Expository Writing

In Expository Expeditions you will explore important qualities of expository writing, including the organization of explanatory writing and developing and analyzing ideas and informing your readers.

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You will learn how to Present the essential steps in a process in a logical order Explain steps in writing using details so your readers can perform the steps Present information in an effective order Establish a clear topic sentence Identify a cause and an effect Determine two or more central ideas in a text Analyze the interactions between ideas and events in a text and write your own interactions between your own ideas and events Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text and determine the structures purpose, then use that structure to achieve a similar purpose Cite sources of information

My Newspaper

Newspapers use expository writing to tell about all kinds of topics. Take some time now to think of some nonfiction topics that interest you. In your binder: * write the name of your news paper * list at least three topics for your news paper * write any facts that you know about your topics * explain why you chose your topics

Here are some suggestions for newspaper articles: Sports & Players, Around the World, Book or Movie Reviews, Weather, Problem/Solution, News, Classifieds, People & Places, Cartoons

Process Analysis Writing

When writers tell about factual information, they are writing nonfiction. There are
many different ways to write nonfiction, but in almost all nonfiction writing, organization and structure are very important. In this workshop, you will learn about one of the ways that writers organize nonfiction writing. 1.1 Nonfiction and fiction are both types of writing. You learned about fiction in A Christmas Carol. You also wrote a movie review. Is a movie review fiction or nonfiction? Why?

First You and Then You

A. Look at the first paragraph of the article, How to Give Your Powza a Wingdoozle on labsheet 1.1. How did Madana Filtsuff begin? What key words did Filtsuff use? What is the purpose of the first paragraph? B. Look at the last paragraph. How did Filtsuff finish? What key words did Filtsuff use? What is the purpose of the last paragraph? C. What is the purpose of the second, third, and fourth paragraphs? Are there any key words? What would happen if someone switched the order of the paragraphs around? D. Make an inference. What do you think the article, How to Give Your Powza a Wingdoozle, is really about? Make sure you explain your thinking with details from what you read. What is the authors purpose?

Homework starts on page 7.

When writers use the word you and explain how to do something step by step, they are writing in second person point of view. With this point of view, the writer is talking directly to the reader.

Topic Sentences, Concluding Sentences, and Key Words

How to Cut a Ganmo Ganmos can be a slimy, slippery challenge to cut. The best way to cut a Ganmo is to start by selecting a firm Ganmo. You will also need a sharp knife and a cutting board. To begin, stand the Ganmo up on the cutting board with the stem down. Cut from the top of the Ganmo to the bottom along the pit inside the Ganmo. Then find the piece of Ganmo that has the pit. Cut this piece of Ganmo exactly the same way. You should have three pieces of Ganmo. Cut the pit away from the middle section, and then remove the peel from the middle section. To finish cutting your Ganmo, use your knife to make criss-cross sections in the two Ganmo halves without cutting through the Ganmo peel. Then use the knife to cut the sections away from the peel. Now you should have a perfectly cut Ganmo without all the slimy, slippery mess. A. Read the article How to Cut a Ganmo. What is the article about and how do you know? List at least two ways to find out the topic of a process analysis article. B. Write the introductory sentence of the article. Why is it a good introduction? C. Write the concluding sentence of the article. Why is it a good concluding sentence? D. What do you think a Ganmo is? Give evidence from the article to support your guess. E. Here are the steps to cut an avocado. Rewrite the steps in the correct order. Then use a spoon to scoop out the pit from the avocado. Use your knife to cut crisscross sections in the avocado without cutting through the avocado peel. First, cut the avocado in half around the pit inside. Finally, remove the avocado pieces by scooping them out with the spoon.

F. Write your own topic sentence, concluding sentence, and title for an avocado article. Use the How to Cut a Ganmo article and the information from problem E to help you.

Homework starts on page 7.

How To.
When authors want to tell how to do something, they always write steps and use special key words. This kind of writing is called process analysis writing. The title for a process analysis article and the topic sentence tell the purpose of the article. Process analysis writing is a kind of nonfiction writing that uses a special structure. You should begin with a topic sentence that tells the reader what the article is about. Your article should use key words like first, to begin, to start, next, then, followed by, to finish, finally, and in conclusion. A process analysis article will always end with a conclusion paragraph. The last sentence is a conluding sentence that rephrases the introduction sentence.

A. Think of a topic that you know a lot about. Some topics include a sport you play, a food you make all the time, or a pet you take care of. Without going into too much detail, make a short list of steps. Remember to think of a title for your process analysis article. B. Read the first paragraph of the sample process analysis article on labsheet 1.3 and write an introduction. Create your topic sentence using the title of your article. Tell what should be done first by using key words like to get started, first, and begin by. C. Read the second paragraph of the sample process analysis article on labsheet 1.3 and then write out the steps for your activity. Use key words like next, then, and now. Make sure you clearly tell your reader what to do in the correct order. D. Read the last paragraph of the sample process analysis article on labsheet 1.3. Write the last step for your activity, using key words like finally or the last step is to. Think of one sentence to wrap up your step-by-step directions, like the concluding sentence from labsheet 1.3. Your concluding sentence should rephrase your topic sentence.

Homework starts on page 7.

Powzas and Wingdoozles

A. Reread How to Give Your Powza a Wingdoozle. You probably noticed that some very important words have been changed. Using labsheet 1.4, think of a meaning for each crazy word from the article. Remember to explain your thinking by listing the context clues that help you figure out each word. B. Reread the article you wrote in a workshop from this unit. Make a list of all the important nouns in your article. Make up a funny word for each noun. C. If you changed all the nouns into funny words, would your reader still be able to figure out what you wrote about? Think of some details that you can add to your article so that your reader would be able to guess what you wrote about even if all the nouns were turned into silly words. D. Rewrite your article with your made up silly words and the new details from problem C. Try to follow the grammar rules you learned about in Perfect Poetry to create a well-written article. Exchange articles with a partner. Try to guess the topic of the article your partner wrote.
Homework starts on page 8.

Context clues are bits of information from the text that, when combined with prior knowledge, allow you to decide the meaning of unknown words in the story or article you are reading. As a reader you must act like a detective and put together clues from sentences surrounding an unknown word in order to infer the meaning of the word. This is how readers learn new words!
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1. Multiple Choice Which of the following topics makes the best process analysis article? A. Weather changes from month to month B. How to skate board C. Christmas with my family D. A haiku poem about winter snow Use the following article to answer questions 2-4. The problem of hairballs can be solved with proper brushing. In order to brush your cats hair, youll need two kinds of brushes: a wide-tooth comb and a metallic comb. The former will help you dissolve and partially remove tightly knotted hair without causing any pain or discomfort to your cat. The latter, used subsequently, will remove excess loose puffy hair and decrease the possibility of reoccurrence the next day. Once brushing is over, make sure to polish your cats fur with the help of a clean cotton or woolen cloth.

2. What would be a good title for the article about hairballs above? Explain why your choice makes a good title. 3. The article about hairballs above is missing a concluding sentence. Write a concluding sentence for the article. 4. The article about hairballs above is missing some key words. Rewrite the article in three paragraphs and add the correct key words to complete the article.

Use the following article to answer questions 5-7 A day on the beach will never be dull again with our step-by-step guide to creating your own show-stopping sandcastles. Just add water and buckets of imagination. The list of ingredients for creating a simple sandcastle is misleadingly short: sand, water and a few digging and carving tools. Then carve and smooth the sand. Using your smoothing tool, smooth and define the elements of your composition. Next, you will want to pack and shape the sand. Working from the tallest element in your composition, pack the shape with your hands until it feels stable. Take handfuls of moist sand, push them into place and roughly shape them. To start, mound up a big pile of sand. Stabilize the pile. Using the long handle of your shovel, poke a lot of deep holes into the pile then pour buckets of water into the holes. Stomp on the pile until it feels very solid beneath you. If necessary, go back and poke more holes and add more water. Add moisture as necessary. The longer you work on your composition, the more your sand sculpture will dry out you must keep it moist.

5. What is a good title for the article? Explain why your title is the best title. 6. The article is missing a concluding sentence. Write your own concluding sentence for the article that rephrases the topic sentence. 7. The second, third, and fourth paragraphs are all mixed up. Decide which paragraphs go where and list the numbers for each paragraph in the correct order. Next to each number, explain why that paragraph belongs there.

8. Write a topic sentence and concluding sentence for each of the following topics: Bike riding Muffins Newspaper writing Your choice (You pick the topic) 9. Choose one of the topics from problem 8 and list three steps for a process analysis article that matches the topic sentence you wrote. 10. Write a process analysis article about the topic you chose from problem 8. Use the steps you listed from problem 9. Dont forget to give your article a title! 11. Write your own process analysis article that explains how to write a process analysis article. In other words, tell in steps how to write a process analysis article so that someone else could follow the steps to write an article about any topic. Dont forget about the writing process! Prewriting is an important step to writing a process analysis article. Use the paragraph template below. Prewriting: Tell what you should do to plan the article. (Hint: lists are a good prewriting activity.) Title (Make sure you explain how to write the title.) First paragraph: Include the topic sentence and the supplies you need in order to do the activity. Remember to explain how to write a topic sentence. Second paragraph: Write out the steps in order with details. Make sure you explain how to use the key words. Third paragraph: Include the last few steps and the concluding sentence. Make sure you explain how to write the concluding sentence.

1
In this workshop you learned about process analysis writing. These questions
will help you summarize what you learned.

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1. What is the purpose of a process analysis article? What are some possible topics for a process analysis article? 2. What are the steps to writing a process analysis article? 3. What key words do writers use for process analysis articles, and why do they use key words? 4. What is special about the way a process analysis article begins and ends?

Every newspaper needs a sports section! Revise and edit your sports article from workshop 1.4 to use in your newspaper, or write a new article about a sport or game. Make sure you follow the style and structure of a process analysis article.

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Compare and Contrast Writing

In this workshop, you will read and analyze how writers compare and
contrast topics, and you will write your own compare and contrast essay.

The Unstamuni or the Habec

A. Read the first paragraph of the article Vacationing in the Unstamuni or on the Habec on labsheet 2.1. What do you think the article is comparing and contrasting? How does the writer introduce the topic? B. Read the second paragraph of the article on labsheet 2.1. What are some advantages and disadvantages of vacationing in the Unstamuni? How does the writer explain the pros and cons? C. Read the third paragraph of the article on labsheet 2.1. What are some advantages and disadvantages of vacationing at the Habec? How does the writer explain the pros and cons? D. Read the last paragraph of the article on labsheet 2.1. How does the writer end the article? Make an inference: what do you think the Unstamuni and Habec are? What vacation would you choose? Why? Homework starts on page 14.

Glowbin versus Yerchar

When you wrote your movie articles in the unit A Christmas Carol, you were
comparing and contrasting the play and the movie. Writers use compare and contrast to tell about many topics. In this workshop, you will compare and contrast two sports. Later on, you will choose two places in our world and write an article comparing the weather and climate of those two places.

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Glowbin versus Yerchar

Glowbin versus Yerchar Glowbin and yerchar are both sports, but most people would look at you like you have rocks in your head if you told them that they are similar sports. While glowbin and yerchar are different in many ways, they also have some similarities. In glowbin the players keep score by how many nips they knock over with their glowbin labls. Similarly, in yerchar the players also keep score, but in contrast, they tally up points based on where the warros land. In both sports, the players must aim. However, in yerchar the players use a wob to help them aim. In contrast, the players aim and roll the labl without using a tool to help them aim in glowbin. The most important similarity between glowbin and yerchar is that there is no defense. Each player or team takes turns attempting to score points while the other player or team waits without running interference. In conclusion, glowbin and yerchar are both team sports that have some differences, but also have some similarities. A. Read the article Glowbin versus Yerchar. What is the article about and how do you know? List at least two ways to find out the topic of a Compare and Contrast essay. B. Write the topic sentence of the essay. Why is it a good introduction? C. Write the concluding sentence of the essay. Why is it a good concluding sentence? D. What do you think glowbin and yerchar are? Give evidence from the article to support your guess. E. Here are some details about football and basketball. Rearrange the following four sentences into two paragraphs that compare football and basketball. The uniform in football includes a lot of protective equipment like pads and helmets. In basketball, points are scored by shooting baskets, which are worth 1, 2, or 3 points depending on the situation. In football, points are scored by getting touchdowns, which are worth 6 points, or by kicking field goals, which are worth 1 point. The uniform in basketball includes a jersey, shorts, and nice basketball shoes. F. Write a topic sentence and concluding sentence for your article about football and basketball. Use the article Gowbin versus Yerchar to help you. Homework starts on page 14.

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Hows the Weather?

A. Think of two places that you have learned about in Geography this year. Try to choose two places that are different but which you know a lot about, so that you can compare and contrast them easily. Use the Venn diagram on labsheet 2.3 to brainstorm a list of climate and weather descriptions for each place. Be as detailed as possible. B. Reread the first paragraph in the article Vacationing in the Unstamuni or on the Habec from workshop 2.1. 1. Write an introduction for your article. You will need a hook and a topic sentence to summarize what your article is about. 2. Write a rough draft of an introduction paragraph for your essay. The purpose of your article is to compare and contrast the climate and weather of two places where you could take a vacation. C. Reread the second paragraph in the article Vacationing in the Unstamuni or on the Habec from workshop 2.1. 1. Look at your Venn diagram on labsheet 2.3. Choose one place to write about in your second paragraph. Think of ways to combine your ideas from your Venn diagram to make complex grammatically correct sentences, and plan out your sentences. 2. Write the second paragraph of your essay. D. Reread the third paragraph in the article Vacationing in the Unstamuni or on the Habec from workshop 2.1. 1. Look at your Venn diagram on labsheet 2.3. Write about the other place in your third paragraph. Make sure you combine your ideas into complex grammatically correct sentences. 2. Write the third paragraph of your essay. E. Reread the fourth paragraph in the article Vacationing in the Unstamuni or on the Habec and write your concluding paragraph.

Homework starts on page 14.

Expository Writing is not about the writer, so dont use first-person point of view words like I My Me or Mine. You may use the word You to speak directly to your reader.

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1. When you look at a sneaker and a boot, you can see that they are alike and different. Write three ways that a sneaker and boot are alike. Write three ways that a sneaker and boot are different. 2. Look at your sentences from problem 1. Rewrite them, combining any similar comparisons you made about boots and sneakers. 3. Write three paragraphs that compare and contrast a boot and a sneaker.

4. What is the author comparing in the essay above? How do you know? 5. What are some key words the author uses to show his preference? 6. List at least three reasons why the author prefers a ten-speed bike. 7. Write your own paragraph that compares two items of your choice. Pick from the list below or make up your own. Fast food restaurantTaco Bell or McDonalds Ice creamDairy Queen or Culvers Game systemPlay Station or Xbox Famous SingerJustin Bieber or Eminem
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2
In this workshop you learned about Comparison and Contrast essays. These
questions will help you summarize what you learned.

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1. What is the purpose of a Comparison and Contrast essay or article? What topics make good comparison and contrast topics? 2. What are the steps to writing a Comparison and Contrast essay? 3. What key words do writers use to Compare and Contrast? 4. What is special about the beginning and ending to a Compare and Contrast essay?

Every newspaper needs an Around the World section! Revise and edit your article from workshop 2.3 to include in your newspaper, or write a new Comparison and Contrast essay about two places you could visit on vacation. You can also make a Comparison and Contrast essay about two restaurants or two sports teams or two movies or song artists.

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Cause and Effect Writing

In this workshop, you will identify causes and effects and write an
expository article about a cause and effect relationship.

Toy Beuu
A. Look at the first paragraph of the article, Many Kids Use Toy Beuu on labsheet 3.1. How did Madana Filtsuff begin? What key words did Filtsuff use? What is the purpose of the first paragraph? B. Look at the last paragraph. How did Filtsuff finish? What key words did Filtsuff use? What is the purpose of the last paragraph? C. What is the purpose of the second, third, and fourth paragraphs? Are there any key words? What is Madana Filtsuff trying to say? In other words, what is the authors purpose? D. Make an inference. What do you think the article, Many Kids Use Toy Beuu, is really about? Make sure you explain your thinking with details from what you read. E. What are some reasons why Toy Beuu is popular?
Homework starts on page 19.

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Everybody Uses Fobocake

Everybody Uses Fobocake
Just about everybody knows about Fobocake. Even grandparents have started using Fobocake. This article is about the reasons why Fobocake is so popular. One reason why Fobocake is popular is because people can use it to easily see pictures of their friends. Right now, very few people print out pictures, so instead they upload them to share with friends and family. Another reason why Fobocake is popular is because people can talk to their friends even when they are not hanging out with them. Everybody likes to talk to friends and family, and Fobocake makes it possible even when your family lives far away, or you are grounded and cant see your friends over the weekend. The last reason why everybody uses Fobocake is because of all the games you can play. In conclusion, Fobocake is more popular than other social networking sites because you can play games while you talk with friends and share pictures.
A. Read the article Everybody Uses Fobocake. What is the article about and how do you know? List at least two ways to find out the topic of a Cause and Effect essay. Do you think the topic of a Cause and Effect essay is a cause or an effect? B. Write the topic sentence of the essay. Why is it a good introduction? C. Write the concluding sentence of the essay. Why is it a good concluding sentence? D. What do you think Fobocake is? Give evidence from the article to support your guess. E. Here are some details about Myspace. Read the details and decide if each detail is a cause or an effect. Remember to explain your thinking for every sentence. Myspace allows you to post blogs about tons of topics, but people cant find them easily. Myspace is not as popular as other social networking sites. Pictures are hard to upload on Myspace and even harder to find. More people use Facebook than Myspace even though Myspace came first. F. Write a topic sentence and concluding sentence for a Cause and Effect article about Myspace. Use the article Everybody Uses Fobocake to help you. Homework starts on page 19.

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The Effects of Technology

When writers tell about all the reasons why something happened, they are writing Cause
and Effect. The effect is the topic of the article, and all the causes are the reasons why a certain effect has taken place. For example, in the essay about You Tube, the effect is that many people use You Tube, and all the causes include: its free, its entertaining, its interactive, and its easy to access if you have a computer with the internet. In this workshop, you will write about how technology effects your life using the format of a cause and effect essay. You will brainstorm your ideas on labsheet 3.3.

A. Think about all of the ways in which technology has influenced your life. This can be any piece of technology, such as handheld mobile devices, the computer, the internet, or TV. Choose a topic for a Cause and Effect essay about the effect of a specific kind of technology on your life. Do you want to write about why the technology is popular, or how the technology has changed your life? B. What are some reasons why people use the technology? How does the technology make your life easier? Think of at least three reasons and fill in your labsheet 3.3. Be sure to think of facts or examples for each reason. C. Write your introduction paragraph. Your purpose is to explain why the technology is popular OR to explain how the technology has changed your life. D. Write your concluding paragraph. This should rephrase your topic sentence and summarize all your ideas from labsheet 3.3. E. Write out your essay on paper. You should have a paragraph for each of the three main reasons you came up with in problem B. For each paragraph, introduce the idea, explain the idea, and give an example. Reread the article Many Kids Use Toy Beuu from labsheet 3.1 to help you.

Homework starts on page 19.

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Use the following Cause and Effect Essay to answer the homework questions. Dating is a very common practice among teenagers, but some of them dont even know what to do or what not to do. This essay is directed to male teenagers that do not know what happens if you stand up your girlfriend on a date. The purpose is to discuss the three main effects of standing up your girlfriend on a date. The first effect of standing up a girl is that she will be waiting for you at least 20 minutes. During this period of time she may start thinking why you did not appear. Depending on the girl, she will think of good reasons for why you did not appear, understand you, and forgive you. But most of the girls will go crazy and want to kill you slowly and painfully after the first 10 minutes of waiting for you. The second main effect of standing up your girlfriend on a date would be that she may never talk to you again. This is maybe a very reasonable action after you stand her up; at least you should make a phone call to tell her you are not going to be able to go. Sometimes even if you make a phone call, the girl may feel too offended to understand any reasons, and she may stop talking to you. The most significant effect of standing up a girlfriend on a date is that she can have a bigger brother with very bad temper. In this case not only your possibilities of dating a girl again are in danger, but also your health. If by accident you stand up a girl on a date, explain to her why you could not go; that way at least she will be less angry. Be aware of this especially if she has a big brother. Many times getting stood up is such a big deal for the girl that she tells all her friends and family. If she has a bigger brother with a bad temper, run because this might be the last time you stand up. The effects of standing up a girl on a date can affect your future in dating, so you better avoid it. Every time you invite someone on a date, make sure you show up. 1. What is the Cause and what are the Effects? 2. The concluding paragraph in the essay needs some revisions. Read the first paragraph again and then decide how to make the conclusion better. Rewrite the conclusion so that it summarizes the article and rephrases the topic sentence better. 3. Do you agree with the writer of the essay on what would happen if you stand up a girlfriend on a date? Why or why not? 4. Parts of this essay make it hard to take the writer seriously. In your opinion, what details in the essay make the writer hard to take seriously? Why? 5. What do you think the writer of the article meant by stand up? Give evidence from the article to support your answer.

6. Write a title for the article. Explain why your title is a good title for the article.
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3
In this workshop you learned about Cause and Effect essays. These questions
will help you summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. What is the purpose of a Cause and Effect essay or article? What topics make good Cause and Effect topics? 2. What are the steps to writing a Cause and Effect essay? 3. What key words do writers use to write Cause and Effect? 4. What is special about the beginning and ending to a Cause and Effect essay?

Every newspaper needs a current events news story. The Cause and Effect format is perfect for a news story. You can tell about something that happened and then write about all the causes that lead to the resulting event. Think about a current event news story, or make one up. Use the Cause and Effect essay format to write about the event.

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Persuasive Writing
In this workshop, you will see how writers persuade their readers to change their
minds, and you will write your own persuasive article. You will learn about facts and opinions and how writers use information and points of view to write.

Should Marine Mammals Be In Captivity?

A. Read the first paragraph of the article Should Marine Mammals be in Captivity? on labsheet 4.1. How does Sharon begin her essay? Did she use any key words? Can you tell what the purpose of the essay is by reading the first paragraph? B. Read paragraph two of the article Should Marine Mammals be in Captivity? on labsheet 4.1. What are some ways that Sharon tries to convince her reader? C. Read paragraph three of the article Should Marine Mammals be in Captivity? on labsheet 4.1. What are some ways that Sharon convinces her reader? D. Read paragraph four of the article Should Marine Mammals be in Captivity? on labsheet 4.1. What are some ways that Sharon convinces her reader? E. Read the concluding paragraph of the article Should Marine Mammals be in Captivity? on labsheet 4.1. How does Sharon end her essay? Did she use any key words?
Homework starts on page 26.

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We Only Need Vanilla

We Only Need Vanilla Our stores carry far more flavors of ice cream than any one person could ever need. Some people might argue that if you have enough flavors, you can please everyone. I believe that we only need one flavor of ice cream in supermarkets to make sure everyone is happy, and that flavor is vanilla. Vanilla is a very simple flavor. People use it to bake all sorts of treats, because it is universal. Adding vanilla to any dessert could never ruin it, so starting with a base of vanilla for every ice cream would work wonders. Instead of arguing about what flavors of ice cream to buy, people should buy vanilla ice cream and flavoring packets to change their ice cream flavors. This can help prevent those arguments about what kind of ice cream to get, because everyone needs the same vanilla ice cream. In conclusion, using vanilla ice cream as a base and selling ice cream flavor packets is the best way to please everyone. Each person can choose their own flavor and get what they want and still enjoy the same vanilla ice cream.
A. Read the article We Only Need Vanilla. What is the article about and how do you know? How does the writer introduce the argument? B. Write the topic sentence of the essay. Why is it a good introduction? C. Write the concluding sentence of the essay. Why is it a good concluding sentence? D. Do you agree with the articles viewpoint on vanilla ice cream? What reasons do you have to agree or disagree? E. Here are some arguments against the article We Only Need Vanilla. Read each argument and then decide which stance you support, only vanilla or keep the variety. Make sure you explain your opinion! Flavor packets are an interesting idea, but they are not convenient, so customers wouldnt like them. Carrying only vanilla ice cream in a supermarket would cause customers to buy ice cream in other places where they can still get the flavors that they love. The best way to avoid arguments over which ice cream to get is to make smaller cartons of ice cream, so everyone can choose their own flavor. F. Write a topic sentence and concluding sentence for a persuasive article about keeping supermarket ice cream varieties the way they are. Use the article We Only Need Vanilla and the arguments from Problem E to help you. Homework starts on page 26.
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Persuade Us!
There are many elements of effective persuasive writing. First, you must have a strong position that other people would agree with. When you write, you need to make sure you pay attention to your audience. Know who you are trying to persuade and talk directly to them so they will relate to you. Most people wont be convinced unless you have facts to support your opinion, so remember to look for factual evidence. Use strong detailed words. If you make your opinion sound smart, others will think that it is a smart idea too.
A. You are going to write your own persuasive essay. Choose from the list of topics below or try to create your own topic. If you make up your own topic, check it with your teacher before going on. The best place to go out to eat The best sport to play The best video game to buy The best store to shop at

B. Turn your topic into a topic sentence. For example, if you chose The best place to go out to eat then your topic sentence might be: Piesanos Pizzaria is the best place to go out to eat. C. Use labsheet 4.3 to brainstorm your ideas for your persuasive essay. D. Use your completed labsheet to write a rough draft of your essay. Use the sample essay on page 24 as a guide to help you write your essay. Do not just copy your ideas from your labsheet to the paper. Think about the very best way to say each idea and then write your sentences. Homework starts on page 26.

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The Best School Schedule Is

Your school district superintendent is thinking about changing the schedule for the school year. Right now, your school district uses a 9-month schedule that includes 3 months of summer vacation and very short breaks for holidays. The new proposed school year would run all year long, but include 12 week-long breaks throughout the year. You would get a week off every month. School would meet 4 days a week instead of 5 days a week, so you would never have school on Fridays. The school day would start at the same time, but end at 4 oclock instead of 3:20. A. Use labsheet 4.4A to record all the details about the proposed schedule change. B. Do you support the proposed schedule change? Why or why not? C. Use labsheet 4.4B to plan a persuasive essay to persuade the superintendent to change or not change the school year schedule. D. Use your ideas from labsheet 4.4B to write a professional letter to the superintendent. Use the format below to write your professional letter.

Homework starts on page 26.

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1. Read the following add and decide if it appeals to your emotions or your mind. What specific words helped you make your choice?

2. Read the following add and decide if it appeals to your emotions or your mind. What specific words helped you make your choice?

3. Strong words and adjectives help create clear pictures in the readers mind. Rewrite the following sentences, substituting a vivid word for each underlined word.

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4
In this workshop you learned about persuasive essay writing. These questions
will help you summarize what you learned.

___________________
1. How do persuasive essays begin? What key words do writers use in the introduction of a persuasive essay? 2. How do persuasive essays end? What key words do writers use in the conclusion of a persuasive essay? 3. How are persuasive essays similar to other expository essays? 4. How are persuasive essays different than other expository essays?

Every Newspaper includes a letter to the editor. This is where reporters can write about their opinions on important issues. Think about all the persuasive articles your read and wrote in this workshop and choose one to include in your newspaper. You can also write a new one related to your newspaper. Revise and edit your article before you publish it in your newspaper!

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At the beginning of this unit, you chose topics for your Newspaper. Now that you are
finished with the unit, it is time to work on your project. If you havent already done so, go through each literary reflection in this unit and do each Unit Project: Whats Next? This will help you write the articles for your newspaper. Once you have a rough draft of each article for your newspaper, you should reread each article. Look for sentences that dont make sense, could be written better, or dont say what you really meant. Decide if you need more information or if you will add or change anything that you wrote. Do your revisions right on your rough draft so that you will remember them for later. Now that you have revised your articles, get with a partner to do peer editing. Ask your teacher for an editing check list. Go through three rounds with your partner. Also consider having your partner read aloud your articles to you, so you can decide if your sentences sound right. Choose a format to use and publish your newspaper.

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