teaching persuasive writing year 9

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10 Steps to Teach Persuasive Writing

Kids are natural-born persuaders. They do it all the time. The trick as a teacher is to take their set of skills and help them use their power for good. And by good, I mean to channel these skills into writing effective persuasive pieces.

So, what exactly do we need to do to teach persuasive writing? I won’t lie to you…it’s not an easy task, but I’ll try to break it down here and simplify the steps to hopefully make this something that you can use in your classroom.

1. Teach Paragraph Writing FIRST

Before I even begin to think about teaching students to create an opinion piece, I make sure that my class has learned the basics of writing a good paragraph. We spend a lot of time with each component, and after they’ve mastered one paragraph, we move on to the five-paragraph essay.

Since I teach 4th/5th, this is one of the standards we need to reach. Once I know that students can write a reasonably good essay, then they can learn an opinion essay a little more easily.

2. Use Mentor Texts to Introduce Opinion Writing

I am a big fan of mentor texts. I just love how picture books easily capture the attention of my “big” kids, while quickly teaching them so many lessons.

When I teach opinion writing, I like to gather several of these persuasive mentor texts and share them with my class. We talk about how the character used persuasive techniques well, or how he/she didn’t.

3. Start With the Big Picture

Before we start to officially write, we talk about what an opinion essay is and isn’t. I like to give students three choices with similar topics and ask them which one is the opinion essay. For example, they might choose between these titles: The Magical Elephant, Elephants and Their Families, and How to Save the Elephants. Next, I have a handout that shows the structure of an opinion essay. Since we’ve written five-paragraph essays before, they have a good handle on the basic essay structure. Then I guide them step by step through each component. We absolutely do not write a single opinion essay until we’ve had the opportunity to have lots of mini-lessons, see many examples, and practice all parts of the essay in a very low-stakes environment.

4. The Introduction Paragraph is First

A. introduce hooks.

Now we spend some time focusing on how to start the essay. We start by using a hook (also called a lead).

I like to describe a writing “hook” using a fishing analogy. The fisherman puts a nice pink, juicy worm on the hook, hoping to attract the attention of the fish. If the fish bites, the fisherman’s happy. If the fish doesn’t bite, that means that it wasn’t interested in the hook, and there won’t be any fish caught.

Our goal as a writer is to get the reader interested by “hooking” them into reading our essay, from the very first sentence.

We go over six different types of hooks and practice these. I also love using opinion writing posters as I introduce each new opinion essay concept. They’re a great reference for students on the wall or printed in miniature for writing notebooks.

B. Review Topic Sentences 

For an opinion essay, the topic sentence is the opinion sentence. It is the author’s viewpoint. We do a lesson reviewing the five types of topic sentences we use for paragraph and essay writing, and I show students how to tweak these into opinion statements.

C. Time to Add the Three Reasons 

The last part of the introduction lists the three reasons for our opinion. I teach students that these can be listed as a single sentence with commas between them, or we can write three separate sentences, one for each reason.

For the first lesson on reasons, I give students a topic (cell phones or vending machines at school or which season is the best, etc.) and then ask students to write three bullet points on their whiteboards. Next to each one, they write a word to describe a reason they like/dislike this idea.

For example, if the topic was school uniforms, the child might write lack of individuality, gets boring, uncomfortable… I can quickly glance at their lists while we discuss a few of them, and then we’re ready to practice with the next topic.

Without writing a whole essay, this is teaching students to think about organization and how reasons help support their opinions. I think this kind of practice is great!

When we transition this activity to a full essay, these reasons would turn into the topic sentences for each body paragraph of a five-paragraph opinion essay! 

Btw.. if you don’t have whiteboards for your class, this is something you’ll really want to consider. They’re great for writing practice and so many things. I actually purchased shower boards at Home Depot for about $15 to make into whiteboards. They cut them into 12 x 12-inch squares for me for free!

5. Review, Review, Review

After we spend some time on each main section of the opinion essay (the introduction, the body paragraphs, and the conclusion), I like to give my students activities to really reinforce what they’ve learned. Besides review worksheets, we do games (like Stump the Expert), sorts, and color coding.

I really like to have students color code already-made paragraphs so they can see examples of quality writing, and they can master the structure of the paragraph . Once we’ve reviewed the introduction, it’s time to move on to the body paragraphs.

6. The Three Body Paragraphs are Next

There are three parts of each body paragraph, and I teach each part separately, one by one. The parts include a topic sentence that starts with a transition, three to five details to describe and explain the author’s reason for his/her viewpoint, and a conclusion sentence.

These three paragraphs are the meat of the essay. This is where students explain why they support or don’t support something.

We spend time doing activities like looking at three sentences and identifying which one is the topic sentence, which one is a detail, and which one is a conclusion sentence.

We look at pre-made topic sentences and related conclusion sentences and rate them as part of a great class discussion and then in pairs or independently. Then, we review with more color coding, games, and sorts.

7. Focus on the Conclusion Paragraph

Conclusions can be a little intimidating for some students. Maybe it’s because they’re tired from the heavy lifting of the other four paragraphs, but with practice, you can help take away some of their apprehension and replace it with confidence!

The conclusion paragraph is a shorter paragraph (in 3rd – 5th grade) than a body paragraph. It has three distinct parts, an opinion sentence that starts with a transition, the three reasons, and a final thought or call to action.

A. The Opinion Sentence Starting with a Transition

The opinion sentence is really a topic sentence. It reinforces the same idea presented in the introduction paragraph but uses synonyms and usually a different type of topic sentence than the introduction to add variety.

We go over specific transitions that can be used for conclusions. While students may not always use a transition for their conclusion later on, I think it gives students structure and helps them break the ice of crafting a strong conclusion paragraph.

B. The Three Reasons (again!)

Just like the introduction paragraph, the conclusion paragraph lists the three reasons, usually in a single sentence with commas. Like always, you’ll want students to reword the sentence using synonyms to add variety.

C. The Conclusion, The Ending, The VERY LAST SENTENCE!

This last sentence is another place students may feel apprehensive to write at first. We go over the difference between a final thought and a call to action and practice by seeing lots of exemplars and then creating our own.

By the time we’re finished, most students understand how to gracefully and effectively add the conclusion sentence to finish the opinion essay.

Just like we usually do, once we finish a section, we review that section carefully using handouts, sorts, color coding, games, and reviews.

8. Share an Opinion Essay Example

It’s one thing to talk about an opinion essay’s components and to even practice them. It’s another thing to see a really good example of an essay and to get to go through it and discuss what makes it work and why.

I have several great examples I’ve saved over the years (and I have two that I wrote and included in my opinion essay unit). We take time to color code the essay and then create a reverse outline for it. They save this essay as an example.

9. Make an Outline and an Essay as a Whole Class (Eeek!)

Okay, here’s where your perseverance has to kick in.

Trying to complete an essay as a whole class will drive even the most saintly of teachers to want to pull their hair out at times, but this hard part is crucial. There, I said it. It is that important that this is a step you shouldn’t miss.

Here’s how I do it. I break it down into two to four days. On the first day, we created an outline together. I have students write this outline in their Writer’s Notebooks as a model to refer to when they need to make their own outline later.

We always do school uniforms, because I find it to be a great topic and one that my students feel strongly about.

I tell them for the sake of continuity, we need to take a stand as a class for the essay, whether they really agree with that stand or not. We take a class vote and then stick with it, whether it’s for or against the uniform idea.

On the second day, when we have the outline in place, I make a deal with the kids…I tell them if they stick with me, stay on task, and participate…I’ll do the writing (this time), and they can just tell me what to write.

If they don’t stay focused, then they’ll have to write it themselves. This works like magic. I’ve never had a class that lost out on this “deal.”

So, using yesterday’s outline, we go step by step and write each paragraph together. Students feed me sentences (I write these on the SmartBoard), which I try to use or gently guide them a bit where needed.

Usually, we do about 2  paragraphs in one day. The attention spans of 8 – 11-year-olds can be a killer, so I find that breaking it into several days helps.

10. Before Students Write – Go over Expectations Using a Rubric

I really like to use rubrics for lots of assignments. It breaks down the activity into its components, and it also serves as a road map for students to know what is expected of them. I think the more we can explain to students exactly what we’re looking for, the more they can meet and sometimes exceed (hallelujah) our expectations.

There’s never a reason to hide what we want from students, in my opinion. So, we go over the rubric together, and it’s a kind of review for all the lessons leading up to this. You can three-hole punch it so they can store it in their binders, or you can print it in a smaller size to fit their Writer’s Notebooks if you wish.

BONUS #11. Practice Writing Opinion Essays…Over and Over and…

Once your students have practiced each part of the opinion essay and are very familiar with its structure, it’s their turn to write independently. I choose several different topics for them over the next few weeks, and we do about an essay a week in class. The students get better as time goes by, and usually, I let them choose a topic for the last essay or two. It’s interesting to see what they come up with.

Whew…such a huge unit and so many skills to fit in, but in my mind, it is an awesome unit. I love teaching it because of the great number of discussions it provides and because I see it as an important set of tools for them to have in their writing toolboxes.

If you’d like some resources for opinion writing , I love this unit I created. It’s a bundle with over 100 printable pages and includes a digital format too. It will take you through the entire process with teaching pages, and detailed teaching notes, student practice pages, activities, and posters for 3rd – 5th grade.

Sarah is a 4th Grade Teacher and uses this unit and process in her classroom. This is what she had to say. 

CLICK HERE TO FIND THE OPINION WRITING BUNDLE ON TPT! 

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Can You Convince Me? Developing Persuasive Writing

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Persuasive writing is an important skill that can seem intimidating to elementary students. This lesson encourages students to use skills and knowledge they may not realize they already have. A classroom game introduces students to the basic concepts of lobbying for something that is important to them (or that they want) and making persuasive arguments. Students then choose their own persuasive piece to analyze and learn some of the definitions associated with persuasive writing. Once students become aware of the techniques used in oral arguments, they then apply them to independent persuasive writing activities and analyze the work of others to see if it contains effective persuasive techniques.

Featured Resources

From theory to practice.

• Students can discover for themselves how much they already know about constructing persuasive arguments by participating in an exercise that is not intimidating.  
• Progressing from spoken to written arguments will help students become better readers of persuasive texts.

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
• 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

Materials and Technology

• Computers with Internet access  
• PowerPoint  
• LCD projector (optional)  
• Chart paper or chalkboard  
• Sticky notes  
• Persuasive Strategy Presentation
• Persuasion Is All Around You  
• Persuasive Strategy Definitions  
• Check the Strategies  
• Check the Strategy  
• Observations and Notes  
• Persuasive Writing Assessment

Preparation

Student objectives.

Students will

• Work in cooperative groups to brainstorm ideas and organize them into a cohesive argument to be presented to the class  
• Gain knowledge of the different strategies that are used in effective persuasive writing  
• Use a graphic organizer to help them begin organizing their ideas into written form  
• Apply what they have learned to write a persuasive piece that expresses their stance and reasoning in a clear, logical sequence  
• Develop oral presentation skills by presenting their persuasive writing pieces to the class  
• Analyze the work of others to see if it contains effective persuasive techniques

Session 1: The Game of Persuasion

Home/School Connection: Distribute Persuasion Is All Around You . Students are to find an example of a persuasive piece from the newspaper, television, radio, magazine, or billboards around town and be ready to report back to class during Session 2. Provide a selection of magazines or newspapers with advertisements for students who may not have materials at home. For English-language learners (ELLs), it may be helpful to show examples of advertisements and articles in newspapers and magazines.

Session 2: Analysis of an Argument

Home/School Connection: Ask students to revisit their persuasive piece from Persuasion Is All Around You . This time they will use Check the Strategies to look for the persuasive strategies that the creator of the piece incorporated. Check for understanding with your ELLs and any special needs students. It may be helpful for them to talk through their persuasive piece with you or a peer before taking it home for homework. Arrange a time for any student who may not have the opportunity to complete assignments outside of school to work with you, a volunteer, or another adult at school on the assignment.

Session 3: Persuasive Writing

Session 4: presenting the persuasive writing.

• Endangered Species: Persuasive Writing offers a way to integrate science with persuasive writing. Have students pretend that they are reporters and have to convince people to think the way they do. Have them pick issues related to endangered species, use the Persuasion Map as a prewriting exercise, and write essays trying to convince others of their points of view. In addition, the lesson “Persuasive Essay: Environmental Issues” can be adapted for your students as part of this exercise.  
• Have students write persuasive arguments for a special class event, such as an educational field trip or an in-class educational movie. Reward the class by arranging for the class event suggested in one of the essays.

Student Assessment / Reflections

• Compare your Observations and Notes from Session 4 and Session 1 to see if students understand the persuasive strategies, use any new persuasive strategies, seem to be overusing a strategy, or need more practice refining the use of a strategy. Offer them guidance and practice as needed.  
• Collect both homework assignments and the Check the Strategy sheets and assess how well students understand the different elements of persuasive writing and how they are applied.  
• Collect students’ Persuasion Maps and use them and your discussions during conferences to see how well students understand how to use the persuasive strategies and are able to plan their essays. You want to look also at how well they are able to make changes from the map to their finished essays.  
• Use the Persuasive Writing Assessment to evaluate the essays students wrote during Session 3.
• Calendar Activities
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The Persuasion Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to map out their arguments for a persuasive essay or debate.

This interactive tool allows students to create Venn diagrams that contain two or three overlapping circles, enabling them to organize their information logically.

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A Step-by-Step Plan for Teaching Argumentative Writing

February 7, 2016

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For seven years, I was a writing teacher.  Yes, I was certified to teach the full spectrum of English language arts—literature, grammar and usage, speech, drama, and so on—but my absolute favorite, the thing I loved doing the most, was teaching students how to write.

Most of the material on this site is directed at all teachers. I look for and put together resources that would appeal to any teacher who teaches any subject. That practice will continue for as long as I keep this up. But over the next year or so, I plan to also share more of what I know about teaching students to write. Although I know many of the people who visit here are not strictly English language arts teachers, my hope is that these posts will provide tons of value to those who are, and to those who teach all subjects, including writing.

So let’s begin with argumentative writing, or persuasive writing, as many of us used to call it. This overview will be most helpful to those who are new to teaching writing, or teachers who have not gotten good results with the approach you have taken up to now. I don’t claim to have the definitive answer on how to do this, but the method I share here worked pretty well for me, and it might do the same for you. If you are an experienced English language arts teacher, you probably already have a system for teaching this skill that you like. Then again, I’m always interested in how other people do the things I can already do; maybe you’re curious like that, too.

Before I start, I should note that what I describe in this post is a fairly formulaic style of essay writing. It’s not exactly the 5-paragraph essay, but it definitely builds on that model. I strongly believe students should be shown how to move past those kinds of structures into a style of writing that’s more natural and fitting to the task and audience, but I also think they should start with something that’s pretty clearly organized.

So here’s how I teach argumentative essay writing.

Step 1: Watch How It’s Done

One of the most effective ways to improve student writing is to show them mentor texts, examples of excellent writing within the genre students are about to attempt themselves. Ideally, this writing would come from real publications and not be fabricated by me in order to embody the form I’m looking for. Although most experts on writing instruction employ some kind of mentor text study, the person I learned it from best was Katie Wood Ray in her book Study Driven (links to the book: Bookshop.org | Amazon ).

Since I want the writing to be high quality and the subject matter to be high interest, I might choose pieces like Jessica Lahey’s Students Who Lose Recess Are the Ones Who Need it Most  and David Bulley’s School Suspensions Don’t Work .

I would have students read these texts, compare them, and find places where the authors used evidence to back up their assertions. I would ask students which author they feel did the best job of influencing the reader, and what suggestions they would make to improve the writing. I would also ask them to notice things like stories, facts and statistics, and other things the authors use to develop their ideas. Later, as students work on their own pieces, I would likely return to these pieces to show students how to execute certain writing moves.

Step 2: Informal Argument, Freestyle

Although many students might need more practice in writing an effective argument, many of them are excellent at arguing in person. To help them make this connection, I would have them do some informal debate on easy, high-interest topics. An activity like This or That (one of the classroom icebreakers I talked about last year) would be perfect here: I read a statement like “Women have the same opportunities in life as men.” Students who agree with the statement move to one side of the room, and those who disagree move to the other side. Then they take turns explaining why they are standing in that position. This ultimately looks a little bit like a debate, as students from either side tend to defend their position to those on the other side.

Every class of students I have ever had, from middle school to college, has loved loved LOVED this activity. It’s so simple, it gets them out of their seats, and for a unit on argument, it’s an easy way to get them thinking about how the art of argument is something they practice all the time.

Step 3: Informal Argument, Not so Freestyle

Once students have argued without the support of any kind of research or text, I would set up a second debate; this time with more structure and more time to research ahead of time. I would pose a different question, supply students with a few articles that would provide ammunition for either side, then give them time to read the articles and find the evidence they need.

Next, we’d have a Philosophical Chairs debate (learn about this in my  discussion strategies post), which is very similar to “This or That,” except students use textual evidence to back up their points, and there are a few more rules. Here they are still doing verbal argument, but the experience should make them more likely to appreciate the value of evidence when trying to persuade.

Before leaving this step, I would have students transfer their thoughts from the discussion they just had into something that looks like the opening paragraph of a written argument: A statement of their point of view, plus three reasons to support that point of view. This lays the groundwork for what’s to come.

Step 4: Introduction of the Performance Assessment

Next I would show students their major assignment, the performance assessment that they will work on for the next few weeks. What does this look like? It’s generally a written prompt that describes the task, plus the rubric I will use to score their final product.

Anytime I give students a major writing assignment, I let them see these documents very early on. In my experience, I’ve found that students appreciate having a clear picture of what’s expected of them when beginning a writing assignment. At this time, I also show them a model of a piece of writing that meets the requirements of the assignment. Unlike the mentor texts we read on day 1, this sample would be something teacher-created (or an excellent student model from a previous year) to fit the parameters of the assignment.

Step 5: Building the Base

Before letting students loose to start working on their essays, I make sure they have a solid plan for writing. I would devote at least one more class period to having students consider their topic for the essay, drafting a thesis statement, and planning the main points of their essay in a graphic organizer.

I would also begin writing my own essay on a different topic. This has been my number one strategy for teaching students how to become better writers. Using a document camera or overhead projector, I start from scratch, thinking out loud and scribbling down my thoughts as they come. When students see how messy the process can be, it becomes less intimidating for them. They begin to understand how to take the thoughts that are stirring around in your head and turn them into something that makes sense in writing.

For some students, this early stage might take a few more days, and that’s fine: I would rather spend more time getting it right at the pre-writing stage than have a student go off willy-nilly, draft a full essay, then realize they need to start over. Meanwhile, students who have their plans in order will be allowed to move on to the next step.

Step 6: Writer’s Workshop

The next seven to ten days would be spent in writer’s workshop, where I would start class with a mini-lesson about a particular aspect of craft. I would show them how to choose credible, relevant evidence, how to skillfully weave evidence into an argument, how to consider the needs of an audience, and how to correctly cite sources. Once each mini-lesson was done, I would then give students the rest of the period to work independently on their writing. During this time, I would move around the room, helping students solve problems and offering feedback on whatever part of the piece they are working on. I would encourage students to share their work with peers and give feedback at all stages of the writing process.

If I wanted to make the unit even more student-centered, I would provide the mini-lessons in written or video format and let students work through them at their own pace, without me teaching them. (To learn more about this approach, read this post on self-paced learning ).

As students begin to complete their essays, the mini-lessons would focus more on matters of style and usage. I almost never bother talking about spelling, punctuation, grammar, or usage until students have a draft that’s pretty close to done. Only then do we start fixing the smaller mistakes.

Step 7: Final Assessment

Finally, the finished essays are handed in for a grade. At this point, I’m pretty familiar with each student’s writing and have given them verbal (and sometimes written) feedback throughout the unit; that’s why I make the writer’s workshop phase last so long. I don’t really want students handing in work until they are pretty sure they’ve met the requirements to the best of their ability. I also don’t necessarily see “final copies” as final; if a student hands in an essay that’s still really lacking in some key areas, I will arrange to have that student revise it and resubmit for a higher grade.

So that’s it. If you haven’t had a lot of success teaching students to write persuasively, and if the approach outlined here is different from what you’ve been doing, give it a try. And let’s keep talking: Use the comments section below to share your techniques or ask questions about the most effective ways to teach argumentative writing.

Want this unit ready-made?

If you’re a writing teacher in grades 7-12 and you’d like a classroom-ready unit like the one described above, including mini-lessons, sample essays, and a library of high-interest online articles to use for gathering evidence, take a look at my Argumentative Writing unit. Just click on the image below and you’ll be taken to a page where you can read more and see a detailed preview of what’s included.

What to Read Next

Categories: Instruction , Podcast

Tags: English language arts , Grades 6-8 , Grades 9-12 , teaching strategies

58 Comments

This is useful information. In teaching persuasive speaking/writing I have found Monroe’s Motivated sequence very useful and productive. It is a classic model that immediately gives a solid structure for students.

Thanks for the recommendation, Bill. I will have to look into that! Here’s a link to more information on Monroe’s Motivated sequence, for anyone who wants to learn more: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/MonroeMotivatedSequence.htm

What other sites do you recommend for teacher use on providing effective organizational structure in argumentative writing? As a K-12 Curriculum Director, I find that when teachers connect with and understand the organizational structure, they are more effective in their teaching/delivery.

Hey Jessica, in addition to the steps outlined here, you might want to check out Jenn’s post on graphic organizers . Graphic organizers are a great tool that you can use in any phase of a lesson. Using them as a prewrite can help students visualize the argument and organize their thoughts. There’s a link in that post to the Graphic Organizer Multi-Pack that Jenn has for sale on her Teachers Pay Teachers site, which includes two versions of a graphic organizer you can use specifically for argument organization. Otherwise, if there’s something else you had in mind, let us know and we can help you out. Thanks!

Dear Jennifer Gonzalez,

You are generous with your gift of lighting the path… I hardly ever write (never before) , but I must today… THANK YOU… THANK YOU….THANK YOU… mostly for reading your great teachings… So your valuable teachings will even be easy to benefit all the smart people facing challenge of having to deal with adhd…

I am not a teacher… but forever a student…someone who studied English as 2nd language, with a science degree & adhd…

You truly are making a difference in our World…

Thanks so much, Rita! I know Jenn will appreciate this — I’ll be sure to share with her!

Love it! Its simple and very fruitful . I can feel how dedicated you are! Thanks alot Jen

Great examples of resources that students would find interesting. I enjoyed reading your article. I’ve bookmarked it for future reference. Thanks!

You’re welcome, Sheryl!

Students need to be writing all the time about a broad range of topics, but I love the focus here on argumentative writing because if you choose the model writing texts correctly, you can really get the kids engaged in the process and in how they can use this writing in real-world situations!

I agree, Laura. I think an occasional tight focus on one genre can help them grow leaps and bounds in the skills specific to that type of writing. Later, in less structured situations, they can then call on those skills when that kind of thinking is required.

This is really helpful! I used it today and put the recess article in a Google Doc and had the kids identify anecdotal, statistic, and ‘other’ types of evidence by highlighting them in three different colors. It worked well! Tomorrow we’ll discuss which of the different types of evidence are most convincing and why.

Love that, Shanna! Thanks for sharing that extra layer.

Greetings Ms. Gonzales. I was wondering if you had any ideas to help students develop the cons/against side of their argument within their writing? Please advise. Thanks.

Hi Michael,

Considering audience and counterarguments are an important part of the argumentative writing process. In the Argumentative Writing unit Jenn includes specific mini-lessons that teach kids how, when and where to include opposing views in their writing. In the meantime, here’s a video that might also be helpful.

Hi, Thank you very much for sharing your ideas. I want to share also the ideas in the article ‘Already Experts: Showing Students How Much They Know about Writing and Reading Arguments’ by Angela Petit and Edna Soto…they explain a really nice activity to introduce argumentative writing. I have applied it many times and my students not only love it but also display a very clear pattern as the results in the activity are quite similar every time. I hope you like it.

Lorena Perez

I’d like to thank you you for this excellence resource. It’s a wonderful addition to the informative content that Jennifer has shared.

What do you use for a prize?

I looked at the unit, and it looks and sounds great. The description says there are 4 topics. Can you tell me the topics before I purchase? We start argument in 5th grade, and I want to make sure the topics are different from those they’ve done the last 5 years before purchasing. Thanks!

Hi Carrie! If you go to the product page on TPT and open up the preview, you’ll see the four topics on the 4th page in more detail, but here they are: Social Networking in School (should social media sites be blocked in school?), Cell Phones in Class, Junk Food in School, and Single-Sex Education (i.e., genders separated). Does that help?

I teach 6th grade English in a single gendered (all-girls) class. We just finished an argument piece but I will definitely cycle back your ideas when we revisit argumentation. Thanks for the fabulous resources!

Glad to hear it, Madelyn!

I’m not a writing teacher and honestly haven’t been taught on how to teach writing. I’m a history teacher. I read this and found it helpful but have questions. First I noticed that amount of time dedicated to the task in terms of days. My questions are how long is a class period? I have my students for about 45 minutes. I also saw you mentioned in the part about self-paced learning that mini-lessons could be written or video format. I love these ideas. Any thoughts on how to do this with almost no technology in the room and low readers to non-readers? I’m trying to figure out how to balance teaching a content class while also teaching the common core skills. Thank you for any consideration to my questions.

Hey Jones, To me, a class period is anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour; definitely varies from school to school. As for the question about doing self-paced with very little tech? I think binders with written mini-lessons could work well, as well as a single computer station or tablet hooked up to a class set of videos. Obviously you’d need to be more diligent about rotating students in and out of these stations, but it’s an option at least. You might also give students access to the videos through computers in other locations at school (like the library) and give them passes to watch. The thing about self-paced learning, as you may have seen in the self-paced post , is that if students need extra teacher support (as you might find with low readers or non-readers), they would spend more one-on-one time with the teacher, while the higher-level students would be permitted to move more quickly on their own. Does that help?

My primary goal for next semester is to increase academic discussion and make connections from discussion to writing, so I love how you launch this unit with lessons like Philosophical Chairs. I am curious, however, what is the benefit of the informal argument before the not-so-informal argument? My students often struggle to listen to one another, so I’m wondering if I should start with the more formal, structured version. Or, am I overthinking the management? Thanks so much for input.

Yikes! So sorry your question slipped through, and we’re just now getting to this, Sarah. The main advantage of having kids first engage in informal debate is that it helps them get into an argumentative mindset and begin to appreciate the value of using research to support their claims. If you’ve purchased the unit, you can read more about this in the Overview.

My 6th graders are progressing through their argumentative essay. I’m providing mini lessons along the way that target where most students are in their essay. Your suggestions will be used. I’ve chosen to keep most writing in class and was happy to read that you scheduled a lot of class time for the writing. Students need to feel comfortable knowing that writing is a craft and needs to evolve over time. I think more will get done in class and it is especially important for the struggling writers to have peers and the teacher around while they write. Something that I had students do that they liked was to have them sit in like-topic groups to create a shared document where they curated information that MIGHT be helpful along the way. By the end of the essay, all will use a fantastic add-on called GradeProof which helps to eliminate most of the basic and silly errors that 6th graders make.

Debbi! I LOVE the idea of a shared, curated collection of resources! That is absolutely fantastic! Are you using a Google Doc for this? Other curation tools you might consider are Padlet and Elink .

thanks v much for all this information

Love this! What do you take as grades in the meantime? Throughout this 2 week stretch?

Ideally, you wouldn’t need to take grades at all, waiting until the final paper is done to give one grade. If your school requires more frequent grades, you could assign small point values for getting the incremental steps done: So in Step 3 (when students have to write a paragraph stating their point of view) you could take points for that. During the writer’s workshop phase, you might give points for completion of a rough draft and participation points for peer review (ideally, they’d get some kind of feedback on the quality of feedback they give to one another). Another option would be to just give a small, holistic grade for each week based on the overall integrity of their work–are they staying on task? Making small improvements to their writing each day? Taking advantage of the resources? If students are working diligently through the process, that should be enough. But again, the assessment (grades) should really come from that final written product, and if everyone is doing what they’re supposed to be doing during the workshop phase, most students should have pretty good scores on that final product. Does that help?

Awesome Step 2! Teaching mostly teenagers in Northern Australia I find students’ verbal arguments are much more finely honed than their written work.

To assist with “building the base” I’ve always found sentence starters an essential entry point for struggling students. We have started using the ‘PEARL’ method for analytical and persuasive writing.

If it helps here a free scaffold for the method:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Paragraph-Scaffold-PEEL-to-PEARL-3370676

Thanks again,

Thank you for sharing this additional resource! It’s excellent!

I’ve been scouring the interwebs looking for some real advice on how I can help my struggling 9th grader write better. I can write. Since it comes naturally for me, I have a hard time breaking it down into such tiny steps that he can begin to feel less overwhelmed. I LOVE the pre-writing ideas here. My son is a fabulous arguer. I need to help him use those powers for the good of his writing skills. Do you have a suggestion on what I else I can be using for my homeschooled son? Or what you may have that could work well for home use?

Hi Melinda,

You might be interested in taking a look at Jenn’s Argumentative Writing unit which she mentions at the end of the post . Hope this helps!

Mam it would be good if you could post some steps of different writing and some samples as well so it can be useful for the students.

Hi Aalia! My name is Holly, and I work as a Customer Experience Manager for Cult of Pedagogy. It just so happens that in the near future, Jenn is going to release a narrative writing unit, so keep an eye out for that! As far as samples, the argumentative writing unit has example essays included, and I’m sure the narrative unit will as well. But, to find the examples, you have to purchase the unit from Teachers Pay Teachers.

I just want to say that this helped me tremendously in teaching argument to 8th Graders this past school year, which is a huge concept on their state testing in April. I felt like they were very prepared, and they really enjoyed the verbal part of it, too! I have already implemented these methods into my unit plan for argument for my 11th grade class this year. Thank you so much for posting all of these things! : )

-Josee` Vaughn

I’m so glad to hear it, Josee!!

Love your blog! It is one of the best ones.

I am petrified of writing. I am teaching grade 8 in September and would love some suggestions as I start planning for the year. Thanks!

This is genius! I can’t wait to get started tomorrow teaching argument. It’s always something that I have struggled with, and I’ve been teaching for 18 years. I have a class of 31 students, mostly boys, several with IEPs. The self-paced mini-lessons will help tremendously.

So glad you liked it, Britney!

My students will begin the journey into persuasion and argument next week and your post cemented much of my thinking around how to facilitate the journey towards effective, enthusiastic argumentative writing.

I use your rubrics often to outline task expectations for my students and the feedback from them is how useful breaking every task into steps can be as they are learning new concepts.

Additionally, we made the leap into blogging as a grade at https://mrsdsroadrunners.edublogs.org/2019/01/04/your-future/ It feels much like trying to learn to change a tire while the car is speeding down the highway. Reading your posts over the past years was a factor in embracing the authentic audience. Thank You! Trish

I love reading and listening to your always helpful tips, tricks, and advice! I was wondering if you had any thoughts on creative and engaging ways to have students share their persuasive writing? My 6th students are just finishing up our persuasive writing where we read the book “Oh, Rats” by Albert Marrin and used the information gathered to craft a persuasive piece to either eliminate or protect rats and other than just reading their pieces to one another, I have been trying to think of more creative ways to share. I thought about having a debate but (un)fortunately all my kids are so sweet and are on the same side of the argument – Protect the Rats! Any ideas?

Hi Kiley! Thanks for the positive feedback! So glad to hear that you are finding value in Cult of Pedagogy! Here are a few suggestions that you may be interested in trying with your students:

-A gallery walk: Students could do this virtually if their writing is stored online or hard copies of their writing. Here are some different ways that you could use gallery walks: Enliven Class Discussions With Gallery Walks

-Students could give each other feedback using a tech tool like Flipgrid . You could assign students to small groups or give them accountability partners. In Flipgrid, you could have students sharing back and forth about their writing and their opinions.

I hope this helps!

I love the idea of mentor texts for all of these reading and writing concepts. I saw a great one on Twitter with one text and it demonstrated 5-6 reasons to start a paragraph, all in two pages of a book! Is there a location that would have suggestions/lists of mentor texts for these areas? Paragraphs, sentences, voice, persuasive writing, expository writing, etc. It seems like we could share this info, save each other some work, and curate a great collection of mentor text for English Language Arts teachers. Maybe it already exists?

Hi Maureen,

Here are some great resources that you may find helpful:

Craft Lessons Second Edition: Teaching Writing K-8 Write Like This: Teaching Real-World Writing Through Modeling and Mentor Texts and Mentor Texts, 2nd edition: Teaching Writing Through Children’s Literature, K-6

Thanks so much! I’ll definitely look into these.

I love the steps for planning an argumentative essay writing. When we return from Christmas break, we will begin starting a unit on argumentative writing. I will definitely use the steps. I especially love Step #2. As a 6th grade teacher, my students love to argue. This would set the stage of what argumentative essay involves. Thanks for sharing.

So glad to hear this, Gwen. Thanks for letting us know!

Great orientation, dear Jennifer. The step-by-step carefully planned pedagogical perspectives have surely added in the information repository of many.

Hi Jennifer,

I hope you are well. I apologise for the incorrect spelling in the previous post.

Thank you very much for introducing this effective instruction for teaching argumentative writing. I am the first year PhD student at Newcastle University, UK. My PhD research project aims to investigate teaching argumentative writing to Chinese university students. I am interested in the Argumentative Writing unit you have designed and would like to buy it. I would like to see the preview of this book before deciding to purchase it. I clicked on the image BUT the font of the preview is so small and cannot see the content clearly. I am wondering whether it could be possible for you to email me a detailed preview of what’s included. I would highly appreciate if you could help me with this.

Thank you very much in advance. Looking forward to your reply.

Take care and all the very best, Chang

Hi Chang! Jenn’s Argumentative Writing Unit is actually a teaching unit geared toward grades 7-12 with lessons, activities, etc. If you click here click here to view the actual product, you can click on the green ‘View Preview’ button to see a pretty detailed preview of what’s offered. Once you open the preview, there is the option to zoom in so you can see what the actual pages of the unit are like. I hope this helps!

Great Content!

Another teacher showed me one of your posts, and now I’ve read a dozen of them. With teaching students to argue, have you ever used the “What’s going on in this picture?” https://www.nytimes.com/column/learning-whats-going-on-in-this-picture?module=inline I used it last year and thought it was a non-threatening way to introduce learners to using evidence to be persuasive since there was no text.

I used to do something like this to help kids learn how to make inferences. Hadn’t thought of it from a persuasive standpoint. Interesting.

this is a very interesting topic, thanks!

Hi! I’m a teacher too! I was looking for inspiration and I found your article and thought you might find this online free tool interesting that helps make all students participate meaningfully and engage in a topic. https://www.kialo-edu.com/

This tool is great for student collaboration and to teach argumentative writing in an innovative way. I hope this helps!

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How to Teach Persuasive Writing

Teaching persuasive writing to our students allows them to communicate their ideas with conviction, influence others, and make their voices heard in an increasingly competitive and crowded world.

Here you’ll find a step-by-step overview of how to teach persuasive writing, so you can empower your students with a gift that will last them well beyond school

Explain to students what persuasive writing is

Your students might already be able to guess that persuasive writing convinces the reader of a particular point of view. Brainstorm all the different texts that do this, such as:

• debates and arguments
• opinion pieces
• feature articles
• letters (e.g. a cover letter for a job application)
• advertisements

Talk students through the structure of persuasive writing

Persuasive texts ten to built around three central elements. These are:

A statement of position

The statement of position clearly states the central argument of the text — generally near the beginning so audiences know what to expect right from the outset. Here’s an example from Al Gore’s 2007 Academy Award speech:

My fellow Americans, people all over the world, we need to solve the climate crisis. It’s not a political issue; it’s a moral issue. We have everything we need to get started, with the possible exception of the will to act. That’s a renewable resource. Let’s renew it.

This example is effective because Gore’s words are clear, powerful and direct. The audience is left in no doubt as to the central message.

Note: The same text could simply read ‘the climate crisis needs to be solved’, but it wouldn’t be half as effective. The use of persuasive techniques is what makes it powerful, and we’ll get to what those are later in the article.

Arguments with evidence

Once the central position has been stated, it needs be supported with arguments and evidence.

The most effective persuasive texts provide multiple arguments for one central point. To plan, you can list these as bullet points before you start writing the body of the persuasive piece.

This is also the part where a persuasive text goes into detail. Take the time to explain your arguments thoroughly and support them with evidence at every opportunity.

The takeaway

Persuasive texts finish by telling the reader what they should take away from the text. This might be a change to their way of thinking, an action to take or a new understanding or outlook on a point.

Note: A persuasive text conclusion can also include a reminder of the central argument. This won’t be necessary if the text is very short to begin with (e.g. a sentence-length advertisement), but it can be useful in longer texts with plenty of detail in the body.

Ask students to identify these steps in different kinds of persuasive texts, because they’ll look different in each. For example, a feature article might make its argument over several pages, whereas an advertisement persuades a reader to buy a product in just a few words.

Explain the different ways of appealing to an audience

Aristotle (an ancient Greek philosopher) classified persuasion into three different modes: pathos, logos and ethos . Each of these modes seeks to persuade the audience or reader via different means.

We’ll compare each of these by adapting them for a single argument: ‘homework should be a thing of the past’.

Pathos appeals to the reader’s emotions in order to persuade them. The text might make them feel delighted, saddened or confronted in order to provoke the desired response. In our argument this might be:

‘When we set children hours of homework, we take away more than just their time. We take away the joy and excitement of youth, the play and freedom that are at the heart of what it means to be young.’

Ethos appeals to the reader’s sense of justice. It highlights what is right or wrong about a certain issue in order to persuade readers of an ethically correct choice. We might adapt our argument like this:

‘The rights of the child are, in all cultures, a sacred thing. Why then, do we ignore our children when they tell us that homework takes the fun out of learning and develops only bitterness towards our education system?’

Logos appeals to the reader’s sense of logic. It makes an argument seem like a clear and rational choice that holds obvious benefits for the reader. Our argument might change to:

‘If we want kids to learn more effectively, we should probably rethink the homework that keeps them up every night and saps their spirit. Get rid of it and kids will come to school each morning happy and eager to learn.’

Explain the importance of PAC: Purpose, Audience, and Context

Help your students understand that persuasive writing is more than just an aimless rant. It’s important for them to consider:

Some arguments will have emotional content and therefore be well suited to pathos, for example, while others (e.g. an argument on financial grounds) might be better suited to a more rational approach with logos.

It’s important to know who the text is addressing and what sorts of arguments are likely to appeal to them. For example, if a text is destined for an audience who has never considered a particular issue, it might be best to spell it out with logos-based arguments before heading into more ethical territory.

Whether it’s a speech at a rally or an advertisement on a billboard, the context in which persuasive text is delivered will determine its persuasive appeals.

Remember: Almost all persuasive texts mix and match the different appeals. Use them strategically throughout the piece to add variety and appeal to as many different audiences as possible. Our piece on ‘homework should be a thing of the past’ might use all of the above arguments at different points to persuade as broad an audience as possible.

Encourage students to use different persuasive techniques

The effectiveness of persuasive writing depends on the use of persuasive techniques as well as appeals. These are the individual language features that add interest and emphasis to the arguments.

Here are six essential persuasive techniques:

Anecdotes are short recounts of real-life experiences. They are a great way of showing an author or speaker’s personal connection to a topic and linking an idea back to everyday life.

Example: ‘As I sat in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I took a look at the other cars that surrounded me. Each held only one person. Each had at least four empty seats, as did mine. And yet in an hour we would all be complaining to colleagues about the endless traffic we’d sat through on our way to work. Something didn’t add up.’

Inclusive language

Inclusive language includes the reader or audience through the pronouns ‘we’ and ‘you’. This is a powerful way of communicating togetherness or putting responsibility on an individual.

Example: ‘Our planet is broken, and we need to fix it.’

Hyperbole is another word for exaggeration. It can be used for comic effect or to communicate the extent of a situation.

Example: ‘These days children are basically born with a phone in one hand and an iPad in the other. We’ve forgotten how to disconnect from technology.’

High modality words

High modality words imply a high level of imperative or certainty, e.g. ‘must’, ‘absolutely’, ‘always’ and so on. These give persuasive writing strength and conviction.

Example: ‘We must act now in order to make a difference. We cannot afford to delay further.’

Syntax refers to sentence structure. It can be manipulated to give emphasis by alternating between long, descriptive sentences and short, direct ones.

Example: ‘Language structures our thoughts, gives us a voice and connects us with others so that we can build and become something bigger than ourselves. That’s why it’s important.’

Repeated words or phrases can give emphasis to a central idea and drive home related points in quick succession.

Example: ‘But we’re forgetting what’s most important. It’s not your car. It’s not your salary. It’s not your job. It’s not your clothes. It’s what’s inside you. That’s what makes the difference.’

These are just six examples taken from our mega list of persuasive techniques here.

Experiment with different tones

Tone describes the type of voice used in a text: its emotional inflections, its personality and its character. The voice of a persuasive text might be formal or casual, humorous or serious, energetic or relaxed.

Tone suggests how we should feel about an issue and it’s often this feeling that persuades us to adopt a text’s point of view.

When deciding on an appropriate tone, students should think about:

• the subject matter: how serious is it?
• the audience: what are they likely to expect from a text of this nature?
• the context: where will this text be seen, heard or read?

Here are 15 different tones for students to experiment with:

Tips for teaching persuasive writing

Demystify persuasive texts for your students by:

Activating prior knowledge

Ask your students what they know about persuasion already. How do they convince parents, teachers and friends when they want something?

You could also ask students to come up with arguments on an issue they are already passionate about. Your students will naturally adopt different persuasive techniques as they express the arguments verbally — which paves the way for writing.

Looking at examples

Use topical speeches, feature articles and opinion pieces as examples. Read through them together and ask students to highlight the persuasive techniques they notice — even if they don’t have a name for them.

You can also use models to examine the structure of persuasive texts. Ask students to break a text into chunks and label each section (e.g. ‘introducing the point’, ‘providing evidence’, ‘linking it back to us’).

Planning before writing

When your students set about writing a persuasive text, scaffold their planning with the following questions:

• What do I want my reader to do/think/believe after they have read this?
• Who is my target audience and what do they already believe/know about this topic?
• What persuasive appeals would work for this audience?
• What tone is appropriate for this topic?
• What arguments and evidence can I use to justify my points?

Reading persuasive texts aloud

Reading persuasive texts aloud is the best way for students to get a sense of tone and emotive inflection.

Students could write speeches and present them with maximum conviction. Connecting it to verbal delivery encourages them to think carefully about how to structure their words for persuasive effect.

Connect persuasion to the real world

Persuasive writing is taught most effectively when it is linked to real-world issues that your students care about. It’s their chance to be heard and speak their minds, so encourage them to own their voice and get passionate!

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Persuasive Lesson Plans and Activities

Explore ready-made resources and discover how to teach the key concepts behind each Step.

Lesson plans.

• This series of sample lesson plans demonstrates how to teach the Seven Steps activities using the explicit teaching model – I Do, We Do, You Do.
• Each lesson plan includes relevant links to the Australian Curriculum and NAPLAN marking criteria, plus a learning intention and success criteria to assist with planning and assessment.
• Become a Teacher Hub member to access the full range of Seven Steps Lesson Plans.

Think First, Write Second

STEP Step 1: Plan for Success PURPOSE Teach RESOURCE TYPE Lesson plan YEAR 3–6 RELATED

• Learn how to brainstorm and select great ideas for a persuasive text.
• Students work in groups to come up with several arguments for and against a topic.

• These templates promote creative thinking and encourage students to have fun with the Seven Steps.
• We have a range of templates available for students of all ages and ability levels (see  Teacher Hub  for more). Students can write or draw on the templates; many are editable PDFs that can be used electronically.

For and Against Topic Brainstorm

STEP Step 1: Plan for Success PURPOSE Apply RESOURCE TYPE Template YEAR F–10

• This editable template is left blank to fill with a ‘for and against’ topic of your choice.
• Teach students to brainstorm ideas for and against a topic before picking a side

Planning tools

• Need tips on how to implement the Seven Steps? We have a selection of planning resources on Teacher Hub to help you with ideas and inspiration.

Writing Improvement Agenda

STEP All Steps PURPOSE Teach RESOURCE TYPE Planning YEAR  F–10 RELATED Bucking the trend with the Seven Steps

• A sample Term 4 planning document from Allenstown State School in Queensland.
• Amalgamates the NAPLAN marking criteria with the Seven Steps in a fortnightly scheme of work.

More persuasive resources

Explore more classroom resources and make persuasive writing fun with the Seven Steps!

Writing samples and exemplars

Discover the difference Seven Steps can make with these student writing samples. We also have ‘real world’ exemplars – discover how professional authors use the Seven Steps in narrative texts.

Picture writing prompts

These visual prompts offer fun and quick writing practice to develop your students’ writing skills, one Step at a time.

Other text types

Mastered persuasive writing? Explore more Seven Steps resources for narrative and informative writing!

Narrative writing

Lesson plans and activities to help your students create epic tales and become great storytellers.

Informative writing

Lesson plans and activities to help your students write engaging informative texts that bring facts to life.

Persuasive Writing Course

Step-by-Step guide to teaching the Seven Steps for persuasive writing.

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Arguments and persuasive texts

If you are looking for lesson resources, worksheets and templates for teaching persuasive writing and argumentative writing, we’ve got a wide range of engaging resources to improve KS3 and GCSE English students’ writing skills and develop their use of emotive language.

From persuasive letter examples to inspiring writing prompts, you’ll find detailed lists of persuasive techniques and writing techniques they can use, as well as scaffolded, step-by-step resources to show students how to structure their ideas through paragraphs to create balanced arguments.

Students sometimes struggle to present a persuasive argument, express their point of view clearly and coherently, and offer counterarguments, so you’ll also find models and exemplars to help them to brainstorm and identify the main points before they start writing.

If you are looking for GCSE exam practice tasks, like articles, speeches and persuasive letter writing activities, we’ve got a range of exam-style questions to hone exam skills and confidence too.

For a comprehensive scheme of work with lesson plans, try our Argue and persuade teaching pack for KS3 students. 

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Persuasive writing – Full KS3/4 scheme and resources

Editable worksheets, PowerPoint for all lessons, teacher notes

This free persuasive writing scheme for KS3/4 by teacher James Tickle contains 17 lessons’ worth of material. It covers speeches, informal and formal letters, articles and more…

Focus of lessons

1: Introduce students to the writing criteria and basic persuasive devices

2: Increase awareness of speech structure and persuasive devices specific to speeches

3: Practise writing in a GCSE speech format, targeting a specific audience

4: Use counter-arguments and develop ideas into extended arguments through guided writing

5: Display what you’ve learnt so far about speeches via an assessment

6: Gain awareness of formal letter structures and practise writing addresses and an opening

7: Comparatively analyse two persuasive texts and demonstrate your understanding

8: Develop redrafting ability by producing a high-quality complaint letter

9: 5: Display what you’ve learnt so far about formal letters via an assessment

10: Understand the structure of an informal letter and develop the ability to use different tones in your writing

11: Comparatively analyse two persuasive texts and demonstrate your understanding

12: Practise your ability to write in the GCSE informal letter structure and develop sentence structures

13: Display what you’ve learnt so far about informal letters via an assessment

14: Understand the format of an article and practise writing in the format

15: Continue practising article formats and sentence structures

16: Consolidate knowledge of articles

17: Display what you’ve learnt so far about articles via an assessment

Assessment focus

AO4: Evaluate texts critically and support this with appropriate textual references

AO5: Communicate clearly, effectively and imaginatively, selecting and adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences. Organise information and ideas, using structural and grammatical features to support coherence and cohesion of texts

AO6: Candidates must use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and punctuation

National curriculum link

Evaluate texts critically; communicate clearly, effectively & imaginatively, with accurate SPaG

These resources were created by teacher James Tickle . Browse more persuasive writing techniques resources for KS3/4.

Similar resources

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• Romeo and Juliet key quotes – 10 posters & worksheet
• King Lear – Seven PowerPoints to explain the play
• Whole class feedback – Year 11 example PDF
• Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman – Classroom ideas

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Level 3 and 4 persuasive writing

​unit overview.

The following science unit of work uses the Teaching and Learning Cycle to help students build content science knowledge, while extending skills in writing, reading, speaking and listening. Teacher support for vocabulary development will vary according to students’ current knowledge.

Consideration will be given to students from EAL/D backgrounds and for those students whose experience with ‘endangered animals’ is limited.  Writing to persuade is a major focus of this unit. See Genre in the Primary Curriculum

Stages of the teaching and learning cycle

Links to the victorian curriculum, building the field, modelling the text (deconstruction), guided practice (or joint construction), independent construction.

Derewianka, B. 2011. A new grammar companion for teachers, Marrickville Metro, NSW: PETAA.

Derewianka, B. & Jones, P. (2016). Teaching language in context (2nd ed.). South Melbourne, Vic: Oxford University Press.

Humphrey, S. (2017). Academic literacies in the Middle Years: A framework for enhancing teacher knowledge and student achievement. New York and London: Routledge.

Humphrey, S. & Feez, S. (2016). Direct instruction fit for purpose: applying a metalinguistic toolkit to enhance creative writing in the early secondary years. Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, 39(3), 207-219. 

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Rebecca: The Irish Teacher

Former expat, who returned to ireland with a passion for quality, purposeful lessons, ideas for persuasive writing.

For the last two weeks, we have engaged with the genre of persuasive writing. Personally, I find that since returning to school after distance learning, the children are not as enthusiastic about writing.

With that in mind, I wanted to motivate them to write, while covering persuasive writing at the same time. I decided to focus on persuasive adverts as it was a nice introduction to this genre and allowed for more creativity and fun in my opinion.

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Planning for Persuasive Writing

As always when I start a new genre, I took out my trusty copy of Talk for Writing to see if there were any key ideas that I could use to inform my planning.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rebecca The Irish Teacher ☘️ (@rebecca.the.irish.teacher)

Before I began planning, I then knew that I wanted children to reach these end goals after two weeks:

• Audience- to understand WHO their advertisement was for.
• Weasel words- to use persuasive adjectives and descriptions to persuade their reader.
• Author’s choice- to comment on the effect of shapes, colours and fonts used to persuade the reader and apply this when creating their own advertisement.
• Presentation- to think about how to make the key information stand out to their reader.
• Topic specific vocabulary- to ensure the children had the vocabulary needed to sell their product successfully.

Once decided on the end goals of this unit, I was able to plan my daily lessons accordingly.

With each genre, it is so important to have a variety of texts for children to pick apart and take ideas from. While I normally take from my library , with this genre, I wanted children to get a sense of real-life purpose with their writing this week.

We physically cut apart and dissected an Aldi leaflet and took SO much inspiration from it. What better than a real-life example of persuasive writing in action. But also- NO PREP!

They are free in all Aldi stores and FULL of useful lessons (Maths too).

Setting children up for success to write a persuasive advertisement

Below I’ll list some activities which we did in order to build the children up to write a successful persuasive advertisement.

Gauge their understanding of oral persuasion

I modelled how to persuade the children to do their Maths work. I showed them how to use flattery (but not too much) and inform them of how it would be a good choice FOR THEM. We had to have lots of discussions about how and why threats can’t be used too.

Then, I wrote 25 topics on lollipop sticks and asked children to practise persuading the others on their table, using a similar technique. This was a good way for me to assess where children needed help with persuasive writing in the coming weeks.

Highlight “weasel words” in the Aldi leaflet

In mixed ability pairs, allow children to use a highlighter or marker to underline the words that would catch the reader’s eye. For example: quick absorbing and enriched with anti-oxidants.

Allow them to make a list in their copies to refer back to. Not all weasel words will be relevant to their product, but they will be able to choose themselves when it comes to that.

Sort positive and negative adjectives

This was done as a starter for a lesson. Children worked in pairs to discuss and decided which adjective went into which category. This increased their awareness of the importance of choosing the correct adjective and the impact that it would have on their product’s sales.

Turn a “negative” paragraph into a “positive” paragraph

Display the “negative” paragraph on the board and highlight all of the adjectives that make this paragraph sound negative and unappealing. As a class, make a list of appropriate words that could replace them to make this paragraph much more appealing and persuasive.

End this lesson by discussing the importance of choosing effective adjectives and descriptions for a product.

Create a sample, “super” advert

This lesson was very effective and useful to build on prior to the children’s writing of their own advertisement.

Children were asked to create an advertisement for a toy dinosaur in pairs on sugar paper. They could cut out any “weasel words” or price tags from the Aldi leaflet that they felt stood out.

This really made for great discussion on which price tags or slogans caught their eye and why. It also led to a discussion on how many eye-catching phrases were too much, as it would overwhelm the reader.

Bullet points were collectively chosen too to portray the information, as shoppers don’t have time to read paragraphs of information. They want it quickly and clearly.

Create a list of “weasel words” that could be used for our product

As mentioned before, we were building up to create an advertisement for a dinosaur toy. We were covering dinosaurs in guided reading,  so I figured it made sense to link the two. Make the product relevant to the children. They then flicked through the Aldi leaflet again, with a different hat on this time. They picked out “weasel words” that could be used to sell a dinosaur toy and jotted them down for reference later in the week.

Words such as:

• Toddler friendly
• Made from recyclable material
• Batteries included

These were words that children discussed in pairs and decided whether or not it was relevant to their toy. It was amazing to see them take ownership of their work and not rely on a list that I could have (but didn’t) provided for them.

These activities took place over the course of two weeks. By this point, I felt that my class were ready to create their own advertisement.

I gave them an A4 page each, their “super sample” that they made earlier in the week and displayed this criteria on the board. Nothing fancy at all, but it was super effective.

• Product  Name
• Description (Bullet Points)
• 1 or 2 persuasive phrases.

Think about

If you look closely to the images below, you will notice that the children chose to use dinosaur footprints instead of bullet points, to catch the readers eye.

They really thought carefully about their designs, sizes, shapes and fonts.

They chose their words carefully and effectively and I couldn’t be more proud of them on the end results.

End Product

Resources for Persuasive Writing – in the past with 3rd Class/Year 4 pupils, I made use of this resource and it worked wonders.

However, I felt like delving into this topic a little differently this year. Feel free to screenshot and use anything I’ve mentioned above and tag me on Instagram if you’d like too. I love seeing people using my ideas.

For a simple poetry lesson idea, click here .

For ways to promote a love of reading in the class, click here.

I hope this was helpful.

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Persuasive Writing Techniques

A small lesson on understanding the techniques of persuasion and how to get better at persuasive writing. Children act out persuasion techniques in small groups and also sort from most powerful to least powerful.

Australian Curriculum Links:

• Understand how  authors  often innovate on  text structures  and play with  language features  to achieve particular  aesthetic , humorous and persuasive purposes and effects  (ACELA1518)
• Select, navigate and  read   texts  for a range of purposes, applying appropriate  text processing strategies  and interpreting structural features, for example table of contents, glossary, chapters, headings and subheadings  (ACELY1712)
• Plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive  texts , choosing and experimenting with text structures ,  language features , images and digital resources appropriate to purpose and audience   (ACELY1714)
• Reread and edit students’ own and others’ work using agreed criteria and explaining editing choices (ACELY1715)
• Plan, rehearse and deliver presentations, selecting and sequencing appropriate content and multimodal elements to influence a course of action (ACELY1751)

Lesson Outline:

Timeframe: 45 mins – 1 hour 30 mins

Introduction:

• Set learning intention on board so students are clear on what they are learning and why (Learning how to use persuasive language to persuade people to believe our thoughts, like politicians and lawyers do outside of school)
• Watch a variety of election promises from politicians and discuss their strength in persuading you (children) to believe them.
• Handout Persuasive Language Techniques and ask children to get into groups and look at creating 4 examples for 1 of the techniques (e.g. Group 1 has ‘ATTACKS’ so they have to come up with 4 different examples) to be modeled back to the class (role play)
• At the end of the role play, give every child 3 sticky notes and list all the Persuasive Language Techniques on the board. Ask small groups to come up and place their 3 sticky notes next to the techniques that they saw as most powerful.
• Discuss results when all children have finished and clarify which are more powerful if some students haven’t seen it.

Assessment:

• Success criteria (developed by children at the start):  I know I will be successful when…
• Anecdotal notes
• Photo of sticky notes (with names on them) showing that they understand which techniques are more powerful than others.
• Persuasive Language Techniques   (Word Document)
• Sticky notes

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Learning Persuasive Writing & Argument (9-14 years)

Subject: English

Age range: 11-14

Resource type: Unit of work

Last updated

10 April 2024

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Learning Persuasive Writing and Argument is an essential guide for all students wanting to develop their literacy skills and improve their grades in English assignments and examinations. This book concentrates specifically and in depth on the art of persuasive writing and creating a good argument. These are key skills required by the National Curriculum up to GCSE level. It is specifically targeted at Key Stage 2 and 3 (ages 8-14 years) but will also be a valuable resource for those taking GCSE up to grades C and above. It contains material suitable for UK National Curriculum SATS, for those taking 11+ entrance examinations, for GCSE exams and for students learning English as a foreign language.

Learning Persuasive Writing will enable the student to write convincingly in letters, leaflets, brochures and newspaper articles for example. The book also sets out how to write a well-balanced argument. It teaches the pupil how to structure their writing, putting forward a point of view, backing it up with convincing evidence, building up a relevant counter argument and knocking it down, as well as, putting forward their own comments and opinions. It focuses on discursive writing enabling the pupil to examine points for and against in a variety of subjects suitable for older children and teenage readers, healthy eating, fashion, social issues and many more. It includes a lively collection of writings, poems and a play to inspire the pupil. These are designed as starting points, ideal for the pupil who finds it difficult to think up ideas for writing, challenging them to recreate their own persuasive pieces.

In addition to this the book teaches organisational and literary devices in persuasive writing, including, figurative language, emotive words, repetition, connectives and use of good vocabulary. The student will learn how to consider writing for the appropriate audience, how to vary sentence types in order to make writing more interesting, and the importance of using good spelling, punctuation and grammar. They will learn vital essay writing skills that will assist their studies in other areas of the curriculum. Learning Persuasive Writing and Argument, includes an exciting range of model answers and sample texts written by children and provides practice questions to test them. Common errors made by students are highlighted and corrected. It is packed with vital hints and tips to enable the pupil to be successful and gain good grades. Learning Persuasive Writing and Argument is ideal for home study and will reinforce the work done in school. It is a companion to the other books in our series, Creative Writing and Information Writing. By working methodically through this book the student will grow in confidence.

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Teach Your Child Good English Series (Complete Series books 1-3) 9-14 years

Teach your child to write good English is the essential guide for all students wanting to develop their literacy skills and improve their grades in English assignments and examinations. The three-book box set combines Creative Story Writing, Learning Persuasive Writing and Argument and Information Writing. Together they provide a course that will teach your child to write and develop his or her own ideas, satisfying the requirements of the National Curriculum. These books will enable the child to gain top grades. Teach your child to write good English has been written by an experienced teacher and tutor, with the needs of children in mind. Teach your child to write good English box set is specifically targeted at Key Stage 2 and 3 (ages 8-14 years). However, it provides a useful aid for students taking GCSE at foundation level. It contains material suitable for SATS examinations, for those taking 11+ entrance exams and for students learning English as a foreign language. Book 1: Creative Story Writing guides the student through the story writing process, as if they had a tutor by their side. This book is designed to help the child think up ideas, providing starting points and guidelines on structuring and organizing their writing. Creative Story Writing teaches the rudiments of story writing. It teaches the child to plan stories with an introduction, building up events to create suspense in the middle paragraph and winding up the plot with a good ending. There is emphasis on building up characters and settings. Book 2: Learning Persuasive Writing and Argument will enable the student to practice different aspects of writing: letters, leaflets, brochures and newspaper articles for example. The book also sets out how to write a well-balanced argument. It teaches the pupil how to structure their writing, putting forward a point of view, backing it up with convincing evidence, building up a relevant counter argument and knocking it down, as well as, putting forward their own comments and opinions. It focuses on discursive writing enabling the pupil to examine points for and against in a variety of subjects suitable for older children and teenage readers, healthy eating, fashion, social issues and many more. It includes a lively collection of writings, poems and a play to inspire the pupil. These are designed as starting points, ideal for the pupil who finds it difficult to think up ideas for writing, challenging them to recreate their own persuasive pieces. Book 3: Information Writing teaches the child to recognize the difference between facts and opinions. It concentrates on different aspects of information writing required by the National Curriculum, including writing to advise, to inform, to explain, analyse, review and comment, giving examples. It teaches the child how a newspaper article is structured, how to write formal and informal letters, diaries, police reports, e-mails, autobiographies, interviews, book reviews and many more. In each book, attention is given to making writing more interesting by varying sentence types and the importance of using good spelling, punctuation and grammar. The student will investigate writing for the appropriate audience and using different narrative structures. They will learn to evoke mood and atmosphere by using good vocabulary. In addition to this the set teaches organisational and literary devices in writing, including, figurative language, emotive words, repetition and connectives. They will learn to evoke mood and atmosphere by using good vocabulary. In addition to this the set teaches organisational and literary devices in writing, including, figurative language, emotive words, repetition and connectives. They will learn vital writing skills that will assist their studies in other areas of the curriculum. Teach your child to write good English includes an exciting range of model answers and sample texts written by children and provides practice questions to test them. The set is packed with vital hints and tips to enable the pupil to gain top grades.

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