Written Assignment: Persuasive Essay

Instructions:

It's time to finalize your persuasive essay! You should feel proud of everything you've accomplished so far. You've developed your ideas, identified counter perspectives, gathered credible research, and drafted your essay. Now you will use feedback from your instructor to review, revise, and edit your draft to ensure that you are submitting your best work.

Your final essay should be submitted in a new Word document and include two sections: 1.) Persuasive Essay and 2.) Feedback Reflection. You'll want to deliver a polished essay that meets all the project requirements and effectively persuades your reader. Follow the steps below to get started.

Step 1

Revisions

Revision is about removing, adding, and refining content to improve clarity, idea development, flow, and the overall persuasiveness of your communication.

Here are some questions to ask yourself that will help ensure you are submitting your best work.

Effectiveness of Persuasive Position

Logic: Have you fully explained the rationale? Did you provide enough background information, define key terms, and build from one idea
to the next?

Credibility: Did you build credibility through citing sources and using a voice (personality), tone (mood), and appropriate words for your
topic and audience?

Emotion: How did you appeal to the emotional side of your audience? (e.g., voice [personality], tone [mood], vivid descriptions, and/or personal stories)

Balance: Do you hook your audience in the first paragraph? Do your appeals work together throughout to create a powerfully persuasive c ommunication? Do you include a call to action in the last paragraph?

Clarity of Ideas

Have you fully explained your ideas?

Do you build logically from one point to the next? Is your communication clear?

Is it straightforward and easy to understand?

Do your ideas flow smoothly from one to the next?

Organization and Structure

Introduction/Thesis: Does your thesis statement tell the reader what your essay is about? Does it communicate your position?

Background Information: Did you provide relevant background information?

Body Paragraphs: Do you provide an appropriate amount of information, analysis, and support?

Counter Perspective(s): Did you include one to three counter perspectives? Do you fully explain why you're addressing each counter perspective? Does the counter perspective have flaws or weak evidence that strengthens your argument?

Conclusion: Do you provide a summary, rephrase your thesis, and leave a lasting impression?

Step 2

Editing

As this is your final essay, you should pay close attention to grammar, mechanics, punctuation, and formatting. This will ensure that your meaning is clear. You don't want to distract your audience or negatively impact your credibility with small mistakes!

Did you follow APA guidelines?

Cover page, page numbers, double-spaced, 1" margins, headers, indented paragraphs, and 12-point Times New Roman font.

In-Text Citations

(Author's last name and date) For example: (Wielding, 2017).

References

All references are in alphabetical order with hanging indent(s). Include major identifying information for each reference, and apply a consistent and APA-style flow of information. Author's last name, first initial. Title, etc.). For example: Goldberg, N. (1986). Writing down the bones: Freeing the writer within. Boston, MA: Shambhala.

Step 3

Feedback Re?ection

List the feedback you received from your instructor on Writing Activity 3: Rough Draft.

Explain how you used the feedback to improve your essay and create a final, polished version.

Describe the ways you'll use the feedback in future writing.