How to Teach Persuasive Writing to Year 5 Students in Australia (Age 11)

Introduction to Persuasive Writing for Year 5 Students

Persuasive writing is a way to convince someone to believe or do something through clear reasons and interesting examples. In Year 5 (around age 11), students are expected to learn how to express their opinions clearly and support their ideas with facts or examples, following the Australian curriculum standards.

Step-by-Step Guide to Teaching Persuasive Writing

1. Explain the Purpose: Start by explaining that persuasive writing is used to convince others to agree with their point of view. Use simple examples like convincing a friend to play a game, or persuade parents to let them have a pet.
2. Introduce the Structure: Teach the basic parts of a persuasive text:
   • Introduction: State the opinion clearly.
   • Body: Give at least two or three reasons why the opinion is right, supported by facts, examples, or explanations.
   • Conclusion: Summarize the main reasons and restate the opinion strongly.
3. Language Features: Teach students persuasive language, such as:
   • Opinion words: "I believe", "In my opinion"
   • Strong adjectives: "important", "essential", "terrible"
   • Connectives: "because", "therefore", "however"
   • Questions: "Don’t you think...?"
4. Model Writing: Show a good example of persuasive writing. Read it aloud and highlight the parts that show opinion, reasons, and persuasive language.
5. Group Practice: Choose a fun and relevant topic that interests the students (e.g., "Why recess should be longer"). Brainstorm reasons as a class, then write a collective persuasive paragraph together.
6. Individual Writing: Ask students to choose their own topic and plan their persuasive text using a graphic organizer with spaces for introduction, reasons, and conclusion.
7. Editing and Feedback: Teach students to check their work for clear opinions, strong reasons, and persuasive language. Provide constructive feedback and encourage peer reviewing.

Engaging Activities

• Persuasion Debate: Organize a simple classroom debate where students must argue a side using persuasive points.
• Advertisement Creation: Have students create a poster or ad persuading others to buy or support something.
• Letter Writing: Write letters to the school principal or local community on topics they care about.

Links to Australian Curriculum

According to the Australian Curriculum for Year 5 English, students are expected to 'plan, draft and publish imaginative, informative and persuasive texts, demonstrating increasing control over text structures and language features'. Incorporating structured lessons and activities as described will help meet these outcomes.

Summary

Teaching persuasive writing involves explaining the purpose, introducing the structure, highlighting persuasive language, modeling examples, practicing collaboratively, and providing opportunities for individual writing and feedback. Using fun, age-appropriate topics helps engage Year 5 students while supporting their learning according to the Australian curriculum.