Students in Room 604 are busy considering how to persuade an audience about their own particular beliefs. Within our unit of study on writing persuasive essays, 5th graders must first consider what strong beliefs they each hold. We work hard in class, using various strategies for gathering ideas, to uncover profound ideas that each student may have. Once we have read, listened to, and been inspired by a variety of ideas, students begin the task of writing long about their own beliefs. Students are encouraged to come up with a thesis statement for their essay that is both profound and provocative. This is challenging work for 5th graders as it pushes them to think beyond their everyday ideas and onward toward those that not everyone else may believe in. As they work with their thesis, they often realize that they need to revise their topic as they may not have enough knowledge to write it, or that their evidence is not great enough. They may discover, as many are presently, that in fact their essay is not provocative. Many students have already explored the counter argument and considered the audience to whom they will need to persuade. That in itself is a large step for 5th graders. As they begin to gather evidence to support their claim, 5th graders will be learning various strategies to persuade their audience (mini-stories, summary, lists, statistics, observations, and quotes). Once the evidence is gathered then, and only then, will writers begin to draft their essay, learning to build in transitions to create a cohesive essay. 

 

As you can see this is more than just a unit of study in writing. Students are learning to organize their thinking, consider all sides of the argument, and present their gathered information in a thoughtful manner.

 

Take time this week  to chat with your child about their essay idea. Questions you might ask are: