Persuasive Writing Editing Checklist

Name:

Date:

🎯 WALT: Edit persuasive writing to improve clarity and persuasion

📝 Part 1: Persuasive Language Features Check

Read this persuasive paragraph and use the checklist below:

"Our school should have longer lunch breaks. Some students think 30 minutes is enough but I disagree. Students need more time to eat properly and play with friends. It would be good for everyone. Other schools have longer breaks and they work fine. Please consider this idea."

1. Check if the paragraph includes these persuasive features:

Strong opening statement

Modal verbs (should, must, could)

Evidence or examples

Emotive language

Call to action

2. Which persuasive technique is missing from this paragraph?

Statistics or facts

Personal opinion

Examples

A conclusion

3. Rewrite the opening sentence to make it more persuasive:

✏️ Part 2: Spelling, Punctuation & Grammar Check

4. Find and circle any spelling or punctuation errors in the paragraph above, then write the corrections here:

5. Which sentence could be improved by adding a connective?

"Students need more time to eat properly and play with friends."

"It would be good for everyone."

"Other schools have longer breaks and they work fine."

6. Add appropriate connectives to improve the flow. Choose from: Furthermore, However, In addition, Therefore

Students need more time to eat properly and play with friends. _____________, it would help reduce stress during the day. _____________, other schools have longer breaks and they work successfully.

🌟 Part 3: Overall Clarity & Persuasion

7. Rate the paragraph's persuasiveness (circle one):

Very persuasive

Quite persuasive

Not very persuasive

8. Write one sentence to add more evidence to support the argument:

📋 Success Criteria - I can:

Identify persuasive language features

Spot spelling and punctuation errors

Suggest improvements to make writing more persuasive

Use connectives to improve flow

🚀 Extension Activity (Advanced Learners):

Challenge: Rewrite the entire paragraph using more sophisticated persuasive techniques such as rhetorical questions, expert opinions, or statistics. Use the back of this sheet.

📚 Differentiation Support:

Need help? Work with a partner to identify one persuasive feature and one spelling error. Focus on improving just the opening and closing sentences.