Power of Persuasion Teacher's Manual (Grades 1-2)

In this unit, students will read two texts: The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Dear Mrs. LaRue by Mark Teague. In both texts, characters use letters to persuade. Through the study of these two literary texts, students build their knowledge about the characters in each story, how the characters work to persuade others, and the methods these authors use to make their stories funny. Additionally, students are supported to draw evidence from these texts to construct written and oral analyses.

• Two informational texts
• 3-4 weeks instruction
• Narrative / persuasive writing

Materials include Teacher's Manual only.

What is this unit about?

In this unit, students will read two texts: The Day the Crayons Quit  by Drew Daywalt and Dear Mrs. LaRue by Mark Teague. In both texts characters use letters to persuade. The first text, The Day the Crayons Quit, is about a set of crayons that would like a little boy, Duncan, to color with them in different ways. The second text, Dear Mrs. LaRue, is about a dog who desperately wants to come home from obedience school. Through the study of these two literary texts, students build their knowledge about the characters in each story, how the characters work to persuade others, and the methods these authors use to make their stories funny.

Additionally, students are supported to draw evidence from these texts to construct written and oral analyses. This short unit can easily be nestled into a larger unit of study on topics such as humor, persuasion, creative writing, and storytelling.

What content and concepts will students learn?

Students will learn about:

• the events in each story.
• the methods characters in each story use to persuade other characters.
• how the authors use language and illustrations to make their stories funny.

What practices will students use?

Students are supported to develop practices and habits such as how to:

• comprehend and analyze texts with assistance.
• work from moments in one story and across two stories to develop ideas and learn about the methods both authors use.
•  read and talk about stories several times as a means to enhance comprehension.
• participate in routines such as sharing their ideas in pairs and trios and participating in whole group discussions.
• use specific examples from the stories to support their ideas.

How long will it take to engage students in the unit?

This unit spans approximately eight to 12 instructional days, assuming 25- to 30-minute classes. The tasks in the unit are designed to be implemented sequentially in order to support students to achieve the instructional goals. As such, the pacing of the lessons will depend on the time students need to achieve these goals.