Knowledge/Skill Building

🧠 PSA Message Moves

Content Expertise Effective Communication Critical Thinking & Problem Solving Collaboration Product Assessment Reflection Core Content Essential Question Critique and Revision Submission Required

Using mentor posters, brochures, and short kid-friendly PSA examples about clean water and ocean animals, the class studies how facts, visuals, and call-to-action statements work together. Students sort sample message parts into categories such as problem, evidence, feeling words, and action step, then practice turning one marine pollution fact from their notebooks into a persuasive sentence for local beaches or waterways.

Plan day

Day 5

Duration

35 min

Grouping

Whole Class

Steps

6 steps

Lesson plan

6 steps · 35 min

#	What teachers do
1	Launch the lesson by showing 2-3 kid-friendly PSA examples about clean water, beach litter, or ocean animals. Guide a short notice-and-name discussion: What is the problem, what facts do you hear or see, what feeling words stand out, and what action is the audience asked to take? Introduce the words persuasive (meant to convince), evidence (facts that support an idea), and call to action (what you want people to do). (8 min)
2	In pairs, students sort prepared PSA message cards into four categories: problem, evidence, feeling words, and action step. Pause midway for a quick whole-group check so partners can justify one choice and hear another team's thinking about how messages are built. (10 min)
3	Bring the class together to connect the sort to the project questions about protecting ocean animals and keeping local water and beaches clean. Model how to turn one notebook fact into a stronger PSA sentence by combining a problem, a fact, and an action step, such as: 'Plastic in the water can hurt sea turtles, so bring a reusable bottle and help keep our beach clean.' (7 min)
4	Students work independently, then with a partner, to choose one accurate marine pollution fact from their notebooks and draft 1-2 persuasive PSA sentences for a local audience. Provide sentence starters and a simple organizer so students can plan: problem + evidence + feeling word or image idea + action step. (10 min)
5	Partners do a quick pair-and-share using Glows and Grows feedback. Each student reads one sentence aloud, listens for what is clear and convincing, and revises at least one part to make the message stronger for a future poster, brochure, story, or video. (7 min)
6	Close with a fast share-out in which several students read their revised message moves and name which part is strongest: problem, evidence, feeling words, or action step. Collect organizers or exit slips to assess who is ready to move into PSA idea sketches next. (3 min)

Preparation (8 items)

Select and print or project 2-3 short, age-appropriate PSA mentor examples focused on clean water, marine pollution, or protecting ocean animals.
Create a set of sorting cards with simple phrases and visuals for the categories problem, evidence, feeling words, and action step; prepare enough sets for pairs or small groups.
Prepare a visible anchor chart with the four message categories and brief student-friendly definitions for persuasive, evidence, and call to action.
Gather student science notebooks or fact pages so students can pull accurate marine pollution facts from prior learning.
Make a simple message organizer with spaces for problem, fact/evidence, feeling word or visual idea, and action step, plus sentence starters for support.
Prepare Glows and Grows feedback prompts such as 'A glow is...' and 'A grow could be...' for partner revision.
Plan mixed-readiness partnerships and identify support materials such as picture cards, prewritten fact strips, or dictation options for students who need language or writing support.
Set out pencils, markers, clipboards or writing boards, and a collection tray for organizers or exit slips.

Student-facing instructions

You will study how strong PSA messages work by looking at examples, sorting message parts, and writing your own persuasive sentence about marine pollution. You will need your science notebook or fact page, a message organizer, pencil, and the sorting cards. First, you will look for four parts in PSAs: the problem, evidence or facts, feeling words, and the action step. Then you will work with a partner to sort sample message parts and talk about why they fit. Next, your task is to choose one true fact from your notebook and turn it into 1-2 persuasive sentences that could be used later in a poster, video, brochure, or story. Finally, you will share with a partner, give Glows and Grows feedback, and revise your sentence so it is clear, accurate, and gives people a way to help protect ocean animals and local water.

Success criteria

You know you are done when you can sort PSA message parts into the correct categories, explain at least one reason for your choices with a partner, and write 1-2 persuasive PSA sentences using a true marine pollution fact from your notebook. Your sentence includes a clear problem, accurate evidence, and a call to action for people in your community. You also give one Glow and one Grow to a partner and revise at least one part of your own message after feedback. A final self-check: 'Did I use a real fact? Did I tell people what they can do? Does my message help answer how we can protect ocean animals or keep water and beaches clean?'

Facilitator notes

Keep the pace brisk and interactive so the lesson feels like message detective work rather than a lecture. Since standards were not provided, anchor the activity tightly to the listed competencies and design elements: analysis of mentor texts, collaboration, persuasive communication, marine content accuracy, reflection, and revision. For varying reading levels, use large visuals, read mentor examples aloud, include icons on sorting cards, and offer sentence starters such as 'Trash in our water harms ___, so we should ___' or 'When plastic reaches the ocean, ___, so families can ___.' For students who need more support, provide preselected facts, partner scribing, or oral rehearsal before writing; for students ready for extension, invite them to write for a specific audience such as beach visitors, boaters, or families. Common pitfalls include students choosing opinions instead of facts, writing vague calls to action like 'help the ocean,' or overloading the sentence with too many ideas. Redirect by asking: 'What is the exact problem? What fact proves it? What can people do today?' Monitor partner talk so both students share ideas and feedback. Save student drafts because they will feed directly into the next sketching activity and later PSA products for the community exhibition and tabling event.

Resources

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