Persuasive Writing Foundations

Lesson Overview

This 60-minute lesson for Year 10 English students introduces the fundamentals of persuasive writing according to the Western Australian Curriculum. The focus is on understanding and identifying persuasive language, techniques, tone, audience, and purpose, and exploring the structures of different persuasive text forms including blogs, letters, and articles. The lesson includes scaffolded activities, differentiation strategies for diverse learners, dyslexia-friendly reading options, and extension activities for advanced learners.

Curriculum Alignment

Western Australian Curriculum: English Year 10

Content Descriptions:
Plan, create, edit and publish persuasive texts using appropriate structure, language features and tone to engage audiences for specific purposes.
Understand and analyse how language features, text structures and stylistic devices shape meaning and influence audiences.
Evaluate and compare the effectiveness of different persuasive texts and techniques.

Learning Objectives

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

Identify and explain key persuasive elements: persuasive language, techniques, tone, audience, and purpose.
Differentiate among the structures of blogs, letters, and articles as forms of persuasive writing.
Analyse examples of persuasive texts to recognise tone and audience awareness.
Begin planning a persuasive text considering purpose, audience, and context.

Lesson Structure

Time	Activity	Description & Differentiation
0-10 mins	Introduction to Persuasion	- Short interactive discussion: What is persuasive writing? What is its purpose? - Use simple, clear definitions supported by visual anchors. - Show examples (via print or projected dyslexia-friendly font with good contrast). - Scaffolded question prompts to support understanding.
10-20 mins	Key Concepts Exploration	- Mini-lecture with student note-taking (guided handout): persuasive language, techniques (ethos, pathos, logos), tone, audience, purpose. - Use colour coding/highlighting in handouts for dyslexia-friendly access. - Include adjectives to describe tone (e.g., urgent, sympathetic) with examples. - Discussion pairs to identify these elements in a short persuasive paragraph.
20-35 mins	Text Structures – Blogs, Letters, Articles	- Whole-class comparison of structures: introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion; focus on how these vary by form. - Visual scaffold (graphic organiser) illustrating typical structure for each text type. - Group activity: In small groups, students receive a different persuasive text and fill in the graphic organiser identifying structure components. - For diverse learners: Provide sentence starters or partially completed organisers. - Advanced learners: Challenge to suggest how structure changes with different audiences. - Use dyslexia-friendly printed copies in various fonts (e.g., OpenDyslexic).
35-50 mins	Applying Knowledge – Tone, Audience, Purpose	- Read short provided persuasive excerpts from blogs, letters, and articles. - Individually, students annotate tone, audience, and persuasive techniques used. - Then share in pairs to discuss and clarify understanding. - For diverse learners: Provide guiding questions and glossaries of persuasive devices. - Extension for advanced learners: Critique how effectively tone and techniques align with the audience and purpose.
50-60 mins	Planning Your Persuasive Text	- Students choose one form (blog, letter, or article) and outline purpose, audience, tone, and main contention using a scaffolded planning sheet. - For diverse learners: Use fill-in-the-blanks and key vocabulary banks. - Advanced learners: Add a brief note on how they might use persuasive devices to strengthen their argument. - Quick formative assessment: Share one key choice with the class in a sentence.

Differentiation Strategies

For Diverse Learners:
Use graphic organisers and sentence starters.
Provide dyslexia-friendly print resources (clear fonts, ample spacing, coloured overlays).
Use multimodal presentations including visuals and oral explanations.
Pair work to support peer learning.
Simplified language in handouts and instructions.
For Advanced Learners:
Challenge students to critically analyse the effectiveness of tone-audience fit.
Encourage considering alternate persuasive techniques.
Task with expanding arguments including rebuttals to counterarguments.
Invite them to draft an opening paragraph using elevated vocabulary.

Dyslexia-Friendly Reading Options

Use large fonts such as OpenDyslexic or Arial with generous spacing.
Provide printed copies in black text on off-white or pastel background for reduced glare.
Include visual cues like icons beside persuasive techniques.
Allow oral reading or use text-to-speech tools if available.
Break down complex sentences into shorter, simpler phrases on handouts.

Resources Required

Printed handouts: Persuasive techniques, tone words, sample texts (blogs, letters, articles).
Graphic organisers for text structures and planning sheets.
Whiteboard and markers for class notes and mapping ideas.
Projector or screen for displaying examples.
Dyslexia-friendly fonts used in printed materials.

Example Text Samples for Activities

Blog excerpt on environmental action.
Letter to the editor advocating for a local change.
Newspaper article on school policy reform.

Assessment and Feedback

Informal formative assessment during paired and group discussions.
Review of students’ planning sheets to gauge understanding of purpose, audience, tone, and structure.
Exit ticket: One sentence sharing their chosen persuasive form and main contention.

Extension/Homework

Write a complete introduction paragraph for their chosen persuasive form applying correct structure, tone, and persuasive language.
Reflect in a journal on why understanding the audience is important in persuasive writing.

This lesson scaffolds the Year 10 English students to build a strong foundation in persuasive writing, priming them for more sophisticated composition tasks through clear, scaffolded, and accessible activities rooted in the Western Australian Curriculum requirements.

Teaching Instructions