Persuasive Writing You are learning to identify the main features of persuasive writing

Look at the persuasive text on your table. Look through it with a partner and highlight the headings and sub-headings.

Sleep is important Nobody fully understands why we need it, but scientists think that the body uses the time to recover and to repair damage. When we fall asleep our heart and breathing rates slow down, muscles relax and our senses rest. If this is the case, are you giving your body enough rest? Consider this. Lack of sleep means that the body and brain do not work properly. If you don’t go to bed at a reasonable time, you will be sleepy in class and not learn so much. Significantly, tiredness means you may not be able to think clearly, therefore you may also be a danger to other people. Accidents can happen. In particular, you will lack energy, and even playing becomes too much of an effort. Is staying up late really worth it? Calling All Sleepyheads!

Sleep is important Calling All Sleepyheads! Well done if you highlighted…

Look through the same text and use a different colour to highlight the connectives you can see.

Well done if you highlighted… Nobody fully understands why we need it, but scientists think that the body uses the time to recover and to repair damage. When we fall asleep our heart and breathing rates slow down, muscles relax and our senses rest. Above all, if this is the case, are you giving your body enough rest? Consider this. Lack of sleep means that the body and brain do not work properly. If you don’t go to bed at a reasonable time, you will be sleepy in class and not learn so much. Significantly, tiredness means you may not be able to think clearly, therefore you may also be a danger to other people. Accidents can happen. In particular, you will lack energy, and even playing becomes too much of an effort. Is staying up late really worth it?

Look through the text again and use a different colour to highlight the rhetorical questions you can see.

Well done if you highlighted… Nobody fully understands why we need it, but scientists think that the body uses the time to recover and to repair damage. When we fall asleep our heart and breathing rates slow down, muscles relax and our senses rest. Above all, if this is the case, are you giving your body enough rest? Consider this. Lack of sleep means that the body and brain do not work properly. If you don’t go to bed at a reasonable time, you will be sleepy in class and not learn so much. Significantly, tiredness means you may not be able to think clearly, therefore you may also be a danger to other people. Accidents can happen. In particular, you will lack energy, and even playing becomes too much of an effort. Is staying up late really worth it?

Right, almost done! Look through the text and use a different colour to highlight the emotive language you can see.

Well done if you highlighted… Nobody fully understands why we need it, but scientists think that the body uses the time to recover and to repair damage. When we fall asleep our heart and breathing rates slow down, muscles relax and our senses rest. Above all, if this is the case, are you giving your body enough rest? Consider this. Lack of sleep means that the body and brain do not work properly. If you don’t go to bed at a reasonable time, you will be sleepy in class and not learn so much. Significantly, tiredness means you may not be able to think clearly, therefore you may also be a danger to other people. Accidents can happen. In particular, you will lack energy, and even playing becomes too much of an effort. Is staying up late really worth it?

Now, highlight the technical language in the text.

Well done if you highlighted… Nobody fully understands why we need it, but scientists think that the body uses the time to recover and to repair damage. When we fall asleep our heart and breathing rates slow down, muscles relax and our senses rest. Above all, if this is the case, are you giving your body enough rest? Consider this. Lack of sleep means that the body and brain do not work properly. If you don’t go to bed at a reasonable time, you will be sleepy in class and not learn so much. Significantly, tiredness means you may not be able to think clearly, therefore you may also be a danger to other people. Accidents can happen. In particular, you will lack energy, and even playing becomes too much of an effort. Is staying up late really worth it?

Keep your thinking caps on, do you notice anywhere in the text where the writer has tried to make opinion sound like fact? Have they also dared the reader to disagree with them? What other persuasive features are there in the text?

Your mission now is to come up with a persuasive writing checklist that we can use to help us identify and write our own persuasive texts. Think about what we’ve just done. Use your partner to help you. Would someone else think of the same things? Can you get the same items as Mrs Wood has on her checklist?!

Features of Persuasive Writing  Rhetorical questions  Emotive language  Technical language  Make opinions sound like facts  Use present tense  Dare the reader to disagree  Appropriate connectives  Powerful verbs and adjectives

Your challenge… Your challenge is to now have a go at writing your own persuasive text. Your title is Are computer games good for children? You can try to persuade your reader either way but I should be able to say what your opinion is when I read them through tomorrow. Have fun!

Have we met our learning objective? What were we learning today? Discuss with a partner how well you think you’ve achieved it.