The Plan

The Goal

Everyone who tries today will leave with a proficient persuasive essay completed.  One step closer to graduation!

The Topic

Does the violence in TV and video games cause people to behave violently?

The Process – Part One

Done as a group

Definitions

These will be dicussed and shown on the Activ Board

• What is violence? 
• What is television violence like?  What are some violent TV shows?
• What is video game violence like?  What are some violent video games?

Beginning to form the thesis

As a class, we will do a show-of-hands vote on this topic.

• Raise both of your hands if you think that TV/VG definitely does not cause violence.
• Raise one of your hands if you think that TV/VG might cause some people to be violent.
• Raise neither hand if you think that TV/VG does cause violence.

For each of the three positions, we will collect the reasons why each group believes what it does.  These will be posted on the ActivBoard for you to use while you write the paper.

Required research

• Read the article titled “Psychiatric Effects of Media Violence”.  Regardless of whether you agree with the article, highlight the two best pieces of evidence it gives.
• Here is the link for possible later use: http://www.healthyminds.org/mediaviolence.cfm

Share highlighted portions with group in a short discussion.

• Read the article titled “Is TV Violence all that bad for kids?” Regardless of whether you agree with the article, highlight the two best pieces of evidence it gives.
• Here is the link for possible later use: http://www.theage.com.au/news/hugh-mackay/is-tv-violence-all-that-bad-for-kids/2005/03/04/1109700674787.html

Share highlighted portions with group in a short discussion.  We will add ideas to the arguments list if we come up with some new ones.

Refining Thesis

Create one sentence that does the following things:

• Says whether TV/VG cause violent behavior
• Says the three best reasons that you think it does or does not cause violent behavior

As soon as you complete this sentence, show it to Stephanie.  Once it has been checked off, open the document called “persuasive essay worksheet”.  Save it to your folder and type your thesis statement in the appropriate place.

Download the Persuasive Essay Worksheet here.

The Process – Part Two

From this point forward, you may work at your own pace.  If you feel that you can do this independently, you can tune out my whole group instructions, but you MUST follow this process in this order.

Writing the Antithesis

Create one sentence that does the following things:

• Says who disagrees with you
• Says what they do believe
• Says why the believe it

Create one sentence that says why you think they are wrong. 

As soon as you complete both of these sentences, write them on your persuasive essay worksheet and show it to Stephanie.

Additional Research

Log on to http://www.lwsd.org/Students/7-12-Research-Homework/Pages/default.aspx

• Select “Senior High Research Databases”.  Then, select SIRS.
• Once in the SIRS site, scroll down through the list of “Leading Issues” and select “Violence in the mass media”
• Read the Overview that will appear first, then select the tab that says “Pro/Con”.  That section contains articles for both sides.
• Choose one article that supports the side you agree with.  Open it and make it a “Favorite” so you can come back to it.  Then, copy and paste it into a Word document.  Change the font size to make it as small as you can and still read it. 
• Then print it.
• Read the article and highlight the four best pieces of evidence it gives. 

Show the highlighted article to Stephanie once you have completed this step.

Time to arrange evidence

• Look at the list of arguments that you put in your thesis statement.  Then think of the article you just read.  Do you still want to keep the original three?  If not, change the ones in your thesis to your new ideas
• Decide what order you want to discuss them in.  Then, add then to your worksheet in the order you will use.
• Next, choose the evidence that you think goes with each argument.  You need to be able to find two pieces of evidence for each argument.  Copy and paste the quotes onto your worksheet under the argument they go with.  After each quote, cite it.  Stephanie will show you how to do this.

Show your worksheet to Stephanie before you go the next step.

Finalizing the organization

Setting up the paper

Erase ALL of the red headings on your worksheet.

Writing commentary

BEFORE each quote, write a set up.  Choose from some of these choices if you want, or write your own.

• According to [insert name of author or group here]…., “put quote here”
• Some experts say that, “put quote here”
• One study found that, “put quote here”
• An important fact to note is “put quote here”

Then, AFTER each quote, write your commentary.  Commentary answers one or more of the following questions:

• Why is this information important?
• What does this information mean?
• What should we do or think as a result of this information?

Writing the Conclusion

DO NOT BEGIN YOUR CONCLUSION WITH “In conclusion”!!!!

Your conclusion should answer the following questions:

• Why should people care about TV/VG violence?
• What should be done?  Should laws change?  Should parents watch their kids more closely?  Should TV shows change?  Should video games change?

Write your conclusion at the end of your worksheet.  Show this to Stephanie before you go on to the next step

Writing the Introduction

Now, go back to the introduction.  You have your thesis, but what information needs to come before your thesis?  You need to provide the following information:

• What is the problem or perceived problem?
• Who are the two sides?

Write 2-4 sentences that provide the answers to those questions at the beginning of your worksheet.

Show this to Stephanie before you go to the next step.

Improving Style and Conventions.

Transitions

For paragraphs 3, 4, and 5 you will need transitions.  Take a look at the first sentence of each of those paragraphs.  That sentence contains your argument and it is your topic sentence.  At the beginning of each topic sentence, use one of the transition words you can find at this site: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/574/02/

Add your transitions and show them to Stephanie before you go to the next step.

Fragments

Look at every place that Word has underlined in green.  Take a look at the suggestion that Word’s editing assistant offers.  If it says “Fragment, consider revising”, fix it or ask Stephanie for help.

Spelling

Look at every place that Word has underlined in red.  Fix it and ask for help if you think you do have it right but it is still underlined.

Voice

Formal papers cannot use the words “you” or “your”.  You can use the pronouns “I”, “me”, and “we”.  Scan your paper and fix every sentence that uses any of these no-no pronouns.  If you need help with suggestions, just ask.

Formatting

Make sure that all parts of your paper are…

• all parts of your paper are in the same font
• all parts of your paper are double-spaced
• that your name is on the top
• that all quotes are cited

Final Review

Show your paper to Stephanie for a preliminary “grade”.  Make any revisions she suggests

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