Children's Literature/Mentor Texts
It is time to pick a class president at Barkadelphia school. Throughout the book we see how the three dogs running, Tiffany, Charles and Otto, try to persuade their classmates to vote for them to be the new class president.
This book tells the story of Farmer Brown and his animals. His animals have decided that there are some things that they would like Farmer Brown to get for them that they think would make their lives better. Through their letters and their actions, they try to persuade him to get them what they want.
Ike has been sent to obedience school, and does not think that he should be there. He sends many letters to his owner, Mrs. LaRue, trying different ways to persuade her to come pick him up. Will he be successful? Will Mrs. LaRue come to get him?
Alex thinks that he needs an iguana as a pet. His mother, however, does not agree. Throughout the book Alex writes letters to his mother giving her reasons why he should get the iguana in order to persuade her to let him get it. His mother always returns a letter with her counter argument. Who will get the final say? Will Alex get his iguana or will his mother hold out?
The little girl in this story wants her ears pierced more than anything, but her parents refuse to let her get them pierced. She spends a lot of time coming up with different arguments to try to persuade her parents to allow her ears to be pierced.
This book is about a little boy who is trying to convince his mom that he should be allowed to get a pet dinosaur. He tries many different arguments, some serious, some silly, to try to persuade his mom.
Some Fun Activities to Do in Your Classroom
I should go to the next grade because...
Use this activity towards the end of the year with your students. They must write a piece telling the teacher why they deserve to move on to the next grade. Be sure that they use details and examples of how their skills have improved in writing (or any subject) to help persuade the teacher.
Found on http://pinterest.com/pin/13370130113695504/
Found on http://pinterest.com/pin/13370130113695504/
Buy my product!
At the end of your persuasive writing unit, have students create a product that they want to sell to their classmates. Have them write and then present a commercial that will persuade their classmates to buy their product.
Writing Prompts
Here are 24 thought-provoking prompts to jump-start persuasive writing. Aligned with common core objectives for persuasive writing, these prompts allow students to experiment with a variety of genres with a common purpose.
Download the file by clicking on the picture to the left. Print on card stock, laminate, and cut apart and you're ready to use these in a variety of ways!
Found on http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Persuasive-Writing-Prompts-FREEBIE
Download the file by clicking on the picture to the left. Print on card stock, laminate, and cut apart and you're ready to use these in a variety of ways!
Found on http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Persuasive-Writing-Prompts-FREEBIE
My Dad's An Alien
For younger grades, it might be fun to watch this brief video (Audi car commercial) in which a girl provides the evidence she has for her dad being an alien. You can then have a discussion about providing evidence and reasons that you believe something, which is important for persuasive writing.
Braveheart Persuasion
A good example (despite video quality) to show high school students - ethos, pathos, and logos found in a famous movie speech. Be sure to watch it with the Annotations On!