Draft the Full Speech

Overview

In this seventh lesson of Persuade with Purpose, students turn their completed burger plan and OREO structure into a full persuasive speech. They will organise ideas into connected paragraphs, use evidence and a counterargument, and craft an opening and conclusion for a real audience.

Learning intentions

• WALT draft a persuasive speech for a clear purpose and audience.
• WALT organise ideas using the OREO structure.
• WALT connect reasons with evidence and explain why they matter.
• WALT include a counterargument and purposeful conclusion.
• WALT choose language that sounds convincing when spoken aloud.

Success criteria

• I can clearly state my opinion in the opening.
• I can develop connected reasons using evidence and explanation.
• I can acknowledge a different viewpoint and respond to it respectfully.
• I can finish with a strong conclusion that reminds my audience what to think or do.

Curriculum links

• Creating texts for a clear purpose and audience, with ideas organised coherently.
• Selecting vocabulary, sentence structures and language features to influence an audience.
• Developing paragraphs with main ideas, supporting details and linking words.
• Speaking clearly and effectively, adapting content and delivery for an audience.
• Communication and language: expressing ideas, listening to others and responding thoughtfully.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 minutes – Hook and oral rehearsal Open with the hook and learning intention slides. Display the question: “What makes an audience want to listen and agree?” Read a short example opening aloud, then invite students to identify its opinion, audience and persuasive purpose.

2. 4–8 minutes – Model the speech structure Use the OREO speech model slides to revisit Opinion, Reasons, Evidence, Opinion. Explain that a full speech is more than four short sentences: each reason needs development, examples should be connected to the claim, and linking words help the speech flow. Briefly model turning a burger-plan note into a paragraph.

3. 8–11 minutes – Teacher think-aloud Show a sample topic such as “Our school should have a longer lunchtime” using the worked-example slides. Think aloud while improving a basic reason: add a specific example, explain its impact, and acknowledge a possible counterargument. Highlight useful connectors such as because, for example, however, although, therefore and this would mean.

4. 11–23 minutes – Independent speech drafting Distribute the full persuasive speech drafting sheet and ask students to use their completed burger plan. Students draft an opening, two or three connected reason paragraphs, evidence or examples, a counterargument with a response, and a conclusion. Circulate to conference with writers, prompting: “What does your audience need to know?” and “How does this evidence prove your point?” Students may quietly rehearse each paragraph to a partner before writing it.

5. 23–27 minutes – Partner response In pairs, students read their draft aloud and use the Text Structure Checklist to give focused feedback. The listener identifies one strong feature and asks one helpful question, such as “Where could you explain that evidence further?” or “Is your conclusion asking the audience to do something?”

6. 27–30 minutes – Revise and share Return to the revision prompts and plenary slides. Students make one immediate improvement, such as strengthening the opening, adding a linking sentence, explaining evidence or improving the conclusion. Invite two or three volunteers to read a revised opening or conclusion. Collect drafts or photograph them for the next lesson.

Resources

• the complete Persuade with Purpose lesson deck
• the full persuasive speech drafting sheet
• the Text Structure Checklist
• Students’ completed burger plans
• Students’ OREO structure notes
• Pencils, highlighters and writing books
• Timer
• Board or display screen

Assessment

• Listen during oral rehearsal and conferencing for a clear opinion, relevant reasons and understanding of audience.
• Check drafts for an organised opening, connected reasons, evidence, counterargument and conclusion.
• Use the partner checklist and collected writing to identify students needing support with paragraphing, linking ideas or explaining evidence in Lesson 8.

Differentiation

• Provide a partially completed speech frame with sentence starters: “I believe…”, “One reason is…”, “For example…”, “Some people may argue…”, and “That is why…”.
• Support students who need it by scribing ideas, allowing speech-to-text, reducing the task to two developed reasons, or letting them dictate and then reread their draft.
• For EAL learners, pre-teach and display connectors and allow oral rehearsal before writing; pair them with a supportive peer who models, rather than supplies, language.
• Extend confident writers by asking them to vary sentence openings, use a precise statistic or example, address the audience directly, and create a memorable call to action.