Your task is to write a persuasive text that will convince a reader that e-books are better than paper books. Visit each of the web sites below (in bold text) to learn more about e-books and how to plan your writing. Here is a brainstorming sheet to help you complete your task.
If you want to convince your reader that e-books are better than paper books, you need to do some research. Read some great, free e-books online at the sites below. Add ideas to your brainstorming sheet as you think of them. Why not start with some non-fiction at NASA for Kids and read The Best Dressed Astronaut?
Check out some of the 250 e-books at Oxford Primary. Use the drop down menus at the top of the page to select books or just browse through the entire collection. Turn the sound on or off to read the book yourself or read along while it is read to you. Try out the zoom feature to make words and pictures bigger.
Read The Mummy at British Council’s Learn English site. This e-book is animated – things move! Check out Otto Seibold’s version of Alice in Wonderland at Scholastic. Very few words in this e-book but lots of action when you move your mouse over a page. Woodlands Junior School lists several links to online books.
Read someone else's thoughts about the pros and cons of e-books – some extra ideas you might like to use. Remember to only use the pros (good points) because you are trying to persuade someone that e-books are better.
Now that you have checked out some e-books and brainstormed ideas, it's time to get organised! Group ideas on your brainstorming sheet that are similar by shading them the same colour. For example, all the ideas that deal with e-books being fun and engaging could be shaded red.
Use this Persuasion Planner to help plan your writing.
* Come up with a catchy title to hook your readers.
* Introduce your point of view by writing a goal or thesis about e-books.
* Select three main reasons or arguments from your brainstorming sheet and add
them to the boxes. Write three facts or examples for each reason.
* Concude your plan by summing up the main reasons tell your readers what
should happen now - remember no new ideas at the end!
In this fun video from BBC Bitesize, Melvin & Steven talk about the persuasive words advertisers use to make you want to buy their products. What persuasive words could you use to describe e-books? …. fun, exciting, engaging, awesome ….
When you're ready to write your first draft, here are some excellent ideas to help. Read some very useful writing to persuade tips at BBC Bitesize. Use some of these great persuasive words and phrases at Reading Rockets to convince your readers that e-books are better than paper books. These sentence starters at Scholastic will give you ideas for different ways to begin.
You're not finished yet! Use this checklist to think about what you have written and look for ways to improve your draft. Now decide how you will publish your work. You might choose to create a word document, a powerpoint presentation, a digital story, a chart, or perhaps write it neatly on these lined pages.
Should kids be fingerprinted?
Here's another exercise in convincing someone to agree with your point of view. Watch the Behind the News Story about schools trialling fingerprint identification for students. Then download this Fingerprint activity and see if you can use different persuasive devices to make the arguments stronger.
