Understanding persuasion (US)
In this lesson, students will be immersed in, and connect with, the documentary film 2040, focusing on how persuasion is an important aspect of starting a movement or action towards something new. To get others to join a new cause, they first need to be persuaded.
United States
Worksheet , Fact sheet

Overview
Lesson overview:
In this lesson, students will be immersed in, and connect with, the documentary film 2040, focusing on how persuasion is an important aspect of starting a movement or action towards something new. To get others to join a new cause, they first need to be persuaded.
This lesson explores some of the ways in which the documentary aims to persuade audiences to bring about action, and students are invited to use their own persuasive techniques to encourage their peers to do the same.
Level of teacher scaffolding: Medium – facilitate class discussion and guide activities.
Learning intentions:
- Students understand how persuasive writing is used to encourage action
- Students understand why different techniques are used to persuade audiences
- Students can create works with the intention of persuading intended audiences
Credits and acknowledgements:
Cool.org prepared the 2040 Curriculum Guide. Together Films adapted these lessons for US educators and will do an annual review of these resources to ensure they are still in line with the US Curriculum.
US Educator Note: Australian educational standards have been adapted and aligned by discipline, and when possible, to US standards.
Cool Australia, GoodThing Productions and Regen Studios would like to acknowledge the generous contributions of Good Pitch Australia, Shark Island Institute, Documentary Australia Foundation, The Caledonia Foundation, Global Health Film and our philanthropic partners in the development of these teaching resources.
Watching the film
Watch the full film with your class by filling in this form. If you have any questions, please contact the Together Films team at 2040@togetherfilms.org
The Schools Version of 2040 includes an educational licence and is for US elementary and secondary schools that wish to utilise the film as a learning tool or host on-site screenings for the school community.
Curriculum mapping
What you'll need
- Learning materials.
- Student Worksheets – one copy per student.
- Persuasive Writing Presentation.
- Device capable of presenting a video to the class, with internet access.
Lesson materials
More from this unit

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