Persuasive Writing

Grade: 2

Stage 1 Desired Results

Conceptual Understandings: Students will
Essential Questions:
understand that writers can use words to
1.How can I express my point of view?
influence others thoughts, actions and
2.What role does the audience play in
feelings.
my writing?
3. What can I do to change peoples
minds?
Students will know . . .(Knowledge)
1. The purpose and structure of persuasive
writing.
2. Arguments are the statements a writer
uses to defend their position.
3. An audience is the group or person a
writer is trying to convince.

Students will be able to . . . (Skills)

1. Write persuasive statements (arguments)
for the appropriate audience.
2. Use connectives (Firstly,Secondly)
3. Use modal verbs (should,must), action
verbs, thinking verbs
4. Use evaluative language
5. Begin to identify the difference between
fact and opinion

Stage 2 Assessment Evidence

Pre-Assessment: Students will write a persuasive letter based on a topic of their own interests
(using the iPad, bedtime, utube..).

Performance/Summative Tasks:
Students will write a persuasive letter and/or
writing piece to someone in their family,
community or world.
Students will chose topics related to the unit
of inquiry. Students will choose a real and
appropriate audience for their letters.
Students will also choose meaningful
arguments to support their position. They
will share their letters with classmates (and
their intended audience where possible).
Students will also create a visual artifact to
support their argument.

Other Evidence:

Stage 3 Learning Plan

IntroducingPersuasion,ArgumentsPutupchartpaperwithvariouspersuasivetopicsaroundtheroom.Each
chartshouldhaveaTchartwithayesandnocolumn.Studentswillwalkaroundtheroom,usingpostitnoteswiththeirname,and
willplacetheirpostitnoteonthesidetheyagreewith.AfterwardsdiscusseachtopicandhavestudentsexplainwhytheychoseYES
orNo.Asstudentsshareconflictingideas,askthemwhatishappeninginourdiscussions?[Wearesharingouropinionsandtryingto
convinceotherstoagreewithus.]
TOPICScaninclude:
Shouldkidswearuniformstoschool?
Shouldkidshaveabedtime?
Shouldsecondgradersgeticecreamdailyatlunch?
ShouldkidsbeabletowatchYouTubeatschool?
Shouldkidshavehomework?
Fromstudentsideas,introducethedefinitionofPERSUASIVEWRITINGwhenwritersfeelstronglyaboutsomething,and
trytoconvinceotherstothinkthesamewaytheydo,bymakingarguments.DefineARGUMENTSstatementsyouuseto
defendyourposition(connecttostudentsreasonsforthinkingacertainway).[Createanchorcharttouseduringunit].Allow
studentstochangetheplacementofanyoftheirpostitsafterourdiscussion.Encouragestudentstotalkaboutwhy/what
madethemchangetheirminds.Tellstudentsthisispersuasion.Wehearothersarguments...andtheirargumentsmakeus
changeouropinionsorPERSUADEus.Persuasioncanhappenquicklywhengoodargumentsarebeingmade!Wherein
YOURlifedoyouseepersuasion?Whendopeopletrytopersuadeyou?Howdotheydoit?[Inreadingtheywillhave
alreadyseenexamplesofpersuasion,suchascommercials,advertisements,etc.]AskstudentsWhatdidwelearnabout
persuasivewritingtoday?[Letstudentsshareideasmakesuretocoverwhatpersuasivewritingis,andwhatarguments
are].Recordonnotecard.
**Brainstormingtopics
Tellstudentsbeforedoingthisfinalpersuasiveletter,wewillhavelotsofpracticewithHOWtowritepersuasivewriting.Tell
studentsthefirststeptowriting,ischoosingaTOPIC!Sotodaywearejustgoingtobrainstormsomeideasthatyoucouldwrite
about.Askstudentswhattheywouldliketochangeorconvinceotherpeopleof.UseThinkPairSharetohelpstudentsbeginto
brainstormpersuasivewritingtopics.Chartstudentsideas.
Readalouds:PersuasiveWritingmentortextsonutubetosupportunit:IWannaIguana,ThePerfectPet,HeyLittleAnt,Click,Clack,
Moo,DearMrs.LaRue,theTigerWhoCametoTea(whycanananimalcometotea:persuadeinasimplesentencebeginningof
thetexttype.connectwithhowyouconvinceyourparentstodosomething.
Audience(chooseatopicinwhichyoudonthavethedecisionthinkaboutyouraudience)Tellstudents...Ireallywanttowear
jeanstomorrow.Iwouldbesomuchmorecomfortable.Icouldrunaroundatrecess.Itwonttakemesolongtogetreadyinthe
morning.Jeansgowitheverything,andIhavesomanyIhaventgottentowear.CanIpleasewearjeanstomorrow?!Ireallythink
youallshouldletme.Askstudentswhattheythink...Canyouwearjeanstomorrow?[EventuallydiscussthatNO,youcantbecause
theyarenottheoneswhomakethatdecision!].IntroduceAUDIENCEthepersonyouarewritingyourpersuasiveletterto.Ask
studentswhyitisimportanttothinkaboutyouraudience?[Youwanttowritetotherightperson,usedifferentargumentsfordifferent
people].Revisittopicsgeneratedbystudentsthedaybeforeandidentifyaudiences.Addaudiencetonotecard.
Audience,Dear______Activity
Wholegroup:Reviewwhataudienceisandwhyitisimportantinpersuasivewriting.Brainstormtopicsforspecificaudiences
usingAudienceBrainstormworksheet(Parents,teachers,principals,strangers)
Smallgrouppractice:Studentswillreadseveralshortletters[withasmallgroup]andidentifytheaudience,byfillinginthe
Dear______portionoftheletter.Comebacktogetherafterwardsanddiscussaudienceselectionforeachletter,andhave
studentsexplainwhytheychoseeachaudience.AlsodiscusswhyotheraudienceswouldNOTmakesense.DAYS67:(20
min.)Arguments,Hey,LittleAntReadmentortext:Hey,LittleAntByPhillip&HannahHoose.Askstudentswho
waspersuadingwhointhestory?[connecttovocab.thepersonbeingpersuadedistheAUDIENCEinthisstoryitsthe

boy]Askstudentswhattheantistryingtopersuadetheboytodo[notsquishhim]Discusswhathappensattheendwe
dontknowiftheboywaspersuadedornot!Tellstudentstomorrowyouaregoingtotrytopersuadetheauthors,Mr.&Mrs.
Hoose,ofhowYOUthinkthestoryshouldend.NextdaystudentswillcompleteHey,LittleAntArgumentBrainstorm
activity[Theywillidentifywhethertheauthorsshouldhavetheboysquishorsavetheantthentheywillprovide3
ARGUMENTS/reasonswhytheauthorshouldchoosethatending.]
Tellstudentstheyaregoingtoseeanotherexampleofsomeonewhowrotealettertopersuadetheirmomofsomethingvery
importanttothem...StudentswillwatchYouTubeversionofIWannaIguanabyKarenKauffmanOrlaffDiscusswhatthe
boywanted,someofhisarguments,whohisaudiencewas,andwashispersuasioneffective?Concludethedaybyasking
studentswhatisimportanttothemtochangeintheirlife,orwhatdotheywanttoconvinceorpersuadesomeoneof?
THINK/PAIR/SHARE:thinkupargumentsonatopicconnectedtotheunit
LearningExperiences:brainstormandcompilealistofrelevantclass/school/communityissues(Shoulduniformsbeworn?),develop
alistofreasonsinsupportofanargumentandranktheseinorderofimportanceorsignificance(dothereasonschangefordifferent
audiences,whicharemostimportanttowhom?),Modelhowtochangestatementsfromapersonalopiniontoanimpersonal