CLASSROOM LESSON 1:
Persuasive Writing and Editorials

BOOK TITLE: The Landry News
AUTHOR: Andrew Clements
LESSON PLAN AUTHOR : Christopher Rodgers

GRADE LEVEL: 4-5
LESSON DURATION: 45-60 Minutes

OBJECTIVE

• Students will identify the purpose of the editorial section of the newspaper.

• The students will write a persuasive letter or essay.

MATERIALS/MEDIA LIST

• The Landry News by Andrew Clements

• Role playing script: Download PDF

• Newspapers

• Highlighters

• Persuasive Writing Organizer: Download PDF

• Persuasive Writing Examples

• Rubric: Download PDF

MOTIVATION/INTRODUCTION

• Begin the lesson by having two students role play a scene where one student is trying to persuade the other student to let him cheat on a test.  This will begin the discussion on persuasive writing. 

NEW INFORMATION

• Ask students if they know what the word persuade means.  Tell them that one student was trying to persuade the other student to cheat.  The students should then respond that persuade means to “talk someone into something, or get someone to do what you want.”

• Discuss persuasive writing with the students and give examples from everyday life when someone might need to be persuaded. Examples:  buying something, going somewhere, cleaning up a room.

• Read pp:  38-43 from The Landry News. In this section of the book, the main character Cara is having a discussion with her teacher about editorials.   She discusses editorials and their purposes.  Discuss with students that editorials and letters to the editor are both written to persuade people to think a certain way. 

• Next, pass out newspapers and highlighters.  Have the students find the editorial section.  Give students a couple of minutes to skim the section and highlight examples of things they see.  Make sure students find editorials and letters to the editor.  Explain to students that most of the newspaper contains stories with facts and facts only.  The editorial section allows writers to express their opinions. Tell the students know they will be learning how to write a persuasive letter at the end of the lesson.

MODELING

• Begin by showing the students 4 examples of persuasive essays on the overhead.

• Let the students know the essays received a score from 1 to 4.  Read one essay at a time.  Once the essay is read, have the students rate the essay from 1 to 4.  1 is the worst and 4 the best.  The students must then explain why they gave the essay the score they did, citing examples from the letter.  Do this for the remaining three essays.

• Once all the essays have been read, make a list of the qualities the best essay had.  The qualities should include:  well organized and interesting, position is clearly stated and supported with at least three facts, a good ending that ties all of the points back to the position.   Highlight each of these qualities as they are discussed.

• Then pass out newspapers again and have the students read the editorial section and examine the letters and editorials and see if they can see any of the same qualities we just examined in our essays.

GUIDED PRACTICE

Tell the students they will begin to work on some persuasive writings. 

• Review the main points that all good persuasive writings contain:
• A beginning where the position is clearly and passionately stated.
• At least three supporting facts to support the position.
• A conclusion that restates the position and sums up the facts.
•  Model planning a persuasive essay using the supplied Persuasive Writing Organizer.
• The teacher may choose to write an essay on the importance of college, or any issue of their choice.

• Once the essay is planned, then begin writing the essay.   While writing your example essay, be sure to keep pointing out the things that make your essay good.

• When completed, give the students a Persuasive Writing Organizer and have them begin to write an essay to persuade someone in the class. They may want to persuade someone to clean up his or her area, to be quiet in lunch, or to play a certain game at recess.  The choice is theirs.

• This is not a writing to have the students publish.  You want to give the students the opportunity to use the organizer and to practice using the qualities of a good persuasive essay.  Make sure the students are supporting their positions with “good reasons.”

PRACTICE/APPLICATION

• Students will write a letter to the principal trying to persuade him or her to change or do something in the school.  Some ideas include:  to have a dance, grant longer recesses, install soft drink machines, to start school later. 

• Students will use the persuasive graphic organizer.

• Students will be graded using the rubric.  Go over the rubric with the students before they begin writing.

• Students will need to have a letter in published form before it can be sent to the principal.

EVALUATION

• The student’s letters will be assessed using the rubric.

EXTENSION

• Students may choose to write a letter to the editor to the local paper.

• Students may want to write a persuasive letter to their parents concerning a change at home.

CLOSURE

• Have the students state the important components of persuasive writing.

• Have the students tell when they might use the skill of persuasive writing in their lives.
  

NCTE STANDARD 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.

NCTE STANDARD 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.

NCTE STANDARD 12

Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).