Assignment task:
Planning Your Essay
Choose your topic and pick a position. Know the purpose of your essay and stick to it.
Confirm your essay topic with me. This can be done in person or by email.
Research your topic. Read several articles/books about your topic and find specific and convincing evidence that backs up your claims.
Figure out what evidence you'll include and in what order you'll present your arguments in.
Persuasive Essay Outline.
Writing Your Essay
Using your outline as a guide, do your first draft.
A Note
Nobody is expecting original ideas in a high school essay. A paper full of carefully chosen and perfectly prepared citations is far more impressive to me than an attempt to say something new. Cite everything. Not only direct quotes, but summaries, paraphrasing, and ideas too. Any time you read something that isn't "common knowledge" (sky is blue, snow is cold, etc.), and you use that idea in your essay, you have to cite it.
Citing the ideas of smart people adds legitimacy to your argument and makes you sound smart by association!
Citation Style:
I'm open to you using the citation style that you'll be using most in University or College. APA is used by Psychology, Education, and Sciences. MLA is used by the Humanities. Chicago/Turabian is used by History, Business, and the Fine Arts. Just be sure to select only one and stick with it for the whole essay. Style guides for all types are easy to find online. I have included a sample MLA essay with the course material.