Purpose of Lesson
This lesson is intended for use by students to support their exploration of persuasive writing and persuasive writing techniques in Grade 8 ELA.
The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to techniques used in persuasive writing, as well as some techniques used by readers to identify persuasive messages in the texts that they are reading. Emphasis should be placed on identifying the issue being addressed by an author, the point-of-view that they are embodying, and the tone in which they are presenting their message.
People use persuasive language for many different reasons and in many different situations. The most common ways that people use persuasive language is when they are trying to sell a product or convince others to accept an idea or a point-of-view that they have on a subject. For example, a politician might try to convince you that their policy is superior to their opponent, or you might want to convince your friend that your favourite movie is better than their favourite movie.
You can think of point-of-view as the speaker/authors opinion. Look at the argument carefully, what does the writer/speaker believe? Starting a sentence with the word ‘that’ can help you identify the writer’s point-of-view.
For example:
That television is a waste of time for young people.
That cellphones create distraction in the classroom.
Tone refers to the overall feeling of a piece of writing or speech. You might think of this as the "attitude" of something that you are reading or watching.
Think about the last video you watched, was the speaker loud or quiet? Did they sound impatient? Were they talking slow?
Here are some terms to help you think about tone.
Logical: rational, reasonable, analytical, cogent.
Neutral: impartial, balanced, objective, unbiased.
Informed: knowledgeable, well-read.
Passionate: emotional, emotive, ardent, vehement.
Witty: humorous, satirical, lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek.
Writers can use a range of techniques to persuade. When you’re reading persuasive writing—or writing persuasively yourself—you need to think carefully about how techniques like these are used to position the reader to accept a particular point of view.
Appeals. Writers often appeal to different emotions, such as a reader’s sense of fairness, justice, or taste.
Anecdotes. Short, personal stories that help to illustrate a point.
Everyday language. Writers will often use everyday language, sometimes called colloquial language, to make themselves seem down-to-earth.
Cliches. An overused expression. Although they should be avoided, cliches give writers an opportunity to express an idea to their readers quickly.
Here are some examples of cliches:
• Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
• Alls well that ends well.
• As light as a feather.
• Time will tell.
Emotive words. Words that provoke an emotional reaction from the audience.
“You should recycle that because it saves the planet.”
Exaggeration. Writers often exaggerate or overstate something to help persuade readers of their point of view.
“It has been done a million times.”
Expert opinion. Sometimes writers will use the opinion of experts to give further weight to their argument.
“Four out of five dentists recommend...”
Inclusive language. Inclusive language – using the words ‘we’ or ‘us’ – is often used to get a reader on the writers side
"We might not like it, but all of us have a responsibility to do something."
Imagery. Descriptive writing can be a powerful persuasive technique. Describing something vividly can persuade readers.
Logic. A logical, well-structured argument can be very persuasive.
Repetition. The repetition of words, phrases and ideas can be used to reinforce an argument and drive home the message to a reader.
Sarcasm. A mocking tone.
e.g. “Not all of us can write like Harry Potter.”
Simile. Similes, when one thing is compared to another, can help to persuade by describing.
e.g. “…as dumb as a sack of hammers…”
Tone. The tone of an article or speech refers to its overall feeling. Is it passionate? Logical? Reasonable? Mocking? Humorous?