Note-making: a fundamental academic activity

Note-making

Study guide

Note-making: a fundamental academic activity

Note-making is right at the heart of academic study. As a student, you will make notes when you:

·         attend lectures or seminars

·         read to support your writing of essays, reports, dissertations, and theses

Note-making is fundamental to these activities.

Note-making: a significant challenge!

There are many situations, however, in which note-making can be a real challenge, for example if:

·         the content of the lecture is predominantly factual and you want to try to record all of the facts but the lecturer is going through it really quickly

·         you make notes from masses of background reading, but are then stuck with how to use it all

·         you make lots of notes for a piece of writing, but then worry about how to avoid accidentally plagiarising, as you can’t remember which ideas were your own and which were from existing sources

·         you find reading academic papers and books quite slow, and feel that you miss out on the overall sense of an article because you spend too much time writing detailed notes as you read through it

Differences between note-making in lectures and when reading

You may have a set of lecture slides in front of you, but you will still need to make your own notes in lectures. Extra slides may be added; and the lecturer will invariably offer more explanation and examples than appear on the slides. You will also want to record any ideas or queries of your own that you have during the lecture.

The big difference between note-making in lectures and note-making from reading is the lack of control that the student has over the process, because lectures happen in real time. This means that:

…when note-making in lectures:	…but while note-making from reading:
·         you can’t pause the lecturer; rewind; then replay; to go over something you haven’t understood	·         you can easily stop and read something again if you need to
·         if you are reminded of some information you want to look up, you have to make a note and remember to follow it up later	·         if you are reminded of some information you want to look up, you may be able to do it straightaway
·         You can’t slow down the lecturer if you fall behind with your note-making	·         you can read and make notes at the best pace for you, to make sure your notes are complete

A good way of appreciating the importance of good note-making is to spend five minutes trying to answer the following question:

If you tried to write an assignment or dissertation without doing any background reading and associated note-making, what might it be missing?

Try to build up a list of at least ten elements that could be missing from your writing if you did no background reading and note-making at all! Some suggested answers are given on page 7 of this Study Guide.

Note-making from reading

Risk-taking

You cannot avoid taking risks when you take notes! The risks tend to relate to note-making that is too detailed, and to note-making that is too brief. You need to decide where to place yourself along this continuum of risk.

Being too brief To avoid making masses of notes that you may not actually use, you decide to write down the minimum	The risk You fail to record crucial material, and have to go back to the source and read it again
Being too comprehensive To make sure you don’t miss anything important, you decide to write down every piece of information that may possibly be relevant	The risk Your reading takes far too long; you end up with masses of notes; you still can’t decide which are the most relevant; and you run out of time to do your writing

Managing the risk by being selective

Being selective is the key to successful note-making. There are two main levels at which you need to be selective:

·         deciding what to read and what not to read

·         deciding which specific material to make notes on

Deciding what to read and what not to read

Information that may help you decide is:

·         the year of publication: how up to date is the information in relation to your specific topic?

·         the contents page and index: are there specific sections devoted to your topic of interest?

·         the abstract, introduction, or preface: they should help you to decide whether to read more

·         beginnings and ends of promising sections: do they suggest that the content is worth reading in more detail?

Deciding which specific material to make notes on

Some useful questions are posed by Stella Cottrell (2003):

·         Do you really need this information? If so, which bits? ·         Will you really use it? When, and how? ·         Have you noted similar information already? ·         What questions do you want to answer with this information?” Cottrell S. (2003 p.126) The study skills handbook 2nd edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

Some people take so many notes that they don’t know which to use when it’s time to do the writing. They feel that they are drowning in a sea of information. This problem is usually caused by two common weaknesses in note-taking technique: ·         transcribing too much of the original ·         being unselective in the choice of topics There are two possible solution to this problem: ·         Select only those few words of the source material which will be of use. Avoid being descriptive. Think more, and write less. Be rigorously selective. ·         Keep the project topic or the essay question more clearly in mind. Take notes only on those issues which are directly relevant to the subject in question.

Don’t be pushed along by the literature: approach it with a plan!

Take the analogy of visiting a supermarket to buy food for a party. If you simply wander in to see what there is, and buy anything that looks nice, you will probably end up back home wondering:

·         why you bought far too many puddings and cakes

·         how you will be able to make use of that huge quantity of fruit and vegetables, before they go bad

·         why you bought masses of drinks of all kinds (although there are just 20 people coming), but you forgot to buy any extra coffee

·         how much money you have just wasted on stuff you don’t need

·         when you’ll be able to fit in another visit to the shops to buy the stuff you’ve forgotten

·         how much better it would have been if you had started off with a list

Translating this image onto the academic practice of note-making, you will see that wandering into a text and simply writing down everything that looks interesting is neither an efficient nor an effective approach. A plan is needed.

This table gives some suggestions for how to begin your planning. It uses the idea of going food shopping for a party as an analogy for reading for an assignment.

Buying food for a party	Reading for an assignment
Start by deciding what the food theme will be, so that you can work out what you need	Start by taking a close and critical look at your assignment title, to see what is needed
Create a list of the all the kinds of food and drink you need to look for when you go to the supermarket	Create a list of the kinds of information, examples, ideas etc that you will be looking for in your reading
At the supermarket you may be distracted by all the other fantastic food and drink for sale. Keep referring to your list and be cautious! It is easy to waste money buying drinks that look wonderful, but you know won’t get used; or food that may be a good idea, if you had more time to prepare it, but you know that you don’t.	As you begin to read you may be distracted by interesting material that you want to make notes on, but which is not relevant to the specific task at hand. Keep referring to your assignment title and to your plan. Do not be tempted by interesting but irrelevant material
When you find food that is on your list, assess its quality and price, and buy the best specimens	Assess the relevance of those articles and books you choose to read, and make notes when you find material that is directly relevant to your assignment
Sometimes you can find an idea that is not on your list, but which would actually be perfect for your party. Yes, buy it!	Sometimes you come across material that you hadn’t anticipated, but which would be great to include. Yes! Make notes on it, and revise your plan
Keeping to this plan should save you time and money, and give you a great party as well	Keeping to this plan should you time and effort, and should streamline the actual assignment writing process

Note-making templates

Using a note-making template can help you to:

·         make notes in a clear and readable format

·         remember the kind of information you want to record from each source

·         standardise your notes so you can find particular elements again more easily when you come to use them.

When you have decided that a source is going to be useful and you are going to make notes on it, you need to record the full referencing details. After that there are various headings under which you may want to make notes. Here are some ideas of the kinds of headings you might choose to use.

main purpose of text	suggested future research	problem(s) encountered	study population	method(s) used
useful case study	useful example(s)	main argument(s)	useful material to quote	idea(s) you can use
supporting evidence for your argument	particular relevance to my assignment	limitation(s)	main finding(s)	geographical / political setting
writing style + examples	context	theory	useful statistics	justification for the research

One or more of these systems may suit you. If not, you may be able to modify one of them, or combine two or more, into a personal system that works for you.

You can also devise your own template, using the kind of headings listed in the table above that are the most appropriate to your own discipline and topic, so that:

·         instead of wandering into the literature and feeling overwhelmed by it, you

·         take control before you engage with the literature, and go in with your ‘shopping list’ already prepared

Avoiding plagiarism

Plagiarism is using the words or ideas of someone else as if they were your own. Universities consider plagiarism to be a serious offence, and you need to take great care to avoid it. The Student Development website has a range of interactive on-line tutorials on how to avoid plagiarism.

Unfortunately, it is relatively easy to find yourself in danger of plagiarising another’s work, even though you have no intention of doing so. The two main risks within the note-making process are:

·         paraphrasing too closely when you are making your initial notes; and

·         copying some material verbatim, then being careless about using inverted commas (“..”) around the precise sections you have copied

When you find some detailed material that is highly relevant, it can be a good idea to copy it verbatim, using inverted commas, and recording the page number. You can then make a decision about how to use the material at the point of writing; by using the direct quote, or by paraphrasing it in your own words at that point.

Note-making in lectures

The particular challenges presented by trying to make notes in lectures are:

·         you have no control over the speed at which the lecturer talks, so there may be some time pressure on your note-making

·         you cannot pause and go over some information again, like you can when you are reading

·         you may not be able to identify until later, which elements of the lecture were the most important to make notes about

You can keep more control over the situation if you devise ways of streamlining your note-making practice.

Streamlining your note-making in lectures

There are several ways in which you can increase the efficiency of your note-making. This has the benefits that:

·         you can spend less time writing, and more time listening and thinking

·         your notes will be easier to read when you come back to them

·         your notes will already contain some structure for you when you come to use them for an assignment or for revision

A lot of the guidance on note-making in lectures seems to hold an idealistic view of what students can routinely manage to attain. The following suggestions are from the usually realistic and helpful Stella Cottrell (2003 p138).

“Before the lecture:

·         Get a feel for the subject. Read (or just flick through) a book on the subject of the lecture. Look for themes, issues, topics and headings. Look up any technical words you don’t understand.

·         Write down questions you want answered. Leave space to write the answers under each question either during or after the lecture.

·         Jot down your own opinion. Notice if it changes during the lecture.

·         Glance through your notes for the previous lecture, and look for links with the next lecture.”

She also advises that, after the lecture, you:

·         “Label and file your lecture notes and any handouts.

·         Read through your notes. Fill in details from your reading or research.

·         Discuss the lecture with others. Compare notes and fill in any gaps.”

Cottrell S. (2003 p. 138 ) The study skills handbook 2nd edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan

If you can get into one or more of these work habits then great!  However, if you find you cannot use this advice, don’t feel a failure. The suggestions below can take you a long way towards efficient and effective note-making in lectures. They focus on shortcuts to speed up your note writing, so that you can keep up with understanding the lectures, and come out at the end with clear and informative notes.

Shortcuts for note-making in lectures

·         Have pens of different colours available, so you can use them to underline notes for particular reasons e.g.: to denote:

·         something you need to follow up because you didn’t fully understand it

·         a key criticism

·         the main explanation

·         a recommended reference

·         connected ideas

·         Establish a collection of abbreviations so you can speed up your note-making e.g.:

·         ‘could’ and ‘would’ become - cd and wd

·         theory becomes - Θ

·         evidence in support/against becomes- ev+/ev-

·         strength/weakness becomes - Sg/Wk

·         Create a collection of codes for yourself using symbols such as *  ☼  †  ¦  »  **, and attach your own meaning to them. The idea is to use these symbols to refer to common concepts within your discipline, so that you just have to jot down the symbol rather than write out the full word or sentence. There is useful list of widely used codes in Cottrell (2003 p. 130)

·         Leave plenty of space around your notes so you can read them more easily later, and so that you can add further thoughts, or extra information that comes later in the lecture

·         It may be possible to anticipate the general content/format of a lecture, in which case you may be able to prepare a table in advance for some of your notes, into which you can add detail during the lecture e.g.: if you know your lecturer will be listing examples, case studies, or experiments and commenting on them, you could create the table below

Example given by lecturer	Rationale presented	Strengths and weaknesses
1.
2.

·         Use plenty of headings and sub-headings, and numerical lists, to introduce structure into your notes

·         Use key words in the margin, to summarise each section

Final comments

Note-making certainly presents challenges. It is better to be prepared, and to have strategies in place, than it is to wander casually into the literature, or into a lecture, and spend the rest of the time feeling left behind by the lecturer, or overwhelmed by all the reading.

For the best results, you need to design your own method of taking more control over your note-making, informed by the ideas of others, so that it fits well with your own working style.

The Appendices offer some lists that may help you to take more control over your note-making.

Appendix A

Examples of specific information you may want to collect when you are making notes

The question posed on page 2 of this Study Guide was:

If you tried to write an assignment or dissertation without doing any background reading and associated note-making, what might it be missing?

How did you get on with answering this question? Below is a list of suggested answers:

·         comprehensive background information

·         evidence-based justification for your research

·         context e.g.: legal, social, geographical, historical, political, scientific, practice, research ….

·         published statistics

·         evidence to support your argument

·         evidence to challenge your argument

·         examples of disagreements in the field

·         suggestions by others for further research

·         the recommendations of others in your field

·         useful references to follow up

·         limitations in the arguments of others

·         main findings from the research of others

·         limitations of previous research methods

·         weaknesses in others’ interpretations

·         useful case studies

·         useful literatures reviews

·         examples of translating theory into practice

·         interesting links to the practical work of others

·         how effectively different methods have been employed elsewhere

·         how ethical issues have been considered and handled by others

·         the populations and samples used by other researchers in this field

·         problems encountered by others, and how they handled them

… add your own ideas …

By thinking about what precisely you are looking for when you read and make notes, you can become more efficient and effective at that process.

Appendix B

Recording your own thought about what you are reading

As well as making notes of what others have said and done, you will have your own ideas as you read. Sometimes these ideas can flash quickly into your mind, then disappear just as quickly. If you don’t write them down when you think of them, you may lose them.

It can be useful, therefore, to build some space into your note-making templates, where you can make a note of your own reactions and ideas as you read.

Examples of the kinds of thoughts and ideas you may want to record are:

·         a query about something, that you want to check out

·         an idea about a possible link

·         a different interpretation from the one you have just read

·         an additional example you have thought of to illustrate an idea

·         a useful order in which you could incorporate some material into your argument

·         a reference to follow up

·         an idea for some research to suggest

·         some limitations that you want to point out

·         some questions that your reading is raising in your mind

·         particular statistics that you need to look up

·         an idea about how to structure your writing

SKIMMING & SCANNING-PART-2

SKIMMING & SCANNING

Skimming and scanning are reading techniques that use rapid eye movement and keywords to move quickly through text for slightly different purposes. Skimming is reading rapidly in order to get a general overview of the material. Scanning is reading rapidly in order to find specific facts. While skimming tells you what general information is within a section, scanning helps you locate a particular fact. Skimming is like snorkeling, and scanning is more like pearl diving.

Use skimming in previewing (reading before you read), reviewing (reading after you read), determining the main idea from a long selection you don't wish to read, or when trying to find source material for a research paper.

Use scanning in research to find particular facts, to study fact-heavy topics, and to answer questions requiring factual support.

Skimming to save time
Skimming can save you hours of laborious reading. However, it is not always the most appropriate way to read. It is very useful as a preview to a more detailed reading or when reviewing a selection heavy in content. But when you skim, you may miss important points or overlook the finer shadings of meaning, for which rapid reading or perhaps even study reading may be necessary.

Use skimming to overview your textbook chapters or to review for a test. Use skimming to decide if you need to read something at all, for example during the preliminary research for a paper. Skimming can tell you enough about the general idea and tone of the material, as well as its gross similarity or difference from other sources, to know if you need to read it at all.

To skim, prepare yourself to move rapidly through the pages. You will not read every word; you will pay special attention to typographical cues-headings, boldface and italic type, indenting, bulleted and numbered lists. You will be alert for key words and phrases, the names of people and places, dates, nouns, and unfamiliar words. In general follow these steps:

1.     Read the table of contents or chapter overview to learn the main divisions of ideas.

2.     Glance through the main headings in each chapter just to see a word or two. Read the headings of charts and tables.

3.     Read the entire introductory paragraph and then the first and last sentence only of each following paragraph. For each paragraph, read only the first few words of each sentence or to locate the main idea.

4.     Stop and quickly read the sentences containing keywords indicated in boldface or italics.

5.     When you think you have found something significant, stop to read the entire sentence to make sure. Then go on the same way. Resist the temptation to stop to read details you don't need.

6.     Read chapter summaries when provided.

If you cannot complete all the steps above, compromise: read only the chapter overviews and summaries, for example, or the summaries and all the boldfaced keywords. When you skim, you take a calculated risk that you may miss something. For instance, the main ideas of paragraphs are not always found in the first or last sentences (although in many textbooks they are). Ideas you miss you may pick up in a chapter overview or summary.

Good skimmers do not skim everything at the same rate or give equal attention to everything. While skimming is always faster than your normal reading speed, you should slow down in the following situations:

·         When you skim introductory and concluding paragraphs

·         When you skim topic sentences

·         When you find an unfamiliar word

·         When the material is very complicated

Scanning for research and study
Scanning, too, uses keywords and organizational cues. But while the goal of skimming is a bird's-eye view of the material, the goal of scanning is to locate and swoop down on particular facts.

Facts may be buried within long text passages that have relatively little else to do with your topic or claim. Skim this material first to decide if it is likely to contain the facts you need. Don't forget to scan tables of contents, summaries, indexes, headings, and typographical cues. To make sense of lists and tables, skim them first to understand how they are organized: alphabetical, chronological, or most-to-least, for example. If after skimming you decide the material will be useful, go ahead and scan:

1.     Know what you're looking for. Decide on a few key words or phrases–search terms, if you will. You will be a flesh-and-blood search engine.

2.     Look for only one keyword at a time. If you use multiple keywords, do multiple scans.

3.     Let your eyes float rapidly down the page until you find the word or phrase you want.

4.     When your eye catches one of your keywords, read the surrounding material carefully.

Scanning to answer questions
If you are scanning for facts to answer a specific question, one step is already done for you: the question itself supplies the keywords. Follow these steps:

1.     Read each question completely before starting to scan. Choose your keywords from the question itself.

2.     Look for answers to only one question at a time. Scan separately for each question.

3.     When you locate a keyword, read the surrounding text carefully to see if it is relevant.

4.     Re-read the question to determine if the answer you found answers this question.

Scanning is a technique that requires concentration and can be surprisingly tiring. You may have to practice at not allowing your attention to wander. Choose a time and place that you know works for you and dive in.

Skimming & Scanning

Skimming & Scanning

Skimming and scanning are two very different strategies for speed reading.  They are each used for different purposes, and they are not meant to be used all the time. They are at the fast end of the speed reading range, while studying is at the slow end. People who know how to skim and scan are flexible readers. They read according to their purpose and get the information they need quickly without wasting time. They do not read everything which is what increases their reading speed. Their skill lies in knowing what specific information to read and which method to use.

What Is Skimming?

Skimming is one of the tools you can use to read more in less time. Skimming refers to looking only for the general or main ideas, and works best with non-fiction (or factual) material. With skimming, your overall understanding is reduced because you don’t read everything. You read only what is important to your purpose. Skimming takes place while reading and allows you to look for details in addition to the main ideas.

How to skim

Many people think that skimming is a haphazard process placing the eyes where ever they fall. However, to skim effectively, there has to be a structure but you don’t read everything. What you read is more important than what you leave out. So what material do you read and what material do you leave out?

Let’s say you are doing research on a long chapter or a web site. By reading the first few paragraphs in detail, you will get a good idea of what information will be discussed. Once you know where the reading is headed, you can begin to read only the first sentence of each paragraph. Also called topic sentences, they give you the main idea of the paragraph. If you do not get the main idea in the topic sentence or if the paragraph greatly interests you, then you may want to skim more.

At the end of each topic sentence, your eyes should drop down through the rest of the paragraph, looking for important pieces of information, such as names, dates, or events. Continue to read only topic sentences, dropping down through the rest of the paragraphs, until you are near the end. Since the last few paragraphs may contain a conclusion or summary, you should stop skimming there and read in detail. Remember that your overall comprehension will be lower than if you read in detail. If while skimming, you feel you are grasping the main ideas, then you are skimming correctly.

When to skim

Because skimming is done at a fast speed with less-than-normal comprehension, you shouldn’t skim all the time. There are many times, however, when skimming is very useful.

Suppose you are taking a presentation skills class and have to deliver an oral report in a few days about the first computers ever made. You locate six books and four newspaper articles about this topic. Because you must be ready soon, you do not have time to read each word, but you need a large quantity of solid information.

Skimming will help you locate the information quickly while making sure you use your time wisely. It will also increase the amount of usable material you obtain for your research.

Suppose you have an exam in a few days. You need to review the material you learned, but you don’t want to reread everything. By skimming, you can quickly locate the information you haven’t mastered yet and study only that material.

While reading, ask yourself the following questions to help you decide whether or not to skim. If you answer yes to any of these, then skimming is a useful tool.

■    Is this material non-fiction?

■    Do I have a lot to read and only a small amount of time?

■    Do I already know something about this?

■    Can any of the material be skipped?

If you have sufficient background knowledge or believe you don’t need the information, then skip it! That’s right—don’t read it at all! Believe it or not, skipping material may sometimes be the best use of your time. Just because someone wrote something doesn’t mean you have to read it.  If you pick and choose carefully what you skim and skip, you will be pleasantly surprised at the large amount of information you can get through in a short period of time. 

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What Is Scanning?

Scanning is another useful tool for speeding up your reading. Unlike skimming, when scanning, you look only for a specific fact or piece of information without reading everything. You scan when you look for your favorite show listed in the cable guide, for your friend’s phone number in a telephone book, and for the sports scores in the newspaper. For scanning to be successful, you need to understand how your material is structured as well as comprehend what you read so you can locate the specific information you need. Scanning also allows you to find details and other information in a hurry.

How to scan

Because you already scan many different types of material in your daily life, learning more details about scanning will be easy. Establishing your purpose, locating the appropriate material, and knowing how the information is structured before you start scanning is essential.

The material you scan is typically arranged in the following ways: alphabetically, chronologically, non-alphabetically, by category, or textually. Alphabetical information is arranged in order from A to Z, while chronological information is arranged in time or numerical order.

Information can be also be arranged in non- alphabetical order, such as a television listing, or by category, listings of like items such as an auto parts catalog. Sometimes information is located within the written paragraphs of text, also known as a textual sense, as in an encyclopedia entry.

Learning to use your hands while scanning is very helpful in locating specific information. Do you do anything with your hands to locate a word in a dictionary? To find a meeting time on your calendar? To read a train or bus schedule? Using your hand or finger is extremely helpful in focusing your attention and keeping your place while scanning a column of material.  Your peripheral vision can also help you scan effectively. When your hand moves down a list of names, you see not only the name your finger is pointing to, but also the names above and below. Let your eyes work for you when searching for information.

Keep the concept of key words in mind while scanning. Your purpose will determine the key words. Suppose you are looking for the time a train leaves from New York City for Washington, D.C.The key words to keep in mind are “from New York City” and “to Washington,D.C.” If you are looking for the cost of a computer printer with the code number PX-710, the key word to locate in a list of many printers is “PX-710.”

When to scan

You scan when your aim is to find specific pieces of information. If you were doing the research for an oral presentation, you could scan the index of books, web sites, and reference materials. You would discover whether they contain any information you want and the pages where the information can be found.

In the past, you probably scanned without knowing you were doing it. Now with the information provided in this section, you can use scanning more intentionally and frequently. The more you practice, the more effective scanning will become. Finally, the most important benefit of scanning is its ability to help you become a more flexible reader. Scanning adds another high gear to your reading.

Because you may be used to reading every word and may be uncomfortable leaving some words out, you need to give yourself permission to overlook some words by skimming, scanning, and skipping material according to your reading purpose. I give you permission to NOT read everything! 

Persuasive Writing

Persuasive Writing

Persuasive writing is a form of nonfiction writing that encourages careful word choice, the development of logical arguments, and a cohesive summary. Young children can be guided through a series of simple steps in an effort to develop their persuasive writing skills.

Persuasive writing intends to convince readers to believe in an idea and to do an action. Many writings such as critics, reviews, reaction papers, editorials, proposals, advertisements, and brochures use different ways of persuasion to influence readers.

Three common techniques in persuasive writing

1. Presenting strong evidence, such as facts and statistics, statements of expert authorities, and research findings establishes credibility. Readers will more likely be convinced to side with the writer’s position or agree with his or her opinion if it is backed up by verifiable evidence.

2. Concrete, relevant, and reasonable examples can enhance the writer’s idea or opinion. They can be based on observations or from the writer’s personal experience.

3. Accurate, current, and balanced information adds to the credibility of persuasive writing. The writer does not only present evidence that favor his or her ideas, but he or she also acknowledges some evidence that opposes his or her own. In the writing, though, his or her ideas would be sounder.

Ethos, logos, and pathos

Ethos is the appeal to ethics. It convinces the audience of the credibility of the writer. The writer’s expertise on his or her subject matter lends to such credibility. The level of education and profession of the writer also come into play.

Logos is the appeal to logic and reason. It is the most commonly accepted mode in persuasion because it aims to be scientific in its approach to argumentation. In writing, facts are presented in a logical manner, and faulty logic is avoided.

Pathos is the appeal to emotion. This aims to convince the audience by appealing to human emotions. Emotions such as sympathy, anger, and sadness motivate humans; using pathos will then get the audience to be emotionally invested in the subject of the writing.

Why teach persuasive writing?

As children mature as writers, it's important to give them the opportunity to write using a variety of formats. Persuasive writing helps students formulate specific reasons for their opinions, and provides an opportunity to research facts related to their opinions. As students develop an understanding of how writing can influence or change another's thoughts or actions, they can begin to understand the persuasive nature of the marketing they are exposed to through television, the Internet, and other media

How to teach persuasive writing

1.     Have students listen to or read examples of persuasive writing. Together, listen and look for words, phrases and techniques that helped the writer persuade the listener.

2.     Brainstorm something that is important to an individual child or the group. Is it extra recess? Another chapter of the read aloud? The potential closing of a library? The more authentic the issue, the more passionately your students will write.

3.     Once the important privilege is chosen, have the child (or class) start to list reasons why they should be allowed this privilege. "Just because," and "because I like it" should not be considered valid reasons. Students can work together to generate at least three good reasons to support an argument. 

4.     Have students do some research to gather facts or examples that support their reasons.

5.     Have students summarize their position.

Persuasive Writing Examples

Persuasive writing provides the opportunity to convince someone to adopt a particular viewpoint. Below, we'll explore various persuasive writing examples designed to convince the reader to take a certain action. With these samples in mind, you'll be able to go on and write a most convincing persuasive essay.

Persuasive writing is very common in ad campaigns where marketing want to convince you to buy something. But it can also be used in several other situations as well.

Persuasive Writing in Ad Campaigns

There's an entire psychology behind ad campaigns. Expert marketers look for ways to convince customers to buy their products. Sometimes, they'll MAKE PROMISES - true or false - and other times they'll use words with a sense of urgency like "today" or "now." Let's explore a few examples:

·         Chippers are the crispiest, crunchiest, and most delicious brand of chips you will ever taste. Buy a bag today.

·         A Lexi Mattress is the most comfortable bed you'll ever sleep on. Take a 30-day trial and see for yourself. If you're not satisfied, we'll come to your home, remove the mattress, and refund you in full. You've got nothing to lose. Give it a try today.

·         Chompers Dog Food is sure to make your dog's tail wag. If you truly love your pup, you'll try one of our all-natural selections today.

·         Why risk making a mistake on your tax returns or missing out on added money in your bank account? Trust the experts at 123 Accounting to ensure you get the biggest tax refund possible.

·         Here at Schuster & Schuster, our injury attorneys have recovered millions of dollars for our clients. We will take your case and defend your interests to the very end. Call us today to schedule a free consultation.

·         Our holistic headache medication will get rid of your headache with just one pill and fewer side effects than aspirin or ibuprofen. Be good to your body and try it today.

Persuasive Essay Examples

 Persuasive essays are a great way to formulate sound arguments and distribute them to the public. If nothing else, these types of essays may be a requirement at some point in your academic career.

Let's take a look at a few excerpts from persuasive essays. Each of these could stand as the thesis statement in a well-crafted argument.

·         Mandatory minimum sentencing is harmful to the human race. It is a form of discrimination; many people receive long sentences for minor crimes. We should overturn mandatory minimum sentencing rules and give judges more leeway in their decision-making.

·         The death penalty is a good deterrent for criminals. Beyond that, it is fair because the Bible supports "an eye for an eye." We need to keep the death penalty on the books.

·         Marijuana should be legalized. We are putting too many people in prison and spending too much money to incarcerate them for nonviolent crimes.

Speeches and Persuasive Writing

A powerful persuasive speech stands the chance of rocking an entire nation. Presidential candidates rally for months before an election year. Small town councils meet regularly, often to listen to persuasive speeches about the community. At some point in your college career, you might even find yourself in a  public speaking class that will ask you to deliver a persuasive speech.

Here are some sample statements to consider:

·         Are you tired of seeing your paychecks slashed by unjust tax deductions? We work hard to provide for our families and then wind up only being able to live paycheck to paycheck. If you vote for me, I'll make sure your taxes are lowered and you get the government services that you depend on. Imagine everything you'll be able to do with more wiggle room in your monthly income. Cast your vote today.

·         We need to act now to save our community garden. It's ten years in the making, with enough organic vegetables to feed every mouth in this neighborhood. Hud & Co. has no right to come into our town and pave a parking lot over one of our most prominent food sources. Come rally with me this Friday night. Together, we will stand in their way and protect our beloved town.

·         Raising taxes is wrong because people should be entitled to keep their own money and because an increase in tax revenue will be stifling to businesses. We should keep taxes low or even reduce tax rates to encourage growth.

Take Action Today

In each of these examples, the goal is to get someone to do something or support something. Sound reasoning is required to convince the audience that there's a benefit to their taking action. 

What is an Event?

What is an Event?

An event can be described as a public assembly for the purpose of celebration, education, marketing or reunion. Events can be classified on the basis of their size, type and context.

An event can be:

1) Social / life–cycle events

Events like Birthday party, Hen/Stag party, Graduation day, Bachelor's party, Engagement, Wedding, Anniversary, Retirement day, Funeral etc.

2) Education and career events

Events like education fair, job fair, workshop, seminar, debate, contest, competition etc.

3) Sports events

Events like Olympics, World Cup, marathons, Wimbledon, wrestling matches etc.

4) Entertainment events

Events like music concerts, fairs, festivals, fashion shows, award functions, celebrity nights, beauty peagents, flash mob, jewellery shows, stage shows etc.

5) Political events

Events like political procession, demonstration, rally, political functions etc.

6) Corporate events

Events like MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions), product launches, road shows, buyer-seller meet etc.

7) Religious events

Events like religious festivals / fairs, religious procession, Katha, Pravachan, Diwali fair, Dusherra fair etc.

8) Fund raising/ cause related events

Any event can be turned into a fund raising or cause related event e.g. auctions.