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Persuasive techniques bingo

KS3 > Skills > Writing to argue, advise, persuade > Persuasive techniques bingo

How it works / Students sit with a grid of persuasive techniques (e.g. emotive words, rhetorical questions) and you read out definitions for these techniques. When students hear each definition they have to find the technique that matches it and check it off. This is a good, engaging exercise for helping students to revise persuasive techniques. It works best when they work in pairs, so that there is the chance for them to disagree and talk through their answers briefly.
Try this! / To make the exercise more interesting, distribute about five different versions of the grid, each one having some of the techniques blotted out, leaving blank squares. This adds a stimulating element of chance to the proceedings. Give small prizes for the completion of horizontal or vertical lines and a larger prize for ‘house’ – completion of a whole card
Or this! / Another way of using the grid is to cut it up into individual technique cards. Do four of five separate sets, then give two or three cards from the same set randomly to each student. They then have to use their two or three techniques prominently in a given task – e.g. a leaflet to persuade local residents to join a campaign to save the neighbourhood sports centre.
Or this! / Sort the cards into four groups: e.g.
Dramatic or emotional impact / Informal and personal / Logic / Stylistic tricks
emotive words
emotive pictures
forceful phrases
contrasts
play on the reader’s guilt
imagery
exaggeration (hyperbole)
shock tactics / personal pronouns
humour
chatty style
play on the reader’s sympathy
make positive points personal
anecdotes / quote a reliable source
statistics
criticise the opposite opinion
make negative points impersonal / clusters of three
catchy phrases or slogans
figures of speech
short sentences/ paragraphs
rhetorical questions
repetition of words/ phrases
Now give different groups different categories to explore with relation to a persuasive text. Reorganise students into groups of four, each member representing a different category.
Richard Durant

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EMOTIVE
WORDS / FORCEFUL PHRASES / RHETORICAL QUESTIONS / CHATTY STYLE / STATISTICS / CRITICISE THE OPPOSITE OPINION
CLUSTERS OF THREE / PERSONAL
PRONOUNS /

HUMOUR

/ PLAY ON THE READER’S SYMPATHY / EXAGGERATION (HYPERBOLE) / REPETITION OF WORDS/ PHRASES
CATCHY PHRASES OR SLOGANS / FIGURES OF SPEECH / CONTRASTS / MAKE POSITIVE POINTS PERSONAL / ANECDOTES / MAKE NEGATIVE POINTS IMPERSONAL
EMOTIVE PICTURES / SHORT SENTENCES/ PARAGRAPHS / PLAY ON THE READER’S
GUILT / IMAGERY / QUOTE A RELIABLE SOURCE / SHOCK TACTICS

PERSUASIVE TECHNIQUES BINGO CARD

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© 2002 www.teachit.co.uk persbngo.doc

Persuasive Techniques Bingo!

1.  Speaking to the reader in a friendly way (chatty style).

2.  Questions that don’t require an answer (rhetorical questions).

3.  Demonstrating differences in viewpoint (contrasts).

4.  Destroy the point of view of the opposing argument (criticise the opposite opinion).

5.  Using words like ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘you’ to make the writing more appealing (personal pronouns).

6.  Making the reader surprised or horrified (shock tactics).

7.  Being over-the-top to get a point across (exaggeration/hyperbole).

8.  Pictures or illustrations that are meant to arouse your emotions (emotive pictures).

9.  Make the reader feel bad about something (play on the reader’s guilt).

10. Making points easy to follow on the page (short sentences/paragraphs).

11. Light-hearted expression of a viewpoint (humour).

12. Support a point with the views of a professional (quote a reliable source).

13. Words that arouse emotion (emotive words).

14. Numbers/graphs which provide convincing information (statistics).

15. Three phrases or describing words used to emphasise a point (clusters of three).

16. Using words like ‘I urge’ or ‘I demand’ for emphasis (forceful phrases).

17. Thought provoking pictures in your mind (imagery).

18. Saying the same word or phrase more than once for emphasis (repetition).

19. Make the reader feel sorry for something or someone (play on the reader’s sympathy).

20. Similes and metaphors adding colour to the writing (figures of speech).

21. Words that stick in your mind (catchy words or phrases).

22. Little stories to illustrate a point (anecdotes).

RULES: read out each question and its number, and ask pupils to write the question number next to the definition that they think is correct (see bingo cards). If a pupil has identified all 22 definitions correctly then give them a credit!

Alternatively, pupils could fill in the bingo card while watching / listening / reading persuasive speech!

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© 2002 www.teachit.co.uk persbngo.doc