Persuasive Writing Worksheets

Related ELA Standard: W.7.1

Core Standard
Answer Keys Here

When we use persuasion in our writing, we are trying to convince someone to believe our thoughts or opinions. The best way to do this is to appeal to the reader through clear and logical truths. The difficulty is realizing how hard you need to push. Some writers can be overly aggressive and scare readers away from their points, others can be too subtle, and their readers will drift off of course. The better understanding that you have of your readers, the easier it is to frame the conversation in such a way that it resonates with them and they will have a great deal of affinity towards the ideas that you present. The worksheets below help students begin to live through their different arguments and begin to position these thoughts at their readers.

Persuasive Writing Worksheets:

The Fundamentals - This is a brainstorming activity all kids should do before writing. We help you examine all the things that go into developing an effective persuasive essay.

Identifying Main Points & Writing Topic Sentences - Work on this one with a partner. Pick a topic, and write a good introductory paragraph. Then, switch papers with a partner. A

Getting Your Audience's Attention - Find the eye catching text. Put a check mark next to the more effective topic sentence. Explain why it is more effective than the other one.

Identifying Elements - Make sure to read the directions a few times. You will need to answer a series of questions along with it.

Effective Attention-Grabbers - An effective persuasive attention‐grabber should be an interesting fact or a short story that is the first sentence(s) in a paragraph. Does this make you want to have some pizza?

Write Your Own Concluding Paragraphs - You are given a topic to just run with. Write a concluding paragraph for each thesis below. Remember to include a call to action, summary of main points, and a statement to get them excited about the topic.

Topic Sentences for Body Paragraphs - Read the introductory paragraph, and create three topic sentences for each body paragraph.

Identifying Qualities of a Good Persuasive Essay - Find a good quality persuasive essay that's at the appropriate reading level for your students.

Brainstorming Persuasive Topic Ideas - In the box, brainstorm several topics that you can take a stand on. Pick your favorite, and write a paragraph and topic sentences for three body paragraphs.

Persuade Your Audience! - Pick one of the topics below, and write a persuasive essay. Be sure to include all the necessary elements of a persuasive essay.

Team Work - Get into groups of 5, and agree on a topic and a stance. Then, taking turns, have each group member write one paragraph of the essay (intro, 3 body, and concluding paragraph). Work together to create a cohesive essay.

Finish the Essay - Have you ever made a birdfeeder with a pinecone and peanut butter or reused a water jug for something?

Taking a Stand! - Write a persuasive introductory paragraph for each question based on your opinion.

Writing an Effective Persuasive Leads - Write a good persuasive lead that includes everything listed above. Make sure that it includes an attention‐ getter (first sentence), a clear statement of where you stand on the issue (pro or con), and a sentence that introduces the topics of the paragraphs for the rest of the paper.

Outlining a Persuasive Essay - The key to a good essay is outlining your main ideas before you begin writing.

How to Write a Persuasive Essay


When we are planning an academic essay with the purpose of convincing the reader that our opinion on the matter is more valid than others, we need to plan the way we present this carefully. Your main goal is to present as much factual evidence in a logical manner to support your argument.


Like any essay you start by planning your three main parts: introduction - body - conclusion. In the introduction you need to grab the reader’s attention this can best be done through the use of an emotional statement or thesis. You will also want to take a stance on an issue in this section. You also need to make sure that you present readers will a balanced argument that takes the opposing stances into consideration. If there is any background information that the reader needs, this is the place to present that to them.


You will then move on to the body of your work. This section requires you to offer as much supporting information as possible. Always defer to using hard facts that can’t really be disputed at all. The focus here should be on steering readers into believing the nature of your argument is fact based. The conclusion is often very simple to write if you are just restating your argument and highlighting all the evidence that followed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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