hen you read the textabove,1 what do yousee? A letter from aboy to his mom? Anintriguing children’s

book? Or how about . . . potential cur-riculum material? The book I WannaIguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff hasserved as the curriculum guide in my4th- to 8th-grade writing class over thepast month. For the first week, we im-mersed ourselves in persuasive litera-

ture such as The Perfect Pet; Thank You,Sarah; and My Teacher for President.2

Together as a class, we read each ofthese books, talked about persuasivewriting, marked what we noticed(hereafter called “noticings”), and com-pared texts. I then put copies of IWanna Iguana in my students’ handsand told them, “I want to know whatyou notice in this text.”Energy is high, although students

don’t quite grasp the journey on whichthey are about to embark. “Working in

pairs, I want you to mark your notic-ings as you read through the text,” I ex-plain. “Remember to consider the ideaof persuasive writing.” Fifteen minuteslater, I have six I Wanna Iguana booksfilled with green Post-It notes. I com-mend the students on their noticings aswe discuss some of the things that theysaw the author do in the text. AlthoughI’m excited, I start to panic a bit. This isgreat! Now what?

From Noticings to Teachable SubstanceI did have some ideas I wanted to

try. During my lesson planning, I hadbeen reading Study Driven, and so Iknew that it was now time to turn mystudents’ fantastic noticings into cur-riculum. I consolidated all of the Post-Its into a list. “Wow! I Wanna Iguana isfull of such great craft,” I marveled.

B Y S A R A H C O U L T E R

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The students had noticed things likehow the illustrator, David Catrow, sup-ported both sides of the conversationthrough his artwork. His drawings re-flected whatever was being said at thatmoment. The students also observedthat throughout the text, Alex, themain character, was trying to “sweettalk” his mom to get what he wanted.As they made noticings such as thoselisted above, unbeknownst to them, mystudents’ understanding expanded, andthe fog around the idea of persuasivewriting began to dissipate. On one page, a student noted on a

Post-It, “The mom doesn’t fall for it.And she doesn’t even agree with Alex.”Studying the text made it clear to thestudents that Alex was going to have tobe persuasive. My students were learn-ing to read like writers. Katie Wood Raysaid it well: “If [I] had done all thenoticing for [my] students, pointingout the features [I] wanted them to seein the gathered texts, [my] studentswould have had no reason to learn tonotice text features themselves.”3

At the end of the study, my studentswouldn’t have been any better off thanthey were at the beginning because if Ihad done all the work, the learningwould have been applicable only to this

unit. Instead, they were developing anew skill—to read like a writer, whichmeant asking themselves, What did thewriter do to make this work? And my stu-dents helped to generate curriculumthat showed them that thinking was animportant part of making a writing classwork. From this day to the end of theunit, the students’ noticings became thefocus of our writing sessions together. To organize the work they had done,

I created a master chart of the classes’noticings for the students to insert intheir writing logs. It listed the pagenumber of the noticing, the observa-tion made, and a possible lesson to gowith it. This chart coincided with a cal-endar I created for assignments anddiscussion topics. The students couldfollow along to see which of theirnoticings we would focus on each day.

“But Teacher, I Don’t Know What to Write”I wasn’t about to fall victim to this,

which is the oldest line in the book. SoI adopted a preventative strategy—prewriting. Week Two involved a lot ofprewriting. We created lists of topicslike “Things We Would Like to Own”and “Pets We Would Like to Have.”Next we copied text from our lists anddid five-minute “quick writes.” Most ofthese assignments were done in class. Iwould model, the students would prac-

tice the strategy from the mini-lesson,and we would share. Talk was a signifi-cant element of our study as we devel-oped ideas and concepts. It was important, as well, that stu-

dents were allowed to make choicesand to have time to work on their own.While brainstorming, I rememberedthe book Living and Teaching the Writ-ing Workshop.4 I had completed manyof Kristen Painter’s writing invitations.She had some great ideas, but after re-viewing them, I realized they didn’t fitthe needs of my students in the area ofpersuasive writing. Her ideas did pro-vide inspiration as I continued think-ing through how to structure the re-mainder of the unit. One night, I sat down and wrote 10

writing invitations on large cards,keeping in mind the persuasive writingcurriculum that the students had de-veloped. I then added an example ofthe writing invitation to the bottom ofeach card, laminated them, and pre-sented them in class the next day. Thewriting invitations included, but werenot limited to:1. Create a pro and con list about

your topic.2. Change point of view. Pretend you

are someone else considering your topic.3. Draw a Venn diagram to compare

14 The Journal of Adventist Education • February/March 2012 http:// jae.adventist.org

two opposing opinions on your topic. The students were to complete those

assignments as part of prewriting.While they were able to choose whichones they wanted to complete, the syl-labi or writing guide gave them guide-lines about how many they needed tocomplete each week.

The students were writing—and notjust when I told them to. Some stu-dents would borrow a writing invita-tion card to complete at home or intheir free time during the day. Whenthey had finished, they had pages ofideas ready to weave into their writing.They were primed for success.

Non-Linear ApproachThe students also kept writing logs

that contributed to the success of thewriting project. Each day, they addedmore information to their logs throughnote-taking during mini-lessons andbook observations. In creating the syl-labi for the unit, I borrowed an ideafrom Katie Wood Ray,5 who created astudy guide that required the students tocontinually review their writing to re-flect on what they had learned thus far.

These reflections kept the studentsaware of the big picture of the unit. Thisapproach also ensured that I stayed up-to-date on what each student was learn-ing. In one of his reflections, Jason6 ob-served, “When we started doing thesewriting exercises I knew I could write agood book. The steps are: If I get stucksomewhere, I will look back at my notes,and they will help me get unstuck.”

The students continually alternatedbetween their new writing and older en-tries in their writing logs. So, when WeekThree arrived, the students had alreadydeveloped a clear vision of what theirbook compositions would look like. Andas Jason observed, if there was a prob-lem, their logs were right there with allthose great ideas. The students’ writinglogs weren’t just a place to store old as-signments but became an interactiveguide to writing books.

Most of the book plans came to-gether within two days, and by Tues-day or Wednesday, every student wasworking on his or her first draft withtitles such as:

1. I Want a Four-Wheeler2. Can I Have a Big Sister?3. Can We Go? and4. Dear Mr. President: Giving Wealth

to the Poor.

Valuing One Another’s IdeasMace (4th grade) expressed the con-

cept well when he wrote in a reflectionessay at the end of the study, “I enjoyedmost how we got to work together andexplain what we were thinking about.” Icontinually promoted community inour writing class during each unit ofstudy. Throughout the writing process,I asked students to volunteer some oftheir work for class revisions. I copiedeach assignment onto a transparency,displayed it, and let the students offeropinions and advice.

One day, we took an excerpt fromMalik’s (6th grade) book, I Want aFour-Wheeler. Placing it on the over-head, I inquired, “What suggestions doyou have for Malik?” Within a few mo-

ments, hands were waving in the air,“Add clues to where they are”; “Try amisery attempt like ‘Mom, I hurt myfoot. Waaahhh! Uh . . . Could I have afour-wheeler?’”; and “Have Mom tripover the spy toy so it’s like a distractionbefore asking for the four-wheeler.”

Meanwhile, Malik jotted down noteson a special piece of stationery I hadgiven him. “Is that helpful?” I asked. Heexcitedly nodded his head, ready tobegin working. The talk continuedthroughout the classroom in subse-quent class periods. Some students re-acted to each other’s ideas, others metwith peers and jotted down notes, andstill others talked about how to create amore persuasive essay.

I maintained the same atmospherewhen I conferred with each student. Iasked questions like “What’s your fa-vorite part of the essay so far?” and“Which section would you like to im-prove?” It wasn’t my intention to tearapart their writing. They quickly

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Noticings into curriculum

learned that they could trust me to besupportive. The writing conferences were mini-

conversations that went like this:Teacher: “Who is your audience?”Sean: “My mom.”Teacher: “It looks like you want a

big sister?”Sean: “Yep.”Teacher: “Let’s look at this another

way. How would Mom benefit fromyou having a big sister?”Sean: “She wouldn’t have to take

care of me as much.”Teacher: “OK.” (I write his ideas on

a Post-It.)Sean: “She wouldn’t have to drive

me places.”Teacher: “Good.” (I add it to the

list.)At the end of this conversation, Sean

had put together a list of things tothink about and consider. I encouragedhim to use these ideas in his writing,and then moved on to conference withanother student. The students appreci-

ated my help because we had workedtogether. Instead of dictating what Seanneeded to do, I guided his thinking bymaking the list and reviewing thingswe had learned in class, just as the classhad done with Malik.

Making an ImpactWith research and time, the teach-

ing of persuasive writing study offersnearly endless possibilities. I continueto be amazed as I see how my studentshave bought into it. When they do anin-depth study like this, they really getto know and understand the conceptbeing taught. At the conclusion, theyhave taken ownership and made it realfor themselves. But I’ll let a few of mystudents speak for themselves:Mae (4th grade): “I enjoyed writing

my book and coming up with ideas.My absolute favorite was at the presen-tations.”Haley (5th grade): “Writing a per-

suasive book is hard, but it pushed usto understand that life is hard.”The enthusiasm displayed by these

girls was carried home by others. One

student described his book to hismother and shared with her what hewas learning at school. She later cameto school to describe his excitementabout his book. And another studentconferred with her mother at home tosee what she thought of the book sofar.Now that the learning had extended

beyond the classroom walls, I knew itwas worth the extra time and effort. Italso provided evidence that the stu-dents were closer to understanding thewriting process and succeeding ontheir next assignment.

Don’t Limit Persuasive Writing to Writing ClassThe challenge is to expand persua-

sive writing across the curriculum, notjust at the elementary level, but also asstudents move into high school andcollege. This type of unit provides afoundation upon which students canbuild. While researching genre studiesof persuasive writing, I came across

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Practicing forpresentation

some ways that other teachers are ex-panding their students’ skills of persua-sion.A high school science teacher,

Michael Rochow7 saw panic in the eyesof his students whenever test timerolled around. So he decided to changethis by providing an assessment alter-native: writing assignments. Rockow designed various assign-

ments that used persuasive writing.One of the highlighted science assign-ments asked the students to decidewhether Pluto should be a planet. Theyresearched, planned, took notes, andthen wrote their arguments.I would add that, in doing this

study, students might first study previ-ous writing assignments in a genre-study format and make noticings aboutwhat other students did to create an ef-fective essay. This could be planned incollaboration with the English teacherso that the students better understandthe workings of persuasive writing be-fore applying it across the curriculum. College business teachers have op-

portunities to conduct a persuasivewriting study as well. In Business Com-munication Quarterly,8 a professorwrote about one of his favorite assign-ments. Lee Spears developed a projectthat gets his students involved withnon-profit organizations. After collect-ing data, attending board meetings,and collaborating with the president/ manager of the non-profit organiza-tion they chose, the students developedsolicitation letters and business reports.Spears also had his college studentsstudy previous proposals. He broughtout the various characteristics of thedocuments and discussed the students’noticings.While I Wanna Iguana is an excel-

lent place to start with teaching persua-sive writing and conducting an in-depth genre study, there are multiplepossibilities for teaching persuasivewriting across the curriculum andthroughout the students’ school career.

Changing GearsAfter finishing my genre study on

persuasive writing, I continued to re-flect on the importance of teachingpersuasive writing, not just as a teacherbut as a Christian teacher. I asked my-self: How is knowing how to write in thisgenre going to benefit my students intheir walk with Jesus? I thought aboutthe Great Commission and how Jesustold His apostles to “‘Therefore go andmake disciples of all nations’” (Mat -thew 28:19, NIV).9 That’s it! I thought.When teaching others about Jesus, ourtestimony has to be persuasive. We haveto be able to meet the people wherethey are, and as Paul so elegantlystated, “I have become all things to allpeople so that by all possible means Imight save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22,NIV).

What does that have to do with per-suasive writing? Everything! Below is alist of guidelines for composing per-suasive writing that my students com-piled in our initial study. Next to eachguideline I’ve listed just one verse inthe Bible that relates to that particularguideline.When persuading others, you must:Use comparisons to prove a point

(Luke 10:3, KJV— “Behold, I am send-ing you out as lambs in the midst ofwolves”).

Think about what the other personthinks is important (John 13:20,NKJV—“‘. . . he who receives Me re-ceives Him who sent Me’”).10

Be real (Luke 18:13, 14, NIV—“‘Thetax collector stood at a distance. . . andsaid, “God, have mercy on me, a sin-ner”’”).

Use questions to prove a point (Ro-mans 3:27, NASB—“Where then is boast-ing? It is excluded. By what kind of law?Of works? No, but by a law of faith”).11

Jesus and His disciples were livingbillboards, continually seeking otherswho would believe and give their heartsto Jesus. This study, conducted in a 4th-to 8th-grade classroom, represents onlythe first step in introducing persuasionto children. The vision must be biggerthan this and go beyond the study ofpicture books. For now doors are openbecause the students are beginning tounderstand what it means to sell a point,

and in the case of Christian living, to“sell” the gospel’s Good News. This unithas the potential of going beyond a text-book exercise and can move into teach-ing the students how to persuade othersto accept Jesus as their Savior and to liveaccording to His will. �

Sarah Coulter,M.S., is currentlyan early educationteacher at Shenan-doah Valley Ad-ventist ElementarySchool in NewMarket, Virginia.

She received her M.Ed. in Literacy fromSouthern Adventist University in Col-legedale, Tennessee, and has been teach-ing at the elementary level for 10 years.At the time this article was written, shewas teaching at Yale Adventist School inYale, Virginia.

NOTES AND REFERENCES1. Quoted from Karen Orloff, I Wanna

Iguana (New York: Scholastic Inc., 2004).2. Margie Palatini, The Perfect Pet (New York:

Katherine Tegan Books, 2003); Laurie Halse An-derson, Thank You, Sarah: The Woman WhoSaved Thanksgiving (New York: Simon andSchuster Books for Young Readers, 2005); KayWinters,My Teacher for President (New York:Dutton Juvenile, 2004).

3. Katie Wood Ray, Study Driven (Ports -mouth, N.H.: Heinemann, 2006), p. 25.

4. Kristen Painter, Living and Teaching theWriting Workshop (Portsmouth, N.H.: Heine-mann, 2006).

5. Ray, Study Driven, op cit., p. 118.6. Students’ names have been changed to pro-

tect their privacy.7. Michael Rockow, “This Isn’t English Class!

Using Writing as an Assessment Tool in Science,”Science Scope 31:5 (January 2008):22-26.

8. Lee Spears, “Adopt-a-Nonprofit: A Projectin Persuasion and Collaboration,” Business Com-munications Quarterly 59:3 (September 1996):3.

9. Scripture texts credited to NIV are from theHoly Bible, New International Version, copyright ©1973, 1978, International Bible Society. Used bypermission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

10. Texts credited to NKJV are from The NewKing James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980,1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

11. The Scripture text credited to NASB isfrom The New American Standard Bible, copy-right © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962,1968, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1977.

17http:// jae.adventist.org The Journal of Adventist Education • February/March 2012