What Influences Our Choices?
How does an author persuade an audience? How do we use language to persuade? How do we evaluate an argument?
Teacher Essential Question / What influences our choices?Sample Student Essential Questions / · Why do people break rules?
· Are people basically good?
· What drives human behavior?
Stylistic Essential Question / How does an author persuade an audience? How do we use language to persuade? How do we evaluate an argument?
Key Vocabulary / Ethos, Logos, Pathos, Rhetorical Triangle, Audience, Purpose, Connotation, Denotation, Rhetorical Appeals, Authority, Analogy, Parallel Structure, Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, Counter-arguments, Conclusions, Premises
Multi-Genre Text Set that connects to Essential Questions / Rip Van Winkle / http://www.bartleby.com/310/2/1.html
Civil Disobedience / English 11 Textbook
Walden / http://thoreau.eserver.org/walden02.html
“A Fable for Tomorrow / http://wilderness.nps.gov/idea61.cfm
“Declaration of Independence” / http://mrgunnar.net/english.cfm?subpage=365081 (lesson plan)
“I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” / http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oehry1JC9Rk
“Certain Kind of Fire” Handout / http://urbandreams.ousd.k12.ca.us/lessonplans/mlk/handouts/handout_4.pdf
“Had I the Choice” poem / http://www.princeton.edu/~batke/logr/log_310.html
“The Road Not Taken” poem / http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-road-not-taken/
“Letter from Birmingham City Jail” / http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/resources/article/annotated_letter_from_birmingham/ (with annotations)
President Obama Back-to-School remarks / http://www.whitehouse.gov/back-to-school (text & video)
“I Have a Dream” / http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm
JFK’s Inaugural Address / http://www.jfklibrary.org/Education/Teachers/Curricular-Resources/~/media/assets/Education%20and%20Public%20Programs/Education/Lesson%20Plans/Rhetoric%20of%20the%20Inaugural%20Address.pdf (Lesson Plan and full-text of speech)
Socratic Seminar / Citing the excerpts from Walden and Civil Disobedience, is Thoreau advocating reform or revolution?
Analytical Writing* / In-Class Rhetorical Analysis/Timed Writing:
The passage below is an observation of Abraham Lincoln made by Nathaniel Hawthorne when he had the opportunity to meet the president in 1862. Read the passage carefully. Then write an essay in which you define the attitude Hawthorne takes toward Lincoln and analyze the rhetorical strategies Hawthorne employs to help clarify and define the attitude.
Visual Rhetoric Analysis
Creative Writing* / Construct a two-minute Public Service Announcement to persuade a clearly defined audience of your chosen argument.
Reflective Writing* / PSA Reflection (Explain the rhetorical choices you made when constructing your PSA)
Journal Entries
Mini-Lessons on Writer’s Craft and Style / Day 1: Ethos/Pathos/Logos
Day 2/4: Parallel Structure
Day 3: Premise, Conclusion, Connotation, Denotation
Others as needed for student revision
Class time for feedback on and revision of writing / Day 5 (Visual Rhetoric)
Day 8 (PSA)
Clearly Defined Publishing Opportunities / Publish your PSA by performing it in person to a relevant organization or committee or publish it online via youtube, facebook, or a relevant website.
Additional Resources / Rhetoric Resources
Scholarly Definitions of Rhetoric: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/rhetoricdefinitions.htm
Rhetorical Triangle: http://mrgunnar.net/files/Rhetorical%20Triangle.pdf
Full Text of Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience http://thoreau.eserver.org/civil1.html
Rhetorical Analysis of Civil Disobedience http://prelimsandbeyond.wordpress.com/2008/12/31/thoreau/
Video Clip “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oehry1JC9Rk
Video Clip “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” with TEXT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJj725XrHzs
Columnists: http://townhall.com/columnists/
Movie Clips of Speeches: http://americanrhetoric.com/moviespeeches.htm
21st Century Speeches w/ videos & mp3s http://americanrhetoric.com/21stcenturyspeeches.htm
Vocabulary Resources
Examples & Audio Clips of Parallelism: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/figures/parallelism.htm
Examples & Audio Clips of Analogy: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/figures/analogy.htm
Diction Warm-Up: http://americanrhetoric.com/rodmanphase1.htm
Writing Resources
Duke Writing Studio: http://twp.duke.edu/writing-studio/resources/academic-writing/overviews
Writing for Authentic Audiences: http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/22/10-ways-to-promote-writing-for-an-authentic-audience/
Day / Class Activities / Homework
1 / Introduce Unit & TEQ: What influences our choices? (15 minutes)
Discuss different kinds of choices that we make:
· Social: How do I select my friends? How do I act in varying social settings?
· Ethical: Will I eat meat? Will I lie on my time sheet? Cheat on a test? Break the law by drinking at Friday night’s party?
· Consumer: Do I follow a budget? What do I buy?
· Academic: How often do I study? Will I apply to college? Where?
Journal Entry: (15 minutes)
What influences you? Recall choices you’ve made in the last month (or that you will be making soon). Reflect on the influences (both positive and negative) that contributed to the choices you made.
Mini-Lesson: Ethos, Pathos, Logos (40 minutes)
· Rhetoric PowerPoint
· Obama Speech to Students
Introduce PSA Project (15 minutes)
Teachers: Review the following websites for ideas for introducing PSA
Ad Council PSA Website: http://www.adcouncil.org/Our-Work
Sample PSA Lesson Plan: http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/mytube-changing-world-with-1069.html?tab=4#tabs
Student Examples of PSAs:
http://youtu.be/iG6dAnIMDys Dog fighting PSA
http://youtu.be/Xpjuye4xwDg Student PSA Animal Testing
Have class brainstorm topics for PSAs with specific audiences and purposes. / Read “Declaration of Independence” and “Rip van Winkle.” Find at least 8 examples of ethos, pathos, or logos in each work.
2 / Discuss “Declaration of Independence[1]”: Rip Van Winkle (uninspired colonist)
Journal Entry: How does the DOI address and attempt to persuade this audience?
Mini-Lesson: Parallel Structure in “Gettysburg Address”
Introduce Visual Rhetoric Project
· Analyzing Print Ads/Campaign Ads / Read “A Fable for Tomorrow.” Annotate to answer the following questions: What is the purpose of this essay? How does Carson employ ethos, pathos, and logos?
3 / Journal Entry: Read Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken.” What is a choice that you’ve made that has considerably impacted your life?
Discuss: What is Frost’s attitude toward the road “taken” as opposed to the road “not taken”?
Mini-Lesson: Premises, Conclusions, Connotation, Denotation
Discussion: How did the rhetorical devices you found in “Silent Spring” impact the author’s purpose? How does the tone shift throughout the essay? What kinds of arguments (ethos, pathos, logos) does Carson use? What conclusion does Carson want readers to reach? What premises support that conclusion?
Introduce Socratic Seminar assignment (Civil Disobedience excerpt from textbook and Walden excerpts) / Read “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” and “I Have a Dream.” Annotate for audience, purpose, parallel structure, ethos, pathos, logos, connotation, denotation.
4 / Journal Entry: Use this photograph and handout as a prompt for student journal writing.
Mini-Lesson: Parallel Structure in King’s speeches http://mrgunnar.net/files/King%20Letter%20questions%20and%20worksheet.pdf
Discuss rhetorical devices students found in “Letter from Birmingham City Jail.” / Read “Poetry & Power” Handout and JFK’s Inaugural Address. Annotate rhetorical devices found in JFK’s speech.
5 / Read Walt Whitman’s poem “Had I the Choice.” http://www.princeton.edu/~batke/logr/log_310.html What choice does the speaker make? Why?
Model Rhetorical Analysis: JFK’s Inaugural Address (see attached document for procedure)
Class time to work on Visual Rhetoric project / Prepare for Socratic Seminar
6 / Socratic Seminar: Civil Disobedience excerpt from textbook and Walden excerpts
Citing Walden and Civil Disobedience, is Thoreau advocating reform or revolution?
7 / Computer Lab: Drafting/Revising PSAs / Visual Rhetoric Project Due
8 / In-Class Essay: Rhetorical Analysis of Hawthorne’s attitude toward Lincoln
Peer Review: PSA
9 / Public Service Announcement Presentations (1 or 2 days) / PSA project & reflection due
*All journal entries and drafts should be kept as separate documents for possible inclusion in the portfolio.
[1] http://mrgunnar.net/english.cfm?subpage=349357