A late-night phone call earlier this week got me thinking about persuasive writing. The dreaded Ofsted visit is forthcoming and did I have any good ideas for an interesting topic?
Just behind where I write there is a cupboard full of family games. My eye fell on the Monopoly box at the same time I heard Dragons’ Den on TV.
Supposing the children role-play being representatives of the town’s various interest clubs, such as the old folks’ home, youth group, playgroup and the sports club. They have three minutes before the town council to persuade it to provide Monopoly money for a specific project.
Analyse a few TV adverts to establish persuasive techniques. For instance, pupils will need to state advantages of their project and counter disadvantages. They could use famous names, offer freebies and use pictures for visual impact.
Questions to involve the panel may help: “Have you ever wondered?” Listing statistics, facts or evidence adds weight. They will need “boastful” words to enhance their project, such as: “the most amazing...” and to repeat key points, using the pattern of three for emphasis. Short imperatives may also be useful
Pie Corbett is a literacy consultant
