “citation” at the end of the sentence)

Culminating Persuasion Activity:OR

How Good Are You Now?

You have now learned six different persuasive writing elaboration strategies. At this point you should be AMAZING at persuading your audience! Today we’ll test that theory… Your Task:

Groups: 3-4 studentsWhat: create a short skit that uses at least four of the

persuasive strategies in order to meet the goal stated on the topic card you will receive.

Format: write a script that shows interaction between the two or three people named on the topic card – make sure your persuasive strategies are strong!

Highlight the strategies (& make a key!) as they appear in the script.

During the performance, one person in the group will silently hold up strategy cards to show when each chosen strategy is being used.

A special thanks to Sarah Corneil & Heather Hettinger for their help with this one!

YOUR TURN!USE YOUR OWN STATISTICS

Go back once again to the paper that you wrote about winning the trip to the Great Wolf Lodge.

Re-read the paper and find a place or two where you might be able to add a strong statistic.

Write!

Share your changes with a partner. Discuss how you just strengthened your argument.