Discussion

This Discussion gives you an opportunity to post a draft of your introduction paragraph for your persuasive essay so that you can receive feedback on its effectiveness from your peers and the instructor. You may find it helpful to post your introduction paragraph early in the unit so that you have time to revise it for the unit's Assignment based on the feedback you receive and the insights you find from the Learning Activities.

Include all of the following in your Discussion post:

• A draft of your introduction paragraph for your persuasive essay using one of the techniques described in the Learning Activities
• A thesis statement as the last sentence of your introduction
• An explanation of what motivated your decisions when writing the introduction, such as why you used a particular technique and the impact you want your introduction to have on your audience.

To earn full participation credit, you will need to respond substantively to at least two peers' initial Discussion posts and show active engagement in the discussion as described in the grading rubric. These responses should stay on topic and generate further discussion by asking questions, mentioning relevant examples, and if possible, referencing concepts from the unit Learning Activities.

When responding to a peer, exercise tact and be specific in what you say. Take your time and develop your thoughts so that you can help out a fellow writer. Please do not focus on or mark GUM (grammar, usage, and mechanics) issues. The following questions will help you to create constructive feedback on your peers' paragraphs:

• Does the introduction end with a persuasive thesis statement? If not, what changes could be made to the thesis statement?
• Is the strategy selected for the introduction effective, or might another approach mentioned in the Learning Activities be better?
• Identify at least one strength and one area of improvement needed for the introduction paragraph.
• Address any lingering questions you have about your classmate's argument for change.

All Discussion posts and responses to peers should be written in complete sentences using Standard American English. Before posting, proofread for grammar, spelling, and word-choice issues. Be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the Discussion.

When you refer to concepts from the unit's Learning Activities, be sure to use a signal phrase like "According to . . .[name of reading]." If you are directly quoting the Learning Activities or another source, be sure to use quotation marks and cite the source using proper APA in-text citations and full references. The Writing Center has resources on APA citation formatting.