April is the month to practice our persuasive writing techniques at home. My prediction is that you will have a blast on this family adventure. One reason you will enjoy this assignment is that it gets you out in the beautiful New England springtime to enjoy the fresh air with your family BEFORE the black flies hatch. Also, who doesn’t want to explore something they haven’t seen or learned about before? You even get to choose whatever type of adventure you wish to experience! It can be as simple as hiking in the woods or as fancy as a “tourist trap.” Finally, I think you will enjoy writing persuasively because you will share what you have discovered with a very appreciative audience. So off you go!
What? A Family Adventure
Where? You choose! The goal is to find something in your neighborhood/town/community that you haven’t seen or tried before. See the suggestions that follow to get your creative juices flowing.
While you are there? Come up with a creative way to show what you did. Take a photograph, film a little video, grab a brochure, draw a picture, make a collage, or come up with your own idea. We will look forward to seeing a little something visual when you share your writing piece, and perhaps it could be shared on your blog as well.
Then what? Go on your adventure by Wednesday, April 22nd. Fill in the graphic organizer online (http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/persuasion_map/) or on paper with your opinion about the place you went. Should we go there too? Or not? Think of at least three strong reasons for your opinion, and add smaller details about each reason. Be sure to discuss your reasons with your family and include their ideas as well.
When? Bring your graphic organizer/planner to class by Wednesday, 4/22. We will discuss the next steps together after giving each other suggestions about the strength of the reasons for our opinion.
Some ideas to consider:
*Is there a place of physical beauty in your neighborhood that you have not yet taken the time to visit? (A mountain to climb, a river to explore, a historic marker you haven’t taken the time to read and visit, or a forest to hike in?)
*Is there something that you’ve always been curious about that you have never yet stopped to see? (A strange looking store, a neighboring farm, the Lebanon Pet and Aquarium Center, a bridge with interesting architecture, a cemetery with very old markers?)
*Explore online to find out what might be in your area that is new to you. (For example, have you heard of the floating bridge in Brookfield, the bog trail in New London, NH, or the Murdough Experimental Greenhouse at Dartmouth College?)
*Splurge over vacation going somewhere your family has wanted to go. (King Arthur Flour, the aquatic center, a bowling alley, or the sea)
*Perhaps there is an activity your family has always wondered about. (Just a few years ago, I took training with the Upper Valley and discovered Valley Quest treasure hunting. Check out the website or borrow one of my questing books.)
*Try something ridiculous (or don’t!). I just read about having a Maple Massage at the Spa at Stowe Mountain Lodge, a lovely maple syrup and brown sugar scrub treatment, followed by a shower with seven shower heads, for only $150! Ha ha.
