Choosing Our Position

Overview

Lesson 5 of 14 in Persuade Through Time. Students investigate whether changes in schooling, technology and daily life have improved people’s lives, discuss different viewpoints along an agree/disagree continuum, and choose a position supported by at least one reason.

Learning intentions

Students will:

• form a reasoned position about whether a change has improved people’s lives
• listen to and build on the ideas of others
• use examples from the past and present to support an opinion
• rehearse and communicate a simple persuasive statement

Success criteria

• I can state my position clearly.
• I can give at least one reason for my position.
• I can listen respectfully to a different viewpoint.
• I can use the sentence frame, “I believe… because…”

Curriculum links

• Creating spoken and written texts for familiar purposes and audiences.
• Expressing opinions and giving reasons in discussions.
• Listening to, responding to and building on the ideas of others.
• Comparing aspects of life in the past and present, including technologies and daily experiences.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Reconnect and hook

Open with the hook and learning intention slides. Remind students that they are exploring how life has changed over time. Show a before-and-after image, such as a child writing with a slate compared with a child using a tablet, and ask: “Has this change made life better for everyone? Why or why not?”

Explain the WALT: “We are learning to form a reasoned position about whether changes have improved people’s lives.” Clarify that a position is what we think, and a reason explains why.

2. 5–12 minutes – Explore examples

Use the past-and-present example slides to introduce three familiar changes: schooling, technology and daily life. Possible examples include school lessons at home compared with school today, sending a letter compared with sending a message, and washing clothes by hand compared with using a washing machine.

For each example, ask: “What is different? Who might benefit? Could there be a drawback?” Accept oral responses and record key ideas in two columns: improvements and possible problems.

3. 12–20 minutes – Inquiry continuum

Display the agree/disagree continuum instructions. Label one side of the classroom “Strongly agree” and the other “Strongly disagree”, with the middle representing “Not sure” or “It depends”.

Read one statement at a time, such as:

• “Technology has made people’s lives better.”
• “School is better now than it was in the past.”
• “Changes in daily life always make things easier.”

Students move to a position on the continuum. Invite several students to explain their choice using: “I am standing here because…” Remind students that changing position after hearing a new reason is a strength, not a mistake.

4. 20–28 minutes – Partner talk and oral rehearsal

Model a response: “I believe technology has improved people’s lives because we can communicate quickly.” Then model a balanced response: “I believe technology has improved some parts of life because it helps us communicate, but it can also distract us.”

Display the sentence frames and discussion prompts. In pairs, students choose one change and rehearse their response. Provide the frames:

• “I believe ______ has improved people’s lives because ______.”
• “One example is ______.”
• “However, ______.”
• “I agree/disagree with ______ because ______.”

Partners take turns speaking and listening. The listener responds, “I heard you say…” or asks, “Can you tell me more?”

5. 28–38 minutes – Record a position

Distribute the position and reason worksheet. Students draw or write their chosen change, circle or mark their position, and complete: “I believe ______ because ______.” Encourage them to include one example from the class discussion.

Confer with students as they work. Scribe student ideas where needed. Students may dictate their sentence, draw the change and label it, or write independently. Students who are ready can add: “However, ______.”

6. 38–45 minutes – Share and reflect

Invite three or four students to share their position and reason. Ask the class to listen for the position word and the reason. Use the sharing and reflection slides to revisit the success criteria.

Students complete an oral or written reflection: “My position is ______. My reason is ______.” Finish by explaining that in the next lessons they will use reasons and examples to develop persuasive communication.

Resources

• the complete inquiry lesson slide deck
• the position and reason worksheet
• Board or chart paper
• Markers
• Clear classroom space for the continuum
• Optional picture cards or photographs showing past and present examples
• Pencils, crayons and clipboards if students work away from tables

Assessment

• Listen during continuum movement and partner talk for a clearly stated position and a relevant reason.
• Review the worksheet for a position, at least one reason and an understandable connection to the selected change.
• Note students who can recognise a drawback, respond to another viewpoint or revise their position after discussion.

Differentiation

• Provide a visual agree/disagree continuum, pictures of each example and repeated oral modelling.
• Offer sentence frames, word banks and oral rehearsal before writing; allow drawing, labelling, dictation or speech-to-text.
• Pair students strategically and use supportive prompts such as, “What changed?” and “How did that help?”
• Extend advanced learners by asking them to form a balanced position that recognises both benefits and drawbacks, using “However…” or “It depends because…”