Lesson Plan: Writing Powerful Conclusions
Unit: The Writer's Toolkit | Time: 75 minutes
Lesson Sequence (75 Minutes)
1. Starter: The Last Word (5 mins)
Teacher Action: Ask students to think about their favourite movie or book. What is the very last scene or the last line? Why is it memorable? Discuss how endings stick with us.
Student Action: Students share examples of memorable endings and discuss what makes them effective.
2. Introduction: Three Ways to End with Power (15 mins)
Teacher Action: Introduce the three techniques from the handout: "Call to Action," "Echo/Full Circle," and "Big Picture." Provide a brief, simple example for each. Explain that a good conclusion answers the reader's final question: "So what?"
Student Action: Students read the definitions on their handout.
3. "We Do": Conclusion Matching Game (20 mins)
Teacher Action: Direct students to the "Conclusion Techniques Challenge" on their handout. Instruct them to complete the interactive matching game. This allows them to practice identifying the techniques in a low-stakes way.
Student Action: Students work individually or in pairs on their devices to complete the interactive game. The teacher circulates and offers support.
4. "I Do": Modelling a Conclusion (10 mins)
Teacher Action: Refer to the "Deconstruction" task on the handout (the Sir Edmund Hillary example). Model a think-aloud: "The introduction to this piece was probably about the challenge of climbing Everest. The conclusion brings it back to that idea but gives it a new meaning—it 'echoes' the start. This gives a satisfying feeling of completion."
Student Action: Students listen and confirm the technique used in the example.
5. "You Do": Independent Application (15 mins)
Teacher Action: Direct students to the "Application" task. They need to write a "Call to Action" conclusion for an essay about later school start times. Encourage them to use strong, persuasive verbs.
Student Action: Students work independently to write their concluding sentence(s).
6. Plenary: Share and Refine (10 mins)
Teacher Action: Ask several students to share their "Call to Action" sentences. As a class, discuss what makes them powerful. Are the instructions clear? Is the language persuasive? Offer suggestions for improvement.
Student Action: Students share their work and offer constructive feedback to their peers.
Differentiation & Teacher Notes
- Support: Provide sentence starters for the application task, such as: "It is time for us to...", "We must...", "Let's work together to...".
- Extension: Challenge students to write three different conclusions for the same essay topic (later school start times), one for each of the three techniques. Have them explain which one they think is most effective and why.
- Cultural Note: You can connect the "Echo" technique to the structure of a formal mihi, which often begins and ends by acknowledging the same foundational elements (the land, the sky, the ancestors, those present), creating a powerful sense of a completed circle.
Te ao Māori enriches this learning area. Whakapapa (thinking in relationships), tikanga (purposeful protocols), and manaakitanga (caring for all learners) are frameworks that apply as much to literacy and writing as to any other domain. Centre these alongside Western frameworks to honour the full range of students' knowledge systems.
Curriculum alignment
- English — Writing: Students will construct and communicate meaning using language features appropriate to purpose and audience.
- Social Sciences: Understand how people participate individually and collectively in response to community challenges.