Persuasive Stories: School Uniforms

My class wrote persuasive stories about the need for school uniforms.  As you can imagine, most thought that school uniforms were not necessary, however I was delighted to see that a handful of students were in favor.  Their final copy was published on an adorable origami shirt decorated to look like their street clothes or a school uniform.

Here is how I broke down the writing. 

Introduction (1 Paragraph):
Hook the reader with a question or vivid description of the setting
Introduce how you came to hear about the topic
Share your opinion

Body (1-2 Paragraphs):
Three separate arguments
Supporting details for each argument
Counterargument for one of your arguments
Polite tone throughout

Conclusion (1 Paragraph):
Restate your opinion in a novel way
Thank the reader for considering your opinion

Whenever my class writes, I leave an outline like the one above on the projector while my students fill out their writing plan.  The high writers occasionally refer to it, but the struggling writers rely on it.  The story takes one week, and we write one paragraph (or section) per day.

Here's how to make the origami shirt:

The roll paper on my campus is 36" wide.  When cut it into 18" lengths, the origami shirt becomes the perfect size to hold a sheet of notebook paper.  Have fun!