Kindergarten · English Language Arts and Reading
Quarter 3 · Week 5 · TEKS
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This lesson introduces kindergarten students to the characteristics of persuasive texts with adult support. Students will learn to identify what the author is trying to persuade the reader to think or do. Additionally, students will recognize features of multimodal and digital texts. The lesson includes direct teaching, guided practice, and opportunities for students to express their understanding through speaking and drawing.
Students should be familiar with basic story elements such as characters and setting and have experience listening to and discussing simple texts. They should be able to identify action words and understand simple directions.
Persuasive text is a type of writing or speaking where the author tries to convince the reader or listener to think a certain way or do something. For example, an author might write a story to persuade readers to eat more fruits or to share toys with friends. Characteristics of persuasive text include words that ask you to do something or think about something differently, and sometimes pictures that help make the message stronger.
At the kindergarten level, persuasive texts often have simple sentences and clear messages. The author usually tries to get the reader to do something (like try a new food) or think something (like sharing is kind). The text may include repeated phrases or questions to encourage thinking. Pictures often support the message by showing happy or sad faces or actions that match the words.
With adult assistance, students learn to state what the author is trying to persuade them to think or do. For example, after reading a persuasive book about eating vegetables, students might say, "The author wants me to eat my vegetables." Adults can model this by asking, "What is the author trying to tell us?" and guiding students to the answer.
Multimodal texts use more than one way to share a message, such as pictures, words, sounds, or videos. Digital texts are texts presented on electronic devices like tablets or computers. Kindergarten students can recognize these texts by noticing pictures combined with words or sounds. For example, a digital story might have pictures and words that read aloud. Recognizing these characteristics helps students understand different ways authors share messages.
Use shared reading of a persuasive picture book and pause to discuss what the author wants the reader to do or think. Use think-alouds to model identifying persuasive language. Show examples of multimodal texts and point out how pictures and words work together. Encourage students to draw or talk about what they think the author wants them to do. Use simple language and repeat key ideas to support understanding.
After reading a short persuasive story about sharing toys, ask: What is the author trying to persuade us to do?
The story uses words like 'Let's share our toys so everyone can play.' The author wants readers to share their toys with friends. The repeated phrase 'Let's share' is a clue that the author is persuading readers to share.
The author is trying to persuade us to share our toys with friends.
Show students a colorful poster that asks them to do something simple, like "Please wash your hands!" Ask students what the poster wants them to do.
Students look at the poster and share what they think the poster is asking them to do.
This activity introduces the idea that some texts try to get us to do something, which is the main idea of persuasive texts.
Read aloud a short persuasive picture book. Pause to ask students what the author wants them to think or do.
Students listen and respond to questions about the author's message with adult support.
Listening to a persuasive text helps students hear how authors try to persuade readers.
Explain that persuasive texts try to get us to think or do something. Show the chart with characteristics of persuasive texts.
Students repeat or point to characteristics on the chart and discuss examples from the story.
Clarifying the characteristics helps students recognize persuasive texts in the future.
Show examples of multimodal and digital texts. Discuss how pictures, words, and sounds work together to persuade or share a message.
Students explore the examples and describe what they notice about the pictures and words.
This expands understanding of different text types beyond print-only texts.
Ask students to draw a picture or tell about a time they were persuaded to do something. Prompt them to say what the author or person wanted them to think or do.
Students share their drawings or oral responses with the class or teacher.
This assessment shows whether students understand the purpose of persuasive texts and can state the author's intent.
Students listen and respond to questions about the author's message with adult support.
What is the author trying to persuade the reader to do in a persuasive text?
The author is trying to get the reader to think or do something, like sharing, eating healthy, or being kind.
How can pictures help in a persuasive text?
Pictures can show feelings or actions that support the author's message and help persuade the reader.
What makes a text multimodal?
A text is multimodal when it uses more than one way to share a message, such as pictures, words, sounds, or videos.
Give an example of a characteristic of persuasive text.
The text asks the reader to do something or think differently, often using repeated phrases or questions.
How can you tell what the author wants you to do in a persuasive story?
By listening to the words and looking at the pictures that show what the author wants us to think or do.
Provide sentence starters such as 'The author wants me to...' to help students express the author's purpose. Use pictures and gestures to reinforce vocabulary like 'persuade' and 'author.' Work in small groups or pairs for guided discussion to support language development.
Use visuals and realia to support understanding of new vocabulary. Repeat key phrases and use simple sentences when explaining concepts. Encourage students to use their home language to discuss ideas before sharing in English.
Encourage students to identify multiple reasons the author gives to persuade the reader. Have students compare two persuasive texts and discuss similarities and differences in the author's messages. Invite students to create their own simple persuasive message using drawings and words.
Ask families to read or watch a simple persuasive text or commercial with their child and talk about what the author or speaker wants them to think or do. Encourage children to share their observations at school.
In this lesson, students learned that persuasive texts are written to convince readers to think or do something. With adult help, they identified characteristics of persuasive texts and stated the author's purpose. They also explored multimodal and digital texts, recognizing how pictures, words, and sounds work together to share messages. Students practiced listening, speaking, and drawing to express their understanding of persuasion.
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