PRODUCING EFFECTIVE CONCLUSIONS
A suggested plenary activity
In the main part of the lesson, pupils may have produced some writing in which they weigh up two alternatives; e.g.-
Was Cromwell a hero or a villain?
Should this product be made from metal or plastic?
Should hunting be banned?
Ask pupils for suggested answers to the question – Why do we need to have a conclusion?
Some useful answers could be –
To make it clear what your answer is
To show that you are aware of alternative answers
To leave the reader with a memorable idea/phrase/image
List some answers on board, for pupils to bear in mind when they attempt their own conclusions.
Modelling a conclusion
It would be useful to show pupils an example of an effective conclusion and to examine its main features. It is better to show an example from a different piece of work from that which the pupils are going to attempt, to avoid giving too much ‘scaffolding’.
One model is to concede that the weaker argument has some strengths but then to make it clear that the other argument is stronger. So, in answer to the question – Is David Beckham a role model or a bad influence?, this could be a conclusion:-
In some ways Beckham is seen as a bad influence, especially when he has lost his temper on the field.. However, he should be seen mainly as a role model because of his hard work and efforts for charity. Overall, parents should have nothing to fear if their children try to copy him.
The structure for this conclusion is therefore:-
weaker argument – example – stronger argument – example – memorable final sentence
Using this model, pupils can attempt to construct a conclusion for their piece of work. This could look something like this for the ‘Cromwell’ example.
In some ways Cromwell was a hero, especially in the way he led Parliament’s army to victory in the Civil War. However, he should mainly be seen as a villain because of his cruelty in Ireland. Overall, he was not somebody this country should be proud of.
If they want to argue that Cromwell was a hero overall, they should concede that he did some things wrong, then finish by extolling his virtues