Emotion or Reason?
| | Purpose: | As a result of this activity, students will be able to use persuasive devices to construct an oral or written argument. | | Related Standard & Benchmarks: | | Language Arts | | | Standard 1. | Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process | | | | | Level IV [Grade 9-12] | | | | | Benchmark 9. Writes persuasive compositions that address problems/solutions or causes/effects (e.g., articulates a position through a thesis statement; anticipates and addresses counter arguments; backs up assertions using specific rhetorical devices [appeals to logic, appeals to emotion, uses personal anecdotes]; develops arguments using a variety of methods such as examples and details, commonly accepted beliefs, expert opinion, cause-and-effect reasoning, comparison-contrast reasoning) |
| | Language Arts | | | Standard 8. | Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes | | | | | Level IV [Grade 9-12] | | | | | Benchmark 4. Adjusts message wording and delivery to particular audiences and for particular purposes (e.g., to defend a position, to entertain, to inform, to persuade) |
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| | Student Product: | persuasive presentation to class and persuasive essay | | Material & Resources: | No resources required for this activity. | | Teacher's Note: | Topics might be drawn from local, state, federal, and global current events. Teacher can assign a topic, or allow the class to choose from a list of topics. | | Activity | Preparation
Discuss the different types of persuasive devices that can be used in oral and written arguments (e.g., appeal to logic, appeal to emotion, personal anecdote, reference to commonly accepted beliefs, reference to expert opinion, cause-and-effect reasoning, comparison-contrast reasoning). Related Online Resources:
Principles of Composition
Persuasive Writing Speeches Containing Rhetorical Devices
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Frederick Douglass
Presidential Rhetoric
Speech Resources
Activity
Students form several groups of three to five students, depending on class size. Each group of students will agree upon a selected topic. Using one of the persuasive devices discussed in class, each student in the group will prepare and deliver part of a persuasive presentation on that topic. For example, if a group chooses the topic of whether soda machines should be allowed in schools, one student might present an argument based on expert opinion, another might appeal to students’ emotions, and the third could share a personal anecdote. Students should pay close attention to how the message wording and delivery differs depending on the persuasive device being used. As a follow up activity, students should write a persuasive essay (on either the same topic, or a new topic) using the persuasive device that they found most compelling in the oral presentations. Have students compare the effectiveness of the device in spoken versus written arguments. | |
