Persuasion
Objectives
Student will be able to:
apply knowledge of persuasive techniques.
analyze the difference between logic and emotion.
identify stated opinions or beliefs that the author wants the reader to accept.
Introduction
Authors write for many different reasons. Some want to inform. Others want to entertain. Many authors write to
persuade
. When authors write to persuade, they are trying to convince people to do something or to believe in something.
There are many different ways to persuade another person. Think about how you might try to persuade your mother or father to take you somewhere. How would you try to convince a brother or sister to lend you a toy? Or a friend to come for a sleepover?
Some people choose to persuade by using
logic
. They give facts and details to make their ideas seem correct. Other people use
emotion
. This can be words or stories that make you feel good or bad. Logic makes you think with your head. Emotion makes you think with your heart.
Other ways that people persuade include
testimonial
and
card stacking
. Testimonial uses a celebrity to sell an idea or product. Card stacking gives only the good points about something and leaves out the bad.
Examples
Read "David's Letter," and then answer the questions that follow.
1.
What is
David trying to persuade his mom to do?
Did you say one of the following:
• make his bedtime later
• make his bedtime 9:00
• let him stay up later
If so, then you are correct!
2.
What are three reasons David gives to support his opinion?
If your reasons include the following, then you are correct!
• because he is older
• he could spend more time with his mom
• he ends up wasting an hour lying in bed anyway
Try Together
Read "Longer School Lunches," and then answer the questions that follow.
1.
Complete the following sentence.
The writer is trying to persuade the school to
.
Student responses will vary. Acceptable answers include:
• make lunch longer
• give students more time for lunch
2.
List two reasons that the writer wants to do this.
Student responses will vary. Acceptable answers include:
• more time to finish lunch helps students to focus in class
• more time at lunch for students to talk so they will talk less in class
3.
Choose the technique(s) that the author is using in the passage. (There may be more than one.)
a.
testimonial
b.
card stacking
c.
logic
d.
emotion
b. card stacking
c. logic
4.
Which of the following would make the passage more convincing to adults?
a.
a student's story about how much fun lunchtime is
b.
research that agrees with the author's claims
c.
research on how many students talk in class
d.
a description of a classroom after lunch
b. research that agrees with the author's claims
Please evaluate the student's answers:
Excellent
Good
Okay
Exhibit Preview
Close
Dear Mom,
I am writing to ask you to move my bedtime from 8:00 to 9:00. There are many reasons why you should do this. I will tell you a few of them in this letter.
The first is that I am older now. Most nine-year-olds are allowed to stay up until 9:00. I should be one of those nine-year-olds.
The second reason is because I need more time at night to spend with you. I have more homework now that I am in fourth grade. By the time I am done with homework, it is time for bed.
Lastly, I am not sleepy at 8:00. I lie wide-awake in bed for an hour. I am sure that you will agree with me about this. Please move my bedtime to 9:00. If you do, I will see more of you and not waste an hour lying in bed.
Love,
David
Exhibit Preview
Close
Lunch is an important part of the school day. Lunch should be longer for this reason. First, students need more than twenty minutes to eat lunch. Twenty minutes is not enough time for students to finish eating. Students cannot focus when they are hungry. Second, students need more time to talk to one another. Eating is a social activity. If they had more time at lunch, students would not talk as much in class. To sum up, lunch helps us to be better students. Making lunch longer will help us in and out of the classroom.