This document outlines lessons for teaching persuasive writing. It includes 6 lessons: defining persuasive writing, knowing your audience, doing research, making the topic personal, making it relevant to the audience, and closing strongly. Persuasive writing aims to change opinions or actions through techniques like persuasive language, facts, personal stories, and challenging the reader. The lessons provide tips and examples for each step of the persuasive writing process.

1. Persuasive Writing
An Introduction, by Mr. Thompson
5th Grade ELA

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Lesson 1: What is Persuasive Writing?
Lesson 2: Know Your Audience
Lesson 3: Do Your Research
Lesson 4: Make it About You
Lesson 5: Make it About Them
Lesson 6: Close With a Punch
Table of Contents

3. LESSON 1
What is Persuasive Writing?

4. • When you write to
persuade you are trying
to make your reader do
or think something
different.
• Examples include
commercials, ads,
political speeches,
opinion articles,
documentaries, debates,
and essays.
What is Persuasive Writing?

5. PERSUASIVE WRITING
Commercials, ads,
political speeches,
debates, essays, etc.
Writing to convince people to think or do something
 Use persuasive language
 Know your audience
 Do your research
 Make it about you
 Make it about them
 Close with a punch!

6. Good writers
use persuasive
language when
they are trying
to change
people’s minds
and/or actions.
Persuasive Language

8. Introductory Phrases
Concluding Phrases
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In my opinion
It is my belief that
There is no doubt that
It seems to me that
I maintain that
From my point of view
As you can see
Without a doubt
Obviously
Unquestionably
As I have shown
For the reasons above
Persuasive Language:
Transitions

9. Supporting Reasons
Introducing Details
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First
Furthermore
To begin with
In the first place
In addition
Finally
Moreover
For example
In fact
For instance
As evidence
In support of this
Persuasive Language:
Transitions

10. LESSON 2
Know Your Audience

11. Your audience is
who you are
writing to.
This will effect
what arguments
you use, the tone
of your writing,
and even the
words you choose.
What is Audience?

12. • Think about who you
will be writing to.
• What do they probably
already know?
• What words, phrases, or
ideas will grab their
attention?
• Should you use formal
or informal language?
Think About:
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Age
Interests
Hobbies
Gender
Familiarity with topic
Location
Know Your Audience

13. Formal Language
Informal Language
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• “Standard English”
(no slang”)
• Avoid contractions (It is)
• Write in the third person
to avoid personal
pronouns
Friends, family, & peers
Friendly tone
Occasional slang words
Use contractions
(it’s, I’ve, you’ve)
• Use personal pronouns
(I, we)
We are concerned that. . .
There has been concern that. . .
Formal vs. Informal

14. Formal vs. Informal

15. LESSON 3
Do Your Research

16. Good writers back
up their persuasive
arguments with
facts.
This doesn’t always
mean doing hours of
research, sometimes
it can be as simple
as thinking about
what you already
know about a topic.
Do Your Research

17. • If possible, research
your topic using the
internet or text
resources.
• Remember to be
thinking about
whether or not
sources are reliable.
Research

18. • Think about what you
already know about
your topic.
• What facts can you
use to help support
your argument?
NOTE: This is why it’s always a good
idea to find topics you’re already
interested in!
Background Knowledge

19. • Try conducting your
own research by
polling your peers.
• For example, if you’re
writing about school
lunches then ask how
many students prefer
on lunch to another.
Polling

20. LESSON 4
Make it About You

21. Making a
personal
connection with
the topic can
help get your
point across.
Make it About You

22. • How does this issue affect you personally?
• Using a personal anecdote about “One time when. . .” can
make your persuasive writing more effective.
• Remember to also think about your audience and your
purpose though. It doesn’t make much sense to tell a
personal anecdote about being lost in a commercial for
quaking duck toys, but it would make sense in an
advertisement for a life-saving flashlight that alerts
rescuers of your location.
Make it About You

23. Think of some other examples of ways to “Make it About
You” using these topics:
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Litter on our streets
Extended recess
School uniforms
Endangered species
A proposal to cut all field trips
Make it About You

24. LESSON 5
Make it About Them

25. Demonstrate
how the topic
will affect your
audience.
Make it About Them

26. • To make someone
change their mind or
do something
different you have to
make them care.
• Give examples of
what will happen if
they do/don’t act in
the way you want.
“If you don’t act now to
help prevent the
dumping of toxic waste,
all our homes will be at
risk!”
Make it About Them

27. Think of some other examples of ways to “Make it About
Them” using these topics:
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Litter on our streets
Extended recess
School uniforms
Endangered species
A proposal to cut all field trips
Make it About Them

28. LESSON 6
Close with a Punch!

29. Pick the two most
interesting details
for your argument
and put one at the
beginning and one
at the end.
A fact that makes
an emotional
punch can make
the best ending.
Close with a Punch!

30. Challenge Reader
Look Into the Future
• Challenge your reader
with a clear call to action
stating what you think
they should do.
• Invite your reader to look
into the future, to see
what life will be like if
they do/do not do what
you’re proposing.
Close with a Punch!

31. • "We don't turn back. We leave no one behind. [Cheers.]
We pull each other up. [Cheers, applause.] We draw
strength from our victories. [Cheers, applause.] And we
learn from our mistakes. But we keep our eyes fixed on
that distant horizon knowing that providence is with us
and that we are surely blessed to be citizens of the
greatest nation on earth."
Look into the Future

32. • “Our budget has been cut by 25% and private donations
are the key to our organization’s survival. I’m sending
around the volunteer forms, please sign up to help with
one or two of our important fundraisers this year. In
addition, you’ll see the donation forms which you can
hand to Paul on your way out.”
Challenge Your Reader

33. • The evidence is overwhelming: the cost of driving a vehicle,
both monetarily and environmentally, is outweighing the
benefits. We can no longer in good faith support something
that is so destructive of the environment. At five dollars per
gallon in some areas, we need to ask ourselves if our
dependence on cars is merely a result of our own laziness. The
bicycle is truly the most efficient means of commuting if we
would just take the energy to do so. Saving money while
saving the planet is surely enough reason to sway a person
without even mentioning the health benefits. Some will never
be convinced, but every little bit helps.
Close with a Punch!

34. Persuasive Writing
An Introduction, by Mr. Thompson
5th Grade ELA