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Persuasive techniques bingo
KS3 > Skills > Writing to argue, advise, persuade > Persuasive techniques bingo
How it works
Students sit with a grid of persuasive techniques (e.g. emotive words,
rhetorical questions) and you read out definitions for these techniques.
When students hear each definition they have to find the technique that
matches it and check it off. This is a good, engaging exercise for helping
students to revise persuasive techniques. It works best when they work
in pairs, so that there is the chance for them to disagree and talk through
their answers briefly.
Try this!
To make the exercise more interesting, distribute about five different
versions of the grid, each one having some of the techniques blotted out,
leaving blank squares. This adds a stimulating element of chance to the
proceedings. Give small prizes for the completion of horizontal or
vertical lines and a larger prize for ‘house’ – completion of a whole card.
Or this!
Another way of using the grid is to cut it up into individual technique
cards. Do four of five separate sets, then give two or three cards from
the same set randomly to each student. They then have to use their two
or three techniques prominently in a given task – e.g. a leaflet to
persuade local residents to join a campaign to save the neighbourhood
sports centre.
Or this!
Sort the cards into four groups: e.g.
Dramatic or
emotional
impact
Informal and
personal
emotive words
personal pronouns
emotive pictures
humour
forceful phrases
chatty style
contrasts
play on the
reader’s sympathy
play on the
reader’s guilt
imagery
exaggeration
(hyperbole)
make positive
points personal
anecdotes
Logic
Stylistic tricks
quote a reliable
source
clusters of three
statistics
criticise the
opposite opinion
make negative
points impersonal
catchy phrases or
slogans
figures of speech
short sentences/
paragraphs
rhetorical
questions
repetition of
words/ phrases
shock tactics
Now give different groups different categories to explore with relation to
a persuasive text. Reorganise students into groups of four, each member
representing a different category.
Richard Durant
© 2006 www.teachit.co.uk
persbngo - 6108
Persuasive techniques bingo card
Emotive
words
Forceful phrases
Rhetorical
questions
Chatty style
Statistics
Criticise the
opposite opinion
Clusters of three
Personal
pronouns
Humour
Play on the
reader’s sympathy
Exaggeration
(hyperbole)
Repetition of
words/ phrases
Contrasts
Make positive
points personal
Anecdotes
Make negative
points impersonal
Play on the
reader’s
guilt
Imagery
Quote a reliable
source
Shock tactics
Catchy phrases or
Figures of speech
slogans
Emotive pictures
© 2002 www.teachit.co.uk
Short sentences/
paragraphs
persbngo.doc
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Persuasive techniques bingo!
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Speaking to the reader in a friendly way (chatty style).
Questions that don’t require an answer (rhetorical questions).
Demonstrating differences in viewpoint (contrasts).
Destroy the point of view of the opposing argument (criticise the opposite
opinion).
Using words like ‘we’, ‘us’ and ‘you’ to make the writing more appealing
(personal pronouns).
Making the reader surprised or horrified (shock tactics).
Being over-the-top to get a point across (exaggeration/hyperbole).
Pictures or illustrations that are meant to arouse your emotions (emotive
pictures).
Make the reader feel bad about something (play on the reader’s guilt).
Making points easy to follow on the page (short sentences/paragraphs).
Light-hearted expression of a viewpoint (humour).
Support a point with the views of a professional (quote a reliable source).
Words that arouse emotion (emotive words).
Numbers/graphs which provide convincing information (statistics).
Three phrases or describing words used to emphasise a point (clusters of
three).
Using words like ‘I urge’ or ‘I demand’ for emphasis (forceful phrases).
Thought provoking pictures in your mind (imagery).
Saying the same word or phrase more than once for emphasis (repetition).
Make the reader feel sorry for something or someone (play on the reader’s
sympathy).
Similes and metaphors adding colour to the writing (figures of speech).
Words that stick in your mind (catchy words or phrases).
Little stories to illustrate a point (anecdotes).
Rules: read out each question and its number, and ask pupils to write the
question number next to the definition that they think is correct (see bingo
cards). If a pupil has identified all 22 definitions correctly then give them a
credit!
Alternatively, pupils could fill in the bingo card while watching / listening /
reading persuasive speech!
© 2002 www.teachit.co.uk
persbngo.doc
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