English SOL Institute Secondary Persuasive Writing Workshop Christina Frierman-Teaching Consultant David Lacey-Teaching Consultant Tidewater Writing Project

Persuasive Writing Move students away from 5 paragraph, formulaic writing Conferencing, guided writing, revising, sharing, and using mentor texts builds skills Writing portfolios support student growth K-12 English SOL Institute October 2013

Persuasive Writing Teach writing; don’t merely assign it Teach peer revision/editing; putting students in groups is NOT teaching peer editing Focus on purpose and audience Provide opportunities for students to change voice and audience K-12 English SOL Institute October 2013

K-12 English SOL Institute October 2013 Persuasive Writing Every piece of writing does not have to be graded! Do incorporate writing into every lesson Don’t correct every error in student papers Use VDOE Resources including anchor sets and writing checklists

Instruction Anchor Sets K-12 English SOL Institute October 2013

Persuasive Writing Checklist Add screenshot K-12 English SOL Institute October 2013

“THE LADY IN THE TOWER”

Materials Materials in your packet: Story: “The Lady in the Tower” 4 sheets of paper-different colors “Did Too!” sheet (and on the back) “Did Not!” sheet Activity Instruction sheet (DON’T LOOK AT THIS YET)

The Activity Read the story as a class On “Did Too!” sheet, write At least 1 reason for each character Why is that character responsible

The Activity On the “Did Not!” sheet, write At least 1 reason for each character Why the character is not responsible Rate the characters: 1 = Most responsible 4 = Least responsible Record numbers next to character’s names on “Did Too”

The Activity- Small Group Get into groups of 4 Volunteer A: Read aloud your “Did Too” reason for your most responsible character Volunteer B: Read your “Did Not” for Volunteer A’s character and then read your “Did Too” for your number one, most responsible character. Repeat until everyone has had a chance to debate

The Writing Activity Choose 1 character you feel is the most responsible Choose the paper color that matches that character- King Henry = Purple The Guard = Green Princess Mary = Pink Oliver Cromwell = Yellow

The Writing Activity Write a persuasive piece explaining why that character is most responsible Audience = someone who blames a different character

The Writing Activity Choose someone with a different color paper. Exchange papers. Read the other person’s rationale and write a response to his/her argument.

Writing the Essay Using your argument and the response to your argument, write the essay. The essay must: Make the case for the character you feel is most responsible Respond to the criticism you received Use evidence from the story

Reflecting on the Process Have students reflect on the process and answer the following question: What did you learn about the persuasive process from this activity?

Contact Information Tidewater Writing Project Christina Frierman Virginia Beach City Public Schools David Lacey Chesapeake City Public Schools

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