Starter quiz
- Opinion pieces are often found in which type of daily print?
- 'newspapers' ✓
- When you are writing a persuasive opinion piece it is good practice to refute opposing ideas. What does refute mean in this context?
- prove opposing ideas wrong ✓
- accept that opposing ideas may have a point but you don't agree with it
- agree with opposing ideas
- ignore opposing ideas
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- Which of the following are examples of where a serious style, tone and register would be appropriate?
- writing an email to friends about a holiday
- writing a letter to your MP about climate change ✓
- writing a speech to give at a wedding
- writing a speech to school governors about extra curricular activities ✓
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- Which is not an example of transactional writing?
- letter
- speech
- article
- poem ✓
- leaflet
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- Why do we need to consider the 'form' of a piece of writing?
- to impress readers with elaborate language
- to express the writer's personality and emotions
- to ensure language is appropriate, organised, and effectively communicates ✓
- to create a unique, unconventional writing style
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- Which of the following should be considered when approaching a transactional writing task?
- narrative
- form ✓
- audience ✓
- purpose ✓
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Exit quiz
- To refute something means 'to ______ something wrong or untrue'
- 'prove' ✓
- Which of these statements about speech writing isn't accurate?
- A good speech often includes rhetorical devices to engage the audience.
- The tone of a speech should always be formal and serious. ✓
- Understanding the audience is crucial for effective speech writing.
- Repetition can be used in speeches to emphasise key points.
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- What is the name for the group of people who listen to a speech?
- 'audience' ✓
- When you consider the opposite view to your central argument, it's called including a ______.
- 'counter-argument' ✓
- Which persuasive devices help best to add impact to your counter-argument?
- hyperole ✓
- anecdotes
- analogies
- direct address ✓
- rhetorical questions ✓
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- Imagine you are writing an opinion piece arguing that fairs should be banned. What are some reasonable counter-arguments we could expect?
- Fairs are fun. ✓
- Fairs bring money to the local economy. ✓
- Fairs cause anti-social behaviour.
- Fair have a very negative impact on the local environment.
- Fairs celebrate a local area's cultural diversity. ✓
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Worksheet
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Presentation
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Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Take a clear stance for or against the statement - alternative arguments should be refuted at least once in the piece.
- Contrast creates a robust sense of a writer's perspective, by demonstrating feeling towards all angles of an argument.
- Use rhetorical questions, direct address and hyperbole to expose the flaws of the opposition in an emotive way.
- Carefully sequence and vary subtle and dramatic shifts in tone, to draw reactions from the reader.
Common misconception
Refuting counter-arguments is enough to create an impact.
Although it is good practice to refute counter-arguments, we can also use language devices when we do so to make them even more powerful.
Keywords
Authorial voice - the language a writer uses to communicate their perspective- this could be serious, hopeful or fun etc.
Rhetorical question - questions posed for effect, not requiring an answer, to emphasise a point
Refute - to prove something wrong or untrue
Hyperbole - exaggerated claims not meant to be taken literally, used for emphasis
Direct address - speaking directly to the audience using 'you' to engage and involve them in the message
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