Persuasive Words Matter

Design a 45–50 minute literacy lesson for Year 3 that introduces students to persuasive writing.

The lesson should align with the NSW English K–6 syllabus outcome EN2-CWT-03 and integrate supporting outcomes in oral language, vocabulary, and reading comprehension as appropriate.

Choose an engaging, school-appropriate persuasive topic that promotes positive change and is suitable for a real audience (e.g., the principal or school community). Avoid topics that undermine school expectations or routines.

Include clear learning intentions and success indicators, and ensure the lesson moves students from exploring how persuasive texts work toward planning their own idea—without requiring full drafting in this lesson.

Differentiate tasks to support students with diverse learning needs, including those working below, at, and above stage level.

Overview

This 50-minute lesson introduces Year 3 students to persuasive writing, aligned with the NSW English K–6 syllabus outcome EN2-CWT-03 and Australian Curriculum (v9) content descriptions. The lesson engages all 26 students by exploring how persuasive texts work, with activities scaffolding understanding from oral language, vocabulary development, and reading comprehension towards planning their own persuasive argument. The chosen topic, "Why should our school have more play equipment?" is school-appropriate, promotes positive change, and presents a real audience (the principal and school community). Differentiation strategies support learners below, at, and above stage level.

Curriculum Alignment

Australian Curriculum v9: English

AC9E3LY06: Plan, create, edit and publish persuasive texts using appropriate form, layout, and vocabulary.
NSW English K-6 Syllabus Outcome EN2-CWT-03: Students compose texts that express opinions and provide reasons to persuade readers.
Oral language and vocabulary outcomes: Develop use of topic-specific vocabulary and oral expressions relevant to persuasion.
Reading comprehension: Analyse features and language in persuasive texts to comprehend intent and structure.

Learning Intentions

Students will:

Understand the purpose and key features of persuasive texts.
Identify and use persuasive language and vocabulary related to the chosen topic.
Plan their own persuasive idea using simple reasons and supporting details.

Success Criteria

Students can:

Explain what makes a persuasive text effective.
Identify persuasive words and phrases in a shared text.
Create a plan with a clear opinion and two or three supporting reasons for a persuasive topic.

Resources

Whiteboard and markers
Printed persuasive text example (short letter/poster: "We need more play equipment!")
Persuasive language word bank (e.g., should, important, because, everyone, fun)
Planning template with sections for opinion and reasons
Chart paper for group brainstorming
Visual aids showing play equipment (photos or drawings)
Sentence starters (differentiated)

Lesson Structure

Introduction (10 minutes)

Engagement & Exploration

Teacher reads aloud a short persuasive letter/poster about adding more play equipment at school.
Discuss: What is the author trying to do? How do they make you want to agree?
Identify persuasive words and phrases together, writing examples on the board (e.g., "We should...," "It is important...," "because").
Link to audience: Explain who would read this letter (principal, school council).

Differentiation: Use visuals and examples for students needing support; encourage higher-level students to explain why certain words persuade the reader.

Main Activity (25 minutes)

Guided Practice and Planning

Oral brainstorming (10 minutes):
- In small groups, brainstorm reasons why more play equipment would be good for the school. Use chart paper.
- Prompt with questions: "Why is play equipment important? How will it help students?"
- Teacher circulates, supports and extends student ideas orally, helping students formulate persuasive vocabulary and reasoning.
Individual Planning (15 minutes):
- Students use a planning template to state their opinion clearly and write two or three reasons with supporting details.
- Sentence starters provided for scaffolding.
- Encourage use of persuasive language and connectors ("because," "so that," "therefore").

Differentiation:

Below stage: Provide sentence starters and encourage drawing or oral explanation instead of full sentences.
At stage: Complete the planning template independently.
Above stage: Add a concluding sentence or think about addressing counter-arguments (e.g., "Some might say..., but...").

Conclusion and Reflection (10 minutes)

Invite some students to share their planned ideas orally.
Class discussion: How did these reasons help make the idea stronger?
Recap learning intentions and success criteria; self-assessment on checklist.
Explain next steps: They will use this plan to write their own persuasive text in a future lesson.

Extension for advanced learners: Begin drafting their persuasive text or create a multimodal poster to persuade others.

Differentiation Summary

Support: Visual aids, oral discussion prompts, sentence starters, peer support.
Core: Planning template with scaffolded questions to guide opinion and reasons.
Extend: Include a concluding sentence, peer feedback, begin drafting or use multimodal presentation.

Assessment Strategy

The teacher will monitor understanding through:

Participation in brainstorming and oral discussion (oral language and persuasive vocabulary use) aligned with NSW English K–6 syllabus outcomes.
Review of individual planning templates assessing clarity of opinion, relevance and number of reasons, use of persuasive language (EN2-CWT-03, AC9E3LY06).
Formative feedback during and after sharing session to guide next steps for writing.
Observation of differentiated supports engaged by students to track individual learning needs and progress.

This structured lesson plan ensures scaffolded learning linked explicitly to NSW and Australian Curriculum standards. It progresses students from guided text exploration to confident planning of persuasive writing on a meaningful, authentic school topic, while differentiating and extending learners appropriately. This approach aims to excite students about writing persuasively for real audiences and purposes in a collaborative and supportive classroom environment.

Teaching Instructions