Persuasive Essay

Thesis statement:

Topic sentence but with an attitude – in other words, you must take a position on the subject.

Video games are fine in moderation when monitored by adults.

Video games are fun and exciting and children should be allowed to play without interference from parents.

Most of the articles in the district assessment booklet are opposed to the use of video games by children.

Some of the articles are in between – they believe that with moderation and adult supervision most video games are fine.

Some of the articles seem to imply that most children are using video games immoderately and without adult supervision.

Some of the evidence provided in the district assessment booklet:

Average game buyer is 37 years old.

Percentage of time parents are involved with purchase or rental of games is 83%.

90% of games are purchased by adults.

Percentage of parents who monitor their children’s use of video games – 92%.

10% of the games are still unmonitored.

There are still many people who are under 37 who are using video games.

Opposing arguments:

How do we know the 37 year old is a parent?

The number of 37 year olds who are buying video games may cause the game inventors to create games for 37 year olds which are inappropriate for children.

17% of parents are not involved with the purchase of video games.

What does the "percentage of time involved" mean? How is percentage of time involved calculated and by whom?

How did the researchers get the 92% statistics that parents monitor their children? Don’t people lie on surveys to make them appear better than they are?

These are the components of the persuasion essay one must have in order the pass the test:

T: thesis

TP: thesis addressed the prompt

Aee: analyzed and evaluated the evidence

DP: developed the prompt

CC: Counter claim

If your thesis statement is anti-video games: they are destructive and harmful to children, then you would might want to go to page 12, “Video Games May Help Relieve Pain”, to find your counter claim.

Rebuttal: to knock down the counter claim.

Development of the Prompt: one must write additional sentences about the thesis. One does this using anecdotes, statistics, supporting evidence.

Thesis position:

Video games should be banned because they are harmful to children.

What do you mean by video games? What kinds of games?

What do you mean by banned?

How are they harmful and in what way?

What do you mean by children?

Body of the paragraph:

Mini topic sentence

Make sure you write at least two sentences to develop your mini-topic sentence.

Make sure you use at least one piece of evidence per paragraph to support your claim.

In the fourth paragraph put the counter claim and then your rebuttal.

In the final concluding sentence, which ties up the paragraph in a neat little package, quickly reiterate your main points - one sentence or clause per point - and then write a final concluding sentence which restates your position. Do not introduce new information or ideas in the final paragraph.

This essay will be due on _____________.