Bubble Gum Letters
A Persuasive Writing Activity
Stage of Literacy Development:
Stage 2: Consolidation / FluencyStage 3: Literacy for Growth
Ages:
6-12
Grade Range:
2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6thFood Groups:
Primary:
Text Structures & Genres, Writing Processes & Strategies
Secondary:
Motivation for Literacy
Activity Description
Preparation:
-
Select a book that will stimulate a persuasive writing topic
- Ensure it is relevant, interesting, and thought provoking to students
- Book can be fiction or non-fiction
- For example, Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum
Implementation:
- Read selected book aloud
-
Stimulate a follow-up discussion
- Have students identify major points of controversy
- Help students to connect ideas from the book to their lives
- Decide upon a central argument
- Brainstorm a list of points that support the argument
-
Explain that students will be writing a persuasive letter to convince someone about their argument
-
The person who the letter is written to will depend upon the topic etc.
- For example, students could write the letter to their parents, the school principal, or another classroom teacher
- Emphasize that the primary goal of the letter is to persuade or convince the reader
-
The person who the letter is written to will depend upon the topic etc.
-
Review the format of a letter
- For example, letters must include the date, a salutation, an introductory sentence, persuasive paragraph, and a sign-off
- Remind students that all guesses are accepted
-
Have each student write a persuasive letter
- Conference with individual students as they write and offer feedback
- Remind students to use the ideas and arguments listed on the chart paper to make their writing more convincing
- Invite students to share their letters or works in progress with the class
Adaptations For
English Language Learners/ESL:
- Encourage writing in students' first language
- Allow students who speak the same first language to collaborate
LD/Reading & Writing Difficulties:
- Provide a blank letter to scaffold writing
Cultural Appropriateness & Diversity:
- Ensure the selected topic is relevant and meaningful to all students and provide explicit instruction when necessary
Differentiated Instruction:
- Provide a variety of sentence starters as examples from which students can choose
- Allow students to write about a variety of topics of interest
Related References
Evidence:
Bruning, R. & Horn, C. (2000). Developing motivation to write. Educational Psychologist, 35, 25-37.
Activity Objective
The goal of Bubblegum Letters:A Persuasive Writing Activity is to create an authentic writing opportunity that motivates students to write persuasive letters to a target audience.
What You Need
Prep Time:
5 minutes
- Select a book that will stimulate interest in a persuasive writing topic
Task Time:
60-80 minutes
- Teacher introduces writing topic with a read aloud
- Teacher and students identify a persuasive writing topic and audience
- Teacher and students list arguments to support their letter writing
- Students write persuasive letters
- Students share their letters with the class
Materials Required:
Teacher:
- Picture book that stimulates interest in a persuasive writing topic
- Chart paper
- Markers
Students:
- Lined paper
- Writing utensils
What You Do
Teacher Role:
Modeling:
- when suggesting examples of supporting arguments
Direct instruction:
- during read aloud
Facilitator:
- during brainstorming of supporting arguments and during read aloud of finished letters
Consultant:
- during letter writing
Student Grouping:
Whole class:
- during read aloud, discussion, argument brainstorming, and presentation of letters
Individual:
- when students write their persuasive letters
Assessment Ideas:
- Make note of individual student contributions to the argument brainstorming
- Read and evaluate the individual finished letters
Quick Tips
Activity Extensions:
- Invite the letter recipient to come into the class to respond to students or invite them to write back to students
a. Have a celebration if students manage to successfully convince their reader
- Encourage students to do additional research to more fully form their argument
Additional Comments:
- It is assumed that students are familiar with the basic format for writing a letter
- This activity also encourages students to conduct research about the topic so they may develop more fully informed arguments
a. Students can therefore increase content knowledge
- This activity can be powerfully integrated with other subjects including science, history and social science
Other Recipes by this Teacher
Bubble Diagram: A Pre-Writing Strategy for Stories
2nd - 6th
Fairy Tale Checklist: Understanding the Structure of a Fairy Tale (Virtual Tour)
1st - 4th
Magnet Man: Integrating Science and Literacy through Writing (Virtual Tour)
2nd - 3rd
Student Made Books: Promoting the Enjoyment of Writing (Virtual Tour)
2nd - 4th
Teeny Tiny Books: Writing Narratives (Virtual Tour)
2nd - 4th
