QUESTION: How do I make a unit on persuasive essay pop?

[Joyce Wong]

I'm getting the students ready for Regents Task 2: writing a persuasive or informative essay. Has anyone figured out the format of the new NY ELA Regents?

[Ryan Goble]

Hey Joyce, if you have a chance you might edit your post (see the "Edit discussion" tab above and post a sample question/prompt or two so people outside of NY can get a sense of the type of assessment you're working with. Thanks for posting a question - hopefully you'll get some great feedback!

Ryan:)

[Lindsay Lombardi]

If you go to the NYS Ed website there is a think for exams and you should be able to find a memo. From what I heard starting next January there is only one essay (Critical Lens) and the test is one day. I believe the rest of the test is predominantly reading comp.

Also a sample of the test is supposedly being dispersed in may.

-Lindsay

[Melissa L]

Lindsay is right on. No more terrible task 2!!! :) If you still want to cover that style of writing, I would recommend anything from Time magazine as your starter. Last week my students read the article about paying kids for good grades. A lot of Time's articles include the chart or graph that the NYS Regents used to include on that Task 2.

[Anne Gaspers]

One way our Colorado state exams try to get students to write persuasive essays is by using a topic that is relevant to their age. For example, for the exam last year the topic for the 10th grade exam was about raising the age to obtain a driver's license to 18. Kids were aware of the policy and had a lot to say about the topic since it would affect them within 1-2 years. This may not be "pop" culture but it is current events affecting their lives and effective about giving a voice to students, especially if they know that other authority-types will be reading it. A good place to get ideas about current issue topics is from Project Citizen. Students choose their topics to research which means that they are current and relevant to their age group, school, state or nation. The information for New York gives how the project works and I also found a list of topics from the 2008 Colorado Project Citizen Showcase.

[L Stevens]

We do a persuasive speaking unit - we let them pick a topic in which they're interested. Then, we spend time researching / writing / creating an annotated bibliography. They present their speeches (minimum five minutes) to the class. We also view speeches online. I use a great website - TED - for current event speeches. It's helpful in other ways as well. Plus, the DVD of the television program, 30 Days, is great for bringing in current events / other views. It takes people who have strong opinions and helps them to see the 'other side'. For example, a far-right Christian goes to live with a Muslim family for 30 days - a border patrol volunteer goes to live with a family of illegal immigrants for 30 days - you get the idea.