Today, we are going to start a new block of learning – all about persuasive writing. When we write a piece of persuasive writing, we are trying to persuade someone or change their opinion.
Task 2a - writing
This short video from BBC Bitesize https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/english-ks1-ks2-how-to-write-a-persuasive-text/zkcfbdm sums up persuasive writing clearly. You may want to watch it twice.
To summarise –
- Your work must have a clear title which grabs your reader’s interest
- Start off with an introduction which states what your writing will be about and what your own opinion is
- Each of your reasons should be in a separate paragraph.
- If you know of a clear counter argument, you should include it and say why you believe it is incorrect.
- Use emotive language (language which causes you to feel an emotion)
- Write in the first person (I, he, she and so on)
- Write in the present tense (It is clear that…)
- End your writing with a conclusion and perhaps a rhetorical question
*A counter argument is the argument for the opposite side.
Task 2b
Firstly, make a list of pros and cons about this statement – Weekends should be extended to three days per week. If you find this tricky, think about what would happen (good and bad) if this became a real thing.
Once you have your list, decide if you agree or disagree with the statement.
Now, you are going to plan your writing –
| ‘Weekends should be extended to three days a week’. |
||
| Introduction | What is your writing going to be about? | Do you agree or disagree? |
| Paragraph 1 | Reason 1 - | Clear explanation |
| Paragraph 2 | Reason 2 - | Clear explanation |
| Paragraph 3 | Reason 3 - | Clear explanation |
| Remember to include as many paragraphs as you need to | ||
| Conclusion | Summarise your ideas | End with a rhetorical question or clear statement |
Once you feel that your plan is clear and you know exactly where to start, you can start your persuasive writing about ‘Weekends should be extended to three days a week’.
If you agree with the statement you should state this in your introduction and write about why you believe this is right, including all of your reasons in clear paragraphs. If you don’t agree you should state this in your introduction and give all the reasons why you think this. For both ideas, you must use the guide above to help you structure your writing. I have included a word bank to help you with this task.
You can use your jotter to handwrite your story, type it on Glow or type it straight onto your ePortfolio.
Once you have finished, look at the list above to check that you have included everything you need and check your work over. To assess your work this week, I would like you to ask someone else to read it and ask them for their honest ideas about it – did it persuade them or start to change their mind?
I really enjoy reading your work each week so please email it to me or share it on Teams.