Milk carton appeal
AF2 – produce texts which are appropriate to task, reader and purpose.
When people go missing, lots of things are done to try to track them down: door to door
enquiries and investigations, appeals through the newspapers and press conferences.
Appeals for information might be placed in newspapers, or put on posters or sometimes
even put on milk cartons.

Why do you think this sort of appeal is sometimes put on milk
cartons?

Do you think this is an effective way of getting information?

What sort of information would you expect to find on this sort of
appeal?
When Sam runs away his family must be desperate for news, he is their only son and
they would be distressed and concerned for his safety. Sam is still at school and is very
young to be surviving by himself. His family would do what they could to get him back.
Write the appeal that would have been placed on the side of a milk carton. You should
use your knowledge of the text to give some details about Sam. Your appeal must also
try to encourage Sam to come back or to get in touch.
You should include:

a description of Sam

details about what he was wearing when he left

something personal about his parents and how much they are missing him

contact details like a phone number or email address (you can make these up).
Remember that the purpose is to inform people about Sam’s disappearance and to
persuade them to pass on any information, or to persuade Sam to return or to get in
touch.
© www.teachit.co.uk 2009
13167
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Milk carton appeal
You could start with Sam’s age, details about his parents, facts about when he ran away
or emotive words. Some ideas to get you started are shown below, but you can use your
own ideas if you prefer.

Sam is only …

Sam ran away in …

Sam’s parents are desperate for any
information …

Sadly …

Your writing will need to be tight and concise as there isn’t much room on the side of
a milk carton. Aim for about 100 words.

Although you need to include some facts about Sam you should also aim to use
emotive language, e.g. desperate or frantic to emphasise how much his parents miss
him and want him to get in touch.
Emotive language describes words that make us think or feel. Look through your
writing and try to make sure you have included some emotive language. If you need
to, use a thesaurus to help you find more examples to use in your writing.

Proofread your work to check that you have made the best writer’s choices and that
you have produced a text which is appropriate to task, reader and purpose.
Ask a partner to read your work and for them to suggest one thing they like about your
work and one way in which it could be improved.
If you are reading someone else’s work, try to look for positives in their writing, look at
what they have done well. If there are things that need to be improved, remember to
say it nicely!
Design the overall advert including an image as it would appear on the side of a
milk carton.
© www.teachit.co.uk 2009
13167
Page 2 of 2