Convince Me! A Persuasive Writing Activity

Convince Me! A Persuasive Writing Activity ​As your child starts learning more complicated types of writing, she’ll be introduced to the idea of persuasive writing. If she’s the type of kid who frequently challenges or debates what you have to say, then the hardest part of persuasive writing will probably be the writing itself- she’s already working on the persuasion piece! The Convince Me! activity is an easy way for you and your child to practice persuasive writing at home, without the worry of getting a good grade. Persuasive writing puts the everyday challenges and debates into a written form. A good piece of persuasive writing explains the issue at stake, takes a position, and then explains the position and its opposing stance. Using facts, statistics and some common persuasive strategies, your child’s argument essay tries to convince the reader to agree with her. It may sound easy, but if your child doesnt hold her own well in arguments or has trouble doing research, she may need some practice to become convincing. What Your Child Will Learn (or Practice): Persuasive writingResearchAnalytical thinkingNegotiation and written communication Getting Started with the Convince Me! Persuasive Writing Activity Sit down with your child and talk about she needs to do to make somebody else see her side of an issue. Explain that while sometimes she argues, when she backs up what she’s saying with good reasons, what she’s really doing is convincing the other person, given the other person justification for seeing things her way.Prompt her to come up with some examples of situations in which she tried to change your mind about something she didnt agree with. For example, maybe she’s successfully negotiated an increase in her allowance. Tell her that the word for what she did was to persuade you, which means she was influencing what you thought or was convincing you to look at things differently.Together, brainstorm words and phrases that can to try to persuade someone and write them down. Talk about things that happen around the house that you and your child don’t always agree on. You may want to stick with topics that are not going to cause huge fights since this is supposed to be a fun activity. Some ideas to consider include: allowance, bedtime, how much screen time your child has daily, making her bed, the time frame in which laundry has to be put away, the division of chores between children, or what types of food she can eat for after-school snacks. (Of course, these are simply suggestions, there may be other issues that come up in your household that arent on that list.) Choose one and let your child know you might be willing to change your mind about it if she can write a convincing and persuasive essay explaining her reasoning. Make sure she knows her essay has to say what she thinks should happen and use some persuasive words, phrases and strategies.It is absolutely crucial to make sure to set the conditions under which you’ll give in. For example, maybe her goal is to try to convince you to change your mind about eating sugary cereal over the summer, not for the rest of her life. If she convinces you, you must live with the change. Set the rules for engagement first, and dont change them.Read the essay and consider her arguments. Talk to her about what you thought was convincing and which arguments didnt convince you (and why). If you’re not totally persuaded, give your child the opportunity to rewrite the essay with your feedback in mind. Note: Don’t forget, you really need to be prepared to make changes if your child is persuasive enough! It’s important to reward her if she writes a very good piece of persuasive writing.

College vs. High School Differences and Similarities

College vs. High School Differences and Similarities Many students cant wait for high school to end and college to start which is associated with freedom, friends, living without parents and a chance to take control over your life. Most people admit that in college theyve entered adult life. We wont talk about adulthood here as its not the time for tedious matters we are going to compare the differences and similarities of life in high school and college instead. What should you expect from each? What are the main challenges of each? Is college academically hard? Lets go straight to business. Comparing Two Milestones of Student Life So, you want to move out of your parents house as quickly as possible to have fun and attend parties, as youve heard these are the only things college students do. However, this is not actually true. Obviously, there are a lot of differences between studying in high school and in college. To help you figure out what they are, weve prepared the lists that are divided into categories determined by different spheres and aspects of both academic levels. Studying Process While high school studying process might seem difficult, many students find studying in college more challenging due to lack of self-motivation. High School: You attend all the scheduled classes You have a lot of classes a day You are obligated to be in school and do your homework College: You schedule your classes the way you want You choose classes which you long to learn Attending classes and completing assignments are your responsibility You spend most of your time on homework Commonly your course grade is defined by one single exam or assignment You might be also interested to know more about the differences between high school and college finals. Lifestyle and Social Sphere Its hard to be objective when it comes to comparing college vs. high school social life because getting into a college can be too overwhelming to keep a clear mind. Parties, adulthood, numerous new friends, tight budget, anxiety, new everyday routine – all of these things are like an avalanche for a freshman. High school: You need to get up early in the morning to be able to get to school right on time for your first class You live with your parents You know everyone in your class You have a schedule assembled by your teachers and parents Studying at home for 2-4 hours a week might be enough the rest of your spare time you spend as you wish You try to look â€Å"cool† and often feel embarrassed College: You get to know a lot of new people from different parts of the country (or the world) You can stay up all night – anyway, getting up the next day will be only your problem You can schedule your weeks as you want to You spend less time in class, but you have to study more in the dorm or in the library You can visit events and parties without someones permission Everyone is too busy to pay attention to your outfits Establishing a friendship with your roommate is highly recommended Teachers and Professors Its not a secret that most of the time in college you spend on trying to force yourself to complete your assignment. You will also need to learn how to contact your professor and how to find his or her office hours in a gigantic schedule. High school: Teachers closely follow the books Teachers help to be right on time with all of your assignments Teachers try to motivate and engage you Teachers provide you with assigned material College: Professors follow the books they wrote and academic works or personal experience No one will hunt you down for attendance, but you will have problems if you skip the classes You are the only one who can motivate yourself – its not your professors business Professors treat you like a grown-up and expect responsible and deliberate behavior from you Food Food is almost the last thing a student thinks about when imagining studying in college. But its a very significant issue which almost in all cases requires basic cooking skills. High school: Your parents provide you with healthy dishes You can eat in a school cafeteria during a school year You rarely or never cook for yourself College: Just find something more nutritious than a pack of chips. These Tricks for Cooking Healthy College Meals on a Budget can help you. So, weve already defined some differences between these two life stages. Lets make an overall comparison of student life in high school and college. College vs. High School Life in college has so many opportunities, which were banned for students during high school years. But it is also accompanied by many difficulties students face for the first time in their lives. High School You dont know what time-management is You need to learn how to take care of a plant in your room Teachers try to encourage you to learn You are banned from many events You wish you had more spare time You are anxious about specialization choice Sometimes you lie youre sick Everyone attend high-school because they are obligated to You think that college level is the end of learning You believe that tests are the worst part of studying You think that college students spend the whole time at the parties You cant wait to get into a college You wish you were older College You need to work on your time management skills You need to learn how to plan your budget You need to learn how to take care of yourself Self-motivation is your main task Parties are not as fun as one says Studying takes a lot of spare time You choose college classes which you are interested in You have no time to be sick Those who attend college do that because they want to and chose to You know that you have a lot more things to learn after college graduation You need to perform actually in-depth researches You think that high-school students are kids You can find a part-time job You need to learn how long human can live without sleep