Grade 4 Language · Persuasive writing

Persuade the League: Writing to Convince

Build a persuasive paragraph the way a captain argues a case to the coach — a clear claim, strong reasons, and words that land every time.

Section 1 · Structure of a persuasive paragraph

Build the argument: claim plus reasons

By the end of this section I can state a clear claim and back it with reasons — so I can write a paragraph that convinces a reader to agree with me.

Success criteria 0 / 4 ticked

Tick each one when you can do it without help.

1A Topic, purpose, audience — and your claim

Before you write a single sentence, ask three questions: What is my topic? Why am I writing? Who will read it? A persuasive paragraph always has a purpose — to convince — and an audience who can say yes or no.

The three pieces of a persuasive paragraph

claim reasons closing

The claim is your opinion stated plainly — the thing you want the reader to agree with. The reasons are the "because" statements that back the claim up. The closing restates the claim and asks the reader to act.

Claim for a letter to the league

Topic: adding a second intermission skill competition what the writing is about
Purpose: convince the league to run it why you are writing
Audience: the league organisers who can say yes
Claim: Our league should add a skills competition during the second intermission. one clear opinion sentence

Check yourself

A sentence that states your opinion clearly is called the ______.

It is the single sentence that tells the reader what you believe.
The opinion sentence is the claim. Everything else in the paragraph supports it.

The people who will read your persuasive paragraph and decide whether to agree are your ______.

Think about who has the power to say yes or no to your request.
The reader who decides is the audience. Match your tone and word choice to them.

1B Reasons that hold up — and ordering them

A claim with no reasons is just a shout. Each reason should answer "Why do you think that?" Put your strongest reason first or last — the middle is where readers' attention dips.

Three reasons for the skills competition

Reason 1: It gives every player a chance to shine, not just the top scorers. fairness — strong
Reason 2: Families stay engaged during the break instead of leaving early. good for the league
Reason 3: It is easy to run — only a few cones and a stopwatch are needed. practical — closes the deal

Interactive · build a persuasive paragraph

Pick a claim, choose your reasons in order, then read your finished paragraph. The strongest reason sits first.

Step 1 — choose a claim

Step 2 — tap reasons in order (strongest first)

Step 3 — choose a closing

Your paragraph

Pick a claim to begin.

Check yourself

A strong persuasive paragraph should have at least how many reasons backing the claim?

One reason can be argued away — give a back-up as well.
Give at least 2 reasons. Two or more makes the argument harder to dismiss.

When you order your reasons, which one should usually go first?

Think about which reason is hardest for the audience to argue against.
Put the strongest reason first so readers are convinced before their attention dips.

Section 2 · Persuasive language

Choose words that convince

By the end of this section I can identify and use persuasive devices — so my writing sounds confident and pushes the reader to agree.

Success criteria 0 / 3 ticked

Tick each one when you can do it without help.

2A Modal words and emotive language

Modal verbs tell the reader how sure you are. Should, must, and have to sound confident; maybe and might sound weak. Emotive language loads a word with feeling — "exhausted" hits harder than "tired".

Persuasive devices to know

modal words emotive language rhetorical question repetition

Modal words show certainty. Emotive language makes the reader feel. Rhetorical questions ask something the reader already knows the answer to. Repetition repeats a key word so it sticks.

Weak sentence → strong sentence

Weak: Maybe the coach could possibly let us have water breaks. too many softening words
Strong: The coach must allow water breaks — every player deserves to play safely. modal "must" + emotive "deserves"

Interactive · turn up the persuasion

Tap a device to see how it strengthens a sentence about later practice times.

Practice should finish earlier so we are not tired at school the next day.

Base sentence

Check yourself

Which modal word sounds most confident: maybe, might, or must?

Pick the word that leaves no room for doubt.
Must states a requirement with certainty. "Maybe" and "might" weaken the claim.

Words like "devastated" or "thrilled" that are chosen to make the reader feel something are called ______ language.

The name comes from the word "emotion".
These are emotive words — they load the sentence with feeling to push the reader to agree.

2B Rhetorical questions and a confident voice

A rhetorical question is one you ask without expecting an answer — the answer is obvious. It pulls the reader onto your side. Pair it with a confident personal voice: write as "we" or "I" so the reader hears a real person, not a robot.

Adding a rhetorical question to open

Open: Would any coach want exhausted players on the ice? answer is obviously no
Claim: That is why our team needs a rest day each week. follows the question

Check yourself

A question asked to make a point, where no answer is expected, is called a ______.

It is a question used as a device, not a real enquiry.
This is a rhetorical question. The reader already knows the answer, which makes your point for you.

To show a confident personal voice, which pronoun can you write in — "it" or "we"?

Pick the pronoun that includes the writer as a real person.
Writing as we (or I) gives a confident personal voice. "It" sounds distant and robotic.

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