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Teaching Tip Category: Language Arts

Persausive Essay

Writing a persuasive essay helps students develop critical thinking skills. Here are some things you should teach your students to avoid when they write persuasive essays.

1. Be careful in your use of testimonials. Only use sources that are experts on your topic.
2. Be careful in your use of extreme terms such as always, never, every, all, and none.
3. Don't just jump on the "bandwagon." Something is not necessarily right just because everyone seems to do it.
4. Don't play to your readers' emotions. For example, if you are writing in support of capital punishment, it is not appropriate to write "Imagine that a murderer was released from prison and broke into your house to murder your family."
5. Don't be too negative when arguing against an opposing position.

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