Community Research

As persuasive writers, we have come to a new step: Research before writing.  In the past, our persuasive writing was about things we knew a lot about or things we had experienced.  Now we are writing persuasive letters to a (fictional) boy who wants to move to the United States and wants to know where to go -- urban, rural, or suburban?

Before we can convince someone that the city is better, or that the country is better, or that the 'burbs are better, we have to do some research.  We have been hearing lots of stories about kids living in different types of communities.  We've been looking at pictures and comparing and contrasting what we see.  Now we are diving into our research bins to find more facts!

A group of students research urban communities in the meeting area.

A group of students research suburban communities at a table.

As students read and observe the pictures of books,
 they record their findings.

Each of us is finding out the answers to these 6 questions about each type of community:

1 - What types of transportation do they use?
2 - What sorts of buildings do you see?
3 - Where do they do their shopping?  Where do they get their food?
4 - Where do kids play?
5 - What kind of nature do you see?  How much nature?
6 - What are some common jobs/types of jobs there?

Once we have this information, we can start listing Pros and Cons for each community type.  Some of us think living in a rural community would be great - we wouldn't have to take a subway again!  But others of us like how many friends we have in a city and wouldn't want to be so spread out like in the country.  It'll be an interesting debate and our 5-paragraph letters (introduction, 3 fact paragraphs, and a conclusion) will be thorough and persuasive, I'm sure!