Persuasive Writing: Teach It With Models

When I teach students how to write an essay, I often recommend that they look at the Opinion or Editorial pages of their local newspaper for samples of well-constructed persuasive arguments. I especially recommend that they look for two articles on the same topic that present opposing viewpoints.

I came across two such articles in the Sunday edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and since the topic is interesting and timely, I’d like to suggest that you take a look at them. The question that each article addresses is “Degree or Not Degree?”.

The first article, by scholar Charles Murray, author of Real Education: Four Simple Truths for Bringing America’s Schools Back to Reality, and co-author of the controversial The Bell Curve, suggests that “For Most People, College Wastes Time and Money.” He outlines a reasoned argument for his thesis, and suggests “a better way.”

The second article, by Daniel J. La Vista, executive director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, suggests that “America Faces a Shortage of College Graduates.” He refers to Murray’s new book, and posits an opposing viewpoint, citing the need to stay parallel with “other nations in the global economy.”

You’ll notice that in each of these articles the writers’ thesis is clearly stated in the headline. There’s absolutely no question as to which side of the debate each article supports. Although the tone of the headline could be seen as dogmatic or controversial, the tone of both essays is moderate and reasoned, designed to persuade.

I suggest that you print out both articles, and study them with your teen students, or even on your own. Note how each author introduces the topic, organizes the flow of information, and supports his thesis. Mark up the print-outs, noting skillful transitions, vivid examples, and interesting word choices. You may even want to copy a few paragraphs to internalize the flow of text.

Benjamin Franklin learned to write by studying, copying, and re-writing in his own words, articles from The Spectator. His autobiography bears witness to the level of expertise he gained, the method has lost none of its ability to produce excellence. I think you’ll enjoy it!

As for the subject of the articles, “Degree, or Not Degree,” do you find your opinion changed in any way by reading these essays? The topic is far more than a clever wordplay– it’s a choice that many of us have made, or will make at some time. I’d love to hear your opinions, and your reactions to the article! You may leave them in the comment section at the end of the post.

I may as well confess that my reaction was to make a trip to Amazon.com for a copy of Real Education. Murray’s arguments seem very compatible with homeschooling, and I’d like to read more. I’m less convinced that keeping up with the Jones’s (or the Taiwanese) is a good reason for getting a degree, so Mr. LaVista has a bit farther to go before I’m persuaded.

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An interesting link: I came across Digital History, an interesting history site from the University of Houston. It offers many interesting resources, including an interactive timeline, primary source documents, and multimedia exhibits. It may be just the thing you need to capture the interest of a student who thinks that history is boring (can you imagine?).

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Announcements

Beat-the-Clock Essay Workshop: This much-anticipated workshop will take place Saturday, September 6, from 10-2:30 at First Mennonite Church at 601 E. Parham Road, Richmond, VA. It’s sponsored by the Richmond Regional Home Educators, and you will find complete information at the rrhe.org forum (for members), or at my website, www.EssayWorkshop.com (the date needs to be updated on the site, but the rest of the information is all there). Contact the coordinator by e-mail at Kathleen Lansing at gmail dot com. (remove the spaces and use appropriate symbols, of course!) to ask questions or register.

SAT*-Prep Workshop: If you’d like to catch the “Conquer the Test! Tips, Techniques, and Strategies for Getting the SAT Score You Need” workshop in person, I’ll be doing one in Chester, Virginia on Friday, September 12. You may contact coordinator Darleen Rudnick at 748-0984 or via e-mail at darleen2 at yahoo dot com. If you can’t make the workshop, or you’d just like to have it handy to listen to more than once, you can purchase the recorded workshop with 60+ page worktext at www.SAT-Workshop.com (and it’s at a special introductory price until 9/15/08, or until the first printing runs out, whichever comes first– I just got the quotes for the second printing– OUCH!!).

How Many Years of Grammar Do You Need?

As I talk to homeschool parents at conventions and via e-mail, I am often asked, “How many years of grammar should I be requiring of my student?” or “Does the Grammar Made Easy: Writing a Step Above course cover all the grammar you need to teach your child through the twelfth grade?” Connie Schenkelberg and I answered that question rather thoroughly in a pair of e-mails I thought I’d share with you today. As usual, there are few announcements immediately following the body of the post.

A mom e-mailed to ask: “Does this course seem to cover all the grammar you need to teach your child through the twelfth grade? I am not certain how complete it is and whether or not I would need to continue with another grammar course when this course is finished…”.

My (Janice’s) response:

Thank you for writing! I’m going to give you my opinion, but I’m also going to forward your note to Connie Schenkelberg, the author of the course. I think she will have even more insight on all the course covers.

If you’re familiar with my writings (on the website and my blog) about the learning lifestyle and teaching your student to write, you probably know that I have what I would consider a relaxed Charlotte Mason/Thomas Jefferson approach to schooling.

Grammar Made Easy was the only formal grammar we used, and I felt that it was a perfect foundation for all future writing, as well as for foreign languages. Based upon my own education, extensive reading, and the education of my boys, I believe that once the grammar foundation is laid, further grammar study should be done contextually through writing and the study of foreign language. Read more

SAT* Workshop and Teenage Proofreaders

I’ve been putting together a worktext to go with the three-hour audio workshop I recorded in April, and all the pieces are finally coming together. The thing that has taken the longest is getting the live audio mastered into the proper format, but it’s happening today, and I believe I’ll have it duplicated and ready to go for the HEAV convention, which is less than two weeks away! www.SAT-Workshop.com

One thing I discovered- or actually re-discovered– I realize it every time I write a book or article- is that it’s nearly impossible to proofread my own work. Because I know the material so well, I tend to read what I think I wrote. Someone with a fresh eye can catch small typos and transpositions that I’ve overlooked, just as I can catch the errors in other people’s writing.

My first choice for front-line proofreading is always one of my own boys. If you write anything at all, I suggest that you ask one of your students to proofread it for you. They may or may not be naturally gifted in English, but it’s amazing how much they can catch. I am always touched by the amount of care and thought they put into the process. Even if the subject isn’t intrinsically interesting (66 pages of test prep tips, techniques, and strategies for the SAT isn’t exactly Lord of the Rings!) they know it’s important to me, and they invest the time to do their best. Read more

Homeschooling High School: Is Outsourcing an Option?

When I talk about homeschooling through high school, I always mention the possibility of seeking outside help for advanced subjects. Although most people understand the reasons behind finding an experienced algebra tutor or writing coach, some parents don’t see it that way. I heard from one irate mom after I mentioned several options for working through advanced subjects: “That’s not homeschooling through high school,” she fumed, “that’s not even homeschooling!”

As I understand homeschooling, the defining characteristic is that parents choose and oversee what is learned and how it is taught, and most of us do most of the teaching, at least for the primary grades. Read more

Miss Thistlebottom’s Hobgoblins: A Review

I have a weakness for books with funny titles– especially if they are about writing, grammar, style, and usage. Miss Thistlebottom’s Hobgoblins: The Careful Writer’s Guide to the Taboos, Bugbears and Outmoded Rules of English Usage by Theodore M. Bernstein has finally made its way from my Amazon wish list to my desktop, and I’ve been enjoying it immensely.

Bernstein, a former editorial director of the New York Times Book Division, a 25-year journalism professor at Columbia’s School of Journalism, and consultant on usage for the Random House and American Heritage dictionaries, tackles some of the unfortunate strictures that have made writing more difficult than it needs to be. With delightful good humor, he routs “Syntax Scarecrows” and other distractions, while answering grammar, usage, and style questions you didn’t know you should be asking. Read more

Perfectly Parsed Piffle- The Writing Evaluator’s Dilemma

As parent-teachers, we’ve all seen boring writing assignments– a grammatically-correct report that simply paraphrases an encyclopedia entry or a five-paragraph essay that piles one trite cliche on another, and concludes without a glimmer of an original thought. If you’re anything like me, you may even remember writing a few of those! The cause of such frightful compositions usually lies in an inadequate reading foundation (input) or in a poorly-thought-out writing assignment.*

I’ll write about how to remedy the causes another time, but today, I’d like to discuss how to evaluate this kind of writing. To a parent, perfectly parsed piffle often poses a dilemma. If there are no obvious mechanical errors (spelling, punctuation, grammar, word usage), does the student’s work deserve an ‘A’? How do you grade a paper for shallow content and lack of originality– and should you even do so? Read more