From the 3/4 Classrooms

One of our focuses for writing in Term 1 is persuasive writing. Students learned how to structure their writing to argue their opinions on topics they felt strongly about. They also learned to include different persuasive techniques, such as modal verbs, to make their arguments sound more convincing to the reader.

Warm-up

Students were given a topic and tasked to argue their opinions after picking a side they agreed on. Students started by using Talking Strips, where they would write down 3 brief arguments that stated their point of view of the topic. These notes were then used for a verbal debate with the rest of the class. 

This activity was used to get students to practise coming up with arguments for various topics that they may share strong opinions on.

Structure

Persuasive writing is structured with 3 main elements – an introduction, 3 arguments separated into 3 body paragraphs and a conclusion. Students picked a topic and wrote their arguments in planners to help structure their writing.

Introduction

An introduction states the writer’s opinion and briefly introduces the main arguments. 

3 Main Arguments

Each piece of persuasive writing has at least 3 body paragraphs. Each of these paragraphs has a strong topic sentence that tells the reader what their argument is. They then needed to explain, elaborate or give examples of how the argument supports their opinion on the topic.  

Conclusion

A conclusion restates their opinion on the topic and often encourages the reader to agree with the writer’s opinion.

Students also made sure to do a lot of editing to include more persuasive techniques and to improve the cohesiveness of their writing.

I hope you don't blame us too much the next time your child is able argue their way into choosing their own bedtime or owning a family pet!

Team 3/4 Teachers