Persuasive Writing Unit

This week we are working on persuasive writing for the district writing assessment.  We have been having a lot of fun with it.  I have gotten so many ideas from othe blogs, the web, and Pinterest.  I thought I would share what we are doing. 

I started out by reading the book I Wanna Iguana.  We talked about the reasons Alex used to persuade his mom to let him have the iguana.  Then we discussed whether or not those were valid reasons.

Next, I had them think of a pet that they would like to have, and create a circle map giving all the reasons why their parents should let them have this pet.  Then they had to circle their 3 best reasons and number them 1, 2, 3 in order of importance.

Next, they had to create a tree map to expand on those reason (in reverse order - most important, last.) 

From here they wrote theri first draft of their paragraph/essay.  That was the end of Day 1.

Today we talked about what persuasive text is, why and how authors use persuasion, and the format for persuasive text.

 Then we talked about effective transitions, and how to move from one reason/idea to another, using loaded words, and finally how to conclude their paragraph/essay to achieve the most impact.

Their writing task for today was to revise their first draft, adding appropriate transitions and improving word choice by using loaded words.  Then I rad aloud Duck for President adn Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type.  They were very engaged in their writing and revising today.  I cant wait to see their final drafts, and I hope they do well on the Persuasive assessment later in the week.  

What are your favorite books to teach persuasive writing?  Do you have any great lessons to share?  I would love to have som more ideas!