persuasive essay lesson plan grade 6

Can You Convince Me? Developing Persuasive Writing

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Instructional Plan
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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.

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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
Strategy Guides
Lesson Plans
Student Interactives

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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Lesson Plan: Teaching Persuasive Writing for Grade 6

Objective: Students will be able to effectively write a persuasive essay by using persuasive techniques and providing strong evidence to support their arguments.

Materials: - Whiteboard or chart paper - Markers - Handouts with persuasive writing prompts - Exemplars of persuasive essays

Introduction (10 minutes): a. Begin the lesson by asking students if they have ever tried to convince someone to do or believe something. Discuss their experiences and the strategies they used. b. Explain that today, they will be learning how to write persuasive essays, which are essays that aim to convince the reader to agree with their point of view. c. Share the objective of the lesson and explain the importance of persuasive writing in everyday life.

Understanding Persuasive Techniques (15 minutes): a. Introduce and define common persuasive techniques such as emotional appeal, logical appeal, and credibility. b. Provide examples of each technique and discuss how they can be used effectively in persuasive writing. c. Engage students in a brief discussion about the impact of persuasive techniques on the reader.

Analyzing Exemplars (20 minutes): a. Distribute exemplars of persuasive essays to each student. b. Instruct students to read the essays and identify the persuasive techniques used by highlighting or underlining them. c. After reading, facilitate a class discussion to analyze the exemplars. Ask students to share their findings and discuss the effectiveness of the techniques used. d. Emphasize the importance of providing strong evidence to support arguments and ask students to identify the evidence used in the exemplars.

Brainstorming and Outlining (15 minutes): a. Provide students with a persuasive writing prompt or allow them to choose their own topic. b. Instruct students to brainstorm arguments and evidence to support their chosen position. c. Encourage students to use the persuasive techniques discussed earlier in their arguments. d. Once students have brainstormed, guide them in creating an outline for their essay, ensuring they have a clear introduction, body paragraphs with supporting evidence, and a conclusion.

Writing the Persuasive Essay (30 minutes): a. Instruct students to use their outlines to write their persuasive essays. b. Circulate the classroom to provide individual support and guidance as needed. c. Remind students to use persuasive techniques and provide strong evidence to support their arguments. d. Encourage students to revise and edit their essays for clarity, coherence, and grammar.

Sharing and Peer Feedback (15 minutes): a. Allow students to share their essays with a partner or in small groups. b. Instruct students to provide constructive feedback to their peers, focusing on the use of persuasive techniques and the strength of the evidence provided. c. Encourage students to revise their essays based on the feedback received.

Conclusion (5 minutes): a. Recap the main points of the lesson, emphasizing the importance of persuasive writing skills. b. Encourage students to continue practicing persuasive writing in their daily lives. c. Provide positive feedback and praise for their efforts.

Exemplars: - Exemplar 1: “Why Students Should Have Longer Lunch Breaks” - Exemplar 2: “The Benefits of Reading for Pleasure” - Exemplar 3: “Why Recycling is Essential for a Sustainable Future”

Note: The exemplars can be sourced from various online platforms or created by the teacher based on relevant topics.