Study Sees Rise in Men Not Washing Hands

By Ben Amato

ELA Multimedia Program - Lesson 3

Persuasive Writing - ELA Standards 1, 3 and 4
In a world that is constantly getting smaller, the risk of pandemics and infection is greater than ever. Today's lesson looks at a simple yet effective way to ward off illness and follow your mother's advice: WASH YOUR HANDS!

TV Component

The Grey Bruce Health Clinic runs a web site devoted to promoting good health practices. This clip deals with the effectiveness of hand washing as a tool against disease. 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 had an article titled "Study Sees Rise in Men Not Washing Hands" Read the article and then using the facts and details within, complete the Comprehension Crossword Puzzle.

Language Arts Component

Critical Lens
"The more severe the pain or illness, the more severe will be the necessary changes. These may involve breaking bad habits, or acquiring some new and better ones."
Peter McWilliams, author of Life 101

The "cold" season coincides with the start of school, for as we come into contact with more people, this increases the risk of developing a cold and flu. Infection is part of our crowded, everyday life yet something as basic as washing your hands can save you from most common diseases.

Situation
Write a PERSUASIVE ESSAY about the value in washing your hands.

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 space exploration.

BODY
This section concerns the actual SPECIFIC FACTS about the latest facts about these topics. 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 to feel the way you do. Your last sentence should look towards the future. How can we change our everyday lives to prevent infections and sickness?