Persuading Readers with Endorsement Letters

Overview

Featured Resources

From Theory to Practice

 

OVERVIEW

In this lesson, students explore the genre of commercial endorsements, reading a government document that outlines the guidelines for such advertisements in the United States. Once the characteristics and requirements for the genre are established, each student composes an endorsement of a product, service, company, or industry. Students create a class checklist and rubric for the project and complete a peer review session before publishing their finished letters.

This lesson specifies that students write letters for their endorsements; however, the activity can be adapted to a Web page, podcast or audio recording, or a video.

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FEATURED RESOURCES

Persuasion Map: This interactive graphic organizer enables students to map out their arguments for a persuasive essay or debate.

Endorsement Letters Worksheet: This handout guides students in planning an endorsement letter.

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FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

Art Peterson, reporting on research on the relationship between writing assignments and the success of student writers, explains that the most effective writing assignments ask students to address "an authentic group of readers regarding a topic on which the writer was an expert." By writing a letter of endorsement in this activity, "students can work as experts by choosing a product or service that they use and then . . . persuad[ing] readers to buy the same product or service for themselves" (45).

Further Reading

Gardner, Traci. 2008. Designing Writing Assignments. Urbana, IL: NCTE.

 

Peterson, Art. "NAEP/NWP Study Shows Link between Assignments, Better Student Writing." The Voice 6.2 (Mar.-Apr. 2001). 24 February 2008. Web. http://www.writingproject.org/cs/nwpp/lpt/nwpr/112

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