The Five-Paragraph Persuasive Essay (Made Easy!)

Persuasive writing takes writing skill, style, and critical thinking. In this two-part class, learners will compose a five-paragraph persuasive essay using the persuasive tactics of ethos, pathos, and logos for their arguments. The best candidate for this class is already familiar with the construction of a five-paragraph essay and can compose a three-pronged thesis. 

Each class will begin with a warm-up (an icebreaker that also practices a writing skill), instructor presentation with class discussion, practical applications and examples, and in-class practicum, like finding reasons of ethos, logos, and pathos to advertise a new invention. Activities like these help students retain skills after class ends. Student discussion and contribution is encouraged! 

In class 1, students will narrow down their topic. This can range from the political to the whimsical, from arguments about civil rights to whether strawberry is the best flavor for Twizzlers. However, whatever their topic, students must be able to produce examples of all three arguments for each proof that supports their argument. This will involve research, analysis, and documentation of sources. The homework after class is to compose all three body paragraphs using topic, supporting, and concluding sentences and showing ethos, logos, and pathos in each paragraph. 

In class 2, we will begin by reviewing the body paragraphs for both structure and style. After ascertaining that students have all the right elements, we will look at sentence structure, clarity, clausal and other openers, word choice, and transition language. Students will then compose their introduction, which will end with a three-pronged thesis, as well as their conclusion. 

Following some polishing and editing, students should submit their essay for a full evaluation.