Teacher notes for this lesson. Two sides of A4, not for pupils.Mild sheetMedium sheetSpicy sheetAnswers
Teacher notes · not for pupils Writer's craft sequence

Who Doesn't Love Pizza?

Rhetorical questions and the rule of three

Lesson 9 of 12
Year 6 45 min

Objective

Recognise and write rhetorical questions and the rule of three, tell a rhetorical question from a real one, and use both to persuade.

Board title: Rhetorical questions and the rule of three  ·  Say it: “By the end of today you'll be able to use a rhetorical question and the rule of three to persuade.”

Curriculum

  • Y5/6: composition — persuasive writing; selecting language for effect
  • Y5/6: reading — how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning
  • FS L2: reading — identify persuasive devices and their effect (built on)
  • Terminology: rhetorical question · rule of three · persuade · effect

Success criteria

  • spot a rhetorical question
  • tell it from a real question
  • write a rule of three
  • use both to persuade

Key vocabulary

rhetorical question · rule of three · persuade · persuasive · effect · audience

Run of the lesson

4 min
Starter on the board: Who doesn't love pizza? against Which pizza would you like? Does he want an answer? One minute of paired talk.
8 min
Model Example 1 and 2. Say the rhetorical question, then the silent answer. Clap the three, then try two and four.
6 min
The trap: What time do you open? wants an answer, so it is a real question. Who could say no to that? does not.
6 min
Flavour Match on the whiteboard, Spicy band, Level 13 then Level 14. Class votes first; ask: does it want an answer?
18 min
Worksheet, independent. In Task 2, pupils turn each flat line into a rhetorical question or a rule of three.
3 min
Plenary: Polpetta's flat advert, then the class quiz for RHETF on the board.
On screenSPAGhetti → Flavour Match → Spicy. Play Level 13 (rhetorical or real?) then Level 14 (finish the rule of three); both are open from the start. ~10 items in 6 minutes with discussion.
SPAGhetti · Writer's craft sequence · Lesson 9 of 12  ·  Teacher notes 1 of 2
Teacher notes · not for pupils Who Doesn't Love Pizza? · side 2

On the day

If the tech failsSkip the game. Read out questions; the class stand up for a real question and stay sitting for a rhetorical one. Then pairs finish rules of three you start. The lesson works with no screen at all.
If they're on devicesLesson code RHETF (on the worksheet footer) opens Flavour Match on Spicy, with the two persuasion levels open. For writing, set Cook Up a Story and ask for an advert that opens with a rhetorical question and ends with a rule of three.

Misconceptions to watch for

Every question is rhetorical. What time do you open? wants an answer. A rhetorical question expects no answer out loud, because the answer is obvious or the point is to make you think.

More is better. A question in every line sounds like a quiz. One strong rhetorical question and one rule of three is plenty for a short advert.

Any list is the rule of three. Two feels unfinished and five feels like a shopping list. Three has a beat: fresh, hot, tasty. Clap it to hear it.

No question mark needed. A rhetorical question is still a question: it ends with a question mark.

The three sheets

Same four tasks on every sheet, in the same order, with the same look. Only the demand changes. Print the one each child needs; nobody does two.

Mild

Same four tasks as every other sheet, same order, same look, the demand is lower, not the dignity. Shorter passage in Task 2, and in Task 3 a word bank or words to tick, with printed sentence starters. Give it to anyone who needs a way in, and expect them to move up.

Medium

The core sheet. Give this to most of the class. No word bank; in Task 3 pupils choose from a few close options, then use one in a sentence of their own.

Spicy

Same four tasks, more demand, a longer passage with a subtler error, and Task 3 asks for two things at once. Not extra work; harder work. Nobody should be doing Spicy and the Medium sheet.

Adaptive teaching

  • Support: Give starters: Who doesn't love...? Isn't it time...? Why wait? and a word bank of describing words to make threes from.
  • Stretch: Write and perform a 30-second radio advert using both devices, then explain where each one goes and why.
  • SEN: Gentle mode on. Clap the rule of three together every time, and agree a class signal for a question that doesn't want an answer.
  • EAL: Model the tune of each: a real question often rises at the end; a rhetorical one is said with confidence. Compare persuasive phrases from home languages.

Play it

Lesson code RHETF at playspaghetti.com. The code is printed on the bottom of every pupil sheet with a QR, and Class Quiz in your dashboard opens the plenary quiz for this lesson pre-picked.

SPAGhetti · Writer's craft sequence · Lesson 9 of 12  ·  Teacher notes, not for pupils 2 of 2  ·  Ludora