Persuasive Writing Is Alive and Well

For the past two weeks, our class as been learning about and practicing "how to write persuasively." Books such as "Click, Clack, Moo - Cows That Type" was the one of the first books read on this topic. Other books, such as, "I Wanna Iguana" and "With Love, The Little Red Hen" are other books that help children understand this genre of writing. Parents have sent in stationary, stamps, notepads, and envelopes to help kick off this unit on writing letters. A sheet was sent home for parents to write names and addresses of family members or other people that the students would like to write to. Lessons on how to address and where to put the stamp on an envelope were taught. Moreover, lessons on how to write about something that students feel the need to change and persuade others with their reasons to change something is the bigger idea. One student wrote about changing the food in the cafeteria to more chicken. Another student wanted a dog and wrote to his parents about how he will take care of it. And another wrote to the President and asked that no more trees get cut down so the animals will have a place to live. When the children get the chance to write, it is amazing to see how much they really know and want to fix.

Today, each child was given a "Tiny Topics Notepad." During our Writer's Workshop lesson, we traveled the school, inside and out, and wrote notes to ourselves about things we noticed needed to be changed. The students noticed books on the hallway floor, the lost and found that was hidden, the litter on the back playground, and the primary playground didn't have enough grass. All these notes were taken while walking through the school. Tomorrow, students will have the chance to write about one or two of these topics and try to persuade our principal to fix some of these concerns remembering to give good reasons why she should do so. To find out more about this unit, visit, timmonstimes.blogspot.com and you will find some great resources to use at school and at home. Parents, look for your letter to be coming in the mail real soon...don't be surprised if you are persuaded to do something you weren't really planning on...WARNING...start saving for that new pool!!