Mission 5: Gift of the gab
By the end of ‘Mission 5’, students will be able to:
- plan and deliver a persuasive presentation, using appropriate language features and performance techniques
- construct and justify arguments and engage an audience
- express the character’s perspective effectively
Mission Brief
In this mission, you will take on the role of a persuasive speaker, stepping into character to present your view on the case of the missing Nug. Your task is to convince your audience with clear ideas, strong reasoning and confident delivery. This is your chance to communicate with purpose, creativity and flair.
In a small crew, you will create a short presentation of 30 to 60 seconds. Your group will choose one position and argue it from a character’s perspective. You might speak as the person who took the Nug, or for the person, group or town it belongs to. You can adapt the story beyond Caper Crew, as long as your argument stays clear and convincing.
Teams will be organised into two sides: those arguing to keep the Nug, and those arguing for its return.
Activity 1
Watch the clip from Caper Crew and pay attention to how each character expresses their ideas and personality. Notice what makes their communication engaging and believable.
- What helps the character sound convincing?
- How do they show emotion or urgency?
- What stands out about their voice, expression or movement?
Activity 2
What do A, B and C stand for in the above clip? How will it help you become your character in your presentation?
Now you will begin to inhabit a character. This is more than just speaking; it is about becoming someone else.
Choose which character you will inhabit from the character list in the About Caper Crew section of the resource.
- Think about how your character speaks. Are they confident, nervous, sly, dramatic?
- Choose words that reflect your character’s personality and attitude
- Stay in character at all times to make your performance convincing
- Show your character through tone, pace and expression
Activity 3
Your presentation should be simple, clear and focused. Decide what you are trying to convince your audience to believe, then build your case.
- Clearly state your main idea
- Give three strong reasons to support your argument
- Choose at least two persuasive techniques to strengthen your message:
- emotive language to create feeling or urgency
- inclusive language to bring the audience on your side
- rhetorical questions to make the audience think
- exaggeration to heighten drama and importance
Think carefully about how you deliver your ideas.
- maintain eye contact to connect with your audience
- vary your volume and expression to keep interest
- use gestures to support meaning
- pause for effect to highlight key moments
Use this structure to guide your presentation:
- begin with a strong hook in character
- clearly state your idea
- give three reasons to support your argument
- include persuasive language techniques
- finish with a strong and memorable closing line
Activity 4
Now it is time to prepare for the live debate. Each crew will present their argument and respond to the opposing side. This is where your ideas and performance come together in a dynamic and engaging way.
Teams will be organised into two sides: those arguing to keep the Nug, and those arguing for its return. Each crew will deliver their 30–60 second presentation to the class. Remember to:
- listen carefully to the opposing arguments and be ready to respond or challenge ideas
- stay in character while listening and presenting to maintain the dramatic tension
- respect each speaker and audience member by listening attentively and responding thoughtfully
As you prepare, think about how your argument compares with others.
- what makes your case stronger or more convincing?
- how can you respond if someone disagrees with your reasoning?
- what extra details or ideas can you add to make your argument stand out?
Mission Debrief
Individual Reflection
Take time to think about your own performance and what you learned.
- What was your character trying to convince others about?
- What persuasive techniques did you use?
- How did you show your character’s personality through your voice and language?
- What did you do with your body or voice to stay in character?
- Which part of your presentation worked best?
- What would you change or improve next time?
Class reflection
As a class, reflect on what made presentations effective and engaging.
- Which performances were the most convincing, and why?
- What persuasive techniques did you notice being used successfully?
- How did different students bring their characters to life in different ways?
- What performance choices helped capture attention, such as voice, gesture or timing?
- What can we learn from each other to improve future presentations?
- How might these presentations be expanded into longer stories or scenes?
As you reflect, think about how your ideas could grow. Could your argument become a full story? What extra details, events or characters would you include to bring it to life?
Australian Curriculum
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Year 3-4 |
Year 5-6 |
How this is demonstrated |
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plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal imaginative, informative and persuasive texts
recognising how the relationship between characters can be depicted in images through the positioning of the characters; for example, facing each other or facing away from each other, the distance between them, the relative size, one character looking up (or down) at the other (power relationships), facial expressions and body gestures
identify the characteristic features used in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts to meet the purpose of the text.
use interaction skills to contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas
explore language used to develop relationships in formal and informal situations
plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal imaginative, informative and persuasive texts
use interaction skills to contribute to conversations and discussions to share information and ideas
identify the characteristic features used in imaginative, informative and persuasive texts to meet the purpose of the text
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plan, create, edit and publish written and multimodal texts
use appropriate interaction skills including paraphrasing and questioning to clarify meaning, make connections to own experience, and present and justify an opinion or idea
participating in pair, group, class, school and community speaking and listening situations, including informal conversations, discussions, debates and presentations |
Engages students in creating and delivering persuasive spoken texts, where they practise using persuasive language techniques and adapt their speech for a clear audience and purpose.
Supports literacy outcomes through structured oral presentations and discussion
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Year 3-4 |
Year 5-6 |
How this is demonstrated |
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use the elements of drama to explore and develop ideas for dramatic action in improvisations and/or devised drama |
develop characters and situations, and shape and sustain dramatic action to communicate ideas, perspectives and/or meaning in improvised, devised and/or scripted forms |
Through role-play and performance, students explore character and present ideas using voice and expression.
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Years 3-4, 5-6 |
How this is demonstrated |
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Inquire- analyse information and ideas Generate ideas- consider alternatives Analyse- draw conclusions and provide reasons
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Building arguments and justifying viewpoints, evaluating evidence, generating ideas and strategies. |
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Year 3-4 |
Year 5-6 |
How this is demonstrated |
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interact effectively with others recognising and using social skills
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Students place themselves in the shoes of another person/character They develop communication skills, including tone, body language, and active listening |
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Year 3-4 |
Year 5-6 |
How this is demonstrated |
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explore ethical issues consider different perspectives
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Consideration of different perspectives (e.g. who “owns” the Nug), fairness, decision-making |