Lesson Duration: 30 Minutes
Objective
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
- Identify the different elements of a persuasive essay
- Evaluate the effectiveness of persuasive writing techniques
- Craft their own persuasive essays using appropriate techniques
Introduction (5 minutes)
- Begin with a brief discussion on the importance of persuasive writing.
- Ask the students if they have ever been asked to write a persuasive essay and what they found challenging about the process.
Main Body (20 minutes)
Identifying the Elements of Persuasive Writing
- Display a sample persuasive essay on the board or screen.
- Ask students to read the essay silently, and identify each of the following elements:
- Introduction
- Thesis statement
- Supporting evidence
- Counterarguments
- Conclusion
- Discuss each element in detail, highlighting its importance in the persuasive writing process.
Evaluating Persuasive Techniques
- Display a list of persuasive writing techniques (e.g. emotive language, rhetorical questions, statistics etc.).
- Have students work in pairs to identify examples of each technique in the sample essay presented earlier.
- Ask each pair to present their findings to the class and evaluate the effectiveness of the techniques used.
Crafting a Persuasive Essay
- Have students brainstorm a topic for their own persuasive essay.
- Ask students to use the list of persuasive techniques earlier to craft an outline for their essay.
- Students should then start working on the first paragraph of their essay, ensuring that it contains a clear thesis and engages the reader.
Conclusion (5 minutes)
- Recap the different elements and techniques of persuasive writing discussed.
- Encourage students to continue working on their persuasive essays after the lesson is over.