persuasive writing lesson ideas ks2

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Persuasive writing in ks2.

Study the art of persuasion with our in-depth KS2 English blocks.

Children in KS2 love the opportunity to have their voices heard. In our persuasive writing blocks, children learn how to passionately defend their position across a range of issues, whilst also learning to think critically about the rhetorical devices people use to persuade and influence others.

Hamilton's English lesson planning includes differentiated activities for your class and beautifully designed worksheets and resources. In addition, our SPaG-focussed sessions include teaching PowerPoints that walk children through key SPaG concepts.

Persuasive Writing in Year 4

Save the Rainforests! Cherish rainforests, writing speeches, letters and articles persuading others to do so too, with Where the Forest Meets the Sea and The Vanishing Rainforest.

Animals in Captivity Explore issues around animals in captivity, reading texts including Zoo by Anthony Browne and Rainbow Bear by Michael Morpurgo. Examine features of persuasive texts and use these to write a persuasive article for a website.

Persuasion and Argument in Year 5

Argument and Debate School uniform, detentions, mobile phones or screen time - there’s always an argument! This block lays the groundwork for effective argument and persuasion, written and spoken. Learn how formal debates are structured and take part in a class debate.

Persuasion and Argument Explore persuasive letters, adverts, protest songs and speeches. Study the impact of modal verbs and cohesion through adverbs and conjunctions. Write and deliver persuasive speeches.

Narrative Poems Lewis Carroll's Walrus and the Carpenter and Hilaire Belloc's Cautionary Tales stimulate performance, debate, persuasive writing and poetry writing.

Revise Persuasive Writing in Year 6

Harry Potter Unit 7 Persuasive Texts Use extracts from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban . Explore persuasive writing: advertisements for Wizard Wheezes; excuses for Fred/George; letters of persuasion for Buckbeak’s innocence. Revise: active/passive voice; adverbs of possibility, subordinate clauses.

Percy Jackson and Greek Myths Unit 7 Persuasion and Balanced Argument Write and perform a an advert for a mythical object using adverbs of possibility to persuade. Consider different viewpoints in order to develop a balanced argument. Write persuasively in response to a Greek myth using the SPaG covered in this unit (subordinate clauses, adverbs).

Explore our English blocks by selecting a year group. They allow you to tailor your teaching. Adjust the length of time you spend on a genre and what English objectives to focus on. Hamilton’s flexible blocks keep the teacher in control.

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Rebecca: The Irish Teacher

Former expat, who returned to ireland with a passion for quality, purposeful lessons, ideas for persuasive writing.

For the last two weeks, we have engaged with the genre of persuasive writing. Personally, I find that since returning to school after distance learning, the children are not as enthusiastic about writing.

With that in mind, I wanted to motivate them to write, while covering persuasive writing at the same time. I decided to focus on persuasive adverts as it was a nice introduction to this genre and allowed for more creativity and fun in my opinion.

Links to The Book Depository are affiliate links.

Planning for Persuasive Writing

As always when I start a new genre, I took out my trusty copy of Talk for Writing to see if there were any key ideas that I could use to inform my planning.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Rebecca The Irish Teacher ☘️ (@rebecca.the.irish.teacher)

Before I began planning, I then knew that I wanted children to reach these end goals after two weeks:

• Audience- to understand WHO their advertisement was for.
• Weasel words- to use persuasive adjectives and descriptions to persuade their reader.
• Author’s choice- to comment on the effect of shapes, colours and fonts used to persuade the reader and apply this when creating their own advertisement.
• Presentation- to think about how to make the key information stand out to their reader.
• Topic specific vocabulary- to ensure the children had the vocabulary needed to sell their product successfully.

Once decided on the end goals of this unit, I was able to plan my daily lessons accordingly.

With each genre, it is so important to have a variety of texts for children to pick apart and take ideas from. While I normally take from my library , with this genre, I wanted children to get a sense of real-life purpose with their writing this week.

We physically cut apart and dissected an Aldi leaflet and took SO much inspiration from it. What better than a real-life example of persuasive writing in action. But also- NO PREP!

They are free in all Aldi stores and FULL of useful lessons (Maths too).

Setting children up for success to write a persuasive advertisement

Below I’ll list some activities which we did in order to build the children up to write a successful persuasive advertisement.

Gauge their understanding of oral persuasion

I modelled how to persuade the children to do their Maths work. I showed them how to use flattery (but not too much) and inform them of how it would be a good choice FOR THEM. We had to have lots of discussions about how and why threats can’t be used too.

Then, I wrote 25 topics on lollipop sticks and asked children to practise persuading the others on their table, using a similar technique. This was a good way for me to assess where children needed help with persuasive writing in the coming weeks.

Highlight “weasel words” in the Aldi leaflet

In mixed ability pairs, allow children to use a highlighter or marker to underline the words that would catch the reader’s eye. For example: quick absorbing and enriched with anti-oxidants.

Allow them to make a list in their copies to refer back to. Not all weasel words will be relevant to their product, but they will be able to choose themselves when it comes to that.

Sort positive and negative adjectives

This was done as a starter for a lesson. Children worked in pairs to discuss and decided which adjective went into which category. This increased their awareness of the importance of choosing the correct adjective and the impact that it would have on their product’s sales.

Turn a “negative” paragraph into a “positive” paragraph

Display the “negative” paragraph on the board and highlight all of the adjectives that make this paragraph sound negative and unappealing. As a class, make a list of appropriate words that could replace them to make this paragraph much more appealing and persuasive.

End this lesson by discussing the importance of choosing effective adjectives and descriptions for a product.

Create a sample, “super” advert

This lesson was very effective and useful to build on prior to the children’s writing of their own advertisement.

Children were asked to create an advertisement for a toy dinosaur in pairs on sugar paper. They could cut out any “weasel words” or price tags from the Aldi leaflet that they felt stood out.

This really made for great discussion on which price tags or slogans caught their eye and why. It also led to a discussion on how many eye-catching phrases were too much, as it would overwhelm the reader.

Bullet points were collectively chosen too to portray the information, as shoppers don’t have time to read paragraphs of information. They want it quickly and clearly.

Create a list of “weasel words” that could be used for our product

As mentioned before, we were building up to create an advertisement for a dinosaur toy. We were covering dinosaurs in guided reading,  so I figured it made sense to link the two. Make the product relevant to the children. They then flicked through the Aldi leaflet again, with a different hat on this time. They picked out “weasel words” that could be used to sell a dinosaur toy and jotted them down for reference later in the week.

Words such as:

• Toddler friendly
• Made from recyclable material
• Batteries included

These were words that children discussed in pairs and decided whether or not it was relevant to their toy. It was amazing to see them take ownership of their work and not rely on a list that I could have (but didn’t) provided for them.

These activities took place over the course of two weeks. By this point, I felt that my class were ready to create their own advertisement.

I gave them an A4 page each, their “super sample” that they made earlier in the week and displayed this criteria on the board. Nothing fancy at all, but it was super effective.

• Product  Name
• Description (Bullet Points)
• 1 or 2 persuasive phrases.

Think about

If you look closely to the images below, you will notice that the children chose to use dinosaur footprints instead of bullet points, to catch the readers eye.

They really thought carefully about their designs, sizes, shapes and fonts.

They chose their words carefully and effectively and I couldn’t be more proud of them on the end results.

End Product

Resources for Persuasive Writing – in the past with 3rd Class/Year 4 pupils, I made use of this resource and it worked wonders.

However, I felt like delving into this topic a little differently this year. Feel free to screenshot and use anything I’ve mentioned above and tag me on Instagram if you’d like too. I love seeing people using my ideas.

For a simple poetry lesson idea, click here .

For ways to promote a love of reading in the class, click here.

I hope this was helpful.

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Can You Convince Me? Developing Persuasive Writing

• Resources & Preparation
• Instructional Plan
• Related Resources

Persuasive writing is an important skill that can seem intimidating to elementary students. This lesson encourages students to use skills and knowledge they may not realize they already have. A classroom game introduces students to the basic concepts of lobbying for something that is important to them (or that they want) and making persuasive arguments. Students then choose their own persuasive piece to analyze and learn some of the definitions associated with persuasive writing. Once students become aware of the techniques used in oral arguments, they then apply them to independent persuasive writing activities and analyze the work of others to see if it contains effective persuasive techniques.

Featured Resources

From theory to practice.

• Students can discover for themselves how much they already know about constructing persuasive arguments by participating in an exercise that is not intimidating.  
• Progressing from spoken to written arguments will help students become better readers of persuasive texts.

Common Core Standards

This resource has been aligned to the Common Core State Standards for states in which they have been adopted. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, CCSS alignments are forthcoming.

State Standards

This lesson has been aligned to standards in the following states. If a state does not appear in the drop-down, standard alignments are not currently available for that state.

NCTE/IRA National Standards for the English Language Arts

• 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.
• 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.

Materials and Technology

• Computers with Internet access  
• PowerPoint  
• LCD projector (optional)  
• Chart paper or chalkboard  
• Sticky notes  
• Persuasive Strategy Presentation
• Persuasion Is All Around You  
• Persuasive Strategy Definitions  
• Check the Strategies  
• Check the Strategy  
• Observations and Notes  
• Persuasive Writing Assessment

Preparation

Student objectives.

Students will

• Work in cooperative groups to brainstorm ideas and organize them into a cohesive argument to be presented to the class  
• Gain knowledge of the different strategies that are used in effective persuasive writing  
• Use a graphic organizer to help them begin organizing their ideas into written form  
• Apply what they have learned to write a persuasive piece that expresses their stance and reasoning in a clear, logical sequence  
• Develop oral presentation skills by presenting their persuasive writing pieces to the class  
• Analyze the work of others to see if it contains effective persuasive techniques

Session 1: The Game of Persuasion

Home/School Connection: Distribute Persuasion Is All Around You . Students are to find an example of a persuasive piece from the newspaper, television, radio, magazine, or billboards around town and be ready to report back to class during Session 2. Provide a selection of magazines or newspapers with advertisements for students who may not have materials at home. For English-language learners (ELLs), it may be helpful to show examples of advertisements and articles in newspapers and magazines.

Session 2: Analysis of an Argument

Home/School Connection: Ask students to revisit their persuasive piece from Persuasion Is All Around You . This time they will use Check the Strategies to look for the persuasive strategies that the creator of the piece incorporated. Check for understanding with your ELLs and any special needs students. It may be helpful for them to talk through their persuasive piece with you or a peer before taking it home for homework. Arrange a time for any student who may not have the opportunity to complete assignments outside of school to work with you, a volunteer, or another adult at school on the assignment.

Session 3: Persuasive Writing

Session 4: presenting the persuasive writing.

• Endangered Species: Persuasive Writing offers a way to integrate science with persuasive writing. Have students pretend that they are reporters and have to convince people to think the way they do. Have them pick issues related to endangered species, use the Persuasion Map as a prewriting exercise, and write essays trying to convince others of their points of view. In addition, the lesson “Persuasive Essay: Environmental Issues” can be adapted for your students as part of this exercise.  
• Have students write persuasive arguments for a special class event, such as an educational field trip or an in-class educational movie. Reward the class by arranging for the class event suggested in one of the essays.

Student Assessment / Reflections

• Compare your Observations and Notes from Session 4 and Session 1 to see if students understand the persuasive strategies, use any new persuasive strategies, seem to be overusing a strategy, or need more practice refining the use of a strategy. Offer them guidance and practice as needed.  
• Collect both homework assignments and the Check the Strategy sheets and assess how well students understand the different elements of persuasive writing and how they are applied.  
• Collect students’ Persuasion Maps and use them and your discussions during conferences to see how well students understand how to use the persuasive strategies and are able to plan their essays. You want to look also at how well they are able to make changes from the map to their finished essays.  
• Use the Persuasive Writing Assessment to evaluate the essays students wrote during Session 3.
• Calendar Activities
• Strategy Guides
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• Student Interactives

The Persuasion Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to map out their arguments for a persuasive essay or debate.

This interactive tool allows students to create Venn diagrams that contain two or three overlapping circles, enabling them to organize their information logically.

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Writing To Persuade Full lesson Powerpoint

Subject: English

Age range: 11-14

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

9 April 2018

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• Pie Corbetts Non Fiction Persuasive Writing With The Alex Ryder Series

Persuasive writing for KS2 – Alex Rider activities from Pie Corbett

PDF resource and accompanying PowerPoint slides

Break out the gadgets and take your class undercover with Pie Corbett’s Alex Rider-themed look at persuasive writing for KS2.

Children can design and advertise their own spy gadgets with these examples and exercises. This download contains a PDF resource and accompanying PowerPoint slides.

Persuasive writing for KS2

It’s been over 20 years since we first met Alex Rider, Anthony Horowitz’s teenage superspy. In the book Alex Rider: The Gadgets you’ll find the main gadgets that Alex has been given by Smithers – a character who works in MI6.

The gadgets look harmless but all have different uses. In this lesson plan, children will imagine that some of the gadgets have become available through a secret website known only to those in the spying trade.

Ask pupils to invent a gadget for Alex Rider out of an everyday toy. Use role-play to introduce the gadget to Alex, before writing instructions or explanations about how the gadget works. Then use persuasive writing skills to advertise the gadgets to an audience of spies.

More resources

Download our exclusive Pie Corbett KS2 Non-Fiction Collection. You can also check our persuasive writing resource round-ups for KS2 and KS3/4 .

Pie Corbett is an English educational trainer, writer, author and poet who has written over 200 books. He is also known for promoting creative approaches in the classroom and has experience as a teacher, headteacher and Ofsted inspector. Follow him on Twitter at @PieCorbett .

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• The Island by Armin Greder – PSHE medium-term plan

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Persuasive Writing KS2

What is persuasive writing ks2.

Persuasive writing is a type of non-fiction writing that is written to persuade a reader of a belief, opinion or idea. Here are some common examples of persuasive writing:  

- Advertisements: These could be in the form of a pritned advert that you might find in a newspaper or magazine. Alternatively they might take the form of a radio or TV advertisement. In any form, their main purpose is to persuade you to buy something.  

- Travel brochures: These persuade you to go to a particular holiday destination, hotel or tourist spot. Images are extremely important for this type of persuasive text.

- Essays: A longer form of persuasive writing in which the opinion is laid out in the opening paragraph (the introduction). The following paragraphs then go into more detail, backing up the argument being made with facts, statistics and research.

- Newspaper columns: Newspaper articles are a way that a journalist can express their belief or opinion on a news story in a position of authority. However, these can also be neutral, expressing no particular viewpoint.

- Reviews: A way of expressing an opinion on a product or experience. With online reviews ever more prevalent, we are now more frequently turning to this text type for a second opinion!

- Speeches: There have been many famous persuasive speeches written throughout history.

When are children taught persuasive writing?

Children are typically taught persuasive writing when they get into KS2.

Persuasive Writing Techniques KS2

What techniques can writers use to persuade the reader of their opinion? Here is a list of persuasive writing techniques:

1. A persuasive title - The title of a persuasive text should imply the point of view of the author. It should be short and 'to the point'.

2. An introduction - A short paragraph under the heading which outlines what the issue is and the point of view of the writier. The following paragraphs then go into more detail.

3. Paragraphs - Each paragraph outlines a different reason for the opinion. This structure makes sure the argument is clear.

4. Facts and figures - To convince the reader of the writer's point of view, it is important to include facts which support the opinions.

5. Writing directly addresses the reader - Using personal pronouns such as you, I, my and we can help the reader connect with the arguments being made.

6. Emotive language - Vocabulary that is included to make the reader feel a particular emotion. Adjectives can be useful when trying to make an idea sound either good or bad.

7. Adverbials - Words or phrases that indicate time, place or manner. Words such as obviously, clearly, without doubt and without question are all examples of adverbials that might be used in a persuasive text.

8. Daring the reader to disagree - Explaining the opposing opinion and highlighting its weaknesses is a powerful persuasive tool.

9. Rhetorical questions - With these questions, the answer is already assumed by the writer. They are included not because the writer needs to answer something but to make a point.

10. Modal verbs - These auxilliary verbs modify the main verb in the sentence to show possibility or obligation. Using words like must or will makes opinions sound more authoritative.

11. Repetition - Use repeated words, phrases or sounds (alliteration) to emphasise a point or make it more memorable. Repeating something three times is the most powerful way to use repetition for persuasive effect!

12. A conclusion - A short paragraph at the end of the text which sums up the opinion and reasons for it. This is the last thing the reader reads so needs to have an impact.

Progression in Persuasive Writing KS2

Below is a table to show how children's persuasive writing should progress in terms of grammar / sentence elements and punctuation.

Grammar and Sentence elements to include (LKS2)

Grammar and sentence elements to include (uks2).

Imperative verbs to convey urgency, Buy it now! Listen very carefully....

Rhetorical questions to engage the reader, Do you want the best food you've ever tasted?

Noun phrases to add detail and description, Our incredible shop has amazing products which you will love!

Relative clauses to provide additional enticement, Our hotel, which has over 100 luxurious rooms, overlooks a deightful swimming pool.

Imperative and modal verbs to convey urgency, Buy it now! This product will transform how you cook! 

Adverbials to convey sense of certainty e.g. Clearly this is wrong. Surely we can all agree…? 

Short sentences for emphasis This has to stop! This is wrong! Ban the car! 

Subjunctive form for formal structure If I were you, I would...

Punctuation elements to include (LKS2)

Punctuation elements to include (uks2).

Ensure use of capital letters for proper nouns

Use ? ! for rhetorical / exclamatory sentences

Use commas to mark relative clauses

Use commas to make fronted adverbials and subordinate clauses

Use colons and semi-colons to list features, attractions or arguments

Use brackets or dashes for parenthesis, including for emphasis

Use semi-colons for structure repetition

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5 Top Persuasive Writing Lesson Plans for Students and Teachers

The purpose of any persuasive writing text is to persuade the reader of a particular point of view or to take a specific course of action. Persuasive texts come in many different forms, including, but not limited to, essays, editorials, letters, advertisements, and reviews. While persuasive texts come in many shapes and sizes, they all share standard features.

Persuasive texts employ a wide variety of different rhetorical strategies and techniques to achieve their ends. For example, they’ll use emotive language and rhetorical questions. Images are sometimes used to entice or appeal to the reader or viewer. 

Advertising is one key form of persuasive writing . It makes vigorous use of all the tools in the persuasive writing toolbox as it strives to sell goods or services to the reader.

In this article, you’ll learn how to take your students from reluctant salespersons to master marketers in a lightning-fast five days. 

Students will first learn how the various persuasive strategies work before incorporating them into their advertisements. We have comprehensive guides to persuasive writing and advertisements you should explore also.

So, let’s get started!

Persuasive Writing Lesson Plan 1: Identify the Key Features of Adverts

Before your students will be able to produce their own well-written advertisements, they’ll need to be well-versed in all the tricks up the skilful salesperson’s sleeves.

One of the most productive ways for students to do this is through reverse engineering.

Organize your students into small groups or pairs and distribute print advertisements gleaned from various sources such as magazines, newspapers, and posters. You could also show projections of some sample advertisements projected onto the whiteboard to facilitate this exercise.

Now, ask the students to examine the advertisements and answer the following question: 

What techniques do the advertisers use to get our attention?

Challenge the students to go beyond the pretty obvious features of advertisements, e.g. branding, slogans, and testimonials, to also look at more subtle techniques such as the use and interplay of images and various other effects created by language choices and figurative devices. 

When the students have finished their discussions, give them feedback as a whole class and use their responses to compile a master list of the various features they have identified. 

Some features suggested by the class might include:

• Emotive language
• Exaggeration
• Appealing adjectives
• Powerful verbs
• Strong adverbs
• Contact details
• Alliteration
• Rhetorical questions
• Testimonials

Once you have compiled a master list of persuasive strategies and techniques used in advertising, these can handily be turned into checklists that the students can use when producing their own advertisements later.

Persuasive Writing Lesson Plan 2: Analyze an Advert

Now, the students have a solid understanding of the different features of advertisements and a checklist to work from; it’s time for them to analyze an advert in more detail. 

Not only will this prove a valuable exercise to help prepare your students for producing their own advertisements later in the week, but it will also serve as an excellent task to improve your students’ media literacy skills. It may even help to innoculate them from media manipulation in the future.

To get started on their advertisement analysis, they’ll need to source a suitable advertisement to look at in detail. 

Older and higher-ability students may be fit to make their own choices regarding which advertisement to analyze. If this is the case, perhaps they can choose an advert for a product they like or a product or service in a category that interests them greatly. 

Allowing your students some say in the ads they analyze will help fuel their interest and enthusiasm when creating their own advertisements later.

However, it might be best to choose a sample advertisement for younger students and those of lower ability – or at least offer a pre-vetted, limited choice. They will most likely have enough to contend with already!

When students have a suitable advertisement to hand, please encourage them to use their checklist from yesterday’s lesson to explore how the ad works. The students should then write a paragraph identifying the various techniques used in the advertisement and their effect.

Challenge the students to write another paragraph or two, considering what makes the advertisement work – or not, as the case may be. Ask them to consider where the advertisement could be improved. Could the slogan be catchier? How about the logo? Does it convey the brand’s identity appropriately? Are the images used in the advertisement optimal?

When the students have finished their paragraphs, they can display their advert and their analysis and share their thoughts with the class.

Persuasive Writing Lesson Plan 3: Plan an Advertisement

At this stage, your students should have a good understanding of many of the main features of advertisements and had plenty of opportunities to see examples of these in action. Now it’s time for them to begin to plan for writing their own advertisements. Here are some areas for your students to think about when starting the planning process.

The Purpose and Audience

Like any other writing type, students will need to identify both the purpose and the audience for their advertisements bef ore putting pen to paper.

The purpose of any advertisement is to sell goods or services. Precisely what goods or services are being sold is the first question that needs to be answered.

Students might like to focus on the goods or services advertised in the adverts they’ve been exploring over the previous two days. Or, if they prefer, they might like to choose something new entirely.

Once they’ve chosen what they’re selling, students will need to identify who they will sell it to. Scattershot advertisements that attempt to sell to everyone often end up selling to no one.

One effective way to help focus an advert is to define a ‘buyer persona’ first. This is a profile of the hypothetical buyer who the ad will target.

Students can consider the following characteristics to help them develop their buyer’s persona:

• Education level
• Marital status
• Likes/Dislikes
• Who they trust
• What they read/watch

The Brand Name

The next stage is for the student to decide on a name for their company. This should usually be something relatively short and memorable, and appealing to the target audience.

Generally, the student will need to come up with at least four or five ideas first. They can then choose the best. 

It can be a helpful practice for the student to look at the brand names for companies selling similar goods and services. A little internet research will be beneficial here.

Now it’s time for students to jot down ideas for their brand’s slogan. Slogans are short and punchy phrases that help make brands more memorable for customers. 

Slogans often employ literary devices such as alliteration, puns, or rhyme. They don’t always have to be the most meaningful things in the world; it’s more important that they’re memorable. Think Nike’s Just to Do It or McDonald’s I’m Lovin’ It – not the most meaning-rich phrases in the world but instantly recognizable!

The Body Copy

This part of the advertisement will contain the bulk of the writing. It’s where the students will get to use the various techniques and strategies they’ve explored in the previous activities.

Despite containing most of the ad’s text, advertising copy is usually concise and to the point. Student’s should strive to get the main points across in the fewest words possible. Nothing turns readers off faster than impenetrable walls of text.

To help organize the text, students may use bullet points and subheadings. They should be sure to include any specific information or specifications that they want the reader to know about the product or service. 

The language chosen should also be appropriate for speaking to the audience that they have defined earlier.

The Call to Action

The Call to Action – commonly referred to as the CTA , usually comes at the end of an advertisement.

The CTA typically comprises a few sentences that invite the reader to take a particular course of action. Normally, to buy the advertised goods or service.

However, not all CTAs focus on getting the reader to make an immediate purchase. Some, for example, aim to get the reader to provide their contact details so they can be sold to later. 

Students need to first define what their Call to Action will invite readers to do. They will then need to choose a strong imperative that will call on the reader to take that specific action. Commonly used verbs that urge readers to take action include subscribe, join, buy, etc.

The CTA must be clear and specific; the reader should be in no doubt about what the advertisement is asking them to do. 

Often, the CTA will create a sense of urgency by limiting special offers by time. 

As part of the planning process, students should use some of their time in today’s session to think about and make some notes on options they might like to include in the final drafts of their Call to Action.

Persuasive Writing Lesson Plan 4: Create the Advertisement

Day 4, already! This is the day students will try to bring all the elements together. They’ll work to complete their advertisements by the end of today’s session.

You may like to have the students collaborating to produce their ads or working individually. Either way, reinforce the importance of attention to detail in their work. 

The main focus for persuasive texts of any kind, advertisements included, shouldn’t be length but, instead, it should be on how effectively it persuades the reader to take the desired action.

Students should incorporate their planning from yesterday and refer to their checklists as they create. As precise language is so essential to effective marketing, encourage students to use thesauruses to help them find just the right word for their copy.

When students have had a chance to draft their advertisements, they can then get into small groups and compare their work. This is an opportunity for students to provide each other with constructive criticism. 

They can use their checklists as a basis to provide this criticism. Students can then revise their advertisements in light of the advice they’ve received in their groups.

Persuasive Writing Lesson Plan 5: Further Practice in the Art of Persuasion

In the process of comparing their work with each other, with reference to the criteria they’ve worked on earlier in the week, students will no doubt identify areas they are strong in and other areas where they are weaker.

Day 5’s activities should offer students an opportunity to practice those areas identified as needing further work to bring them up to par.

For example, students can practice their persuasion skills by moving their focus from printed ads to other types of marketing endeavours that utilise the arts of persuasion.

Where students struggled to employ literary devices in their advertising copy, they may benefit from creating a radio jingle or radio ad for their product or service. As this type of ad can contain no visual imagery to support, writing a radio jingle or ad will force the student to pay particular attention to verbal imagery, rhyme, alliteration, etc. 

If the testimonials used in the first advertisement were unconvincing, perhaps the student will benefit from isolating this strategy to focus exclusively on effective testimonial writing. They should spend some time researching testimonials and how to write them effectively. 

For example, testimonials should usually be:

• Short and to the point
• Conversational in tone
• Authentic (use a name, photo, job title, etc.)
• Specific about the benefits
• Directed at overcoming objections.

Once students have a good handle on how these work, they should put their new-found knowledge into practice and get writing as soon as possible.

This research-then-practice model can help the student improve in whatever particular area of persuasion that needs work – as identified in yesterday’s activity.

Getting good at persuasive writing demands our students to develop their knowledge and abilities with a broad range of skills and strategies. 

Advertising copy is a highly concentrated form of persuasive writing and, therefore, an excellent means for our students to gain lots of practice in a short space of time. 

And, as the saying goes, a good start is half the work, so set your class of creative copywriters on the road to marketing mastery today!

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Persuasive Writing KS2 – ‘Eating Insects’ Topic in 5 Lessons

Resource Collection Effective Writing

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This engaging resource pack contains plans and resources for a series of five lessons centred on a unique ‘writing for a purpose’ activity – convincing a teacher to eat insects!

The lessons in this pack aim to give children the opportunity to rehearse persuasive arguments, developing their oracy , and create a piece of persuasive writing in KS2 via a series of distinct stages.

What is included in the persuasive writing KS2 pack?

• Lesson 1 - Introduction Resources used – entomophagy question sheets, entomophagy thinking cards, ‘Bug Question’ thinking cards with answers for staff use
• Lesson 2 - Plan Resources used – entomophagy vocabulary sheets, entomophagy writing plan
• Lesson 3 - Debate
• Lesson 4 - Writing
• Lesson 5 - Editing Resources used – Persuasive writing editing cards

Supplementary resources

• Entomophagy PowerPoint presentation (including interactive quiz on insect eating)
• Edible insects fact sheet
• Entomphagy fact sheet
• Maths mental starter cards
• Packet of edible insects (optional…)

National Curriculum English programme of study links

Pupils should be taught to develop positive attitudes towards, and stamina for writing by, writing for different purposes.

This resource is part of the Effective Writing collection. View more from this collection

• 5 lesson plans on persuasive writing
• PowerPoint – an introduction to entomophagy (the eating of insects) including a quiz
• 6 question cards to prompt discussion about entomophagy
• 6 question prompt cards with answers
• 1 research prompt card to support children in researching the eating of insects
• 1 research card with answers
• Entomophagy vocabulary – 11 technical words and their definitions for children to use in their writing
• Persuasive writing planning worksheet
• Persuasive writing editing cards

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