A photo of the International Space Station orbiting the earth.Connecting Reading and Writing: Persuasive Texts

Goals:

  • Explore persuasive texts
  • Understand the importance of word choice in persuasive texts

Authors often use descriptive words and phrases to persuade the reader to accept their point of view. They do this by choosing words and phrases that have a strong emotional impact on the reader.

For example, read these two sentences:

ABC Soap kills germs and keeps you safe!

ABC Soap kills deadly germs and keeps your loved ones safe!

Both sentences have the same message, but by adding a few words the second sentence has more emotional impact.

Re-read yesterday’s article about space travel.
As you read, create a list of words and phrases that the author picked to influence your opinion. (e.g., out-of-this-world, crammed…etc.)

Your Turn:

Revise the opinion paragraph you wrote yesterday by adding descriptive words to make your own writing more persuasive.

Share your revisions with a family member.

Other Opportunities: