Lesson 5: Rhetorical Appeals
Lesson Overview: In this lesson, students will analyze a speech for effective use of rhetorical appeals.
Resources or Materials Needed:
· Computer with Internet Access
· Prepared Edmodo page with discussion prompts posted
· Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
· Document Projector
· Multimedia Projector
· Paper
· Pencil
Lesson Objective:
Given a transcript of a publically delivered speech, students will identify with 100% accuracy rhetorical appeals.
Time: One hour
Pre-instructional Strategies:
· Students will sign in to the computers and onto the Edmodo for their class.
· Discussion threads will be posted for the following two items:
a. Describe your favorite TV commercial. Include the context, product and what actually happens in the commercial.
b. Then students will need to choose one of their peers’ postings about their favorite commercial. They will need to comment on the post by answering the following two questions:
i. What is appealing about this commercial?
ii. Why would the commercial make us want to buy their product?
· Possible responses include: makes me think I’ll be better at something if I use the product, someone who knows a lot told me its reliable, makes me feel good about myself
· The teacher will facilitate a discussion after students have recorded their thoughts.
Content Presentation:
· The teacher will explain that these appeals fall into the three traditional rhetorical appeals- logos, pathos and ethos using the document camera
· The teacher will show examples of each and define them for students.
· Students will then return to Edmodo and choose a discussion string. On that string they will identify the type of rhetorical appeal used.
· The teacher will distribute copies of the sermon “Sinners at the Hands of an Angry God.” The teacher will project a copy of the speech using a document projector and point out examples of the author’s use of rhetorical appeals in the first paragraph.
Learner Participation:
· Students will identify the rhetorical appeals in the remainder of the speech using the document camera.
· In small groups students will discuss their perceptions of the use of rhetorical devices.
Assessment:
· Assess students’ analysis of the sermon for rhetorical devices.
Follow-through Activities:
· For homework students will have to find a Movie Speech on the following site: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/. They will evaluate the rhetorical devices used.