5. Independent Construction: Persuasive Texts

• Definitions of persuasive devices (teacher copy)
• Graphic organisers: pptx PDF
• Persuasive Techniques Bingo grid example: docx PDF

In this stage of the sequence the focus is on the independent construction of texts, enabling students to create their own persuasive text whilst building skill through engagement in mini-lessons.

It is strongly recommended that teachers review all suggested stimulus texts prior to their use to ensure their appropriateness and to enable rich, respectful discussion. For guidance on text selection refer to the Teaching and Learning Resources — Selecting Appropriate Materials policy.

Students participate in a game of ‘persuasive techniques bingo’. Populate a game grid similar to the one in Materials and Texts section with the techniques most relevant to your class, and prepare a list of definitions for each technique. Read out each definition and ask students to highlight the corresponding term in their table. Offer students the opportunity to discuss the purpose and potential impact of each technique as it is identified.

Alternatively, you could:

• Distribute different versions of the grid to pairs to add an element of chance to the activity.
• Provide students with a list of persuasive techniques and ask them to randomly populate a bingo grid. ‘Bingo’ occurs when a whole row or column of devices is correctly identified as the definition of each technique is read out.
• Allocate an opinion piece, a speech, an advertisement, or a cartoon to pairs of students and invite them to fill in the bingo card as they watch, listen or read.

Once a student has called ‘bingo’, work through the techniques in the table as a class to ensure the correct definitions have been identified.

Use the techniques in the table to create a checklist of persuasive devices. Discuss what the devices might look like in practice and add dot points to each item on the checklist to elaborate on their use. For example: rhetorical question: used to assert a point, gain agreement from the audience, or evoke an emotional response.

Suggest that students use the checklist to assist with the construction of their own persuasive text, and to support peer-to-peer feedback. Digital tools can also be used to assist with this process.

1. Construction of independent texts

Explain to students that they will be planning, drafting and publishing their own persuasive text.

You could undertake a brainstorming activity with your students to generate issues of interest before proceeding with this stage. Students who are finding it difficult to identify an issue they are interested in may benefit by using a stimulus like the New York Times’ 200 prompts for persuasive writing.

Support students to choose a topic that they would like to address with their persuasive text, and support them to:

• Conduct a brainstorm to explore what they already know or believe about their topic.
• Formulate a key argument and develop a set of supporting ideas or contentions using a graphic organiser like a main idea mountain.
• Consider the audience for their persuasive text. For example, peers, parents, community groups, local, state or federal government.
• Undertake research to source evidence to support their arguments.
• Decide upon the mode and medium of their text. For example, a written piece; a speech; a political cartoon; an animated advertising campaign; an illustrated narrative or a poster.
• Use the class’s collaboratively created checklist and a range of relevant planning tools to organise their ideas and arguments.

The planning tools required will differ depending on students’ chosen mediums and modes. For example, some students may require graphic organisers to support essay planning, whilst others may need support to create a storyboard.

Discuss assessment considerations with the students. Consider co-constructing an assessment rubric with your students to complement your persuasive text checklist. There are digital tools available for this purpose.

2. Mini-lessons

While students work independently to plan, draft and publish their persuasive texts, provide explicit teaching and individual feedback using the writing workshop model.

Possible mini lessons:

a) Writing introductions: Read engaging introductions that clearly establish and explain an argument. Support students to write an introduction mimicking the same structure and techniques used by the author. Display student writing and allow time for viewing, then ask students to add a coloured dot to the introduction they thought was the most effective. Discuss both the strengths of the sample and how it might be enhanced, being mindful to encourage constructive feedback. Enable students to engage in this activity by providing a template based on a successful introduction. Students can experiment with inserting their own ideas into the pre-existing structure.

b) Structuring a paragraph: Explicitly analyse well-structured paragraphs, utilising a writing model like TEEL and offering sentence starters to assist with clarity, sequencing, connecting and concluding. Co-construct a paragraph using one of the students’ plans as a starting point.  Enable students to engage with the activity by providing a clearly annotated work sample to use as a guide or a template and by providing a paragraph checklist. Build on the mini-lesson by supporting small groups using guided writing conferences.

c) Using ethos, logos and pathos: Provide examples of texts where the author has used ethos, pathos and logos. Remind students of the purpose of each rhetorical appeal and discuss its impact or effect. Highlight the use of rhetorical appeals in the text and collaborate with students using an organiser like a cluster web to record the use and effect of the devices. Invite students to experiment with creating their own sentences using ethos, pathos and logos, listing their intended effect.

d) Modality: Model changing the impact of a statement by substituting low modality words and phrases with high modality words and phrases. Invite students to write statements using high modality and to review their own writing to include high modality words and phrases. Extend students by asking them to experiment with using low modality words as an effective method of persuasion.

e) Using rhetorical devices. Explore a range of texts that model effective use of rhetorical devices. For example, the use of repetition, rhetorical questions, emotive language and anecdote in Stan Grant’s ‘The Australian Dream’.

Ask students to write sentences beginning with a rhetorical question such as:

• How would you feel if …
• Do you really think …
• Is it really worth …
• What would happen if …
• What would the world be like if …

This could also be done as an oral activity, with students working in collaborative teams to think of as many rhetorical questions as possible within a few minutes.

• Annotate the transcript of a speech looking for patterns of repetition, supporting students to experiment with adapting and experimenting with the language of the author for use in their own writing.
• Provide students with a formal text that is intended to be objective and identify language that could be altered to increase emotional impact. For example, students could transform a news report into an opinion piece.

f) Nominalisation: In pairs, invite students to record a brief informal discussion about their individual topic in which they present a key argument to their partner. Ask students to transcribe their conversations. Use a student’s transcription to model how to generate a noun phrase from another word class, such as verbs, and discuss the impact of using language in persuasive texts that is perceived as objective or impersonal. Allow time for students to practise nominalisation as a whole group and follow up by modelling and practising nominalisation with students individually or in small groups. Enable and extend student learning by providing digital tools for practising and exploring the process of nominalisation.

g) Counter argument/rebuttal: Model how to structure a paragraph that deals with a counter argument. Provide a statement expressing a clear point of view and invite students to brainstorm points for and against the statement. Record student suggestions on the board. Model writing a paragraph that includes a rebuttal. Provide a scaffolded paragraph for students to use to write their own counter argument. For example, “While some people may believe that …, this would not be practical because …”

h) Using evidence or expert opinion to support a point of view. Display examples of texts in which the author has clearly used evidence or a quote from an expert to logically support a point a view. Model creating a text where the evidence supports and is clearly linked to the main argument. Encourage students to practise their fact-checking skills to support them to identify primary and secondary sources and to improve the veracity of their evidence. This would work well as a class activity using an interactive source-checker.

i) Writing conclusions: Ask the students to find strong and engaging conclusions from written texts, persuasive narratives or comic strips. Invite students to read or discuss the chosen text with the class and explain why they chose that particular text. Provide examples of conclusions that include a brief story, a question, a challenge, or an inspirational quote. Provide opportunities for the students to collaborate with a partner to create conclusions that experiment with some of the techniques examined.

j) Creating an editorial cartoon: Support students to source a broad range of editorial or political cartoons to share with the class. Vote on a cartoon to analyse and examine it in small groups using the protocol used in ‘Analyzing an Editorial Cartoon’. Invite students to share their thoughts with the class and then watch ‘The Making of an Editorial Cartoon’ to explore the process that an editorial cartoonist follows. Support students to plan a cartoon independently or plan a cartoon together in response to a current issue.

k) Creating an animated video: Screen a selection of animated persuasive videos for your class, inviting students to suggest texts that they are familiar with. Create a checklist of features for each video, including the use of persuasive devices, editing techniques, visual features, and tone. Discuss the considerations that would need to be included in the planning process, including formulating an argument or message and creating a visual map. Create a storyboard for a persuasive advertisement, news story or marketing video, using a stimulus suggested by the class. 

As students are working on their independent writing tasks, provide individual feedback and support during guided student-teacher conferences. Additional instruction and support could be provided to students with similar needs during a guided writing group.

Promote a collaborative approach to writing in the classroom by providing many opportunities for students to:

• Share their writing on a daily basis and engage in group discussion about the writing process.
• Comment on each other’s strengths.
• Identify areas of the draft they had difficulty understanding or that they feel could be improved.

Invite students to share their drafts and celebrate their completed work. Assess student work against any agreed assessment rubrics or checklists. Allow opportunities for students to revise and improve their work. 

Use feedback protocols throughout the writing sessions to identify student learning needs and teaching foci. For example, the 3 -2 -1 protocol would provide an opportunity for students to communicate their successes and questions.

Encourage students to complete a self-reflection when they have completed their published piece.

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