The Power of Words: Exploring Narrative and Information · 3rd Year

Active learning ideas

Recognizing the Language of Persuasion

Active learning works for this topic because persuasion is a skill students encounter daily, and they learn best by doing. When students analyze real advertisements or craft their own pitches, they see how language choices shape opinions and actions immediately.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Reading
• NCCA: Primary - Oral Language

• 15–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 30 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Ad Detectives

Groups are given a selection of print adverts and a checklist of persuasive techniques (e.g., bright colors, catchy slogans, 'best' adjectives). They must find and label examples of each technique.

Analyze how advertisers use specific words to make us want a product.

Facilitation Tip

During Collaborative Investigation: The Ad Detectives, assign each group a different ad type so the class covers a wide range of examples.

What to look for

Provide students with a short advertisement (print or transcript). Ask them to identify one example of emotive language and one rhetorical question, explaining in one sentence each how it tries to persuade the reader.

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

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Rhetorical Question Challenge

Give students a boring statement like 'You should eat fruit.' Pairs have three minutes to turn it into three different rhetorical questions that make the reader think.

Differentiate between a fact and an opinion in an argument.

Facilitation Tip

For Think-Pair-Share: The Rhetorical Question Challenge, provide a mix of rhetorical and literal questions for students to sort.

What to look for

Present students with two short statements about a popular product. Ask them to label each statement as either a 'fact' or an 'opinion' and briefly justify their choice.

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

Activity 03

• Simulation Game
• 40 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: The Dragon's Den

Students work in pairs to 'sell' a useless object (like a broken pencil) to the class using at least three persuasive techniques. The class votes on the most convincing pitch.

Explain how a rhetorical question can engage a reader's curiosity and encourage agreement.

Facilitation Tip

In Simulation: The Dragon's Den, give clear roles to students so they practice both persuasion and evaluation skills.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are creating an advertisement for a new phone. What kind of emotive words would you use to make people want it? Why?' Facilitate a brief class discussion, encouraging students to share and justify their word choices.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by starting with familiar examples, like ads or social media posts, before moving to abstract concepts. Avoid diving straight into theory; let students discover techniques through guided observation. Research shows that when students analyze real-world texts first, they retain persuasive strategies better.

By the end of these activities, students will confidently identify persuasive techniques in texts, explain their purpose, and use them effectively in their own writing. They will move from passive listeners to critical readers and persuasive speakers.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Collaborative Investigation: The Ad Detectives, watch for students who dismiss all persuasive language as 'tricking people.'

  Use the group discussion to highlight examples of persuasive language used for positive causes, such as charity campaigns, to broaden their view.

• During Think-Pair-Share: The Rhetorical Question Challenge, watch for students who label any unknown question as rhetorical.

  Have students rewrite their identified rhetorical questions as statements to show they are designed to make the listener agree without expecting an answer.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Think-Pair-Share
• Simulation Game