130 dogs rescued from puppy mill arrive on LI

Ben Amato | Educational consultant

Persuasive Writing - ELA Standards 1, 3 and 4

Dogs are often called "Man's best friend." But in a recent case, a commercial breeder in Virginia was anything but a friend to the over 1,000 animals he held in overcrowded, brutal and filthy conditions. Today's lesson concerns the rescue of these animals and efforts to find them loving homes on Long Island.

TV Component
Newsday TV has a video concerning these puppies and the North Shore Animal League's efforts to provide them with a safe haven. View the video clip twice, the first time jotting down notes on its content and theme. The second time, refine those notes and use them to answer the LISTENING QUIZ about the news clip.

Newspaper Component
Today's edition of Newsday has an article titled "130 dogs rescued from a puppy mill arrive on LI." Read the article and then using the facts and details within, complete the Comprehension Crossword Puzzle.

Language Arts Component

Critical Lens
"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole."
Roger Caras

There is a bond between humans and dogs that goes back thousands of years. Yet human greed and brutality sometimes supercedes this and results in brutality and neglect. That is why many organizations exist that seek to provide rescue and safety to animals who suffer abuse.

Situation
Write a PERSUASIVE ESSAY about the North Shore Animal League's efforts to find these puppies homes. Try to convince the reader to adopt one of these dogs.

The Nature and Structure of a Persuasive Essay
The goal of a PERSUASIVE ESSAY is to sway the reader to your opinion. Using facts and details, an argument is presented, designed to change your reader's mind and convince them of your interpretation. It is usually framed in three sections.

INTRODUCTION
This paragraph begins the essay and starts off with a STATEMENT OF TOPIC. In the opening sentence establish WHAT the essay will be about. Then describe WHO should be concerned about this topic and WHY it matters to this audience. End this introduction with your own OPINION about what these dogs went through in their short lives and what should happen to them.

BODY
This section concerns the actual SPECIFIC FACTS about the puppy story. Arrange the details according to an ORDER OF IMPORTANCE, where the most significant information comes first, with the less significant details later in the paragraph.

This section may be longer than just one paragraph, depending on how many facts and details you gather from the article and television news story. Use the Comprehension Crossword Puzzle and the answers to the Multiple-Choice Quiz as a RUBRIC, so you can see if all the important facts have been included and described.

CONCLUSION
This section of persuasive writing is your final attempt to sway your audience, so restate the TOPIC and your OPINION about the issue. Select the one most important detail which might sway your readers. These puppies need loving homes. Convince your readers to contact the North Shore Animal League and take one of these poor dogs. Your last sentence should look towards the future. How can people help rescue these and other animals from the hurtful hands of uncaring humans?