ChalkHour

Year 5 English: Persuasive writing lesson pack

A complete, ready-to-teach KS2 lesson on persuasive writing. Below is a real sample of what ChalkHour makes: the full pack adds three levels of worksheet, model answers, a teaching explainer and print-ready PDF and Word files.

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Real sample

Mastering Persuasive Writing: The DAFOREST Toolkit

This lesson introduces Year 5 students to the art of persuasive writing. Students will learn the 'DAFOREST' mnemonic to identify and use techniques such as rhetorical questions, emotive language, and the rule of three. The lesson culminates in applying these skills to create compelling arguments.

Learning objectives

  • Identify key persuasive devices such as rhetorical questions, alliteration, and emotive language.
  • Explain how specific language choices influence a reader's perspective.
  • Apply the 'DAFOREST' toolkit to draft persuasive sentences for a specific audience.

Lesson plan (60 minutes)

  1. Introduction · 10 min

    Hook: 'The Great Chocolate Debate'. Teacher tries to persuade the class that broccoli is better than chocolate using poor arguments, then asks students why they weren't convinced.

  2. Development · 15 min

    Direct teaching using the 'DAFOREST' toolkit and the worked example. Students identify techniques in a short text.

  3. Main Task · 20 min

    Independent Writing/Worksheet: Students work through their differentiated tasks to identify and apply persuasive techniques.

  4. Peer Assessment · 10 min

    Peer Review: Students swap work and highlight one 'persuasive success' and one 'area for improvement' based on the DAFOREST checklist.

  5. Plenary · 5 min

    Plenary: Multiple-choice quiz to check understanding of key terminology.

Key vocabulary

Rhetorical Question
A question asked for effect or to emphasize a point, where no answer is expected.
Emotive Language
Words chosen to make the reader feel a strong emotion (e.g., tragic, magical, cruel).
Alliteration
The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of adjacent or closely connected words.
Rule of Three
A group of three related words or phrases used together for emphasis.
Direct Address
Speaking directly to the reader using pronouns like 'you' or 'your'.

Core worksheet (first questions)

  1. What does the mnemonic DAFOREST stand for?
  2. Combine 'Direct Address' and a 'Rhetorical Question' into one sentence about plastic pollution.
  3. Write a 'Statistic' to support the idea that recycling is popular.
  4. Create a 'Rule of Three' sentence using 'Alliteration' to describe recycling.

Quiz (sample)

  1. 1. What is a rhetorical question?

    • A. A question that requires a long written answer.
    • B. A question designed to make the reader think rather than provide an answer.
    • C. A question asked by a teacher during a test.
    • D. A question that always has the answer 'Yes'.

  2. 2. Why do writers use emotive language?

    • A. To make the writing look longer.
    • B. To confuse the reader with difficult words.
    • C. To make the reader feel a specific emotion like pity or excitement.
    • D. To provide scientific evidence.

  3. 3. In the acronym DAFOREST, what does the 'D' stand for?

    • A. Direct Address
    • B. Dancing Adjectives
    • C. Difficult Alliteration
    • D. Detailed Adverbs

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