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Persuasive Planner

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Example

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The Argument Protocol in action!

At TC's Summer Institute a few years ago, Mary Ehrenworth introduced our session to the Argument Protocol: a highly engaging and interactive way in which to gather evidence and formulate strong, well-reasoned claims, which could then lead to compelling persuasive writing. Ever since, the Argument Protocol has been one of the most looked forward to aspects of my sixth grade writing workshop. The moment I begin describing it to my students, I can see their eyes sparkle with anticipation: we get to face off and debate? we get to caucus (they love that serious-sounding word!)? we get to present our case like a real lawyer? Great - can we start now?

If you haven't worked with this protocol yet, the last few weeks of school when your kids are restless for something new is the perfect time to give this a try. Here's what it has looked like over the course of two in Room 202:

Walking through the protocol:

I borrowed this directly from Mary, with a few tweaks of my own over the years:

We take our time with this, and my kids have the opportunity to ask lots of questions. It's also important for them to see exactly why each step is necessary for building a strong case, and for them to understand their role in the process.
Choosing the topic:
I pick something new each year, and stay away from the type of persuasive writing topics that my kids have been over exposed to in their years of test prep: uniforms, longer school years, etc. This year I picked a topic I had been interested in myself: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio's bid to ban horse-drawn carriages in the city. I have also found that any topic having to do with animals is instantly engaging to kids - they feel invested in the topic, and that it has an authentic importance.

Presenting the evidence:

I limit the number of articles and sources I present my students, it becomes confusing to sort through too many articles and notes. After all, the point of this whole exercise is to learn the process and language of convincing argument and then to translate that into writing, not collect evidence for a research paper.

Students do not know yet which side they will be assigned to debate, so they must listen carefully to all information presented. We turn and talk after each source is presented, so that they can clarify or add to their notes.

This year, we watched a video presenting the issue:
http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/segment/the-great-carriage-horse-debate/52e7c93ffe34443a53000001
Another in favor of the carriages:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnNgAKQEN7U
And an article against the carriages:
http://www.nyclass.org/horse_drawn_carriages
Assigning the stance :

The easiest way is by counting the class and having odd numbers take one side and even numbers take another. Since classroom numbers are rarely even (this is a conspiracy against teachers - I am convinced of this!), you will have to be part of the mix. But that just adds to the fun.

This is where it starts to get loud and messy - the more enthusiastic the students are, the noisier it gets. Students meet on either side of the classroom and present their strongest points, and the job of their teams is to weigh those points and determine if they are worthy enough, fact based enough, and clearly stated through the language of argument. A handout with persuasive words and phrases, or an anchor chart to refer to can be very helpful.

You will need to facilitate these discussions to keep them from disintegrating into shouting matches (these are kids after all, and they will get carried away!). They will need no more than ten minutes for this - a limit on time keeps them focused and lends an urgency to staying on topic. The last three minutes are to write down their stance and two compelling reasons in their writer's notebooks. I make sure my students do this, so that they don't forget what they were going to say (a lesson we learned the hard way).

The two groups form lines facing each other, partners fan out across the room and present their points. They write down the opposing points of view (so that they can formulate counterclaims), and then they each get a chance to compliment their partner: this was your strongest point, and here's why I thought so. Each side gets two minutes to present, another minute or so to compliment.

Back to the group to caucus:

Students share the counterclaims they have gathered and discuss how to best rebut: what evidence can they present? what factual or logical error can they take advantage of? I limit this to about ten minutes, with the last few set aside to write down what they will say.

Partners meet again to listen to the counterclaims and take notes. At this point, I loosen the rules and let my kids talk the issue out a bit more. About halfway through, I let them know that they will be choosing the stance they want - the side they wish to argue in their letter to the Mayor. Now that they've gathered evidence from both sides of the issue, and heard opposing points of view, they tend to be even more sure of the stance they want to take, and love the idea of choice.

Here's where I walk my students through a mini lesson to remind them of the framework of their draft:

and then they begin drafting:

We will confer through the drafting process next week, then move to Google Docs for the final revision/editing process. Once we are ready, each student will address their own envelopes and we will take a field trip to the nearest mailbox to personally mail our letters to Mayor de Blasio. We hope to get a response or two... 🙂

Here were some of the take away thoughts my kids shared about the process:

It really helped to talk out my reasons and hear reactions - it helped me focus more

I liked the way we helped each other build our argument - it was nice to have a team

Talking through actually changed my mind about my reasons, which were kinda weak at first

It really helped to take notes for the counterclaim - R. came up with reasons I hadn't even thought of, which helped me make my point better

I think knowing both sides before choosing a side worked better for me - I had to really listen to both sides, not jump in with how I felt at first

Talking with the argument language was hard at first, but now I see that it is helping me draft better

It was so fun!

Have you tried the Argument Protocol in your classrooms? What tips or ideas could you suggest to make this process better? Leave a comment and let us know!

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At TC's Summer Institute a few years ago, Mary Ehrenworth introduced our session to the Argument Protocol: a highly engaging and interactive way in which to gather evidence and formulate strong, well-reasoned claims, which could then lead to compelling persuasive writing....

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Learn how to use transitional words and learn how to use supporting examples. Knowing about these skills will help you with your persuasive essay.

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Questions to drive inquiry into persuasive writing

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Questions to drive inquiry into persuasive writing

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Writers workshop mini lessons

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This persuasive writing unit of study is designed to fit into your primary classroom writing workshop.

The mini lessons within this persuasive writing unit of study are newly updated (as of 1/4/17)! We have redone the printables and provided them in one easy download. Includes anchor charts, graphic organizers & more.

Persuasive writing can be an important part of the primary writing curriculum as students learn to use their opinions and knowledge to influence others. Persuasive writing can be thought of as perhaps an extension of opinion writing and differs in that the author's opinion is followed not only by reasons for the opinion, but persuasive text that attempts to get the reader to feel or believe the same way.

This unit on teaching children to write persuasive and opinion pieces was designed with second grade in mind. However, you will find many mini-lessons that can be used for other grade levels. This unit was written with the help of Cathy's student teachers (Joel Larrison, Kellie Wood and Amanda Rush.)

A writing workshop typically begins with a 10 to 15 minutes mini-lesson. You will find that many of the ideas for lessons below could run beyond the 15 minutes. Because of this, you might choose to spread some of the lessons over multiple days. Also keep in mind that you will want to reinforce some of your mini-lessons with reviews or follow-ups and that the different types writing being done by students will often times require more than one day to complete. The timeline for these lessons will also depend upon whether or not you wish your students to revise and edit one or all of the persuasive pieces you will teach.

***Below you will find the descriptions of all the resources which can be found in ONE download at the very bottom of this post.

Immersion - The first two days of this unit are designed to expose children to different types of persuasive writing. It is important to have a good stack of mentor texts so children can explore the unique features of this type of writing. This stack is different than other mentor stacks you might have created for other units because not all of your texts will be books. You will also need to find book & movie reviews and other types of persuasive writing that fit.

We start many of our units by having our students "notice" various things about certain types of texts. In this case give small groups of two or three students two mentor texts. Then provide post-it notes and ask them to "notice" features of the writing by recording their observations on the post-its. You may also choose to use our Group Noticings graphic organizer. After students have time to explore, gather them together and share their observations. Discuss the texts and their similarities. We have provided a blank chart so that you can create your own with your students. However, we thought it would be helpful for you to see one that has already been filled in to give you some ideas. Display one or both of them in your classroom for the duration of the unit.

What is Persuasion? - Read aloud the book I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff. After reading, discuss the term "persuade" and what it means. Talk about how the main character in the story is trying to persuade another character in some way. Use the Persuasive Text Story Map to show what is happening in the book. After completing the story map, discuss the Persuasive Writing Anchor Chart and display it in your classroom near your noticings chart(s).

Choosing Persuasive Language - Younger students often need help choosing the correct persuasive language. A lesson where you create an anchor chart with powerful word choices for this type of writing can be helpful. We have provided an anchor chart with some possibilities you can introduce along with a discussion about why they are appropriate. Your students might also think of new words to add to it.

Supporting Our Opinions - Students may not know how to effectively support their opinions without practice so you may want to give them a chance to practice this skill. A perfect read aloud for this is Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (Big Book Edition) (Pigeon Series). It is a simple text with clear supporting details. Read the book aloud and then complete the Persuasive Text Story Map (same as from lesson 2) as a class, in small groups or individually. Next, give the students a chance to create their own supporting details for a persuasive piece. Together, choose a topic of high interest. Perhaps it could be "Why the class should have a longer recess" or "Why teachers should give less homework". Fill out the Persuasive Planner provided with the class to help guide them in creating strong supporting details for the opinion topic you chose. Doing this will also give the students the framework & model for planning when they begin to create their own opinion pieces.

Writing a Persuasive Paragraph - Model how to write a persuasive paragraph using the Persuasive Planner the class created in lesson 4. If needed to help students understand that they need to begin their persuasive pieces with opinions, show and discuss the Opinion Sentence Starters anchor chart and use it to help you begin your writing in front of the class. Be sure to "think aloud" as you write in front of the class so they will understand how you are using your planner and making writing choices as you go. Next, show the students the list of 16 persuasive writing topics provided and have each choose their own topic from the list of ideas (or think of a new one). Pass out Persuasive Writing Planners to everyone and have students begin by writing their opinion topic at the top, and thinking of three supporting details to add below. Once students have completed their planner, they can begin to write their own persuasive paragraph based on the modeling you provided earlier in the unit (a lined paper has been provided should you choose to use it). Some students might need more guidance so conferencing with those who are struggling will be key.

Introduction to Persuasive Letters - For this lesson it is best to read aloud a book that has persuasive letters within the story itself. Some suggestions are Dear Mrs. La Rue: Letters From Obedience School or Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type. Discuss with students what the animals want in the book and the supporting arguments they give. As a class, pick a topic that students could use to write a letter to the principal, cafe manager or other important adult in the building. Write a class letter trying to persuade the adult of the class' opinion. (A letter writing template has been provided if you wish to use it.) For example, students might try to argue that they should be allowed to watch a movie because of their hard work and good behavior, or that the cafe should serve a new favorite food. As the class participates in this guided writing activity, be sure to point out the specific punctuation that letters should have.

Writing a Persuasive Letter - Begin this lesson by gathering students to reread and discuss the letter that was written in lesson 6. Once again, emphasize the importance of supporting their opinions with details, as well as briefly reviewing the punctuation involved in writing a letter. Next begin brainstorming topics and audiences to whom they might write a persuasive letter. As students are thinking, briefly meet with each one to discuss what topic and audience they choose to write to and get them started with the Persuasive Writing Planner. As they finish their planners, we suggest you have them meet with peers to talk about their supporting opinions before they begin to write their actual letters. We have provided a simple letter template if you would like for your students to use one.

Introduction to Commercials & Ads - Your students will probably love this lesson! Start by sharing some of your favorite commercials with your class from your computer screen, SmartBoard, or tablets. After each commercial, discuss what was being advertised, as well as one fact and one opinion from each commercial. Discuss the purpose of commercials and ads - to persuade people to purchase a product or service. Emphasize that commercials and ads are most definitely a form of persuasive writing in our every day life. We have created a recording page, Finding Facts & Opinions in Commercials" to accompany this lesson in case you would like to write the class' answers or have them work in small groups on different commercials.

Planning a Class Commercial & Ad - For this lesson you will need to bring in a product that you think the students will enjoy creating a commercial and advertisement for. (The crazier the product the more fun the class will have!) Show your students the product and discuss its characteristics and strengths. Together fill out the Commercial Advertisement Planning pages to fit the specifics of the product you brought in. We have provided two types of planners for each one so that you can choose which works best, OR you might want to use both since one focuses on facts & opinions and the other focuses on audience and details. These will serve as the model for students to plan their own commercials or advertisements in the next lesson.

Writing Individual Commercials or Ads -Using the planning pages from lesson 9, model for or explain to the students how you would like for them to write their own commercials or design their advertisements. Refer back to the Words for Persuasive Writing anchor chart to remind students of persuasive language they will want to be sure to use in their writing. Also be sure to include specifics about opinions and facts within the advertisements that you want them to include. Then, depending upon your timeline, we suggest that you have students choose only one form of persuasive writing they would like to do - a commercial or an advertisement. You might even decide to have them work with partners. Have students brainstorm products (or give them an extra day to bring something in) and fill out their respective planners. We have created pages where students can draft a commercial script and/or design an ad. After a few days of writing and working, have students act out their commercials or create a hallway display of the advertisements they create. Discuss the persuasive nature of the ads and point out the facts and opinions contained in each.

Introduction to Writing a Book Review - Another form of persuasive writing is book reviews where students attempt to persuade their peers to read a particular book they have enjoyed. First spend some time reading book reviews as a class. You will find some great examples (mentor texts) of book reviews here: Spaghetti Book Reviews. Read some aloud with the entire class and also provide some time for students to read a few with partners. Gather students to discuss the purpose of a book review - persuading others to read or not to read a particular book. Spend time discussing the importance of providing strong opinions/reasons so that the piece will truly persuade the reader in a particular direction.

Writing a Class Book Review - Use a book that you have already read aloud to the class to model for students how to fill out the Book Review Planner. Once the class has completed the planner together, model how you would like for them to format their actual book reviews. There are many formats that book reviews can take - written reports, brochures, posters...even the commercials and ads your students learned in the previous lessons. You make the decision on the format for the book reviews based on the standards you are teaching. If you choose a writing-only format, we have several different styles of papers to choose from at the end of the download. Again, be sure to "think aloud" as you are writing so students know what to include and why it is important, as well as grammar, punctuation and other rules (book titles, indenting, etc).

Writing Individual Book Reviews - Students now have the tools and knowledge to write their own book reviews. After choosing and reading a book they would like to write a review on, have students fill out Book Review Planners. You may want to choose one format for all of the students to use to write their reviews or you may want to show several options (models) and let students use their own creativity to write the book review.
**Additional Resources - The download also includes some additional resources & writing pages to help supplement your teaching of persuasive writing. Use them throughout your lessons as you see fit if they are helpful.
Celebration - We always suggest some type of writing celebration at the ends of writing units of study. The celebration for the persuasive writing unit can simply be a gathering of people for students to share their writing with, along with some light refreshments & awards, or can be more elaborate as you have students present their commercials, ads and book reviews. The intent is to make students feel proud of their learning and the writing process.

**You will find the complete download of all the resources described above here: Persuasive Unit Resources **

If you are looking to avoid using color ink, we are providing the download in black and white here: Persuasive Unit in Black and White

Below we have included links to our favorite books to use when teaching a persuasive writing unit of study (contains affiliate links)

***Fact vs. Opinion - Before teaching this unit, you might want to do some mini-lessons dealing with the difference between fact and opinion to make sure all your students understand the difference. If you need some resources to teach fact vs. opinion you will find some things that we have created here:
You might also be interested in our Opinion Writing Unit of Study.

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This persuasive writing unit of study is designed to fit into your primary classroom writing workshop. The mini lessons within this persuasive writing unit of study are newly updated (as of 1/4/17)! We have redone the printables and provided them in one easy download. Includes anchor charts, graphic organizers & more.