"Factoring" to show Detail and Elaboration in Persuasive Writing

So far, we've only experimented with persuasive writing by using the classic persuasive model as a guide. Alas, now there are so many different options. Growing your stock of persuasive skills is a must, and I urge you to try a new persuasive structure tomorrow for our timed write.

You exclaim, "Alas, Mrs. Wise! How do we give details and elaborate without having a specific example? Woe is me, yon sophomores shall perish directly!"

This is where factoring comes in. You can give specific details and show your critical thinking without giving a specific example. You can use the "factoring" model for a whole paragraph, or even just a sentence.

These samples are from the packet of 8's that we looked at in class. (ACA classes are looking at this packet in two weeks - but y'all have already seen the factoring.) In these examples, the thesis is the "81" and is not pictured, the topic sentence (the "9") is in yellow, and the details (the "3's") are in green.

Looky here:

ABOVE: Here is an example of factoring in one single sentence. The author mentions "centers of trade" and then goes on to list four specific places. This information helps the author to develop the size-economy connection in the paragraph.

ABOVE: This is an example of factoring as a structure for a paragraph. The topic sentence is neatly placed within a sophisticated transition, and the factoring itself contains some lovely imagery. This is a wonderful example of how to use some imagery without allowing your paper to seem too "creative" and lose that persuasive voice/task.

ABOVE: This paragraph does several things nicely. The author takes the opportunity to define "city dweller" and goes on to explain what specific services these city dwellers can access. Children go to better schools, and the author even factors that into private and magnet schools. The sick get their own three-pronged factor: doctors, hospitals, and treatments. Families get consumer technology. The author could have easily factored that, too.

ABOVE: Do you see the two complete factors here? Also, there's a purposeful onomatopoeia nestled nicely into the details.

ABOVE: The author offers a topic sentence about cities and the cultural activities they offer. The essay goes on to offer the specific details about Austin, Los Angeles, and New York. If this were my student, I would ask them to offer the specific names of these cultural events. Austin as the Austin City Limits music festival and SXSW, Los Angeles is home to X and Y celebrities, and New York has The Metropolitan Museum of Art ("The Met"), The Museum of Modern Art ("MoMA"), the Guggenheim one, etc.

Well, that's all I have. See y'all tomorrow.