Lesson video

Hi everyone, and welcome to today's lesson.

Today we're going to be developing our understanding of the linguistic features and persuasive techniques used in persuasive letters.

Here are some key words we are going to use.

Purpose, persuasive letter, linguistic features, persuasive technique.

Great work.

The purpose is the aim of the text.

A persuasive letter is a formal letter written to try and convince or persuade the reader.

Linguistic features are language features that help the text achieve its purpose.

A persuasive technique is a structure or a device used in writing to try to change someone's mind or behaviour.

In today's lesson, we are going to be identifying linguistic features and persuasive techniques.

We're going to begin by identifying linguistic features in a persuasive letter, then we're going to move on to identifying persuasive techniques.

The purpose of a persuasive letter is to persuade or convince the reader to change their mind or behaviour around a particular topic.

Persuasive letters use a range of linguistic features and persuasive techniques to help achieve this purpose.

So today we'll be looking for both of these elements in an example.

They also help achieve the formal tone needed for a persuasive letter.

Match the key terms to their definitions.

Pause the video while you do that.

Great work everyone.

Linguistic features are language features that help the text achieve its purpose.

Persuasive techniques are structures or devices used in writing to try and change someone's mind or behaviour.

When we're discussing both of these today, it's really important that we understand the difference between the two.

Linguistic features are language features that help the text achieve its purpose.

Persuasive techniques are structures or devices used in writing to try and change someone's mind or behaviour.

These are all features of persuasive letters.

Let's read them together.

An introductory sentence, fronted adverbials, rhetorical questions, relative clauses, conditional clauses, well done.

Presumption, flattery, evidence or proof, veiled threat.

The list on the left are the linguistic features that we will be looking at today.

The list on the right are the persuasive techniques that we will be looking at.

Match the linguistic features to their definitions.

So we've got an introductory sentence, fronted adverbial, rhetorical question, a relative clause and a conditional clause.

Let's read through the definitions.

A sentence starter, followed by a comma, a type of subordinate clause that states the hypothetical situations and their conditions.

A sentence at the start of a paragraph, which states the paragraph's main aim, a type of subordinate clause, beginning with the relative pronouns who or which, and a question posed to the reader, which they answer in their head.

Pause the video while you complete this task.

Well done if you spotted that an introductory sentence is a sentence at the start of a paragraph, which states the paragraphs main aim.

A fronted adverbial is a sentence starter followed by a comma.

A rhetorical question is a question posed to the reader, which they answer in their head.

A relative clause is a type of subordinate clause, beginning with the relative pronouns, who or which, and a conditional clause is a type of subordinate clause that states hypothetical situations and their conditions.

Great work everyone.

Let's look at an example of a persuasive letter, so we can identify the different linguistic features.

The following example is a persuasive letter written to a head teacher trying to persuade them to introduce a Sort it Out Squad at play times.

First, I've got my sender's address.

This is my address.

Below is the date.

Here is my address, the recipient's address that I want to send to my sender.

Here is my greeting, "Dear head teacher." Let's read these paragraphs together.

"I am writing to you to suggest that Year Five help you with an ongoing problem.

There has been growing tension in the playground, regarding the distribution of balls at playtime.

For this reason, I believe that it would be beneficial to introduce a Sort it Out Squad, SOS to manage these disputes.

Let me outline the reasons for my suggestion.

Firstly, the SOS who would be made up of sensible and responsible Year Five pupils would take the pressure off the adults at play times.

We sincerely would not want an incident to occur, such as a child being hurt if a staff member were too busy organising this distribution of balls.

Furthermore, with less time spent on dealing with arguments, more time can be spent organising fun games.

I am sure you would agree that the needs of the children in your care are the priority of this incredible school.

Moreover, the role would provide the children with important skills in debate and discussion amongst their peers.

The SOS would encourage all children to solve disputes amongst themselves, saving all staff members, including yourself a great deal of time.

Did you know that children who take part in managed debate are more likely to attend university? Any sensible person would agree that SOS can only have a positive impact on the learning and success of the school.

It is clear therefore, that there are strong and significant arguments in favour of my suggestion.

SOS would be hugely beneficial for our staff, for our children, and for our school's community.

I would be extremely grateful if you would consider my suggestion and I look forward to assisting you with the SOS programme.

Your sincerely, Gemma Mullins, Year five pupil." Now that we've read this model letter, it's time for your task.

Identify one example of the following linguistic features in the model persuasive letter, so one introductory sentence, one fronted adverbial, one rhetorical question, one relative clause.

Remember, not full sentence, just the clause and one conditional clause.

Again, not the full sentence, just the conditional clause.

Pause the video now while you complete your task.

Brilliant work everyone.

An example of an introductory sentence could have been, I'm writing to you to suggest that Year Five help you with an ongoing problem.

Firstly, the SOS, who would be made up of sensible and responsible Year Five pupils would take the pressure off the adults at play times.

Moreover, the role would provide the children with important skills in debate and discussion amongst their peers.

It is clear therefore, that there are strong and significant arguments in favour of my suggestion.

An introductory sentence can be found around the start of each paragraph.

Here are some examples of fronted adverbial you might have included.

For this reason, firstly, furthermore, moreover, any of these examples were correct.

An example of a rhetorical question was, "Did you know that children who take part in managed debate are more likely to attend university?" A relative clause was, "Who would be made up of sensible and responsible Year Fives?" A conditional clause was, "If a staff member were too busy organising the distribution of balls." Great work, everyone.

Now that we have identified the linguistic features of a persuasive letter, we're now going to move on to identifying persuasive techniques in the same letter.

Linguistic features are language features that help the text achieve its purpose.

Those are the features we just looked at.

Now we're going to focus on persuasive techniques.

They are structures or devices used in writing to try and change someone's mind or behaviour.

Now we know that the linguistic features included introductory sentences, fronted adverbial, rhetorical questions, relative clauses and conditional clauses.

Now we're going to focus on presumption, flattery, evidence or proof and veiled threat.

These are our persuasive techniques.

So learning cycle one was all about the linguistic features.

Now we're learning about persuasive techniques and identifying them in a model.

Match the persuasive techniques to their definitions.

So we've got presumption, flattery, evidence or proof and veiled threat.

Let's read the definitions together.

When the writer guesses or assumes the reader's opinion based on their character or position, when the writer uses facts or statistics to support their argument, when the writer flatters the reader, when the writer threatens the reader in a subtle way, pause the video while you complete your task.

Great work, everyone.

Presumption is when the writer guesses or assumes the reader's opinion based on their character or position.

Flattery is when the writer flatters the reader.

Evidence or proof is when the writer uses facts or statistics to support their argument and veil threat is when the writer threatens the reader in a subtle way.

Now it's time for your second task.

Reread the model persuasive letter, so we're going to reread and use the same model letter that we looked at in learning cycle one.

Then identify one example of the following persuasive techniques.

So one example of presumption, one example of flattery, one example of evidence or proof, and one example of veiled threat.

Pause the video while you complete your task.

Brilliant work everyone.

Here are a few examples of presumption that you might have used.

Remember, you only needed one of them though.

Let's read these together.

"I am sure that you would agree that the needs of the school, of the children in your care are the priority of this incredible school.

Any sensible person would agree that SOS can only have a positive impact on the learning and success of the school.

I look forward to assisting you with the SOS programme." In all of these examples, the writer is assuming that the reader is agreeing with them or has already agreed to help them.

An example of flattery, where the writer is complimenting the reader, "This incredible school." Any head teacher would be flattered to hear that their school is incredible.

An example of evidence or proof could have included, "Did you know that children who take part in managed debate are more likely to attend university?" So this example of a statistic or piece of evidence has been framed as a rhetorical question and finally, an example of veiled threat.

"We sincerely would not want an incident to occur, such as a child being hurt if a staff member were too busy organising the distribution of balls." So here the writer is very subtly threatening the reader, the recipient, who's a head teacher that if the head teacher does not put something in place, someone might get hurt.

Well done everyone.

I hope you enjoyed finding those examples of persuasive techniques in the model.

Brilliant work everyone.

That now brings us to the end of our lesson, where today we've been identifying linguistic features and persuasive techniques in a persuasive letter.

Here's a recap of our key learning.

Persuasion is the action or process of trying to change someone's mind or behaviour.

Persuasive letters are mostly written in a formal way, and they include a range of linguistic features and persuasive techniques.

Using a range of different features and techniques helps to achieve the text's purpose, which we know is to persuade the reader.

I'm so impressed with all of your hard work and effort in our lessons so far.

Well done, I'm really looking forward to seeing you again soon.