LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Persuasive writing: A classroom model

A plan for modeling persuasive writing with middle school students, using homework as the topic.

By Pamela Myrick and Sharon Pearson

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Arts of persuasion
Strategies for teaching middle school students to think critically, analyze persuasive arguments, and use speaking and writing to persuade others.
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Writing requires planning, writing, and rewriting. The writing process, steps a writer follows, is instrumental in effective writing. To impress upon students its importance, the teacher needs to demonstrate a writing model. In other words, the teacher guides the students through the writing process as they work collaboratively on a writing assignment.

Writing a model essay

To model writing, the teacher writes with the students. Modeling is a process like writing is a process. Both are accomplished through different stages. Stages may be repeated several times during the process. Therefore, time allotted for each stage varies.

Begin by introducing persuasive writing with a topic that is familiar to the students. All students have experience with homework, and homework is a motivational hook to introduce persuasive writing. Jack Prelutsky’s poem "Homework! Oh, Homework!" captures the students’ interests and is relevant to them.

Stage 1: Prewriting

  1. Read the poem "Homework" by Jack Prelutsky.
  2. Ask the students What are we writing about today? (They’ll guess homework.)
  3. Establish the two points of view (pro and con): Students should have homework. Students should not have homework.
  4. Students and the teacher brainstorm and generate ideas for both sides of the issue. The teacher records the information on a chart, board, etc. All students copy the information. The pro and con charts (graphic organizers) serve as the plan for writing.

Make students aware that the audience for this essay will be the administrator. The purpose is to persuade the administrator to adopt their point of view on homework.

Stage 2: Drafting

  1. Review the charts from the previous lesson.
  2. Class comes to agreement on the point of view for the model. You can guess what students will decide — no homework.
  3. Read the poem to the class again, emphasizing how words are used to capture the reader’s attention. Together the students and the teacher begin to write the introduction. As in persuasive speaking, techniques should be employed that introduce the topic and captures the reader’s attention immediately. Rhetorical or challenging questions, lyrics from a song, a quotation, a humorous anecdote or a fact that elicits human passion hooks the attention of the reader. Reading a poem, referencing a current event, and using analogies are also effective techniques for ensnaring the reader.
  4. The plan (the con chart or graphic organizer) directs the writing of the essay. Developing ideas logically and persuasively through the use of descriptive and sensory language leads the reader coherently through body of the essay. The teacher channels students’ thoughts into well constructed sentences and paragraphs using a variety of transitions to achieve overall paragraph unity.
  5. The conclusion restates the writer’s opinion in a compelling way. Again the techniques used in the introduction can be successfully employed in the conclusion. Remind students that language choice is important to influence the reader to understand and therefore, to adopt the writer’s point of view.
  6. Everybody writes as the class composes the rough draft.
  7. All students copy the rough draft as a model of persuasive writing.

Stage 3: Revising/Editing

  1. Revise and edit the draft as a class. How can we combine our sentences to make our essay clearer? What better word could be used to convey that thought? Emphasize to students that improvements can be made. Revising ensures that writing is clear, well organized, accomplishes goals, and convinces the audience.
  2. Remind students that statements need to be arranged for emotional appeal using strong, exact words. For example, don’t say, "Homework is not good because it takes up too much time. Instead, "Homework limits quality time spent with family and friends."
  3. Share with students that ideas need to be connected. Using a variety of transitions helps to achieve paragraph coherence and unity.
  4. Advise students that the revision stage includes others reading the draft and suggesting improvements.
  5. The teacher shares and discusses with the students the rubric used by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to evaluate writing.

Stage 4: Proofreading

  1. As a class, check for errors in grammar, spelling, and mechanics. On purpose, the teacher may want to misspell a word or make errors in grammar or mechanics. This gives the students "controlled practice" in identifying errors.
  2. The teacher can reference "spell check" and "grammar check" in word processing if students are typing their papers.
  3. Peer proofreading reinforces skills which promotes better writing.

Stage 5: Publishing/Presenting

  1. For this assignment, students may submit a copy of the essay to the administrator or invite the administrator to hear their point of view on homework.
  2. Sharing the final draft is motivating to students. Although the administrator is the audience, students may also present their essay to other classrooms, the media specialist, etc.
  3. Publishing helps develop a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Applying the model

All students now have a model for writing a persuasive essay. To practice the model, the assignment that follows is to write a persuasive essay adopting the opposing viewpoint about homework. Using the prewriting activity of the homework essay and also by working with a partner, students are "eased" into the writing process becoming more confident writers. As students complete their essays, they will be able to evaluate their writing by examining how well they focus, organize, and elaborate information.

Remind students that writing style develops over time. Through reading and writing, students will establish their own special way of expressing their thoughts.