English · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Persuasion: Layouts and Visuals

Active learning works for persuasion through layouts and visuals because pupils need to physically arrange, discuss, and compare designs to grasp how visual elements guide attention. Hands-on activities let them test colour choices, font sizes, and text placement in real time, building intuitive understanding of persuasive design.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: English - Writing Composition
• KS1: English - Spoken Language

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 45 min · Pairs

Pairs: Toy Ad Design Challenge

Pairs brainstorm a toy they want to advertise, sketch thumbnails considering audience needs, then create a full poster with bold headlines, images, and colours. They present to the class, explaining choices. Swap and suggest one improvement.

Explain why it is important to consider who we are writing for in an advertisement.

Facilitation Tip

During the Toy Ad Design Challenge, circulate to prompt pairs to name their audience before they start sketching, ensuring their choices reflect their target group from the outset.

What to look for

Provide students with a simple advertisement. Ask them to write one sentence explaining who the advertisement is for and one sentence about a visual element that makes it stand out.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 30 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Critique Carousel

Display sample posters around the room. Groups rotate every 5 minutes, noting strengths in layout and visuals on sticky notes, then discuss as a class what makes ads effective. Redesign one weak example together.

Design an appealing layout for a persuasive poster or advertisement.

Facilitation Tip

In the Critique Carousel, freeze the room after each rotation to ask one student to share one observation about the layout they just saw, keeping discussions focused and equitable.

What to look for

After students design their posters, have them swap with a partner. Ask each student to identify one thing they like about their partner's design and one suggestion for improvement related to attracting attention.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 25 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Layout Relay

Divide class into teams. Each pupil adds one element (title, image, slogan) to a shared poster on the board, considering audience. Teams explain their contributions and vote on the best final design.

Critique a persuasive layout for its effectiveness in attracting attention.

Facilitation Tip

For the Layout Relay, model the first step of the relay with a think-aloud to clarify the sequence of roles before teams begin.

What to look for

Show two different posters for the same type of product (e.g., two cereal ads). Ask: 'Which poster do you think is more effective and why? Consider who it is trying to persuade.'

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 35 min · Individual

Individual: Digital Mock-Up

Pupils use simple drawing apps or paper to draft three layout versions for a school event ad. Select and refine one based on a checklist of audience appeal, bold visuals, and clear message.

Explain why it is important to consider who we are writing for in an advertisement.

What to look for

Provide students with a simple advertisement. Ask them to write one sentence explaining who the advertisement is for and one sentence about a visual element that makes it stand out.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by modelling the process: show how you decide on an audience, choose colours and fonts, and place text and images to lead the viewer’s eye. Avoid overwhelming pupils with too many options at once; start with strong contrasts (large image versus small text) to make the impact clear. Research shows that young children learn design principles best when they see cause and effect, so provide immediate opportunities to test and adjust their work.

Successful learning looks like pupils intentionally selecting visuals and text that match their target audience, explaining their choices with confidence, and revising designs based on feedback. They should articulate why bold colours or simple slogans appeal to children, while trusted symbols suit parents.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Toy Ad Design Challenge, watch for pupils cramming in too much text and tiny images.

  Prompt pupils to set aside their text first and block out where the largest image will go, then craft a slogan that fits the space. Ask: 'Which part will your audience notice first, and how can you make it stand out?'

• During the Critique Carousel, watch for pupils assuming any bright colour works for any audience.

  Ask pupils to point to the colour they think best matches their audience and explain why. Then, have them swap posters and adjust colours based on their partner’s feedback.

• During the Layout Relay, watch for pupils believing that layout does not affect persuasion if the words are good.

  Provide two identical slogans on different poster drafts and ask teams to rearrange the text and images to see which version makes the message clearer and more appealing.

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Methods used in this brief

• Outdoor Investigation Session