Time: 5 Minutes

·         Explain to students that the purpose of the lesson is to learn how to write an effective thesis statement in a persuasive essay.

·         Show that in order to communicate convincingly in the real world, writers need to state and explain their point of view in any writing.

·         Give examples of real-world use of thesis statements: requests for loans from banks, requests for assistance from government and state officials, personal correspondence in regards to civic engagement, etc.

·         Explain to students that in persuasive writing, one seeks to persuade the reader of the writer’s point of view.

·         Point out that, to do this, a writer is required to take a stand on an issue by clearly stating this stand. This is the thesis statement.

Discussion or Writing Assignment:Playing the Devil's Advocate

Watch: Thesis Statements for Research Papers

Assignment: Write the Four Types of Thesis Statements

Quiz: 4 Types of Thesis Statements. To take the quiz, click HERE

Students will need to go to the link above and enter a code to take the quiz. Once they have taken the quiz, they can email the results to their teachers by filling in the information at the end of the quiz. 

The code: 4Thesis

To come: Video tutorial for using Open Author to create student portfolios! 

Read:Introduction to the Student Portfolio

Read: Introduction to the Service Learning Presentation

Questionnaire: The Portfolio and Service Learning Project

Resource: Outline Organization Handout

Watch: Research Paper Outlining Instruction

Assignment: Thesis and Outline Assignment and Rubric

Watch: Building Depth and Adding Detail

Assignment: Building Depth and Adding Detail

Watch:MLA Formatting and Writing Style Guidelines

Resource: Using Quotations In MLA Format

Read:Use this Article for the following quiz

Quiz:Quotations Quiz

Note: Use the code "Quotation" to log into the quiz above. After taking the quiz, you can email the results to the teacher by filling in his/her email address. 

Watch:Introduction Instruction

Watch: Writing the Conclusion

Assignment:"Stranger Than Fiction Introduction Discussion

Resource: How to Write a Catchy Title

Resource:Sample Research Paper in MLA Format

Activity: Tweet Your Title (If you have a class Twitter feed, Tweet the title using the correct hashtags for fun and feedback!)

Assignment:Write your Title, Introduction, Detailed Outline, Conclusion, and Works Cited

Complete and Evaluate Your Draft of the Research Paper 

Review: Tips for Avoiding Common Mistakes in Writing

Evaluate Your Draft: Final Paper Checklist

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Assignment:Service-Learning Presentation

Assignment:Final Research Paper Grading Rubric

Assignment with Tutorial Videos:Student Portfolio

Tutorial: Open Author for Student Portfolios