Grade Level: 5, 6

Subject(s):

• Language Arts/Writing

Duration: 45 minutes

Description: This lesson was designed as an introductory activity for a unit on persuasive writing. It can be used as a pre-assessment to determine which persuasive writing strategies students are already aware of.

Goals: Connecticut Language Arts Curriculum Framework :

• Content Standard 1: Reading and Responding
  • reflect on the text to make judgments about its meaning and quality
  • use the structure of narrative, expository, persuasive, poetic and visual text to interpret and extend meaning
• Content Standard 2: Producing Texts
  • communicate effectively by determining the appropriate text structure on the basis of audience, purpose and point of view
  • communicate effectively in descriptive, narrative, expository and persuasive modes
• Content Standard 3: Applying English Language Conventions
  • use variations of language appropriate to purpose, audience and task
• Content Standard 4: Explaining and Responding to Texts
  • recognize literary conventions and devices and understand how they convey meaning

1. Students will be able to write a persuasive paragraph keeping audience, purpose, and point of view in mind.
2. Students will be able to identify the different strategies that can be used to persuade.

• chart paper and marker
• students' writing journals
• pencils

Have volunteers share their paragraphs out loud. Ask the rest of the class to listen for ways that the writer tried to persuade. After each reading, discuss why each strategy is effective in convincing. (This can be guided if students can't explain why they are effective.) Write down the different strategies on chart paper for future reference. Some of the strategies that students might use include: using a planner; brainstorming/not just writing from emotion; keeping the audience in mind; having a clear purpose; using facts, empathy, repetition, exaggeration, logical transitions, and strong conclusion; anticipating the opposite point of view or reasons that the author might argue with you; benefits; supporting details and examples. You could ask why certain strategies like threats or slander wouldn't be effective.

Closure:
Review that there are many strategies used to write persuasively, as students have just discussed. Connect how many of the strategies overlap with the expository writing techniques that they have been working on this year. Discuss with students if you feel persuaded and why. Tell them they can have a party if they tried to convince you.

Assessment: Collect students' paragraphs. As a homework assignment, the teacher can have students write a persuasive paragraph for a different topic (the topic could be chosen by the teacher or the students).