· Speech · Persuasive Writing · To Kill a Mockingbird · Journal Prompts ·
Linda K. Dodds
White Lake
When working with the teaching of the various types of introductions and conclusions in my beginning speech class, I use the following hands-on activity.
I cut off introductions and conclusions from short one-two page articles and have students select an article they'd like to read. After reading, they are to write the missing part (introduction and conclusion) and label what type they used.
I place the original introduction and conclusion in an envelope and label with the title of the article. Then they are to get the envelope and compare their [work] to the original. They are also to label the type of the original.
One good magazine for such articles is the Reminesic.
Students become involved and can lead to some good discussion, too.
Within the persuasive writing unit, I have the students find a partner to work with for two days. They had to market a product by creating an advertisement which contained the following requirements:
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Interest |
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Emotion/Desire |
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Call to Action |
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Attention |
This was also by rubric to grade the assignment.
They loved it! It gave them a chance to be creative and see the persuasive writing in a different light.
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When trying to get kids to be persuasive, stage in-class debates.
I had my class read the play "The Crucible." We discussed how John Proctor did not receive a fair trial. Then we watched a "Dateline" special about a current example of a man on death row, who had received a public defense attorney and many said hadn't had a fair shot.
The students debated the "death row issue and were pretty fired up about it. In fact, they didn't mind writing editorials and persuasive papers!Anne Moege
Corsica
As students read the novel, they choose items they feel Scout and/or Jim might have collected for a scrapbook.
Items could include news clippings, recipes, photos, basically anything that might be considered a keepsake. Students use these items to compile a scrapbook, complete with captions.
In addition, students write a brief essay that explains why they chose the items they did.
This activity can be done individually or cooperatively and can be adapted as a project during or after the novel has been read.How do you deal with last minute changes? Do you panic, or respond quickly, then decide you made the wrong choice? Do you brainstorm with others, if that's appropriate? Do you get grounded by a crisis? Would you like to change how you respond?
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How do you feel about money? Does it run your life? Do you work to live, or live to work? Is your money full of love or guilt? Or exhaustion! Look deeply at your relationship with money.