This exercise asks students to use persuasive writing techniques to “sell” something to the class through a commercial. (This could be something undesirable, such as dog poo, or something useful, such as oxygen.) An effective word challenge activity, this exercise portrays the importance of subtlety, imagination and humor.
Strategies/Skills Used
Writing Skill 3: I use a variety of sentence lengths and patterns.
Writing Skill 4: I write so my thoughts flow smoothly and are easy to read.
Writing Skill 5: I carefully choose the most effective words to express my ideas.
Writing Skill 6: I choose the tone and point of view that suit my writing purpose.
Writing Skill 7: I use my personal style to make my writing unique.
(1) Place students in groups of two or three, and have them choose an item or concept that they will orally sell to their audience in a 30-second to two-minute commercial or infomercial.
(2) Distribute the handout Persuasive Writing Techniques, and as a class, go over the key techniques used in persuasive writing. Have students share examples of when they’ve seen these techniques used (most will be from TV commercials).
(3) Tell students they must incorporate one or two of the techniques in their commercials. After each presentation, discuss which techniques were used most frequently, memorably and persuasively.
Variations:
- Lead naturally into the writing of a persuasive essay
- Try using the techniques to sell specific items or concepts (e.g. punctuation marks, the best colour, the best word)
Primary
Intermediate
- [No activities yet]
Secondary
- [No activities yet]