Persuasive essay
ENG 123 Milestone One Guidelines and Rubric

Overview: Persuasion is a constant in each of our lives. No matter where we look, what we read, what we see, or who we interact with, we are inevitably going to encounter some form of persuasion. Advertisements want us to buy things. Newspapers and television want to convince us of how we should feel about events. We are put into positions where we must defend our thoughts and beliefs to others, and the process we apply is typically some form of persuasion.

Persuasive writing is one of the most powerful forms of writing—it has the ability to influence one’s thoughts, and also the ability to change one’s mind about a particular issue. The persuasive essay is an ideal tool for supporting an opinion on an issue using researched facts and information. It also gives you the chance to recognize an opposing viewpoint and refute it, noting that those who hold the opposing viewpoint are the intended audience of the piece.

Prompt: For this milestone, you will submit a draft of your persuasive essay. At this point in the course, you have completed activities that will help you transform essay into a draft. This milestone will help you address critical elements I–III below, which will ultimately inform your final submission of the persuasive essay. You have until the deadline to work on this draft. Whatever is completed by the deadline will be submitted to your instructor for grading and feedback.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Introduction: This is where readers will get an idea of what your essay is about and what you will prove throughout. Do not give all of your information away here, but give readers a sample of what is to come. Don’t forget to review your writing plan to make sure you are hitting all of the points that you planned out while also stating your argument.

A. Provide an overview of the issue you have selected, briefly describing main points and your argument. B. Compose an engaging thesis statement that explains the argument you will prove and support throughout your essay. This statement will give

direction to your essay and should be well thought out.

II. Body: The body is your opportunity to describe and support your argument in depth. Make sure your thoughts and evidence are clear and organized in a way that is easy for readers to follow and understand.

A. Be sure that you write at least three paragraphs that support your key points and are focused, clearly state their intent, and move logically from one to the other, building the thesis argument as the essay progresses.

B. Your body paragraphs should support your argument by combining thoughts and ideas with evidence from sources. There is no such thing as a right or wrong argument; the key is how it is supported and the quality of the evidence used.

C. Address and refute any opposing viewpoints to your argument. This is your chance to discredit any opposing views, thus strengthening your own.

III. Conclusion: Think of the conclusion as a review of your argument. Use this section to restate your argument and remind readers of your supporting evidence. Think of this as your last chance to persuade readers to agree with you.

A. Review your argument. This section should be a review of the key points used to support your argument. Think of this as your last chance to prove your point or your closing arguments.

B. Include insights about your argument established through your essay. This should follow logically from your essay, referring to key points or quotes used to support your argument.

Rubric

Guidelines for Submission: Save your work in a Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins. Then, check your writing for errors. Once you have proofread your document, submit it via the Milestone One: Persuasive Essay Draft link in Brightspace.

Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Needs Improvement (75%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Introduction: Overview

Provides an overview of the issue being analyzed and briefly describes main points of argument

Provides an overview of the issue being analyzed and briefly describes main points of argument, but there are issues related to accuracy

Does not provide an overview of the issue being analyzed

10

Introduction: Thesis Statement

Composes a thesis that states the argument that will be supported and proven throughout the essay

Composes a thesis, but there are issues related to clarity or relevancy

Does not compose a thesis 10

Body: Intent Writes multiple paragraphs that are focused, clearly state their intent, and build the thesis argument

Writes multiple paragraphs, but writing does not build the thesis argument

Does not write multiple paragraphs

10

Body: Body Paragraphs

Communicates argument in body paragraphs by combining thoughts and ideas with evidence

Communicates argument in body paragraphs but does not combine thoughts and ideas with evidence

Does not communicate argument through body paragraphs

30

Body: Opposing Viewpoints

Addresses and refutes opposing viewpoints in a way that strengthens the argument

Addresses and refutes opposing viewpoints, but not in a way that strengthens the argument

Does not address or refute opposing viewpoints

10

Conclusion: Review Reviews claim and summarizes key supporting points of essay

Reviews claim and summarizes key supporting points, but there are issues regarding alignment to the intent of the thesis

Does not review claim 10

Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Needs Improvement (75%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Conclusion: Insights Articulates insights about argument established through the analysis, following argument logically and referring to key points or quotes used to support argument

Articulates insights about argument established through the essay, but does not follow argument logically or does not refer to key points or quotes used to support claim

Does not articulate insights about argument

10

Articulation of Response

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

10

Total 100%