Persuasive Writing Prompt:
Your principal, Mr. Dibble, and the community council are considering
the elimination of field trips at our school. Their reason for this is the
lack of money to pay for these excursions.
Form an opinion on this matter. Develop reasons and evidence to
support your opinion. You must also address the needs of those with
the opposite view of yours.
(See the ensuing pages to view an outline we created in class, as
well as an essay composed from the outline.)
PERSUASIVE ESSAY OUTLINE
Purpose: To persuade ___________________________________________________
Audience:____________________________________________________________
Paragraph 1: Introduction
Open with a catchy beginning such as a question, an unusual detail, a fact, or a
strong statement.
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
State the issue or question:_________________________________________
Opinion statement about the issue: I believe ____________________________
_____________________________________________________________.
Paragraph 2: Reason and evidence for my position
Use words that show organization for this paragraph. For example:
First . . . . .
To begin with . . .
Number one . . .
Reason #1:_____________________________________________________
A.
Evidence (examples/stories):___________________________________
B.
Evidence (examples/stories):___________________________________
Paragraph 3: Reason and evidence for my position
Use words that show organization for this paragraph. For example:
Second . . . . . Next . . .
Number two . . .
Reason #2:_____________________________________________________
A.
Evidence (examples/stories):___________________________________
B.
Evidence (examples/stories):___________________________________
Paragraph 4: Counter argument and my response to that argument
Use words that show organization for this paragraph. For example:
Some people may say. . . . . Some people may argue . . .
Others believe . . .
Others hold the opinion that . . .
A.
Counter argument (reread the prompt):___________________________
________________________________________________________
B.
My response/solutions:_______________________________________
________________________________________________________
Paragraph 5: Conclusion
Use words that show organization for this paragraph. For example:
In conclusion . . .
To summarize . . .
To restate my point . . .
Restate your opinion: I believe _____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________.
Summarize the reasons you’ve given for your opinion.
1.
________________________________________________________
2.
________________________________________________________
3.
________________________________________________________
Make a call to action if necessary . Please support/join/do _________________
_____________________________________________________________.
FIELD TRIPS?
Do you remember going on a field trip where you learned about an exciting
career or experienced something you never have before? Would you want someone
to take that experience away from you? This could happen to the students at
Kaysville Elementary if we don’t do something now. The principal at Kaysville
would like to take our field trips away due to budget cuts. I believe we need to
keep these learning experiences because field trips help students learn about
new places and careers.
First of all, field trips allow students to experience new places. Our teacher
once taught a 13 year old boy who lived in Salt Lake City all his life. One day she
asked her students to draw a picture of a poem which took place in the snowy
woods. This student drew a picture of apartment buildings with snow. When our
teacher asked this boy if he had ever been to the mountain forests around Salt
Lake City, he told her he’d never been to the mountains during the 13 years he
lived there. Students like this need field trips to broaden their horizons. These
experiences also help visual and kinesthetic learners to learn in ways that appeal to
them.
Second of all, field trips allow students to experience new careers. For
example, last year our class visited the Clark Planetarium where we witnessed
careers in action. We listened to astronomers describe celestial bodies and we got
to use some of the equipment they use. This was much better than sitting in class
and listening to a lecture about career possibilities. In addition, we also saw
salespeople, tour guides, and other scientists at work.
Now some people may argue that schools don’t have enough money to fund
field trips. I think this problem can be addressed by having students go on low or
no cost field trips, or obtaining school discounts to places of special interest. For
field trips that cost money, students can do fund raisers such as car washes, candy
sales, or pledge drives. We could also allocate a certain amount of field trip money
per grade level. The money we earn from recycling papers can also be used to fund
these excursions. Students can also take walking field trips to save on cash.
In conclusion, field trips are valuable educational experiences which help
children learn about new places and careers. Field trips appeal to all children
because of the hands-on learning opportunities they provide. We need to find ways
to keep them at our school. Please consider conducting fundraisers or saving
money through other means such as walking field trips or low/no-cost field trips.
Our class would appreciate your support in this worthy cause.