Children's Literature & Persuasive Writing
Primary Literature (K-5)
Secondary Literature (6-8)
Salisbury, Graham. 1994. Under the
blood-red sun. New York: Delacort. Graham Salisbury's novel presents numerous points of view through its compelling characters living in Hawaii during the attack on Pearl Harbor. |
Yep, Lawrence. 1995. Hiroshima. New
York: Scholastic. Laurence Yep's Hiroshima offers students different perspectives on the dropping of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan and focuses primarily on the story of one girl who survives the bomb's destruction. |
Winters, Kay. 2008. Colonial voices:
Hear them speak. New York: Dutton. This collection of poems depicts the varying points of view from colonists after the Boston Tea Party prior to the Revolutionary War. |
Stand Up and Deliver Speeches Activity
This activity can really be used with any grade level. The standards provided are for 8th grade due to the fact that the previous grades are working toward these same standards! The lesson was adapted from Dorfman and Cappelli's Nonfiction Mentor Texts.
Objectives
1. Students will practice making good arguments and supporting those arguments with sound reasons.
2. Students will collaborate with their peers to determine clear reasons and relevant evidence for their topics. 3. Students will present their claims with relevant evidence and sound, valid reasoning. 4. Students will use commands of speech while presenting to the class. |
Common Core State Standards
Text Types and Purposes:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence Comprehension and Collaboration: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.4 Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.8.6 Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate. |
ProcedureThis lesson is intended as an introduction to writing persuasive essays. It will "prepare student to write more effective persuasive pieces" and will "give them a chance to practice presenting good arguments for or against a topic" (Dorfman & Cappelli, 2009, p. 125). Often times, talking about a topic before writing can be easier for students to get started. This lesson should be used to help students talk about their topic and develop arguments aloud before writing about the topic.
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AssessmentReflect: As students deliver their speeches, the effectiveness of the arguments can be judged by their peers. Make sure students think not only about which arguments were most effective, but also why there were effective. They might also think about how the arguments were delivered--were there any special words or phrases that helped to persuade the listener? Students should also reflect on how the strategy might help them when they write a persuasive pieces. The following questions can be used to help guide the discussion:
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Modifications
This lesson can be modified to fit any grade level. The topics that are appropriate for first grade will not be appropriate for eighth grade. Provide your students with some possible topics based on their individual interests. Also, depending on the age of your students, you may want to give them more time with the task of finding evidence from the text to support the arguments.
To make this really interesting, the teacher and students can coordinate their topics so that their are multiple groups working on the same topic, but each from a different perspective. Then, as students present their arguments, the students will be able to listen to the opposing viewpoints, and thus already have their counterarguments needed to begin writing their essays!
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Dorfman & Cappelli. 2009. Nonfiction mentor texts: Teaching informational writing through children's literature, K-8. Portland, Maine:
Stenhouse Publishers.
Prelutsky, J. (1990). Something big has been here. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.
Stenhouse Publishers.
Prelutsky, J. (1990). Something big has been here. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.