Have you ever watched a Ted Talk and been so profoundly moved by a speaker, that you decide to immediately act on the topic of discussion? I watched my first Ted Talk 6 years ago, not knowing it’s purpose, and walked away feeling moved and inspired. As educators, we look for ways every day to inspire our students to have an impact on the world for the greater good. I felt that incorporating Ted Talks into my teaching would not only show my students how others have made a positive contribution to society, but also how important it was to share their message with the world. What better way to teach students how to use Persuasive Writing in the world, than through a Ted Talk!
When planning my Persuasive Writing unit last year, I decided that rather than simply giving my students topics to write about, I would show them a Ted Talk video about each topic instead. I was excited to find that there were many similarities between the structures of a Ted Talk and the Persuasive Writing form of writing and I could use these videos as an engaging tool to teach students! I had a graphic organizer for each aspect of Persuasive Writing: (including a good hook in the introduction, tailoring your argument to a specific audience, addressing possible counter-arguments, including statistics or research to support your view, appealing to the audience’s emotions and providing a strong conclusion) and these aspects were all included in a Ted Talk! Check out the graphic organizers I used for a closer look!
My students really appreciated seeing the connection that Persuasive Writing had to real life examples found in Ted Talks. It provided them with a ‘purpose’ for their writing and this motivated students to produce their very best pieces!
Here are the 5 best Ted Talks to teach Persuasive Writing to Kids! If you’d like to learn more about how to incorporate Ted Talks with Persuasive Writing, you can find it in my Persuasive Writing Unit. Follow my blog for more useful teacher tips and my Inspire to Learn Store for some useful teaching resources!
1. Kids Need Recess – Simon Link
https://youtu.be/Kh9GbYugA1Y
2. Homework Overload – Mikel Garmendia
https://youtu.be/d_qMpV9V9To
3. What Adults Can Learn from Kids – Adora Svitek
https://youtu.be/V-bjOJzB7LY
4. Individualization, Failure and Fun – Cordell Steiner
https://youtu.be/P-djW4uj7rI
Inspiring Young Minds 