Crafting Persuasive Adventures

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Overview

Year Level: Year 11
Subject: English – Language, Literature, and Literacy
Class Type: Studies (High-ability students)
Duration: 75 minutes
Number of Students: 20

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Curriculum Alignment

Australian Curriculum: English (Year 11 – Senior Secondary)
Strand: Literacy – Creating Texts, Analysing and Evaluating Texts
Sub-strand:

• ACELY1750 – Create sustained texts for different purposes and audiences, combining spoken, written, visual and multimodal elements.
• ACELY1749 – Use organisation patterns, voice and language conventions to influence the audience.
• ACELA1551 – Understand how language can be used to influence audiences through vocabulary, tone and persuasive techniques.

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Learning Intentions

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify and apply a range of holiday and travel-related vocabulary in context.
• Collaborate to brainstorm and design a holiday package suitable for a family.
• Draft and rehearse the structure of a persuasive speech specifically crafted for a tourism context.
• Apply persuasive techniques tailored to a specific audience.

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Success Criteria

Students will demonstrate success by:

• Using at least 10 subject-specific travel-related terms in their writing.
• Designing a realistic holiday package based on a given family profile.
• Structuring a persuasive speech using a clear introduction, body with persuasive appeals, and a strong conclusion.
• Providing constructive feedback on a peer’s speech.

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Resources Required

• ‘Persuasive Toolkit’ handout (provided in class)
• Word banks on travel and tourism vocabulary
• Whiteboard & markers
• Speech planning template
• Timer or stopwatch
• Sticky notes or palm cards
• Printed family profiles (diverse demographics – e.g. budget-conscious family, adventurous teens, elderly grandparents)
• A3 planning sheets
• Coloured pens and highlighters

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Lesson Breakdown – 75 Minutes

0:00 – 0:10 | Warm-Up Task: “Where To Next?”

Objective: Activate prior knowledge of travel vocabulary and experiences.

Activity:

• In pairs, students use sticky notes to list as many travel-related words as they can in 2 minutes (e.g. ‘itinerary’, ‘getaway’, ‘accommodation’, ‘all-inclusive’, etc.).
• Teacher gathers 4-5 standout examples and writes them on the board for class discussion.
• Brief class discussion: What makes a holiday appealing to different kinds of families?

🔑 Teacher Prompt: “Think beyond ‘beach’ holidays—what else might persuade someone: affordability, culture, relaxation, memory-making?”

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0:10 – 0:25 | Vocabulary and Persuasive Language Blitz

Objective: Strengthen command of persuasive and travel-specific language.

Activity:

• Students receive a ‘Persuasive Toolkit’ handout, highlighting persuasive techniques (emotive language, rhetorical questions, inclusive language, repetition, etc.), and holiday vocabulary.
• Conduct a matching exercise: students match persuasive techniques with examples tailored to the travel context (provided in pairs, 6 examples).
• Whole group correction discussed interactively.

Challenge Extension (for high-ability):

• In pairs, rewrite a bland travel phrase into an emotive, persuasive version (e.g. ‘a week away’ ➝ ‘an unforgettable escape into nature's paradise’). Share with class.

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0:25 – 0:45 | Holiday Design Challenge (Partner Work)

Objective: Design a travel experience based on the needs of a hypothetical family.

Activity:

• Each pair draws a Family Profile Card randomly from a box (e.g. “Family of 5 with toddlers, prefers domestic travel”, “Teenage siblings, thrill-seekers”, “Elderly couple interested in cultural experiences”).
• Using an A3 Holiday Planner Sheet, pairs design a 5-day itinerary to suit their given family.
• Must include:
  • Destination
  • Accommodation
  • Daily activities
  • Budget considerations
  • Persuasive angle (Why this holiday suits this family?)

Students encouraged to be creative but realistic. Teacher roams for feedback loops.

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0:45 – 1:00 | Speech Planning and Drafting

Objective: Translate holiday design into a persuasive speech, written for performance.

Activity:

• Pairs begin outlining their 2-minute persuasive speech using a given template:
  • Hook (Start with emotion, a question, or anecdote)
  • Overview of the designed holiday
  • 3 compelling persuasive points
  • Inclusive appeal (e.g. “What more could your family want?”)
  • Memorable closing statement

Emphasis given to audience-targeted appeals, persuasive language from the toolkit, and tone.

🎯 Teacher Prompt: “You’re trying to convince a family — not your English teacher. Sell the dream, not the essay.”

Note: One partner writes while the other reads aloud sections to test tone and fluency.

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1:00 – 1:10 | Quick-Rehearse & Peer Feedback

Objective: Practise verbal delivery; provide constructive critique.

Activity:

• Pairs split and join with a new pair.
• Each duo presents their 1-minute rehearsed draft pitch (round-robin style).
• Listening pair fills out a quick feedback slip, focusing on:
  • Persuasiveness
  • Use of holiday vocabulary
  • Energy/tone of delivery
  • Suggestions for improvement

Encourage praise + one suggestion format.

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1:10 – 1:15 | Reflection & Exit Slip

Objective: Consolidate learning and self-assess progress.

Activity:
Each student completes an Exit Slip:

• One persuasive technique I used well was: _______
• One new word I added to my writing was: _______
• My next step in improving my persuasive speaking is: _______

Teacher quickly gauges responses to inform next lesson.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Extension: High-ability students can create a multimodal pitch using optional PowerPoint, props, or visual aids for next class.
• Support: Vocabulary banks include image cues or sample sentence stems. Teacher checks in with quieter students during planning phase to unpack ideas verbally.
• Variety of Learners: Visual supports (maps, photos) available to inspire less experienced students.

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Next Steps

• In the following lesson, students will finalise and perform their complete holiday pitches individually as assessed oral presentations.
• They will also explore multimodal elements (tone, pace, gesture) and audience engagement.
• Integration with digital media (posters or trip brochures) optional for enrichment.

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Teacher Reflections

🧠 Consider:

• How effectively did students adapt persuasive language for a real-world context?
• Did pair dynamics support or hinder equitable contribution?
• Which students require focused coaching before formal oral assessments?

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This lesson combines critical literacy, creativity, and performance — all within a relevant, real-world context where language brings experience to life.