Persuasive and Informative Writing
Definitions:
Persuasive writing seeks to convince its readers to embrace the point-of-view presented by appealing to the audience’s reason and understanding through argument and/or entreaty.
Informative writing requires the student to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning that idea in a clear and concise manner. This can be accomplished through comparison and contrast, definition, example, the analysis of cause and effect, etc.
Choices:
Choice 1 – College/Career:
You will conduct research on colleges or careers and create an essay, website, or blogpost that will either be persuasive or informative (expository). The point of this assignment is to help you start or continue the process of making the important decision of where to go to college, or what career you want to pursue as an adult.
Suggestions:
1. Compare and contrast two or more colleges. You will need to decide if you are persuading your audience of which college is best, or if your goal is to inform your audience of the pro’s and con’s of each college/university in order to help your audience make a decision. You will conduct research on each institution and present your findings in an essay, website, or blogpost.
2. Compare and contrast two or more careers. You will need to decide if you are persuading your audience of a particular career path, or if your goal is to inform your audience of the pro’s and con’s of each career in order to help your audience make a decision. You will conduct research on each career and present your findings in an essay, website, or blogpost.
3. Compare and contrast going to college vs. entering the workforce right after high school. You will need to decide if you are persuading your audience to choose either college or career after high school, or if your goal is to inform your audience of the pros and cons of both decisions in order to help your audience make a decision. You will conduct research for both options and present your findings in an essay, website, or blogpost.
Choice 2 – Travel/Relocation Destinations
Suggestions:
1. Compare and contrast two or more vacation travel destinations. You will need to decide if you are persuading your audience to pick one destination over the other(s) or if your goal is to inform your audience of the pros and cons of each destination in order to help your audience decide on a travel destination for a vacation. You will conduct research for all destinations and present your findings in an essay, website, or blogpost.
2. Compare and contrast two or more destinations for relocation. You will need to decide if you are persuading your audience to choose one or another location in which to live, or if your goal is to inform your audience of the pros and cons of each location in order to help your audience decide where they would like to live if relocation were an option. You will conduct research and present your findings in an essay, blogpost, or website.
