Rhetorical Questions: Persuasive Devices

Overview:

This worksheet helps students understand how rhetorical questions can be used as a persuasive device. Designed for year 5 and 6 students.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the purpose of rhetorical questions in persuasive writing.
• Write persuasive rhetorical questions related to a given topic.
• Understand how rhetorical questions can influence the reader’s opinion.

How the Activity Works:

Students are provided with a topic, such as "A school getting more sports equipment." They are tasked with writing at least one rhetorical question for that topic. Rhetorical questions are questions posed to provoke thought rather than require an answer, and they are used to persuade or emphasise a point. For example, for the topic "A school getting more sports equipment," a rhetorical question could be: "Don’t our students deserve the best resources to succeed in sports?" This activity helps students learn how to use rhetorical questions for effect.