Persuasion Start

Year Level

Years 2-3

Lesson Duration

60 minutes

Unit: Protecting Imaginary Places

Lesson 1: Introduction to Persuasion

---

Key Vocabulary

• Persuade/Persuasion: Trying to convince someone to believe or do something.
• Audience: The people who see or hear a message.
• Message: The main idea or point being shared.
• Claim: A statement that tells what you believe or want others to believe.
• Reason: A why or explanation that supports a claim.
• Example: Something that shows or proves a point.
• Appeal: A way to make people feel or think a certain way.
• Slogan: A short, catchy phrase used in ads.
• Advertising: Showing or telling about something to make people interested.
• Feature: A special part or quality of something.
• Benefit: A good thing that helps or makes life better.
• Tone: The feeling or mood in the way something is said or shown.
• Call to Action: Words that tell people what to do next.
• Persuasive Techniques: Tricks like using strong feelings or interesting words to convince people.

Australian Curriculum Alignment

Learning Area: The Arts – Media Arts

Relevant Content Descriptions and Elaborations:

• AC9AMAFD01: Students use play, imagination, arts knowledge, processes and/or skills to discover possibilities and develop ideas.
• Explore ways media works communicate ideas using images and sounds (AC9AMAFD01_E6).
• Investigate how media arts use images and sounds to convey messages and feelings (AC9AMAFD01_E3).
• AC9LS10C03 (English context for persuasion understanding): Explore and discuss persuasive texts including advertisements, recognising features that influence audiences, such as emotive language and visual elements.

Note: While the focus is Media Arts within The Arts curriculum, the lesson naturally links to English literacy around persuasive texts and media interpretation.

---

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson students will:

1. Understand the concept of persuasion in media and how advertisements are designed to influence people.
2. Identify elements that make advertisements persuasive (e.g., catchy slogans, vivid images, repetition, emotional appeal).
3. Reflect on why protecting imaginary places might need persuasive media.
4. Begin planning ideas for their own persuasive advertisement to protect an imaginary place.

---

Materials Required

• Digital device to watch short video examples of persuasive advertisements (age-appropriate).
• Whiteboard or chart paper and markers.
• Sticky notes or small paper squares.
• Worksheets for brainstorming ideas (graphic organiser with sections: imaginary place, message, persuasive elements).
• Basic art supplies (coloured pencils, crayons, markers).
• Optional: projector and speakers for media playback.

---

Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction to Persuasion (10 minutes)

• Begin with a simple question: “What does it mean to persuade someone?”
• Gather student responses; explain persuasion is trying to get someone to agree with you or take action by giving reasons, using emotions or interesting ideas.
• Show simple examples from everyday life (e.g., convincing a friend to play a game or eat a certain fruit).
• Introduce the idea that advertisements are messages designed to persuade people.

2. Watch and Discuss Persuasive Advertisements (15 minutes)

• Show 2-3 short, creative, age-appropriate advertisements or commercial-like clips aimed at children (max 1-2 minutes each). Examples can include ads for toys, environmental messages or public service announcements with clear persuasive elements.

• After each clip, lead a class discussion:

• What did you notice about the advertisement?

• What made it interesting or convincing? (e.g., colours, music, characters, words)

• How did it make you feel?

• Record key persuasive elements on a chart for students to see:

• Bright colours or fun images

• Repetition of catchy phrases or slogans

• Use of feelings like happiness or concern

• Showing something exciting or important

3. Explain the Unit Context and Task (5 minutes)

• Briefly share the unit theme: Protecting Imaginary Places.
• Explain that in this unit, students will create their own advertisements to persuade others to look after and protect a special imaginary place.
• Emphasise imagination and creativity.

4. Brainstorming Own Advertisement (20 minutes)

• Using a graphic organiser worksheet, guide students to start thinking about:
• What is their imaginary place? (e.g., a magical forest, underwater city)
• What message do they want to share to protect it?
• What persuasive elements could make their advertisement effective?
• Encourage students to draw and write their initial thoughts.
• Circulate and support ideas, prompting questions such as:
• Who do you want to persuade?
• What sounds, colours or characters could you use?
• How will you make people care about your place?

5. Share Ideas and Reflection (10 minutes)

• Invite some students to share their brainstorming ideas with the class.
• Reinforce the importance of persuasion in helping to protect and care for important places.
• Summarise learning by revisiting persuasive elements and how they help communication.

---

Assessment/Evaluation

• Formative: Observation during discussion and brainstorming activities: students demonstrate understanding of persuasion by identifying elements that make media messages convincing.
• Worksheet review: Check brainstorming sheets for appropriate use of persuasive concepts and clear connection to the imaginary place protection message.
• Oral sharing: Informal assessment of students’ ability to articulate elements of persuasion and ideas for their own advertisement.

---

Differentiation and Extension Ideas

• Provide sentence starters or visual prompts for students who need more support during brainstorming.
• For advanced learners, challenge them to think about how music or voice tone can add to persuasion, and to describe this in their worksheet.
• Offer digital drawing apps or collage materials for students eager to explore multimedia mediums.

---

Teacher Reflection Points

• Were the selected advertisements engaging and age-appropriate?
• Did students grasp the concept of persuasion and start linking it to protecting imaginary places?
• How did students express their ideas — were they able to identify persuasive techniques?
• Prepare to build on students’ brainstormed ideas in the next lessons, moving towards creating the actual advertisements.

---

This lesson tightly integrates Media Arts skills with the English understanding of persuasion and suits the year 2-3 abilities and interests by balancing multimedia engagement, group discussion, and personal creative planning. It aligns with the Australian Curriculum v9 content especially AC9AMAFD01 for Media Arts and supports cross-curricular literacy development.