Homework: Complete the rough draft of your persuasive speech by adding the introduction and conclusion. BE SURE TO BRING THE TYPED DRAFT TO CLASS ON MONDAY! Also, you should be wrapping up your independent reading and dialectical journals. I will collect your notebooks on Wednesday.
HOW TO WRITE GOOD INTRODUCTIONS.
1. Assess the values, experiences, beliefs of your audience and tailor your arguments and introduction to those.
2. Objectives of a good intro: a. pique the interest of your audience, b. introduce your topic, c. establish your credibility and good will.
a. You can grab the audience by startling members with striking facts, dramatic stories, asking questions ( as long as they are not the silly rhetorical questions like,"Have you ever been stuffed in a cabinet with a rat by your alcoholic father? Well, Mary Reilly has . . .)
b. Introduce your topic in a way that will relate it to your audience. You need to provide the audience with a reason to care. For example, if you are arguing against factory farming, you need to explain how that issue relates to the audience.
c. Establish your credibility as a expert on the subject.
HOW TO WRITE GOOD CONCLUSIONS:
1. Signal the end with at least words like "In conclusion" or "In closing."
2. Reinforce the central idea of the speech by showing it through a story or by making a dramatic statement.
3. Bring it back to the introduction. Don't summarize, but connect it back by finishing a story or continuing an idea you began discussing in the introduction. Check out Barack Obama's speech on race made in March 2008 in Philadelphia as a good example. Here is the link:
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2008/03/18/us/politics/1194817107010/obama-assesses-race-in-america.html?scp=2&sq=obama%20race%20speech&st=cse
