Teaching Sequence

Work through this resource material in the following sequence:

10 minutes – Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge
20 minutes – Part B: The Circular Economy Approach
50 minutes – Part C: Persuasive Writing
10 minutes – Part D: Reflection

Part A: Activating Prior Knowledge

Step 1.

Read the learning intention and success criteria to students or write them on the board:

Students will...

I will use a range of persuasive techniques to convince others of my point of view.

Students can...

I will remember at least three persuasive techniques and include them in my writing
I will choose persuasive techniques that suit my arguments and audience.

Step 2.

Display this Landfill Image and invite the class to respond to the questions:

What is this?
Why is it a problem?

Record student comments on a poster to display throughout the lesson.

Part B: The Circular Economy Approach

Step 1.

Watch the Visy Recycling Education Video as a class and invite students to share new learning or parts of the video they found interesting.

Highlight the Circular Economy approach, stating that this is something that can be adopted by businesses, organisations, or individuals and families to reduce our reliance on non-renewable resources and limit the amount of materials going to landfill. Use the Circular Economy Diagram to support students to understand the concept.

Step 2.

Note that landfill is still included on the circular approach diagram and that the video also mentioned materials that can’t be put in council recycling bins. Write a list of materials on the board:

Soft plastic
Glass such as drinking glasses, mirror glass, light globes and dishes
Coat hangers, CDs, paint tins.

Support students to organise themselves into groups of three and give them time to consider the following question:

Is there anything we can do with the waste listed to prevent these items going to landfill?

Invite students to record their thoughts on the Landfill Reduction Ideas handout.

Step 3.

Invite students to share their thoughts and ideas about what could be done with the items. Record suggestions on the board. Ensure students are aware that:

Many of these items can be recycled through specialist recycling facilities.
Some items can be upcycled (used to create new items) or donated to second-hand stores.

Step 4.

Pose these questions to the class:

What do we need to do every day to try and create a world which operates like this circular economy?
How can we inform others and motivate them to contribute as well?

Part C: Persuasive Writing

Step 1.

Project the Persuasive Techniques Presentation and work through the slides with the class.

Discuss each persuasive strategy while viewing the presentation, encouraging students to contribute their thoughts, ideas and other examples.

Step 2.

Provide students with a copy of the Persuasive Techniques Definition Table and allow them time to complete it in order to reflect on their learning.

Step 3.

Explain to students that they will be choosing a person to write a letter to. In their letter, they will use language to persuade the recipient to reduce their materials heading to landfill and change their habits so that they close the recycling loop. Students will need to consider:

The personality and interests of their audience
Why the environment is important to the specific audience
How to get the audience to understand the positive impact of a circular economy
How to convince the recipient to make the changes necessary to help build a circular economy.

Provide students with the Circular Economy Persuasive Writing Planner and time to plan their letter.

Provisions for Learning Support – Some students may find it challenging to connect new learning to the writing task and develop persuasive ideas. You can create a focus group with these students and discuss and complete the writing planner together.

Step 4.

Invite students to share their plan with a partner and discuss:

Do the arguments make sense?
Do the techniques match the audience?

Provisions for Learning Support and Extension – Support students to find like-ability partners for the peer-discussion components of this lesson. Working with students of similar ability will ensure that feedback is suitable to each student’s level of capability. As well as ensuring less able students feel safe and supported, this will also allow more capable students to receive feedback that will challenge and extend them.

Step 5.

Provide students with time to write the letter to their audience.

Provisions for Learning Support – As students will have completed the planning with you, they should be prepared for the independent writing task. Roam and monitor to ensure that each of these students is still comfortable with the task and on track.

Step 6.

Have students return to the partners they worked with on their plan. In each pair, students share their work and gather feedback from their partner using the Peer and Self-Assessment Feedback Sheet provided.

Step 7.

Provide students with additional time to edit their work based on the feedback provided.

Part D: Reflection

Step 1.

Write the following sentence starters on the board:

A circular economy is…
A circular economy can be helpful because…
The persuasive techniques I used in my writing were…
I think they will convince my audience because…

Provide time for students to respond to the prompts, using the Think-Pair-Share visible thinking routine.

Think Pair Share
Think pair share is a collaborative learning strategy in which students work together to solve a problem or answer a question.
Think - students independently think about an issue or question and record their thoughts.
Pair - students work in pairs to discuss their ideas and record new thoughts.
Share - students share their thoughts with the whole group or with other pairs to reach consensus.

Homework

Before the letter can be passed on to the recipient, it should be published. It is recommended that students take home a copy corrected by the teacher and publish using a digital device at home or by re-writing with correct spelling, punctuation and grammar before passing on to the intended recipient. It could be posted, emailed or given in person.

Differentiated Learning

A focus group can be established during the planning phase of the lesson to support students who may find it challenging to connect and develop ideas. Students of a similar ability should be used in feedback components of the lesson. This will ensure less capable students will still feel safe and supported and more confident students will be challenged and extended at a suitable level.

Teacher Reflection

Take this opportunity to reflect on your own teaching:

What did you learn about your teaching today?
What worked well?
What didn't work so well?
What would you share?
Where to next?
How are you going to get there?

The information and statistics included in this document are approximate and have been simplified for educational/illustrative purposes. They should not be relied upon for any other purpose.

Visy Education - Keeping in the Loop - NAPLAN Style Persuasive Writing

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Summary

Learning intentions:

Students will...

Success criteria:

Students can...

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