This discussion gives you an opportunity to post a draft of your 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 unit’s assignment based on the feedback you receive and the insights you find from the reading and learning activities. This does not need to be a complete draft, but to be ready to revise for the Unit 8 Assignment, post at least four paragraphs, including an introduction paragraph. You can include the paragraph you wrote for the Unit 7 discussion and indicate what revisions you made based on the feedback you received.

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 at least three body paragraphs 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.

Use the downloadable Peer Review Chart to provide feedback for your classmates this week. 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 your classmate’s question and note any lingering questions you have about your classmate’s argument for change.

Unit 8 Peer-Review Chart

REFERENCE THE READING:
Refer to and credit the unit reading concepts to help validate your ideas and give you practice with using and crediting source information. When you refer to concepts from the unit’s 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’s Using Sources for resources on APA citation formatting.

WRITING EXPECTATIONS:
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.

Your persuasive essay will need to meet the following criteria:

• APA formatting for the document, including an appropriately formatted title page and references page
• A thesis statement at the end of the introduction paragraph
• An introduction paragraph that establishes the issue
• Well-developed paragraphs that include evidence from sources to support your argument for a specific change in your community
• Effective transitions between and within paragraphs
• A conclusion paragraph that brings the essay to an effective close
• Four credible sources appropriate for academic writing should be cited within the text of the essay; at least one of the cited sources should be either a book/ebook or a periodical article, preferably from the Purdue Global Library
• All cited sources need to have full citations on a references page (except for any interviews you conduct, which only require in-text citations)
• Standard English and a formal tone throughout the writing (e.g., stay in third-person voice, avoid slang, etc.)
• A strong and well-supported argument will be at least 3–4 pages, not including the title page and references page