Considering and using personification in persuasive letter writing
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can identify and analyse the use of personification in persuasive letter writing and emulate it in my own writing.
Key learning points
- Personification can be effective in persuasive writing because it evokes an emotional connection to the reader.
- Arguably, personification makes the subject of your writing more relatable.
- When deciding how to use personification, you should think about what emotional reaction you want to evoke.
Keywords
Personification - the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human
Persuade - convince (someone) to do something through reasoning or argument
Sentience - the quality of being able to experience feelings
Relatable - that someone can understand or feel sympathy for
Evocative - bringing strong images, memories, or feelings to mind
Common misconception
Any use of personification will be effective in your writing.
In order to be effective, personification has to evoke a response that will make the reader feel persuaded by your argument.
Teacher tip
It might be useful to remind pupils around the conventions of a formal letter concerning the salutation and sign off if necessary.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.'The attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human' is the definition of which word beginning with 'p'?
Q2.Which of the following sentences contains personification?
Q3.'To convince (someone) to do something through reasoning or argument' is the definition of which word beginning with 'p'?
Q4.In a formal letter, which of the following salutations would you use if you know the name of the recipient?
Q5.'Bringing strong images, memories or feelings to mind' is the definition of which word beginning with 'e'?
Q6.In a formal letter, which sign off should you use if you don't know the name of the recipient?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Arguably, personification creates an connection between the non-human thing being personified and the reader.
Q2.Which of the following personification examples arguably evokes a negative emotion?
Q3.In a formal letter, the sender's address goes ...
Q4.In a formal letter, the date goes ...
Q5.'That someone can understand or feel sympathy for' is the definition of which word beginning with 'r'?
Q6.'The quality of being able to experience feelings' is the definition of which word beginning with 's'?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Considering and using personification in persuasive letter writing, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Considering and using personification in persuasive letter writing, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 English lessons from the Non-fiction: letter writing unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.