Animal Advocacy Presentations

Overview

Students present their persuasive responses about an animal-related idea. They practise speaking clearly for an audience, use persuasive language, and learn how to respond to feedback to improve.

Learning intentions

• Students will present a short persuasive message with a beginning, middle and end.
• Students will use simple persuasive language (because, I think, so that) to explain their ideas.
• Students will listen to others and give kind, specific feedback about what was effective.
• Students will revise their presentation using feedback.

Success criteria

• I can speak in turns and use a clear beginning, middle and end.
• I can use at least one reason with because (or another reason word) in my persuasive message.
• I can make eye contact (or look at my audience) and speak loudly enough to be heard.
• I can give feedback using “I noticed…” and “I wonder…” or “Next time you could…”

Curriculum links

• English: speaking and listening for different purposes, including presenting ideas to an audience.
• English: creating texts with ideas organised for the purpose of persuading or explaining.
• English: using language features to persuade (reasons, simple connectives, appropriate tone).
• English: interpreting and responding to feedback to improve their own texts and presentations.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 5 minutes – Warm-up and purpose Students gather and review the goal of persuasive presentations: “Tell us what you want and why.” Model one sentence using a reason (e.g., “I think the animal should… because…”). Remind students to use a clear beginning, middle and end.

2. 10 minutes – Presentation model (teacher-led) Teacher delivers a short example persuasive message (about animals, e.g., “We should protect ducks because…”) using:

• A beginning statement (what I want)
• A middle reason (because…)
• An ending call to action (so that… / please…) Then model giving feedback: “I noticed your reason was clear. Next time you could say it a bit louder.”

3. 20 minutes – Student presentations (6 students, rotating) Set up a simple “audience circle.” Each student presents for about 2–3 minutes, with the teacher timekeeping.

• Audience students listen with a feedback sheet/record card: one thing they noticed, and one question or next step.
• Teacher prompts if needed: “What is your main idea?” “Where is your ‘because’ reason?” Rotate quickly so everyone presents and receives feedback.

4. 7 minutes – Feedback to improve After each student presents, teacher and peers practise one feedback sentence structure:

• “I noticed…”
• “I wonder…” or “Next time you could…” Encourage students to choose one improvement to try (e.g., add a reason, speak more clearly, use “so that…” at the end).

5. 3 minutes – Revision round (micro-update) Students revise one part of their message immediately: either add a reason sentence, repeat the call to action, or re-order one sentence for clarity. They practise it once to prepare for the next presenting opportunity.

6. 0 minutes – Closure (quick reflection) Students share one learning from today: “Today I learned…” Focus on advocacy and communication.

Resources

• Student persuasive response drafts from the previous lessons (written or picture-supported)
• Simple presentation cue cards: Beginning / Reason / Call to action
• Feedback cards or paper slips with sentence starters: “I noticed…” “I wonder…” “Next time…”
• Timer or sand timer
• Large display of persuasive sentence frames (because / so that / I think / please)
• Optional: a quiet “speaking spot” mat to help turn-taking
• Teacher checklist for speaking (clarity, reason, structure, audience-friendly voice)

Assessment

• Teacher observes each presentation using a short checklist aligned to structure (beginning/middle/end) and persuasive reasoning (use of because/other reason linkers).
• Peer feedback is assessed informally for being specific and kind, using the provided sentence starters.
• Students show revision by making one targeted improvement during the micro-update.

Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence frames and word banks; allow students to read from cue cards if needed; offer extra rehearsal time with the teacher before presenting.
• Support: For students with speech or confidence needs, allow a “pair presentation” where one student holds the cue cards and the other speaks, or reduce the speaking time to one key reason.
• Extension: Ask students to include a second reason (“because… also…”) or add a clear call to action with “please” plus “so that.”
• EAL learners: Pre-teach two or three key connectives (because, so that, I think) with gestures; accept home-language brainstorming, then co-construct the English sentence.
• SEN: Offer structured turn-taking, visual supports for sequence (beginning/middle/end), and short, consistent feedback prompts.