Hello! Day 5! All week, we’re taking a glorious up-close stroll through an eleven-plus exam-winning model of a persuasive letter, taken from this lovely, sensational book of non-fiction creative writing models.
It’s time to look at one way (there are many others!) to end the letter. Below, you can find links to all our lessons from the week, so if you haven’t read these yet, you may wish to start at the start and read the whole letter and lesson in chronological order.
On Monday, we looked at the opening of the letter and the question prompt. On Tuesday, we continued with the first three paragraphs of the letter. On Wednesday, we focused on more-of-less paragraphs. Thursday’s sneak peak moved from the middle of the letter towards the end, showing you effective ways to play with structure. Today, Friday, we close with the close, and explore the essential need to finish the letter with a flourish. The post is laid out in the following way:
- The final paragraphs and saying goodbye.
- Extracts from the What, How, Why lesson that guide you and your child through the writing features used in the model. You can SHOW your child or student what successful writing looks like. (Each model in the book is always partnered with pages and pages of this in-depth learning, so you can squeeze maximum learning value from each model.)
- To help with the lesson, I split the original letter into pieces. These sentences from the original letter are in bold to help you see what writing the lesson is referring to.
Here’s day 5’s final extract. It’s short, but essential in learning how to finish strong. Parting is such sweet sorrow…
Extract continued (Day 5: The Goodbye)
Thank you for reading my letter. I know you will make the right decision.
Consider. Think. Keep Goodview.
Yours Faithfully,
Laney Liketree.
WHAT, HOW AND WHY: The Lesson
Thank you for reading my letter. I know you will make the right decision.
- Please be polite in your formal letters. Saying thank you is itself persuasive. People like to be appreciated.
- By telling them you are sure they will ‘make the right decision’, you don’t give them a choice to make the wrong one! You almost suggest they have already decided to do what you want. You hypnotise them into agreeing!
Consider. Think. Keep Goodview.
- Power of 3: To finish with persuasive techniques is to tell your marker you really know your stuff, and signals you have answered the question all the way through.
- Three short sentences, some with only one word, give variety after the long dramatic conversation. I do this to slow down the letter and focus the reader on the steps I want them to take. What do you want to happen after the letter is finished and put down?
- The short sentences contain bossy, command verbs that invite the reader to make the changes you wish to see. It’s helpful to leave your reader with specific actions to take. This is sometimes known as a ‘call to action’. Otherwise, even if they agree with you, they may not know what to do. By giving them the action, you make it easier for them to implement, as they have to think less. How kind of you!
Yours Faithfully,
- Finish with this phrase if you don’t know the name of the person you’re writing to. Remember that we started with an unnamed ‘Dear Sir/Madam’.
- If you do know an actual name (for example, if you are writing to your head teacher), write ‘Yours Sincerely’ at the end instead.
Laney Liketree
- Of course, you’ll write your own name here. I just chose to have some final fun with a pun. You could put a pun that links to the theme of the question in brackets next to your real name and let them know it’s your nickname. E.g. Laney (Liketree) Mottram, Lee (Leaf-Lover) Mottram. This way, you are giving your reader a treat and playing with language to the very last moment. True dazzle!
…
Amazing. You’ve now had a full sneak peak inside a full persuasive letter. Your child already has a model to build their own with. Go back and read the week’s blogs and put a plan together for their own writing. For many more models, lessons and dedicated vocabulary boosters, you’ll absolutely love the gloriously helpful book from which this extract is taken. You can dive in here
or by clicking on the happy pic!
An important reminder is that your child becomes a better writer through writing deliberately – selecting a few techniques and practising adding these into their writing. This stops them repeating the same ideas and staying at the same level of writing, and will ensure they make constant progress.
A second reminder – do lots of practice writing! 1-2 full essays a week is a great target that will allow them to build these skills over time.
A third reminder: praise their writing, love their writing. Point out improvements with enthusiasm, note any gaps quietly, and add these into their next practice session.
Please let me know what you enjoyed and learned from our time together in this Sneak Peak Week.
Get in touch at leemottram@11plushappy.com
Have a beautiful day of learning.
Lee, London
