Persuasive Writing WebQuest

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The Power of Persuasion

Introduction

This quest challenges you to investigate persuasive writing and develop critical reading skills. What are propaganda techniques? How is the English language so powerful as to persuade you. Why would you need to develop this skill to persuade others? Everyone has been persuaded and has needed to persuade others. What techniques can you use to sway others and what can you use to not fall victim to someone's manipulation?

The Task

Learning in the 21st century presents new opportunities and new challenges.Will the Internet and the possibilities it offers change the quality of your life? How do you use Internet resources? Can the Internet help you distinguish between fact and fiction? Does the Internet ever use persuasive writing? Do you need to use critical reading on the Internet? You will examine, compare, and contrast the aspects of persuasive writing and critical reading. You will then research and create an example of Internet persuasive writing. The class will post the best example. Discussion will then follow of the critical reading skills that one needs to be able to avoid the pitfalls of believing everything that one reads.

The Process

Define your project

Before you jump into your roles, you will be assigned a group. Each person in your group needs to decide which job that you can do. Within your group, interview for the job that you find interesting. The members of the group will ask you questions about how you will do your job and why you think that you are the most qualified. When everyone has interviewed, then vote by secret ballad. Proceed to the work ahead. If you are the only one that shows interest in a particular job, then it is yours. No group should be more than six. Groups should be smaller; therefore, not all jobs will be taken. You may have to break up those responsibilities between the group.
Your group needs to define critical reading skills, persuasive writing, and propaganda techniques. Find out what these words mean to each member of your group. Brainstorm and share your ideas.
Look for examples of persuasive writing. Discuss these within your group. Find one to discuss as a large classroom group. Visit the Resource Page. You will need to investigate examples of persuasive writing and then decide upon an advertisement, an editorial, research material, or political information to use for you project.
Complete the exercises below to learn about propaganda techniques, critical reading skills, and writing to persuade.

		First, earn your permit to search and become an Independent Thinker. Your mission is to use clues to complete an Internet Scavenger Hunt. When finished, you have polished your surfing skills and you are ready to search on the Internet.

		Next, apply your newly acquired discriminating skills to solve the fact or fiction quiz. When you hit the 100% correct stage, you are ready to start the project.

Choose your roles.

Now you are ready.

Team assignments:

1. Divide into groups of four.

2. As a group, choose one of the roles to create your project.

3. Read your task and set up your group management system.

4. Discuss the assessment questions and create your action plan ( set up a time-line with your goals).

5. Search the collection and gather your ideas and research.

6. Create your learning product (i.e. web page). Create this using an example of persuasive writing.

	Roles		Description

			Photographer With your artful eye you capture the persuasive images necessary to complete your project.

			Lawyer Your passion for controversy and debate will guide you in your quest for fact and opinion.

			Poet Using your poetic grasp of language, you seek to proof and correct all mechanics and usage.

			Politician With a finger on the pulse of the writing and how it can manipulate people, you can decide the perfect layout that will shape people's ideals.

			Comedian You find the irony in the persuasive writing and insert humor when deemed appropriate. You will be the peacekeeper of the group. You are the one that will talk with the teacher about your project.

			Newspaper Reporter On the newsbeat you report and chronicle the events which you need and give them that twist that you need for a very persuasive project.

Resources; Go to the Resource Page.; Conclusion and Assessment Questions; You've finished; you've posted and proofed your project! Now answer the following questions:
: Has this activity influenced your view of persuasion in your daily life? How? Now that you've completed the project, what new considerations can you offer someone reading or writing? How can written documents of others affect you?; What is persuasive writing? How will new opportunities of the 21st century challenge the advertising?; What makes your project an effective persuasive example?

Student Gallery

Share your learning projects here...email the address to me and I will add the link of your persuasive writing project to this Gallery! Others can benefit from seeing your project as a sample.

Harris Middle School's Advertising Projects

created by Ms. Norris' 6th grade students, Harris Middle School, Shelbyville, TN
Fall, 1998

Please direct any question or comment to the following:
Betsy Norris
Donna Brock
updated 9/2/99