Persuasive Text planning...LI: To plan a persuasive text Activity Use the information from the Great Kapok Tree story and the fact sheet on rainforests to persuade the man in the story

Wednesday 17th June LI: To plan a persuasive text

ActivityUse the information from the Great Kapok Tree story and the fact sheet on rainforests to persuade the man in the story not to cut down the tree.

Remember you are writing a plan only.

Write your ideas on the plan provided.

You can use bullet points and write in note form.

UseFirst person-I

present tense

capital letters

full stops

commas

time connectives

bullet points

neat joined handwriting

Name: ______________________

Book: The Great Kapok Tree

MF: Comprehension

Name: ______________________

Book: The Great Kapok Tree

MF: Noun Phrases

Name: ______________________

Book: The Great Kapok Tree

MF: Noun Phrases

The Great Kapok Tree

A boa constrictor lived in the Kapok tree. He slithered down its trunk to where the

man was sleeping. He looked at the gash the axe had made in the tree. Then the huge snake

slid very close to the man and hissed in his ear: “Senhor, this tree is a tree of miracles. It is

my home, where generations of my ancestors have lived. Do not chop it down.”

A bee buzzed in the sleeping man’s ear: “Senhor, my hive is in this Kapok tree, and I

fly from tree to tree and flower to flower collecting pollen. In this way, I pollinate the trees

and flowers throughout the rainforest. You see, all living things depend on one another.”

A troupe of monkeys scampered down from the canopy of the Kapok tree. They

chattered to the sleeping man: “Senhor, we have seen the ways of man. You chop down one

tree, then come back for another and another. The roots of these great trees will wither and

die, and there will be nothing left to hold the earth in place. When the heavy rains come, the

soil will be washed away and the forest will become a desert.”

A toucan, a macaw, and a cock-of-the-rock flew down from the canopy. “Senhor!”

squawked the toucan, “you must not cut down this tree. We have flown over the rainforest

and seen what happens once you begin to chop down the trees. Many people settle on the

land. They set fires to clear the underbrush, and soon the forest disappears. Where once

there was life and beauty only black and smouldering ruins remain.”

A bright and small tree frog crawled along the edge of a leaf. In a squeaky voice he

piped in the man’s ear: “Senhor, a ruined rainforest means ruined lives…many ruined lives.

You will leave many of us homeless if you chop down this great Kapok tree.”

A jaguar had been sleeping along a branch in the middle of the tree. Because his

spotted coat blended into the dappled light and shadows of the understory, no one had

noticed him. Now he leapt down and padded silently over to the sleeping man. He growled in

his ear: “Senhor, the Kapok tree is home to many birds and animals. If you cut it down,

where will I find my dinner?”

Four tree porcupines swung down from the branch and whispered to the man:

“Senhor, do you know what we animals and humans need in order to live? Oxygen. And,

Senhor, do you know what trees produce? Oxygen! If you cut down the forest you will

destroy that which gives us all life.”

And surely you know what happens tomorrow depends upon what you do today. The big man tells you to chop down a beautiful tree. He does not think of his own children, who tomorrow must live in a world without trees. “

“Senhor, when you awake, please look upon us all with new eyes,” murmured the child from the Yanomamo tribe.

The three-toed sloth spoke in her deep and lazy voice, “ How much is beauty worth? Can you live without it? If you destroy the beauty of the rain forest, on what would you feast your eyes?”

Fact Sheet – RainforestsWords that are highlighted in yellow are key vocabulary. Use as much key

vocabulary as you can. Tick them off as you use them.

• In South America alone there are 15,000 – 20,000 species of plant• The Amazon is the largest rainforest• It covers 2 million square miles and spans 8 countries• The rainforests contain 50 – 80% of the world’s biodiversity• 30 million species of plants and animals – more concentrated biodiversity

than anywhere else• New plants and animals being discovered all the time• 70% of the world’s rainforests have been destroyed in the past 40 years• Deforestation for timber, to grow crops (such as bio fuels to run cars and

palm oil – a major ingredient in many Western foods) and to develop land• Deforestation causes soil erosion, which in turn causes floods and landslides

as tree roots hold the soil together• Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is released into the atmosphere when trees are

burned• Trees absorb CO2 and release oxygen (O2)– cleansing our atmosphere• Rainforests store half of the world’s rainwater• Losing the trees could alter the global climate• Changing the global climate threatens mankind’s survival• Rainforest also home to indigenous peoples• Rainforest plants have been used to create life-saving drugs – rosy

periwinkle from Madagascar help children recover from blood disease: leukaemia

• It is estimated that around 50 species a day are going extinct from rainforests around the world. That is one every half an hour!

Planning for Persuasive Writing Plan a persuasive letter using the features of persuasive writing

Features Content

Start of letter Dear Senhor, Dear Mr Woodcutter, To the Woodcutter, Dear Sir,

Opening Sentence/s Explain why you are writing this letter – give your point of view. Begin with a persuasive phrase I strongly believe Without doubt, It is outrageous that It’s disgraceful that It’s concerning that Say how you feel using emotive vocabulary. cross, concerned upset, disappointed angry, furious End with a rhetorical question How could you endanger our lives?

Paragraph 1

Fact one -support what you say with evidence. Use what the animals say to support your facts and evidence.

Paragraph 2 Fact two -support what you say with evidence. Use what the animals say to support your facts and evidence.

Paragraph 3 Fact three -support what you say with evidence. Use what the animals say to support your facts and evidence.

Conclusion Summarise your arguments and

restate your point of view.

Connectives However, Therefore, Furthermore But, also because,

Time Connectives Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly … In addition, Also, Finally, Moreover, Later

Powerful Adjectives -describing words