Prewriting for Persuasive Essays
We work with kids on their topic sentences to make sure they are clearly expressing an opinion; and we worry that the opinion is expressed in such a way that the reader can agree (or disagree) with the opinion. Can a reader respond with a “yes” or a “no” to the argument? The organization is strong and is backed up by some data. But still, the argument doesn’t sound persuasive, even to you. What’s going on?
Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the popular book, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, have some insight on this problem. The Heath brothers are talking about popular ideas which are discussed in such a way that people will remember the idea and be convinced it’s true. They deal in popular urban myths:
Have you heard the one about Dave, who went to New York City for a conference, met a woman in the restaurant of the Hilton Hotel and he bought her a martini? Next thing Dave knew, he woke up in a bathtub full of ice – minus a kidney.
Why do stories like that convince us? Because of the specific details. It was Dave at the Hilton Hotel in New York City. Martinis. Bathtub of ice.
Research says, “It’s All in the Details.”
The Heaths report on a 1986 research study by Jonathan Shedler and Melvin Manis of the University of Michigan. (“Can the Availability Heuristic Explain Vividness Effects?” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 51 (1986), 26-36.) They wanted to know what could a lawyer do to make a case more convincing to a jury. They ran a simulation of a custody case, in which the jury had to decide if a mother was fit to keep custody of her seven-year-old son.
They used 8 arguments for and 8 against Mrs. Johnson. The difference was the level of detail, with those more detailed labeled as vivid: “As an example, one argument in Mrs. Johnson’s favor said: ‘Mrs. Johnson sees to it that her child washes and brushed his teeth before bedtime.’ In the vivid form, the argument added a detail: ‘He uses a Star Wars toothbrush that looks like Darth Vader.’”
The vivid arguments were the most persuasive, either in favor or against Mrs. Johnson.
Teach Kids to Use Vivid Details for Persuasive Essays
What this means when we write with kids is that they need to use the most vivid details possible. Specifically, when researching – during the prewriting phase – they need to look for these details and record them. When writing, kids should refer to these specific notes and work in as many vivid details as possible.
If you want to know more about persuasion – and have a bit of fun – read Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath.
Prewriting Worksheets for Vivid Details
The prewriting phase is the time to plan for vivid details. My book, Paper Lighting: Prewriting Activities that Spark Creativity and Help Students Write Effectively, includes five worksheets that will help: Sensory Word Bank (p. 27-28), Packed with Facts #1 (p. 30), Packed with Facts #2 (p. 31), Packed with Facts Wordbank (p. 33-34) and Making Reasons Believable (pp. 60-62).
From Writing with Kids Newsletter, Winter, 2010. Sign up for quarterly newsletter below.