Lesson plan
Supporting Details
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to use supporting details in a persuasive letter.
Introduction
(5 minutes)
- Ask your students to imagine the most amazing indoor playground that they can.
- Invite students to share what they think would make the playground amazing. Encourage them to include as many details as possible.
Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling
(5 minutes)- Tell students that they are going to try to persuade the principal to turn the gym into an indoor playground.
- Explain that persuade means to convince. Tell them that in order to persuade someone of something, you need to use supporting details.
- A supporting detail is a detail that helps explain why someone should listen to you.
Guided Practice
(5 minutes)- Use a large piece of chart paper and begin to write a letter to the principal. Start with something like, “Dear Principal, We would like you to consider adding an indoor playground to the gym. Here is why we think this is a good idea...”
- Pass out index cards to each student and encourage them to think of a reason why the principal should listen to them. Ask them to draw a picture and/or write words using as much detail as possible.
- Ask students to share out their supporting details with the class, and add several of the reasons to the letter.
- Tell your students that now they will get a chance to write a letter to their parents to convince them of something.
Independent working time
(15 minutes)- Ask the class to think of something they would like to convince their parents to get or do (e.g. get a pet, go on a trip, stay up later, etc.).
- Pass out the Write a Persuasive Letter worksheet to each student and send them to work independently after they tell you what they are going to write about.
- Circulate around the classroom work with individual students as needed.
Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling
(5 minutes)- Tell students that they are going to try to persuade the principal to turn the gym into an indoor playground.
Differentiation
Enrichment: Have more advanced students write a second persuasive letter to you, their parents, or another person in their life.
Support: Provide struggling students with index cards to write or draw out their supporting details.
Assessment
(5 minutes)- Ask students to pair up with a partner and pretend to be one another’s parents. Have students read their letter to their partner.
- Collect the finished letters. Use these to assess whether students were able to include supporting details.
Review and closing
(5 minutes)- Ask a few students to share their letter with the whole class. Ask the other students in the class if they were convinced. Encourage them to share why/why not.
- Review as needed.
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