English · 1st Class

Active learning ideas

Analyzing Persuasive Techniques in Oral Communication

Active learning works for this topic because children in 1st Class learn best when they practice social language conventions in real time. Role play, discussion, and reflective listening help them move beyond passive hearing to understanding the purpose and power of persuasive communication.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Junior Cycle - Oral Language
• NCCA: Junior Cycle - Engaging with and Creating Oral Texts

• 10–20 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Role Play
• 15 min · Pairs

Role Play: The Conversation Interrupter

In pairs, one student tries to tell a short story about their weekend while the other purposefully interrupts or looks away. Afterward, they swap roles and then discuss as a class how it felt to be ignored versus heard.

Analyze how a speaker uses rhetorical devices to influence an audience.

Facilitation Tip

During Role Play: The Conversation Interrupter, model how to gently place a hand on the arm of someone who interrupts to signal they should wait.

What to look for

Show students a short, age-appropriate advertisement (e.g., for a toy or a healthy snack). Ask them to point to one thing the ad says or shows that tries to convince them, and to say if it makes them feel happy, sad, or think it's smart.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 20 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Talking Object

Small groups are given a challenge to solve, such as 'How to build the tallest paper tower,' but they can only speak when holding a specific 'talking stone.' This physically models the concept of waiting for a turn and listening to the current speaker.

Evaluate the effectiveness of different persuasive techniques in a given oral presentation.

Facilitation Tip

During Collaborative Investigation: The Talking Object, use a timer to keep turns short and predictable so all students feel heard.

What to look for

Play a brief recording of two students debating a simple topic, like 'Should we have longer playtime?' Ask the class: 'What did one of the speakers say to try and convince you? Did it make you want to agree with them? Why or why not?'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 10 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Echo Listening

The teacher poses a question about a story. Students think individually, then tell their partner. The partner must 'echo' back one thing they heard before sharing their own idea.

Construct a short argument incorporating at least two persuasive techniques.

Facilitation Tip

During Think-Pair-Share: Echo Listening, provide sentence stems like 'I heard you say...' to guide reflective responses.

What to look for

Provide students with a sentence starter: 'To convince my friend to play my favorite game, I would say...' Ask them to complete the sentence using at least one persuasive technique, like asking a question or saying something exciting about the game.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by first demonstrating active listening themselves, then giving students structured opportunities to practice. Avoid rushing to correction; instead, pause conversations to highlight when listening is working well. Research shows that children learn turn-taking best when the teacher reinforces it consistently in every interaction.

Successful learning looks like students who can pause to listen, respond to non-verbal cues, and use at least one persuasive technique when speaking. They should show they understand by giving thoughtful feedback or asking relevant questions during conversations.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Role Play: The Conversation Interrupter, watch for students who believe listening is just being quiet.

  Use the role play to model that listening includes eye contact, nodding, and asking follow-up questions like 'Can you tell me more about that?' to prove understanding.

• During Think-Pair-Share: Echo Listening, watch for students who stop listening once they have their own idea.

  Give each student a colored token to hold while listening, and only allow them to speak when they pass the token to their partner, ensuring focus on the speaker.

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Methods used in this brief

• Role Play
• Inquiry Circle
• Think-Pair-Share