Lower Schoolers take persuasive writing from page to podium

Third graders in Cala Millis' class wrapped up a unit on persuasive writing by making their cases in a series of in-class debates.
By Ian Dinkins, Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications

Third graders at University School of Nashville have spent the last few weeks working on their persuasive writing skills, learning how to craft arguments, make their case, and offer sound rebuttals. 

The persuasive writing unit wrapped up with a lively series of classroom debates on a myriad of issues like bedtime, homework, or even whether dogs make better pets than cats.

Over the course of the lesson, students in Third Grade Teacher Cala Millis’ class spent weeks learning how to structure five-paragraph essays, conduct research, and support their arguments with evidence before presenting their cases to classmates and judges Admissions Coordinator Arden Snead, Admissions Officer Natalie Baker, and Interim Director Juliet Douglas.

“When we started reading examples of persuasive essays and articles, my students became very passionate about which opinion they agreed with,” Millis said. “We also had students from the High School debate team visit our class earlier this year to share about their trip to China, so I wanted to connect it to that.”

Let the debates begin

During the debates, students tackled a wide range of issues. 

“Sleep gives your brain more time to rest,” said Turner Ginsberg ’35, who argued in favor of earlier bedtimes. “Earlier bedtimes are also better for kids’ mental development.”

Each topic had one student arguing for a certain position, with a classmate arguing against it. Students were judged on how well they made their case and responded to criticisms. 

Levi Schulman ’35 took the opposing position, advocating for later bedtimes.

“By having a later bedtime, kids can have more time to hang out with our parents, study, and practice sports,” Levi said.

Sylvie Seigle ’35 and Elle Henry ’35 debated whether children should be paid for household chores.

Sylvie argued that compensation for chores teaches responsibility and provides motivation.

“Kids work hard, and the chores teach responsibility,” Sylvie said. “We’ll be more motivated if there is a reward at the end.”

She also argued that being paid for chores isn’t that different from adults being paid for their jobs.

“We’ll be like grownups, who get paid for the work that they do,” she said. “It’ll allow kids to use their own money to buy things, rather than asking for money.”

Elle countered that chores should simply be part of helping at home.

“If you start paying kids for doing everyday chores, they may become unmotivated if you stop paying them,” Elle said. “It’ll also help parents save money.”

Other debate topics included whether zoos should exist, whether students should have cell phones in school, whether school uniforms are beneficial, and whether homework should be eliminated.

Debate lesson ties in to lifelong lessons
According to Millis, the assignment was designed to give students ownership over their work while reinforcing skills they had practiced throughout the year.

“I hope the biggest takeaway for students is the autonomy and ownership of their work,” she said. “I wanted them to feel responsible for their work, from beginning to end.”

Students drafted introductions, researched evidence, and learned how to organize and defend their arguments.

“Standing at the podium and being able to share their work with their peers made them feel confident in their writing abilities and proud of their work,” Millis said.

The persuasive writing unit also tied together lessons from other subjects. 

Earlier in the year, students practiced research strategies during projects on Indigenous tribes in social studies and the life cycle of a chicken in science.

Students applied those same skills to strengthen their debate arguments with “valid and credible sources,” Millis said.

Beyond writing mechanics, Millis said the debates helped students learn empathy and perspective-taking.

“We have talked a lot this year about the word ‘perspective,’” she said. “Thinking about another person’s perspective helps build empathy when we can see both sides of a conflict or argument.”

She emphasized that respectful disagreement became an important lesson in the classroom.

“Debating respectfully was a big discussion in our classroom, like showing sportsmanship during soccer games at recess,” Millis said. “I think the concept of debating at this age is more about considering other perspectives and understanding that an argument is stronger with sources.”

For Millis, one of the most rewarding parts of the project was watching students rise to the occasion.

“My biggest takeaway was that if you hand third graders a challenging task, with proper support, they will not only rise to the challenge but exceed expectations,” she said. “Students who were nervous about presenting in front of the class did an amazing job getting up and publicly speaking.”

She said the students embraced the competitive spirit of the debates, especially after learning that faculty members would serve as judges.

“Writing and presenting a five-paragraph persuasive essay sounds like a gigantic task for 9-year-olds,” Millis said, “but they really applied themselves and showed they are very capable students.”

With USN’s High School debate team competing on the world stage, and Middle Schoolers getting experience with debate at the Tennessee State Capitol, there seems to be a new crop of debaters growing in the Lower School, and the future of the program looks brighter than ever.
Back

More USN News

List of 3 news stories.

Archive

Contact

Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212

Phone:  615-321-8000
Fax:       615-321-0889 
Email:    info@usn.org

River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218

Resources

USN Mission: 
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.