In this lesson, you were asked to write a persuasive essay about the pros and cons of smart technology. You should have added your thesis statement and reasons from a previous lesson and used these as the basis for your essay. In addition, you were also asked to find evidence to support your reasons, add an emotional appeal, and establish your credibility. Your teacher will be looking to make sure you have included all of these things in your persuasive essay.
Before you turn in your two drafts and the final essay, study the rubric below to see how your teacher will grade your essay.
| 5 points | 3 points | 1 point | |
| Stages of Writing | The work that you submitted shows that you put a great amount of effort into each stage of the writing process: you turned in all of the required drafts, and each draft shows great progress. | The work that you submitted shows that you put some effort into each stage of the writing process: you turned in all of the required drafts, and each draft shows some degree of progress. | Some required parts are missing from your assignment, or you seemed to have put little effort into each stage of the writing process. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drafting | Your first draft presents a solid argument based on a clearly stated, well-constructed thesis statement and reasoning/evidence that is both adequate and relevant. | Your first draft presents a complete argument—with a thesis statement that is easy to identify and evidence that is adequate but not always truly relevant—or relevant but not plentiful enough to support your claim. | Your first draft does not provide a complete argument—one with a thesis statement and at least three reasons to support it. |
| Revising | Your revision includes at least one emotional appeal, presented in a way that evokes an emotional response from readers without being manipulative or overbearing. | Your revision includes at least one emotional appeal, but it is presented in a way that may not evoke a helpful emotional response from readers. | Your revision does not include an emotional appeal, or it includes one that is harmful to the argument. |
| Editing | Your final draft is edited in a way that enhances your credibility as a writer: You described your credentials, made changes that made the tone more formal, and/or corrected grammatical errors and misspellings. | Your final draft includes changes or additions that enhance your credibility as a writer, but these changes were not applied consistently throughout the essay. | Your final draft includes few changes or additions that enhance your credibility as a writer. |
Submit your first draft, your revisions and your edited (final) essay to your teacher.
