Persuasive Essay Writing

This is a 15-week classical persuasive essay writing course, taught by Melissa Sweeney, MA English. We will be using The Lost Tools of Writing 1 to learn the structural (arrangement) and stylistic (elocution) elements of the persuasive essay including... 
 
Structure Elements
introduction
exordium (attention getter/hook)
thesis statement
narratio (background)
proofs (reasons)
subproofs (details)
refutation (opposing argument)
amplification (conclusion)
 
Style Elements
Strong Verbs
Sentence Variety (Parallelism & Antithesis)
Schemes (Alliteratation & Assonance)
Tropes (Simile & Metaphor)
 
Grade Level
This course is recommended for 7th -9th graders, but older students (10th-12th) who are new to persuasive writing are welcome to join. Also, 1st, 2nd or 3rd year students are welcome to join. If we have different levels in the course, I will tailor the assignments to the studen's level, and may even split the class for some intruction. 
 
Meeting Schedule
This is a spring semester course, and the first class will be January 13th, 2026. With Presidents and Easter breaks, our last class will be on May 5th.  Our 50-60 minute live virtual classes will be Tuesdays at 10:00AM PST.  The last 10 minutes of a class may be used for one-on-one or small group student conferences (mini tutoring sessions/lessons).
 
Virtual Meetings and Grading
We will use Canvas as our virtual classroom. The name and email you provide at checkout will be used to create your student’s Canvas profile. You will access the live class each week either by the email invitation or by logging in and clicking on “Conferences” then selecting the new conference, which should be available by about 10 minutes before class time. Classes will be recorded and the recording can be accessed in “Conferences” in the afternoon on class day and will be available for one week. In addition to the live virtual class meetings, your student will receive written feedback on each draft of each essay and a grade for the final draft.
 
Deposit and Discounts
A $30 non-refundable deposit holds your student's spot. You can pay the remaining balance with monthly payments or in full before the class begins. Families with multiple students will receive a 50% discount on tuition for subsequent registered siblings. Also, a referral credit of $30 will be awarded to any family who refers another registered student/family.
 
Payments
Payment plans are available! Message me at melissa@seeitexcellent.com to make payments without paying a service fee or to set up a payment arrangement.