Persuasive writing is an appropriate form for children to practice because the topic and the audience are inherently made clear. The topic is a subject or an event which the writer has a passionate feeling or concern about. The audience is the person or persons whom the writer wants to persuade. The mode of argumentation may pose difficulties that have little to do with writing. For example, the choice of words a child would use to persuade a friend would probably not be used to persuade a parent regarding the same issue.
Persuasive writing can take many forms.
It can be an editorial in a newspaper or magazine expressing a certain point of view regarding a specific topic. It can be a letter to the editor, a parent, a teacher, or a friend concerning a particular issue. It can take an oral format as a debate or a discussion. The subject can be one of personal and emotional importance to the writer. Before students can use the persuasive mode of writing as a response to literature, it is necessary that they have the opportunity to read, discuss, and respond to persuasive writing found in newspapers and magazines.