Lesson video

Hello everyone, lovely to see you all today.

My names Dr.

Clayton, I'm here to guide you through Learning Daily today.

Today's lesson's called "Using modality, personification and active voice to write a persuasive letter." We're going to think about how we can use those techniques to craft our own persuasive letter on the topic of examinations in schools.

So if you're ready, grab a pen, laptop, whatever's needed for this lesson, and let's get started.

So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to use modality, personification and active voice to write a persuasive letter.

So we have five words today we're going to be using as our keywords.

They're able to find in bold throughout the learning material, and I'll try to point them out, as well, so you can see them being used in context.

So our first term's persuade, which means to convince someone to do something through reasonable argument.

We're going to think about how we can use modality, personification and voice in order to make your argument seem more convincing to the reader.

Our second keyword is modal verbs, which are verbs that indicate likelihood, ability, permission or obligation.

We're going to be thinking about how we can use words with differing modality, so words with different levels of obligation or likelihood, in order to influence the tone of your writing, and how convincing it is.

Our third keyword's direct, moving towards a place or object, without changing direction or stopping.

In terms of your writing, being direct means getting straight to the point without being distracted.

Our fourth keyword's active voice, which is where the subject of the sentence performs the action onto the object.

We're going to be thinking about how using active voice can be effective in adding to the persuasive nature of your writing.

Our fifth keyword's obligation, which is an act or course of action to which a person is morally or legally bound; a duty or commitment.

We're going to be thinking about how effective persuasive writing creates a sense of moral duty in the reader, and compels them into action.

So, I'll just you a moment to write down those keywords and their definitions.

So, pause the video, write them down now.

Fantastic, let's get started with the lesson.

So we have two learning cycles for our lesson today.

For our first learning cycle, we're going to talk through how you can effectively use modality, personification, active voice in persuasive writing, for planning out your argument.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to talk through how we might improve a model answer before writing our own persuasive letter on the topic of examinations in school.

So, before we start thinking about planning out our argument, let's take a moment to remind ourselves about persuasive writing, and what makes effective persuasive writing.

So persuasive writing is a form of non-fiction writing that is written to persuade a reader of a belief, opinion, or idea.

Now persuasive is one of our keywords, it means to convince someone to do something through reasoning and argument.

So persuasive writing is done to convince someone of something through reasoning or argument.

So, what I'd like you to think about first is what do you think makes a successful persuasive letter? So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, that was some great ideas there.

Let's talk through some of the things you might've said.

So you might have thought about the use of the correct letter form.

By using the correct form, it shows you're taking care of your work, it means everyone can focus on your work without being distracted.

You also might've thought about the use of effective rhetorical devices, so for example, personification.

Now there are many rhetorical devices you could use, but we're going to focus on personification in this lesson.

Which is where you give human emotions or characteristics to a non-human objects or things.

By personifying the subject, you create an emotional connection between the reader and the subject of your argument, and that makes them more likely to understand and appreciate your argument.

You also might've thought about the use of appropriate tone, so for example using modal verbs and active or passive voice.

We're going to learn how we can use words with different modality and active and passive voice and how it effects the tone of your writing and how that might impact the persuasiveness.

You also might've thought about how they make the reader feel a sense of obligation.

So it makes the reader feel a sense of moral duty to help.

So now let's think about the subject of our persuasive letter, and what your argument might be.

So I'd like you to imagine that you're headteachers considering scrapping, so removing, examinations.

What I'd like you to think about is how do you respond to that idea? What pros and cons can you think of? Pause the video, take a few minutes to think about it.

Welcome back, there were some great ideas there.

Let's talk through some of the things you might've said.

So tests and exams can be very stressful times, especially formal examinations, because they're very intimidating environments, and they do have a bearing on your future.

So a lot of pressure involved.

Removing examinations would theoretically result in less anxiety for students.

You also might've thought about the way exams test knowledge.

Or thought about the fact that writing about subjects with no notes or materials to help guide you, can be seen as more of a test of memory than knowledge.

And therefore could be seen as giving an advantage to those who have and effective short-term memory.

In the same vein, the idea of testing knowledge in this way, could be seen as favouring students with high attendance.

You will have had a chance to study the material and revise it in school.

Rather, somebody who may have had long-term health problems, for example, and therefore may not be as familiar with the material as someone who's been able to attend every lesson.

In terms of the cons, you might've thought about the way that exams are a way of providing quantifiable data that measures knowledge and how well you've been able to interact with the material you've been taught in an independent way.

Arguably, exams prep students for adult life, you have to be able to take material and use is when it's required of you as well as giving students agency over their own learning, by asking them to plan and commit to their own envisioned plans.

You also might've thought about the fact that exam qualifications are widely recognised by international communities and therefore can be helpful if you want to get a job in another country.

Now, as well as the main body of your argument, will you argue a case? It can also be effective to offer a suggestion of further steps.

So for example, if you are arguing that exams should be scrapped, you might consider what the alternative to exams might look like.

If you're arguing exams should be kept, you might consider how they can be made less stressful for students.

So, what I'd like you to think about, is why might suggesting further steps add to the persuasiveness of your argument? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, there were some great ideas there.

Now as Sofia says, by suggesting further steps, it allows the recipient to see how what you're proposing could be implemented and it demonstrates that you've thought about the implications of your proposal.

So, let's just take a moment to think about what potential further steps you might propose.

So what further steps in relation to exams can you think of? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone, some great ideas there.

Let's talk through what you might've said.

So if you're thinking about scrapping exams, you might have said propose coursework.

So instead of measuring knowledge through timed exams, you allow pupils a chance to write an extended essay.

While these are still marked, they aren't done the same in the same pressurised environment as exams, they're completed over a longer time period.

You might have thought about informal end of year exams instead of formal exams. So you keep the same format of exams, but they can be completed in a classroom, in a more relaxed manner, rather than a pressured environment.

You also might have thought about project based assessment.

So very similar to coursework, but this would also allow pupils to complete a project in relation to the subject matter, this could have more practical implications rather than being an extended piece of writing.

If you're arguing in favour of keeping exams, you might have ideas of how exams could be made less stressful for pupils.

So for example, decreasing the amount of subject matter tested.

This allows pupils more of an opportunity to practise applying the knowledge.

They'll have greater opportunities to revise and feel comfortable with the material.

You might have thought about shortening the length of exams. So rather than having to sit in a hall for a couple of hours, you might reduced the time to a maximum of an hour, in order to make it more comfortable for pupils.

You also might've thought about having open book exams for subjects such as English.

So rather than having to memorise a long piece of text, you might instead have copies of the text available.

So pupils can concentrate on writing about the text rather than trying to remember quotations or characters.

Now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do, is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that offering the recipient further steps can increase the persuasiveness of your argument.

Pause the video, make a selection now.

Welcome back everyone, the correct answer is true.

Now I'd like to know why it's true.

Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone, you might've said it offers the recipient ideas of how your proposal could be implemented and shows that you've thought about your argument thoroughly.

So very well done if you've got those right.

So now we've thought about what your argument might be.

Let's think about how you can write about it in an effective, persuasive way.

Let's start by thinking about modal verbs.

Now the use of modal verbs might have the following effect: So if you use words with low modality, so may, might, possibly, that conveys a sense of uncertainty and low obligation for the reader.

If you use words with medium modality, so should, hopefully, often, that conveys a higher sense of certainty and obligation.

And if you use words with high modality, so must, have to, need, that conveys a higher degree of certainty and obligation.

Now arguably, you want to use words with both medium and high modality in your persuasive writing.

So what I'd like you to tell me, is why do you think that might be? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back, there were some great discussions there.

Now as Sam says, "I think you want to convey certainty and obligation to make your writing persuasive.

However, if you only use words with high modality, it might make your tone seem too direct, and therefore make the reader feel defensive.

We want to make the reader feel as if they want to help, or make a difference.

We don't want to make them feel as if they're being accused of something, or make them feel as if they're being forced to do something.

Because if you tell someone they must do something, the likelier it is that they're less inclined to do it.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that to make your writing persuasive, you should only use words with high modality? Pause the video, make your selection now.

Welcome back everyone, the correct answer is false.

Now I'd like you tell me why it's false.

So pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone, you might've said that exclusively using words with high modality can make your tone seem too direct, therefore you should also use words with medium modality.

So very well done if you got those right.

So, now let's think about how you might use personification.

So personification is where you give human emotions or characteristics to non human things or objects.

You might make your persuasive writing more effective by using personification to forage an emotional connection.

So what I'd like you to think about, is how might you use personification to create either a positive or negative emotional connection to exams? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone, some great ideas there.

Let's talk through some of the things you might've said.

So in terms of creating a positive connection towards exams, you might personify them as being a mentor or a guiding friend, as something that's trying to soothe and comfort students.

These would create a positive emotional connection and make the reader less likely to want to remove exams. On the other hand, if you're trying to create a negative impression, you might personify exams as mocking students, make them feel bad about themselves, as exams following students around for the rest of their lives, and emphasising the pressure that exams create.

These would create a negative emotional connection, and make the reader feel more likely to support removing exams. So now for a quick check for understanding.

So which use of personification evokes a negative emotional reaction? Is it A, "I could feel the ink of the paper starting to crawl over my skin." B, "the paper whispered words of affirmation as I opened the booklet." Or C, "I could almost feel the paper take my hand and start to guide me towards my future." So pause the video, make a selection now.

Welcome back everyone, now let's talk through the sentences.

So sentence A creates the image of ink crawling over people's skin, which is something we think of negatively, because it makes us feel like insects or something uncomfortable.

Sentence B, creates as if the exam is whispering kind words, and supporting students.

And sentence C creates the impression of exams being a friendly, mentoring figure.

So sentence A is the correct answer, so very well done if you got that right.

So now let's talk about the use of active voice.

Active voice, where the subject is performing the action onto the object of the sentence.

Now you might use active voice to enhance the persuasiveness of your writing.

So let's compare active voice to passive voice, and think about what the difference is.

So, exams cause students heightened levels of stress and tension.

This is an example of active voice, because the subject, the exams, are performing the action, causing stress, onto the students.

You could also say that in passive voice, heightened levels of stress and tension are experienced by students due to exams. Now this is an example of passive voice, as the object is being acted upon by the subject of the sentence.

The students are being acted upon by the exams. So what I'd like you to think about is why is active voice more persuasive? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone, let's talk through what you might've said.

You might've thought that active voice creates a more direct tone.

It gets straight to the point of the sentence, that exams cause stress, and therefore that focuses the attention onto the exams and their effect on the students.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

Here's an example of how passive voice can be turned into active voice.

"Doorways into the future can be opened by exams." Now this is passive voice, because the object, doorways into the future, is being acted upon by the subject of the sentence, the exams. Now, we can turn that into active voice by saying "exams can open doorways into the future." Now the subject, the exams, are performing the action, opening, on the object, the doorways into the future.

So, what I'd like you to do is think about how you could turn this example of passive voice into active voice.

So the passive voice is "future employment options can be influenced by exams." So, pause the video, and think about how you'd turn that into active voice.

Welcome back everyone, now you might've said exams can influence future employment options.

Now the sentence is in active voice, because the subject, the exams, are performing the action, influencing, the object, future employment options.

So very well done if you got that right.

Fantastic work everyone, the first task of the lesson.

So what I'd like you to do is imagine you're writing a letter to your headteacher about the proposal to scrap exams. I'd like you to answer the following questions to plan your persuasive letter.

So question one, "what's your main argument going to be?" Question two, "what points do you have to persuade your headteacher?" Question three, "what further steps are you going to offer?" And question four, "how are you going to use personification to persuade your headteacher?" So pause the video, answer the questions now.

Welcome back everyone, some great work there.

Now, what I'd like you to do is consider this part of Izzy's plan, and think about what feedback you'd give Izzy on her planned use of personification.

So, for "what is your main argument going to be?" Izzy said, that exams should be scrapped and coursework should be offered instead.

For "what points do you have to persuade your headteacher?" Izzy said, that exams cause stress, they aren't a true reflection of knowledge, and they favour pupils with high attendance record.

"How are you going to use personification?" And Izzy said, I would say that exams look at you.

So pause the video, consider what feedback you'd give Izzy on her planned use of personification.

Welcome back everyone, now while saying that exams look at you would personify them, it's very neutral, and doesn't offer a particular emotional response, and therefore unlikely to add to the persuasiveness of your argument.

So, what I'd like you to think about now, is how could Izzy personify the exams to evoke a negative emotional response.

Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone, there were some great ideas there.

You might've thought about the idea that the exams could be whispering about students, they could be laughing at them, mocking them, this would create a negative emotional response that'd help convince the reader that exams should be scrapped.

So, now were going to move on to the second learning cycle, where you're going to be using these skills to write your own persuasive letter.

Amazing work everyone, we're now in the second learning cycle, and we're going to give Izzy some feedback on a snippet from her letter, before finishing the lesson by writing your own persuasive letter.

So, if you remember from task A, Izzy was planning to write a persuasive letter to convince her headteacher to scrap exams. Now, here's a snippet from her persuasive letter.

"I hate exams. You absolutely need to scrap them immediately.

It's so boring having to sit in a room for hours on end with nothing to do but try to answer ridiculous questions." So, what I'd like you to think about is do you think Izzy's snippet is persuasive? Why or why not? Pause the video, take a few moments to consider.

Welcome back everyone, now you might've noticed, Izzy has these words with high modality, such as need.

Which means they offer a definitive level of certainty and obligation.

Now, while they can be used in an effective persuasive writing, as Sam says, "Although Izzy's used words with high modality, she focuses on her dislike of the exams rather than offering reasons to persuade the headteacher to scrap them, and therefore is not likely to persuade the headteacher.

As she's not offering any reasons, just her personal opinion." So now for a quick check for understanding.

Which of the following snippets is more persuasive? Is it A, "Personally I like exams, I think we should keep them as I like the peace and quiet.

It's a great chance for me to just sit and concentrate." Or B, "Personally I think exams are useful since they offer quantifiable data that institutions such as universities can understand and use." So, pause the video, take a few moments to consider which is more persuasive.

Welcome back everyone, now the first snippet focuses on the writer's personal opinion, while the second offers a reason for their argument, and therefore is more persuasive.

So very well done if you got that right.

Amazing work everyone, were now on the final task of the lesson, where I'd like you to write your persuasive letter to your headteacher on the topic of scrapping exams. I'd like you to remember to either argue for or against the scrapping of exams. Use words with medium and high modality to create a confident tone that doesn't become overly direct.

Use personification to create an emotional connection to the subject.

And use active voice to focus on the subject.

Now, just a reminder of the formal letter form.

The sender's address goes in the top right hand corner, with the date underneath.

The recipient's address goes on the left hand side, with salutation, or greeting underneath.

Then the sign off goes at the end of the letter.

So, pause the video, and write your persuasive letter now.

Welcome back everyone, some amazing work there.

Now for the final part of the lesson, what I'd like you to do is share your work with a peer, and then reflect on the following questions.

"Do you understand the argument they are trying to make? Do you think their argument is persuasive? Have they used words with medium and high modality to convey confidence? Have they used personification to evoke an emotional reaction? And have they use active voice to focus on the subject?" So, pause the video, peer assess each other's work now.

Welcome back everyone, I know it can intimidating sometimes to share your work with someone else.

But it's such an important part of the writing process, especially with persuasive writing, as we're writing to have an effect on someone else.

So you want to make sure the way you're crafting your writing is having the effect you want it to.

So sharing your work with someone else and getting feedback is a great habit to get into.

You all did amazingly well today, everyone.

He's a summary of what we covered.

Offering ideas for further steps to the recipient of your letter can make your argument more persuasive.

So it shows you've carefully considered your argument and what the implications might be.

Using words with medium and high modality can convey confidence and sense of obligation, as they convey a sense of moral duty onto the reader to try and help.

Using personification can evoke an emotional reaction in the reader.

So giving human emotions or characteristics to a non human object or thing can create an emotional response in the reader, that helps to understand your argument.

Using active voice can help focus the reader's attention onto the subject.

It creates a direct tone, and makes the reader more likely to focus on your argument.

I really hope you enjoyed the lesson, everyone.

I hope to see you for another lesson soon.

Goodbye.