Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Practice Activity

Writing a persuasive article

Scenario

Congratulations! You’ve landed a job writing for your favourite online news site.

The United Nations have outlined 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand in hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and drive forward economic growth – alongside tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

The aim of this activity is not only to bring attention to one of the UN goals but to be persuasive and present an article that is thought-provoking too.

You have been tasked with writing an article based on Goal 11 ‘Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable’. Select a city outside of Wales for your article.

Your article must include:

• a meaningful headline

• a maximum of 1000 words

• at least four sources

• appropriate referencing.

Your article should discuss one of the topics that make up Goal 11 (for example, accessible and sustainable public transport, air quality, and waste management). You will need to research a wide range of secondary information, evaluate their credibility, and recognise any bias and assumption. You must ensure you synthesise your information and that your key points stand out. It is up to you to find out where this goal is being met, where it is not, and what solution could be used to meet the goal’s target.

Take a look at the following video for some tips on how to write a news story.

How to write a news story

This is an excellent opportunity to show off your journalistic talents. You will need to make use of a range of skills to successfully complete this task.

Testing Specific Skills

2.1 – Address complex problems using    meaningful questions.

2.3 – Select appropriate information by  critically evaluating credibility and recognising bias and assumptions.

2.4 – Analyse complex information and draw out key points.

2.6 – Accurately use an academic method of    referencing.

2.7 – Construct responses that are evidence    based, persuasive and convincing.

Task 1

Task 1

Task 2

Task 3

Task 3

2.8 – Propose and justify appropriate solutions. Task 3

Criteria

There are conditions for your article: a. The headline must pose a meaningful question; one that the article will try to answer. b. Your article will need to be a maximum of 1000 words long, written in full prose. c. At least four sources should be used. These could be any type of source (video, news article, journal).

Tasks

1. Research – You will need to research potential sources to use in your article. Remember, this needs to be a persuasive article and you will need to use arguments that showcase the good and the bad – try not to be one sided.

• Think of a headline by posing a meaningful question.

• Select appropriate and credible sources of information.

How appropriate and reliable are the sources that you have selected during your research?

2. Analysis – Analyse the information and draw out the key points you wish to make in the article.

• Recognise any bias and assumptions.

Have you used any of the following: RURU, CRAPP, PESTLE, STEEPLE and PRESTLE?

3. Construct your article – Using the evidence, structure the article and produce a maximum of 1000 words.

• Use persuasive and convincing evidence-based arguments.

• Use an accurate referencing technique.

• Propose and justify a solution to the question posed in your headline.