Lesson video

Hi, everybody! It's Ms. Gardner.

And welcome to your next lesson from our unit Reading and writing persuasive letters based on "The Day the Crayons Quit." I hope you've enjoyed the unit so far.

I'm really looking forward to today's lesson because we're going to start planning our writing.

So you will need access to the book today, "The Day the Crayons Quit" by Drew Daywalt.

So if you need to, you can pause the video now to make sure you have it ahead of the lesson.

Okay, great, hopefully, we've all got the book, which means we are ready to get on with today's learning.

Off we go! In today's lesson from our "The Day the Crayons Quit" unit, we are going to be planning our persuasive letter ahead of writing it.

So, your learning outcome is, I can plan the main paragraphs of a persuasive letter.

Let's start by looking at the keywords.

We'll do my turn, your turn.

Perspective.

Plan.

Notes.

Let's have a look at what these mean.

Perspective is the way someone thinks, feels or sees something.

It's their point of view.

A plan is a framework that writers create before they write a section or a whole text.

Notes are written out of full sentences.

We do not need to write full sentences in the notes on our plan.

So there are two sections of our lesson today.

In the first, we'll be preparing to plan, so thinking about all the persuasive techniques we want to include in our plan.

And then we'll be writing the plan.

So let's start with preparing to plan.

A persuasive letter can be structured like this.

We start with our salutation.

So, letting the reader know who the letter is for.

Dear owner.

Then we'll have paragraph one.

Paragraph two.

So the two paragraphs will be organised slightly around a theme.

And then your sign-off.

In today's lesson, we are planning paragraphs one and two.

We are going to be writing a persuasive letter written from the first-person perspective of the red crayon in "The Day the Crayons Quit." Perspective is the way someone thinks, feels or sees something.

It is their point of view.

For example, "I love the colour turquoise!" "My favourite subject is art." "I can see an image of a horse." These characters are all telling us their perspectives and they are speaking from the first person's perspective.

So this is the point of view where they are speaking as I.

The first-person perspective gives a personal account.

So we want to use the first-person perspective in our letters because we are giving a personal account about our experience as the character of the red crayon.

So, checking for understanding.

True or false? Perspective is the way someone thinks, feels or sees something.

It is their point of view.

Pause the video now.

That is true.

Can you use A or B to justify your answer? A, when you write from a character's perspective, you are expressing the character's thoughts and feelings.

Or B, when you write from a character's perspective, you are just writing lots of facts.

Pause the video now.

It is A, when you write from a character's perspective, you are expressing their thoughts and feelings.

Well done.

So it's time to do some reading.

You need to read pages three and four with the letter from the red character.

So pause the video now and off you go.

Okay, welcome back.

I hope you enjoyed reading the letter again.

I want you to now think about this question.

What was the main reason the red one wanted to quit? Pause the video now and tell the person you're with or your partner what you think was the main reason the red one wanted to quit? Okay, so here's a possible response.

"The red one wanted to quit because it was exhausted from being used all the time and it never got a break, even during the holidays." You might not have said those exact words, but hopefully, they were along those lines too.

The idea that the red one was so exhausted because it was being used pretty much every day.

So now let's just explore its emotions in a bit further detail.

Refer to the pages again, the pages three and four where the letter was on.

What was the red one being used for? Pause the video now and discuss this with your partner or whoever you're with.

Okay, so some responses.

"It was used to colour in fire trucks." "It was used to colour in apples." "It was used to colour in all red objects!" No wonder it was so exhausted.

Now, have a think about this question.

When was the red one being used? Pause the video now and discuss this with your partner or whoever you're with.

Okay, some possible responses.

"It was used to colour in Father Christmas." So around Christmas time.

"It was used to colour in drawings on Valentine's." So around February.

And "it was used during the holidays!" So the point the red character was making that was that it never got a day off, even during the holidays.

So checking for understanding.

Why was the red one frustrated with Duncan? Select two reasons.

A, it was used for the wrong reasons.

B, it was being used to colour in too many objects.

C, it wasn't being used enough.

Or D, it was being used during the holidays.

Pause the video now.

That's right.

It was B, used for too many objects.

And D, even used during the holidays.

Well done.

So, persuasive letters have certain linguistic features in order to achieve their purpose.

And we've looked at these in a bit more detail already, but let's just recap them.

A persuasive letter will be written in the first person.

It's a personal piece of writing.

So it uses words like I, we, and me.

And you're going to be writing in character as one of the crayons, the red one.

Exaggeration is used to make an issue seem even bigger than it is and is persuasive for the reader because they feel that the issue is urgent and something needs to change straight away.

So checking for understanding.

Why is exaggeration used in a persuasive letter? Pause the video now and say why you think exaggeration is used in a persuasive letter.

Okay, here are some possible responses.

Exaggeration makes an issue seem bigger than it is.

This means the reader of the letter takes the issue more seriously.

Or if an issue is exaggerated to be worse than it is, the reader feels bad about it.

Or if the reader feels that the issue is urgent, they are more likely to do what the letter writer wants them to do.

Well done, everyone.

Okay, so we also have rhetorical questions.

Rhetorical questions do not require an answer.

But they are used to directly engage the reader and make them think a bit and reflect on the point that they're making.

And also, opinions and reasons.

Opinions and reasons present how the writer is feeling.

And then the reason gives the reader a reason to agree with the writer.

And then final linguistic feature is a command and a warning.

The command instructs the reader to do something.

The warning tells the reader what the writer will do if their command isn't followed.

So it's an effective way of persuading the reader to do something.

So checking for understanding.

Match the linguistic feature to the example.

Your features are, rhetorical question, opinion, reason, and command.

And the examples are, because you never use me.

Stop doing it right now! I feel so terribly alone.

And do you understand now? Pause the video now and draw lines from the feature to its example.

Off you go.

Okay, well done, everybody.

Let's go through these.

So the rhetorical question was, do you understand now? The opinion was, I feel so terribly alone.

The reason, because you never use me.

And the command, stop doing it right now! And we can tell it was the command because stop is an imperative verb which comes at the start of the command.

Well done, everyone.

So now let's think about how we can describe how the red one is feeling.

So let's generate some adjectives to describe this.

So pause the video now and just have a think about what adjectives you could use to describe how the red one is feeling.

Okay, I'm going to show you some of the ones I've thought of.

You might have had other ideas or you might have even had these ones as well.

Overworked, being used and worked all the time, even on holidays.

Shattered.

So exhausted.

Exhausted.

That means so tired.

Tired.

And worn out.

It's a synonym for exhausted.

We can also use, though, superlative adjectives to exaggerate these emotions.

They can contribute to the overall persuasive tone and they make the letter feel more persuasive and they encourage the reader to understand where the writer is coming from.

So for example, "I am the most exhausted I have ever been!" Not just exhausted.

The most exhausted.

So that's a superlative adjective.

Or, "I am the most overworked crayon in the entire world." Not just overworked.

The most overworked.

So the crayon is comparing itself to the others.

So checking for understanding.

True or false? Superlative adjectives are used to exaggerate emotions.

Pause the video now.

That is true.

Can you use A or B to justify your answer? A, "I am the most exhausted crayon" is more effective than "I am exhausted" when using persuasion.

Or B, adjectives are used to express emotions.

Pause the video now.

That is A.

Using "most exhausted," so the superlative adjective, is much more persuasive than just "I am exhausted." Well done! So opinions and reasons present how the writer is feeling.

And the reason gives the reader a reason to agree with the writer.

And the reason is introduced with the subordinating conjunction "because." So for example, "I am fed up." That's the opinion.

That's how the writer is feeling.

"Because you are making me work on a holiday!" That is the reason they're fed up.

Or, "I am becoming more and more frustrated." That's the opinion, the way they are feeling.

"Because I haven't had a day off in weeks!" That's the reason.

Or, "I think you should use the other crayons." That's the writer's opinion.

"Because they are feeling neglected." That's the reason they're giving.

So you can see here, all these opinions and reasons are really effective, persuading the reader with agreeing with how the writer is feeling and seeing the writer's point of view.

So checking for understanding.

Match the opinion to the reason.

Your opinions are, I am fed up.

I feel sorry for the other crayons.

And I think you should use another crayon.

And then the reason for these opinions are, because they are feeling neglected.

Because they are just as capable as me.

So, able.

And because I've worked every holiday.

So pause the video now and draw lines from the opinion to the reason.

Off you go.

Okay, well done.

Let's go through these.

I am fed up because I've worked every holiday.

I feel sorry for the other crayons because they're feeling neglected, ignored.

I think you should use another crayon because they are just as capable as me.

Well done, everyone.

So also, we can include rhetorical questions in our persuasive letters.

Rhetorical questions are questions that do not require an answer.

They are used to engage directly with the reader and encourage the reader to reflect and think about the point they're making.

For example, "Why are you ignoring all the other crayons?" "Can you please use another crayon?" "Can't you see how tired I am?" The reader isn't expected to answer these but pause and think about what they're being asked.

So checking for understanding.

True or false? The reader is expected to answer a rhetorical question.

Pause the video now.

That is false.

Can you use A or B to justify your answer? A.

Rhetorical questions do not require an answer.

B.

Rhetorical questions do not require an answer.

They are used to engage the reader and encourage the reader to reflect on their point.

Pause the video now.

That is B.

Well done.

We also can include a command in our persuasive letter.

Commands are used to instruct the reader to do something.

And the warning tells the reader what the writer will do if their command isn't followed.

So for example, "Stop choosing me every time," command, "otherwise I'll move to another box." Warning.

"Leave me alone!" Command.

"If you take me out of the box tomorrow, I'm going to leave this classroom forever." Warning.

"Choose another colour," that's your command, "otherwise I will have to find another owner." That's the warning.

So these are really effective in persuading the reader to think about what they're being asked.

So, Task A.

You need to match the feature to its example.

Your features are warning, opinion and reason, command, exaggeration, and rhetorical question.

And the examples are, why are you ignoring the others? If you don't change, I will leave! I am cross because I had to work all day.

Stop choosing me! And I am the most shattered I have ever been! So draw lines from the feature to its example.

Pause the video now.

Okay, well done, everybody.

Welcome back.

Let's go through these.

The warning was, if you don't change, I'll leave.

Opinion and reason, I am cross, that's the opinion, because I had to work all day, that's the reason.

Command, stop choosing me! Exaggeration, I am the most shattered I have ever been! And rhetorical question, why are you ignoring the others? Great job, everybody.

Well done! Okay, it is time for the second section of the lesson where we are writing the plan.

It is really important you keep this plan safe because you're going to need it when it comes to writing these paragraphs in later lessons.

So when we write a plan, we use notes.

Notes are concise, so short, and capture key vocabulary and information.

The purpose of notes, the reason we write notes, is to help the writer to organise information easily for future use, so when it comes to writing.

And we can use bullet points when note-taking and they look like this.

So we'll be using bullet-point notes in our plan today.

So checking for understanding.

True or false? This would be found in a plan.

"I cannot believe I have been used every day this week." So this is a full, complete sentence.

Would this be found in a plan? Pause the video now.

That is false.

Can you use A or B to justify your answer? A, plans include ambitious vocabulary, including precise adverbs and verbs.

Or B, plans include ambitious vocabulary that is not written in full sentences.

Pause the video now.

That is B.

We don't need to write full sentences in our plan.

Well done! So, our persuasive letter can be structured like this.

We have our salutation.

Then paragraph one where you're going to pretending to be the red character.

Explain why you are so tired.

Then paragraph two, you could suggest to Duncan what he could do next, so maybe use another crayon.

Otherwise, what will happen.

And then you'll have your sign-off.

Okay, so this is how you're going to be structuring your plan and then your persuasive letter.

So it's time for Task B.

Part one of Task B.

You need to write four bullet-point notes explaining why you, the red character, are feeling so frustrated.

And try to include the features of a persuasive letter.

So, maybe a rhetorical question, an exaggeration, an opinion, or a reason.

I think maybe save the warning and the command until the second paragraph because it's quite powerful to come at the end of your letter.

So, but definitely thinking about including an exaggeration and a rhetorical question and opinion and reason.

So pause the video now and off you go writing some bullet-point notes.

Well done, everybody.

Welcome back.

Here are some ideas I've got down.

You might not have exactly the same and that's totally fine.

But if you like some of the ideas I've written, feel free to pause the video and add them to your plan.

The most shattered crayon in the entire world.

So I've got some exaggeration there.

Worn out because used every day including holidays.

So I've got my opinion and reason there.

Shaking with exhaustion.

Some show-and-tell language to show just how exhausted I am.

And can you please use another colour? A rhetorical question there.

So as I said, if you want to add any of these to your plan, you can.

Otherwise, well done and let's move on to the second part of Task B.

Now, you need to write four bullet-point notes suggesting what Duncan should do next.

And now you can also maybe use your warning and command and say what you might do if Duncan doesn't do what you've asked.

So think about including a warning, a command, maybe another opinion and reason, or any of the features, really, for this paragraph.

So pause the video now and off you go writing your bullet-point notes.

Well done, everybody.

Welcome back.

Okay, I'm going to show you the ideas I've got, and if you like them, you can add them to your plan.

Don't worry if yours don't look exactly the same as this.

That's a good thing.

So we all have different ideas on our plan.

Other crayons feeling neglected.

So I'm explaining how the other crayons are feeling.

Why are you ignoring the other colours? A rhetorical question.

Stop choosing me.

Your command.

Might have to leave this box.

A warning.

Remember, you don't need capital letters, full stops because we're not writing full sentences in our plan.

We're going to use this plan, though, when it comes to writing.

So make sure you're keeping them safe.

Well done, everybody.

Great job! Okay, here is a summary of everything we've learned today.

When we plan, we log precise and ambitious vocabulary to help paint vivid pictures for our reader.

A plan includes notes, key points, and ambitious vocabulary.

Persuasive letters have distinctive linguistic features in order to achieve their purpose.

First-person perspective is the point of view where the writer is the "I" character that gives a personal account of events or experiences.

Great job today, everybody.

Well done.