Craft Exceptional Endings

🌟 Overview

Lesson Title: Drafting the Conclusion
Unit: Debate Writing Journey (Lesson 10 of 13)
Year Group: Year 6
Subject Area: English
Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 30 pupils
Curriculum Tie-in:

• National Curriculum (England) – English
  • Upper Key Stage 2 (Years 5–6)
  • Spoken language: participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role-play/improvisations and debates.
  • Writing: plan, draft, evaluate and edit by selecting appropriate grammar and vocabulary.
  • Writing: identify the audience and purpose of the writing.

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🎯 Learning Objectives

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

1. Understand the purpose of a conclusion in a debate.
2. Identify the key components of an effective conclusion: summary, reinforcement of the stance, and a final persuasive thought.
3. Draft their own conclusion paragraph based on their prior arguments in the debate.
4. Use persuasive language techniques to leave a lasting impression.

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🧠 Prior Knowledge

Pupils should already have:

• Selected their stance on a debate topic.
• Constructed at least two supporting arguments.
• Explored counterarguments and rebuttals.
• Gained experience with persuasive language devices (e.g. rhetorical questions, repetition, emotive language) in previous lessons.

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🪜 Success Criteria

Pupils will:

• Include a clear summary of their key arguments without repeating them verbatim.
• Finish with a strong statement or call-to-action reinforcing their stance.
• Use age-appropriate persuasive devices purposefully.
• Tailor the tone and language to the target audience.

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🕰️ Lesson Breakdown

⌛ Starter (5 minutes)

Activity: "Mic Drop Moments" Wall

• Display 5 short, powerful statements from famous concluding speeches. Use statements such as:
  • "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." (Martin Luther King Jr.)
  • "And that is why we must act—now."
• Ask: “What makes these statements memorable?”
• Take 2–3 quick pupil responses. Emphasise persuasive techniques like emotive language, punchy phrasing, and personal connection.

Purpose: This immediately sets the tone and shows the importance of the conclusion in persuasive work.

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📚 Main Activity (35 minutes)

1. Direct Input & Modelling (10 minutes)

Teacher Model: Constructing a Conclusion Live

• Display a partially completed debate text for the whole class (e.g. “School Uniforms Should Be Banned”).
• Point out:
  • The topic sentence (clearly restating the position).
  • A summary of two or three key arguments.
  • Language devices used in the closing statement.
• Write a conclusion paragraph together with pupils, ‘thinking aloud’ the decision-making process:
  • “I want to remind them of my main point about creativity and comfort.”
  • “Let’s use a rhetorical question—‘Should children really be told what to wear every day?’”

Tip: Use visualisers or flipchart for impact.

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2. Guided Writing (10 minutes)

Paired Work: Write a Practice Conclusion

• Pupils work in mixed-ability pairs.
• Each pair chooses one debate topic from a previous lesson (e.g. "Zoos Should Be Banned").
• Together, they write a conclusion paragraph.

Scaffolding Prompt Strips Available for EAL and lower-attaining pupils, e.g. sentence starters:
“In conclusion, I believe…”
“The evidence shows that…”
“We must remember that…”

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3. Independent Application (15 minutes)

Drafting the Real Thing

• Pupils now return to their own debate writing books.
• They begin drafting the conclusions for their individual debates.
• Encourage underlining of:
  • Three most persuasive words or devices used.

Stretch Challenge Tasks:

• Include a metaphor or simile in your final statement.
• Try presenting an emotional appeal using a personal anecdote.

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🎤 Plenary (5 minutes)

"Convince Me" Circle

• Arrange the class in a standing circle. One pupil at a time reads just their final sentence aloud.
• The rest of the class gives a thumbs-up if the sentence feels persuasive and memorable.

Optional Teacher Note: Keep a tally of “most striking final lines” to develop a class chart titled:
"30 Ways to Finish with Power!"

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🧰 Resources Required

• Debate Writing Books
• Lined paper
• Flipchart/whiteboard
• "Mic Drop Moments" print-outs (A4 or A3)
• Persuasive sentence starter strips (tiered for differentiation)
• Highlighters (for pupils to highlight persuasive words)

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🧩 Differentiation & Inclusion

• EAL Pupils: Sentence starters with visuals, word banks with definitions.
• Higher Attainers: Stretch tasks coded in purple, opportunity to incorporate irony, humour, or literary devices.
• SEND Pupils: Use our peer pairing strategy for added support, bordered writing frames, and pre-teaching vocabulary during LSA intervention time.

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🪄 Teacher Tips

• This is an ideal moment to record pupils reading their conclusions aloud as evidence for both Speaking & Listening and Writing.
• Consider integrating this lesson with Drama by having pupils "perform" their conclusions for another class tomorrow.
• Invite pupils to evaluate each other’s conclusions using “Two stars and a wish” with a focus on persuasiveness.

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📌 Assessment Opportunities

• Formative Assessment:
  • Observe pairs during guided writing.
  • Use visual checklist as pupils complete their independent draft.
• Peer Assessment: via the final plenary.
• Teacher Marking Criteria: based on use of persuasive devices, clarity of stance, summary of arguments, and the impact of final statement.

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🎯 Suggested Next Lesson (Lesson 11 Preview)

Title: Peer Critique & Revising Drafts
Purpose: Pupils will peer assess full drafts and begin redrafting based on structured feedback.

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Happy teaching—your pupils are about to become conclusion-writing champions! 👩‍🏫💬🌟