Persuasive Writing Draft

Overview

Students begin drafting their first persuasive text by choosing a clear preference (a “should” or “is better” idea) and writing reasons to support it. They practise simple text structure: claim, reasons, and a closing statement.

Learning intentions

• Students will be able to state a clear opinion about an animal-related topic.
• Students will be able to write one or two reasons to support their opinion.
• Students will be able to use simple persuasive language (for example, “because”, “so”, “should”).
• Students will begin drafting a text using basic sentence punctuation.

Success criteria

• I can clearly say what I think using a sentence that sounds like a claim.
• I can write at least two reasons that link to my claim using “because”.
• I can use persuasive words like “should” and keep my writing on the topic.
• I can write complete sentences with a capital letter and full stop.

Curriculum links

• Writing simple persuasive texts with a clear idea and supporting reasons.
• Using appropriate language for purpose and audience, including persuasive connectives.
• Applying spelling, punctuation, and grammar in own writing (including sentence punctuation).
• Reading and discussing texts to identify how reasons support opinions.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 5 mins — Warm-up: Quick model

• Teacher reads a short, child-friendly example: “Our class should have a pet rabbit because…” and highlights the claim and one reason.
• Students turn-and-talk: “What is the opinion? What is one reason?”

2. 7 mins — Plan together: Claim and reasons

• On the board, the teacher writes a shared topic (animal choice) such as “A class pet should be a guinea pig” or “Dogs should be walked every day”.
• Students help create a simple plan with three boxes: Claim, Reason 1 (with because), Reason 2 (with because), Closing.
• Teacher prompts: “What can we say that helps convince someone?”

3. 5 mins — Sentence focus: Build persuasive sentences

• Teacher models two sentence frames and co-writes them:
• “I think __ should __ because __.”
• “Another reason is __ because __.”
• Students practise by writing one reason sentence on mini-whiteboards, using “because”.

4. 18 mins — Drafting: Write Persuasive Text 1

• Students draft their own persuasive text in a writing booklet.
• Requirements for Year 2–3 level:
• One clear claim sentence
• Two reason sentences using “because”
• A closing sentence (for example, “That is why I think…”)
• Teacher circulates with prompts: “Does your reason match your claim?” “Can you add a second because reason?”

5. 5 mins — Teacher conference (small, targeted)

• With a class of 6, teacher does brief 1:1 or 2:1 checks.
• Focus questions:
• “Can you point to your claim?”
• “Which sentence starts with ‘because’?”
• “Do you have full stops and capital letters?”

6. 3 mins — Share-out: One thing to celebrate

• Students share one sentence (claim or reason).
• Teacher gives affirming feedback linked to success criteria, focusing on clarity and persuasive language.

7. 2 mins — Reflection and next steps

• Students indicate: “I have my claim” and “I have two reasons” (spoken or quick hand signal).
• Teacher previews next lesson: revising for clarity and adding a simple persuasive closing.

Resources

• Teacher model persuasive paragraph (short, typed or chart paper)
• Sentence frame cards: “I think __ should __ because __” and “Another reason is __ because __”
• Student writing booklets or A4 paper with a simple planning template (Claim/Reason/Reason/Closing)
• Mini-whiteboards, markers, and erasers
• Animal picture cards (to support topic choice)
• Highlighters or sticky notes for identifying claim and reasons
• Individual checklist of success criteria (simple “I can” list)
• Wall chart: persuasive words (should, because, so, that is why)

Assessment

• Teacher observation during drafting: check for a clear claim and at least two reasons connected with “because”.
• Quick conference notes: sentence-level control (capital letters, full stops) and relevance to the topic.
• Exit check: student can say or point to their claim and one reason sentence.

Differentiation

• Support
• Provide a partially completed plan for students needing scaffolding (fill in the claim topic and one reason).
• Offer word banks for animal-related nouns and persuasive verbs (for example, “feed”, “protect”, “train”, “look after”).
• Allow oral drafting first: students tell their reasons, teacher records key sentences they can copy.
• Extension
• Challenge students to add a third reason or a short closing sentence that restates the claim using “so”.
• Encourage more precise reasons (for example, “because it helps…/because it is…”).
• EAL/SEN
• Use consistent sentence frames and visual supports (claim/reason/closing boxes).
• Pre-teach key words and practise with sound-out or chunking for spelling.
• Provide reduced writing length targets while keeping the structure (claim + two because reasons).
• Choice
• Let students choose from two or three animal prompts to improve engagement and relevance.