This Discussion gives you an opportunity to post a draft of your introduction and the first body paragraph of your persuasive essay so that you can receive feedback on their effectiveness from your peers and the instructor. You may find it helpful to post your paragraphs early in the unit so that you have time to revise them for the units Assignment based on the feedback you receive and the insights you find from the Reading and Learning Activities.
Include all of the following in your Discussion post:
A draft of your introduction for your persuasive essay using one of the techniques described in Crafting Effective Introductions and Conclusions
A thesis statement as the last sentence of your introduction.
A draft of the first body paragraph for your argument.
Wrap up with an open-ended question about something you need help with, specific feedback you would like to receive, or introductions strategies.
For peer feedback this week, you will need to respond substantively to at least two peers initial Discussion posts and show active engagement in the discussion as described in the grading rubric. Challenge yourself to go beyond grammar and mechanics corrections and instead identify which introduction strategy your classmates used. Offer at least one piece of constructive feedback that can help your classmate revamp their introduction for the essay and consider whether a different introduction strategy may be more effective. Alternatively, provide feedback on the body paragraph and/or the transition between the body paragraph and introduction.
When responding to a peer, exercise tact and be specific in what you say. Take your time and develop your thoughts so that you can help out a fellow writer. Please do not focus on or mark GUM (grammar, usage, and mechanics) issues.
Be sure to address any lingering questions you have about your classmates argument for change.
All Discussion posts and responses to peers should be written in complete sentences using Standard English. Before posting, proofread for grammar, spelling, and word-choice issues. Be sure to respond fully to every aspect of the Discussion.
When you refer to concepts from the units Reading, be sure to use a signal phrase like According to . . .[name of reading]. If you are directly quoting the Reading or another source, be sure to use quotation marks and cite the source using proper APA in-text citations and full references. See the Purdue Global Writing Center Using Sources for resources on APA citation formatting.
