1.

Objectives:
a. Students will utilize their knowledge of Pennsylvania products from local farms to write a persuasive
essay convincing people to buy local.

b. Students will be able to write a persuasive essay which explains reasons to buy local and the
importance of buying local to help people understand the benefits of buying products made or grown in
Pennsylvania.

2. Essential Questions:
Why is it important to buy local?
Why is buying local a good thing for me and my family?
If I buy local, who am I helping?

3. Vocabulary:
agriculture
producers
consumers
products
PA Preferred
economy

4. Duration:
Five 45-minute lessons (writing piece should follow the writing process)

5. Materials:
Writing paper
Graphic Organizer: Persuasion Map
Graphic Organizer: Why Buy Local?
Graphic Organizer: Persuasive Writing and New Vocabulary
Vocabulary list of agricultural words
Pennsylvania Agriculture List
Top Reasons to Buy Local
Sample of a persuasive essay
Large chart paper
Laptop or tablet with projection system
www.papreferred.com
Exit Ticket

PA Preferred: Persuasive Writing Lesson - Buying Local
Anticipatory Set:
Today we will be learning about agriculture in Pennsylvania by exploring the PA Preferred website to learn
about products produced in Pennsylvania.
Connect a laptop or tablet to the projection system and project the website (www.papreferred.com) for the
students to view as the teacher takes them to the map of Pennsylvania to explore the products produced in
their local area. Ask students, Who loves strawberries? Show the options of where strawberries are
grown.
Students will then select a product that they are interested in from the PA Preferred website or the
Pennsylvania Agriculture List.
6. Instructional Procedure:
Introduction:
Begin by explaining to the students that they will be writing a persuasive essay trying to convince their
parents to buy products made or grown in Pennsylvania from a farm, famers market or grocery store.
Modeling:
1. Share a sample persuasive essay where the authors purpose of writing is to persuade their readers to
purchase products produced or grown locally in Pennsylvania.
2. Emphasize to the students the purpose of the essay, the format of the writing (length and number of
paragraphs,) and that this piece of writing will be sent home to share with their family to encourage
all of us to buy local.
Guided Practice:
1. From the Pennsylvania Agriculture List, the teacher will guide the students to select a
Pennsylvania agricultural product to compose a class letter before asking students to write
independently.
2. Connect a laptop or tablet to the projection system and project the website
(www.papreferred.com) or Top Reasons to Buy Local poster for the students to view. Explore
each reason and discuss them with the class. Pass out a copy of any of the Graphic Organizers
provided for students to take notes. These notes will be of assistance to the students as they
write their persuasive essay.
3. Brainstorm with the students a list of vocabulary words related to agriculture that students might
need as they write their letters (see vocabulary list).
4. If the teacher has gathered resource materials, give students time to look through the books and
gather words that they think might be used as they write. These may be added to the list after
students have had time to share out.
5. Post the chart paper with the vocabulary words so that the students are able to refer to them.
While you are writing, direct the students back to the chart when vocabulary words should be
used in their writing assignment.
6. Teacher will work to emphasize that a persuasive essay has to state reasons and then elaborate on
the reasons to help people understand the importance of buying local.
7. To begin writing, the teacher will elicit students ideas and students will help to select the ideas
written in the essay.
8. When the final class essay is composed, the teacher will display it in the room or make copies for
the students.

Independent Practice:
1. With parental guidance, access to a computer, and the PA Preferred website address, students
share the assignment with their parents and discuss what they think are the most important
reasons for buying local.
2. Once students have selected their reasons, they should begin composing their own essay using
reasons and elaborations.
3. Students will revise and edit their essay with the teacher.
4. After revising and editing the assignment with their teacher, students will rewrite their final essay
and take it home.
Closure:
1. Students will share his or her essay with their peers.
2. Students will take their essay home to share with a parent. Parent will sign that they have seen
the essay and send it back into school with his or her child.

7. Assessment:
Formative: Exit ticket Ask students to write down at least three reasons to buy products produced in
Pennsylvania before concluding the lesson.
Summative: At the conclusion of the lesson, each student will have successfully completed a
persuasive essay stating reasons with elaborations as to the importance of buying local. Students final edited
drafts may be used for the summative assessment.
8. Related Materials and Resources:
Informational texts about Pennsylvania agriculture and farms.

http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_24476_10297_0
_43/AgWebsite/Page.aspx?name=About-PDA&navid=30&parentnavid=0&pageid=9&

http://www.pafbfriends.org/index.php/resources/ag-facts-a-stats.html

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/pennsylvania's_agricultural_hist
ory/2584

9. Accommodations and Adaptations:
Computers at school will be made available if a student has no access at home.
A copy of products and a graphic organizer for reasons for buying locally will be provided if needed.
Adaptation of the writing process should be accommodated with possibly using a partially started essay
with lines to complete.
Assistance may also be given throughout the writing process with buddy writing or one-on-one writing
assistance.
Provide a personal word bank for thoughts and correct spelling.
10. Lesson Evaluation and Reflection

11. Grade Levels: 3-5
12. Related Academic Standards
Common Core Standards:

CC.1.4.3.H Introduce the topic and state an opinion on the topic.

CC. 1.4.3.I Support an opinion with reasons.

CC.1.4.3.D Create an organizational structure that includes information grouped and connected logically with a
concluding statement or section.

CC.1.4.3.E Choose words and phrases for effect.
CC.1.4.3.F Demonstrate a grade appropriate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar, usage,
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.
Pennsylvania State Standards for Environment and Ecology:
4.4.3.A Identify Pennsylvania crops that provide food for the table and fiber for textiles.
4.4.3.B Explain how agriculture meets the basic needs of humans.
13. Big Ideas
Definition - Agriculture means raising plants and animals for food, clothing, and other things.
State products that are produced in Pennsylvania.
Understand reasons to buy local.
Understand the writing process.
14. Concepts:
Persuasive writing
Writing process
Agricultural concepts (science environment and ecology)
Economic impact
Consumer choice
15. Competencies: Successful completion of a persuasive essay in the final published form.

















































Sample of Persuasive Essay

Next time you go to the grocery store, remember to buy local agricultural products made
or grown in Pennsylvania. Buying local Pennsylvania agricultural products benefits your family,
helps the farmers and growers, and is good for the environment. Purchasing products from
within Pennsylvania also helps the economy of the state continue to grow and provides jobs for a
variety of people.

Most locally produced products come from Pennsylvania farms that have often been
around for several generations. Farmers spend a great deal of time learning how to grow and
produce the best that their farm can offer. Theres nothing quite like having food thats fresh
from the farm. When stores receive products from across the country or from other countries, the
products have been on trucks, ships, and in containers for a lengthy trip. To preserve products
during shipping, additional chemicals may be added to keep them fresh during transportation.
However, when fruit and vegetables come from a local farm, they are high quality, fresher and
taste great. To enjoy the freshest products possible, remember to look for products from your
local growers.

There are also many locally produced products that are not grown on farms. You may be
surprised to learn that there is locally produced milk, jams, snacks, ice cream, and so much more.
Buying these products also supports the states economy and creates much needed jobs.

Buying locally produced and grown products benefits our great state of Pennsylvania.
When products produced in Pennsylvania are sold here, the money that is used to purchase those
products remains in Pennsylvania. For example, an apple grower sells his apples to the local
grocery store then is able to use the revenue that he earned from the apples to purchase another
product in the state. That same apple grower might hire additional people to work on the farm,
which helps to create more jobs in the state. Those workers are then able to spend money in
Pennsylvania, creating even more jobs. Keeping revenue in the state and creating additional jobs
are two important ways that buying local helps to strengthen the economy of our state.

Next time you see beautiful red tomatoes for your dinner table, take the time to see where
they are grown. Remember that buying locally grown or produced products helps create jobs,
keep farms strong, and grows the economy. Putting fresh products on the table for your family
also gives you the peace of mind that those products are fresh and high quality. Buy fresh, buy
local: Made in PA. It makes a difference.