Good persuasive writing uses a variety of techniques, and one of the best ways to learn about them is to see them in action. That’s where this big bundle of printables comes in! It includes activities to help students analyze the language and techniques used in advertisements, persuasive essays, and speeches. Plus, you’ll get several examples of persuasive writing to use with the activities. Download the whole persuasive essay worksheet bundle by entering your email in the form on this page!
Free Persuasive Essay Worksheet Bundle
Here’s what you’ll get in this massive worksheet collection.
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Ad Detective
Use sleuthing skills to investigate commercials and other ads, looking for the ways that advertisers convince us to buy. This three-page set helps students see how persuasive language is all around us, all the time.
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Persuasive Text: Annotate and Analyze
This set of persuasive essay worksheet activities helps students annotate persuasive text as they read, highlighting facts, evidence, emotional appeals, rebuttals, and more. Once they’ve annotated, the questions on the accompanying worksheets will help them consider the author’s word choices, arguments, and other persuasive techniques. This three-page set is available in color and black-and-white.
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Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus
The text of this famous letter is perfect for older elementary and middle school students as they begin analyzing persuasive writing in depth. At just two pages, the short length is ideal for an introductory activity or short practice assignment.
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The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin
Franklin’s language is a little more challenging, and this persuasive essay is quite a bit longer than some of the other examples. Break it into sections among groups, or just choose a page or two for students to consider.
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What’s the Matter With Kansas?
In 1892, newspaper editor William Allen White took on the Populists, a political party that was splitting the state legislature by refusing to acknowledge the other party’s representatives. In an era when politics feels more divisive than ever, this essay might feel surprisingly topical to today’s readers.
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Chief Seattle’s 1854 Oration
Chief Seattle was a leader of the Duwamish and Suquamish peoples in the Pacific Northwest. In 1854, he delivered a powerful speech in response to a “treaty” that would require his people to relinquish the lands they’d lived on for generations. His plea for respect—for his people and the land he loved—has become a famous example of persuasive speeches.
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Woodrow Wilson’s War Message to Congress
President Wilson campaigned on the slogan “He kept us out of war,” but a few months after his election, he found himself asking Congress to declare war on Germany. His persuasive speech did the trick, and the United States entered World War I shortly thereafter.
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The Crisis by Thomas Paine
“These are the times that try men’s souls.” With these opening lines, Thomas Paine shared his worries with a young nation as they entered the first winter of the Revolutionary War. Morale was low, and Paine’s goal was to motivate soldiers and civilians alike to continue the just war he felt was desperately needed.
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On the Duty of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau
Dissatisfaction with unjust laws and government action is nothing new—as Henry David Thoreau’s persuasive essay shows. This powerful piece of writing went on to influence important activists like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. in their own battles against unjust systems.
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