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12 Ideas for Teaching Rhetoric

Confession: Before I started teaching AP Language & Composition ten years ago, I didn’t even know what the term “rhetoric” meant. So, first, just in case, I’ll spare you the Google and tell you what I tell my students at the beginning of every school year: Rhetoric is the art of language – in particular, persuasive language. It’s not just WHAT you say, but HOW you say it — what words you choose, how you structure your sentences, your understanding of the audience/occasion/purpose for writing or speaking, your appeals to logic, trustworthiness, and emotion (logos, ethos, & pathos), your use of figurative language, and even – in the case of public speaking – your delivery. Really, once you grasp the concept, it’s actually FASCINATING; in fact, over the last few years, rhetoric has become one of my very favorite parts of my curriculum!

I love teaching rhetoric because it actually feels SO relevant to the real world. Whether its reading the news online, watching an awards ceremony, following a political election, or scrolling social media, persuasion and language are ALL around us. Understanding the choices a writer/speaker makes in presenting information to us makes us *much* wiser and more careful consumers of that information. Likewise, seeing how others successfully (or unsuccessfully) craft an argument, makes us better at crafting our own; and, if anyone appreciates knowing how to win an argument with skill and strategy, it’s teenagers. Right?

In today’s post, I’m excited to share a lesson I use every year to make rhetoric engaging and accessible for students, plus I’ve invited eleven of my teaching-friends to share their tried and true ideas for rhetoric instruction in this collaborative blog post. I hope you’ll find one (or twelve) great ideas you can implement in your classroom below.

1. Introduce the Rhetorical Situation with YOUR Writing & THEIR Writing

Ask any seasoned AP Language teacher, and they will tell you that the foundation for teaching rhetoric is a good understanding of the rhetorical triangle (speaker/audience/message) or rhetorical situation (SOAPStone – subject/occasion/audience/purpose/speaker/tone). One of my favorite ways to help students grasp this concept is by sharing my own writing* to illustrate how changing just one element of the rhetorical situation can change an entire piece…

I start by printing out copies of an old blog post I wrote called “Napkin Mom” and hand it out without telling them it’s mine. This is a really fun part because the essay is silly and light, but it’s also very obvious that I wrote it based on the style and voice. I love asking students “how do you know I wrote this?” and then using their responses (my specific word choice, use of short sentences, etc.) to discuss/prove that we all have a unique way of speaking and writing (that’s diction and syntax — the other two keys to rhetorical analysis), and good writers are able to adapt to their audience while also staying true to their voice. Then, together, we identify each element of the rhetorical situation and talk about how the writing might have changed if I was writing for teenagers (them) instead of other 30-something moms, etc. (Hint: the subject would need to be totally different.)

After that, I often have them read an excerpt from a second, more serious, post from my blog: “When the Lockdown Isn’t a Drill.” My students connect to this immediately since its about something we experienced at my school a few years ago; but, more importantly, they notice the change in style and tone right away!! Again, we identify SOAPStone together and talk about how this writing is different because the subject and occasion is so different. We also highlight specific words and choices I made to give this piece a more serious and somber tone, and why that’s important in writing.

From there, I set kids free to find two pieces of THEIR own writing to analyze (a journal entry, an email to a grandparent, a long Instagram caption, an article for the school paper, an essay for class, etc.) and task them with labeling the rhetorical situation for each and writing a brief paragraph explaining how differences there lead to differences in style for homework. The next day, they get to share their writing and analysis in small groups, and we move into analyzing texts I’ve chosen on group posters.

*To be honest, it feels a little awkward (maybe even arrogant?) to share my own writing with students at first; but, really, it is so important for them to see that we write too — even if you have to do some digging (or some new writing) for this, I think it’s worth it to share something you have written before we ask them to share theirs. And, as a bonus, its really funny to learn what things about your style stand out to kids — they really know me better than I think!

2. Use High-Interests Texts and Scaffold Analysis

Samantha from Secondary Urban Legends loves to teach the art of persuasion with advertisements and high-interest speeches. Advertisements are a perfect opening hook to show how, in everyday life, we are constantly being persuaded. Samples of advertisements are provided to students to analyze both words, images, and sound if any. Then students go on a hunt to find exemplars of advertisements with persuasive techniques in them. Once students are able to grasp the concept, difficulty then increases to analyzing speeches such as Queen Elizabeth I’s speech at Tilbury, Obama’s Back to School Remarks, or Hillary Clinton’s speech to the UN.  Students are taught to pay attention to repetition, questions, and other rhetorical devices as they read.

3. Hold an Analysis “Auction” with “Appeal Paddles”

Molly from The Littlest Teacher will use any excuse she can to get crafty in her ELA classroom. Teaching rhetorical analysis is no exception. 

Have students create three fans or paddles (think auction-style): one each for ethos, pathos, and logos. Provide fun materials or let students get creative at home. Have students decorate their paddles with the term, definition, and examples. 

Pick out a couple of important speeches, or a handful of commercials to watch together in class. (Tip: watch with closed captions on, or provide a transcript, for improved comprehension.) While watching, direct students to have their paddles at the ready, and to raise the appropriate paddle when they hear an example of ethos, pathos, or logos. If you want, make it into a competition: the first student to raise the correct paddle earns a point. Points can be for fun, or add up to be a bonus on a quiz or assignment.

4. Use Speed Debating to Practice Logos, Ethos, & Pathos

Teaching rhetoric can seem overwhelming at first, but with the right tools, it can be an enjoyable experience for both you and your students. When teaching rhetoric, Samantha from Samantha in Secondary always starts with an overview of the topic and then focuses on ethos, pathos, and logos. She loves using the “heart (pathos), head (logos), cred (ethos)” saying to help students keep them straight. Beginning this lesson usually involves some level of direct instruction and practice activities to reinforce the learning. Show plenty of commercials as well and analyze ethos, logos, and pathos in each. (Another way to review this topic is with a set of review Boom Cards. If you aren’t using Boom Cards in your classroom this year, click here for an overview. Students love these!)

Speed Debating is an incredibly fun activity to practice ethos, pathos, and logos. Begin by creating a set of argumentative prompts. Fold them up and put them in one basket. Fill another with slips of paper that say ethos, pathos, or logos on them. (Make many so there can be multiple rounds.) Students should pick one argumentative prompt for each pair and then one slip of paper from the ethos, logos, or pathos basket per student. The speed debating pair should decide who is taking the affirmative and the negative before beginning. For each round, students should try to convince each other of their arguments using the strategy chosen. Partners can critique each other to make sure they are using the correct strategy. Sometimes it helps to even use a fishbowl method at first and critique a round or two yourself so students can see exactly how the process should work. Set a timer and start practicing! Switch rounds and partners often. By the end of the activity, students will have a better understanding of how to use ethos, pathos, and logos in a real world setting.

5. Teach Students to Stop and S.M.E.L.L.

Liz Taylor from Teach Between the Lines uses her SMELL-y acronym to help teach Rhetorical Analysis to her students. 

S – Sender/Receiver Relationship

M – Message

E – Emotion Strategies 

L – Logical Fallacies

L – Language

The acronym helps her teach arguments, reasoning, and persuasion with ease. With the S in SMELL, or the sender/receiver relationship, it is important to decipher who or what is speaking. The M/Message helps determine the message; E, or Emotion Strategies, associates with Ethos, Pathos, and Logos or the three pillars of persuasion. The first L (Logical Fallacies)  introduces fallacies in arguments, discussing the different  ways that an argument can go south with the use of a misconception or generalization. The final letter, the second L (Language), helps with guiding word choice; ensuring that students know what words are better to use and why. She discussed this in much further detail in her blog post Rhetorical Analysis – a Fun Acronym and 5 Mini Lessons to Get You Started.

6. Let Students Choose a Song to Analyze and Present

One way Kristina from Level Up ELA gets her students engaged and excited about exploring rhetoric is through a rhetorical analysis project centering around student choice.

After students have a firm understanding about the basics of the rhetorical triangle, Kristina asks students to brainstorm a few songs that hold significant meaning to them. She has seen such a drastic improvement of quality work in allowing students to analyze a song that is special to them in place of a random essay or speech they do not feel connected to. She helps them narrow down their top few choices by asking the students what message the artist or lyricist was trying to convey to the listeners. Through this filtering process, students start to identify which song or songs hold enough content to evaluate. 

Then, students evaluate their top two choices by completing a rhetorical triangle and rhetorical precis. This helps them answer the question, “Which song choice has more usable material in it for what I need to do?” This is a great practice for evaluating sources! 

Kristina usually has her students craft and perform a presentation in which students play a clip of the song, present their thesis, and share their analysis of the song. Other ideas could be student papers, posters, presentations via FlipGrid, etc. Not only are students practicing rhetorical skills, but they are also learning more about their peers, too! Score! 

7. Study Rhetoric in TED Talks

Amanda from Amanda Write Now uses TED Talks to teach rhetoric. There are many short talks out there that are perfect for secondary students to watch and then analyze. Many people think of TED Talks as informational, but they are argumentative too! Speakers must be clear, concise, and convince the audience to believe the ideas they are putting forth. Check out this blog post to learn more about how Amanda utilizes TED Talks and other online videos to teach the art of argumentation: How to Teach Argumentative Writing with Video.  

8. Craft a Campaign Speech for a Fictional Character

Marie from The Caffeinated Classroom reinforces what students have learned about the rhetorical triangle by having them reverse-engineer it. Students first choose a fictional character and create a premise where that character is running for local office within the context of their story (i.e. Spongebob is running for Mayor of Bikini Bottom). Next, it is time to craft a campaign platform for their fictional candidate – students identify an issue that the character will base their campaign around, articulate the arguments they can make surrounding that issue, and use the parts of the rhetorical triangle to flesh out the rest of the argument.

By taking the process of analysis and using it as a tool for creation students apply what they have learned and are able to pinpoint areas where their understanding isn’t as full as it needs to be. As an added twist, students can write out and present campaign speeches to the class for listening and speaking skill practice!

9. Argue about Taylor Swift

Betsy, from Spark Creativity, is always looking for a chance to make a complicated ELA strategy relatable and engaging. I mean, who isn’t? So if you’re looking at ethos, pathos, and logos and wondering how to get students revved up about rhetorical strategies invented thousands of years ago, she’s got two words for you: Taylor Swift. 

Taylor Swift’s music videos are nothing if not conversation starters, and considering it has over THREE BILLION VIEWS (at least thirty of which come from my household and involve family dance parties) most of your students have probably already seen “Shake it Off,” her hilarious video about being yourself and following your own path regardless of what others say. 

Now what does this have to do with rhetoric, you ask? Well, once you’ve taught the ethos, pathos, logos triangle, why not have students use these three strategies to craft a short speech that argues either that Taylor’s music video is indeed deserving of its three billion hits because it’s one of the greatest songs of all time, or that xyz video (their own personal favorite) is WAY better than Taylor’s video, and it’s really just the music industry machine driving her success.  

Wish I could be a fly on the wall when your students make their arguments! 

10. Create PSAs using Rhetorical Techniques

“Who can be the helpers in the face of injustice?” is the essential question that guides Krista from @whimsyandrigor in her unit on refugees. Using the excellent middle grade book Refugee by Alan Gratz, she crafts a unit designed to focus on the people who come to the aid of the families fleeing their dangerous homes for a safer place to live so students can begin to see themselves as agents of change with potential to help others.

As a culmination to the unit, the class studies public service announcements (PSAs) and plans their own PSA on refugees (she uses the Scholastic resource found here). As students work to create a short video on a topic they are knowledgeable and passionate about, Krista introduces the concepts of ethos, pathos, and logos as a way to appeal to their audience. Finally, students  show their work to the entire school community to kickoff a fundraising effort. 

By tying together the topic of persuasive techniques and an authentic audience, Krista creates an opportunity for students to demonstrate what they know in a creative and meaningful way. And if that’s not the purpose of teaching and learning, what is?

11. Debate Engaging Topics and Practice with Socratic Seminars

 Jessica Martin from Whimsical Teaching believes that student voice and choice is key in leading students to crafting writing quality rhetoric.  In elementary and middle school, rhetoric techniques need to be carefully organized and even color coded to aid in student understanding. More importantly, the topics for students to dish on must be of high interest to the student and their peers. This can be a challenge when the world of academia subjects clash with high interest multimedia topics that kids enjoy. Practicing with topics of high interest though lays the foundation for the steps needed to create high quality writing. Even adults struggle to debate topics when there is a lack of interest in the topic itself, yet students are expected to write super boring essays about whether the Stamp Act was just in the 1700’s.  In this blog post, Jess explains how she uses the Wit and Wisdom ELA Socratic Seminars to increase student interest in rhetoric and uses them for starting points into argumentative essay writing.  She also offers several launch points for upper elementary and middle school teachers to try this method out in their own classrooms.

12. Analyze Disney Songs

Rhetoric can be one of the most challenging concepts to teach, but it’s one that packs a powerful instructional punch as the layers of skill and complexity can be vertically articulated from the first exposure all the way up to the AP level.  Amanda from Mud and Ink Teaching is a long time teacher of rhetoric at all levels, and if you’re just beginning, she recommends taking a familiar, Disney approach to get things started.

Not only is Disney familiar territory to most students, but there are a huge number of songs that are actually arguments.  Songs provide a way to teach both the rhetorical triangle itself as well as the rhetorical situation.  Think about “Under the Sea”:  it’s Sebastian’s (unsuccessful) plea for Ariel to rethink her satisfaction with life under ‘de water.  Even “Let it Go” is Elsa’s attempt at convincing herself that she’s better off living in an ice castle rather than in town with the regular folks.  Amanda’s  favorite Disney song / argument to teach new rhetoricians is “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast.  For a walk through of Amanda’s lesson and a copy of her materials, check out her blog post here!

Thank you SO much for joining us in this collaborative post. I hope you found some great ideas you can implement in your classroom right away! Until next time,

E

TED Talk Project for AP Language and Composition

Well folks, it’s my last day of summer break. Tomorrow, it’s back to the grind for my *11th* year of teaching. Wow. As always, the end of summer is bittersweet… On the one hand, I’m sad that my time with my kids will be dramatically decreased, and I’m dreading the super early mornings; but, on the other, I’m excited for another school year. I can’t wait to catch up with my students from last year, meet my incoming freshman, and implement some of the ideas/strategies/etc. in my classroom that I’ve been thinking about this summer (more on that coming next week).

Today I’m sharing a project that I’ve done the last couple of years to kick things off in my AP Language and Composition/ English 11 class using TED Talks. My kids are always really engaged in this unit, it isn’t super hard to implement, and it is the perfect way to introduce them to the most basic concepts of rhetoric so that they have a good foundation for the course moving forward…

If you need a good introductory unit for your AP Language and Composition class, I strongly recommend using TED Talks. Here’s what I do:

STEP ONE: On the second(ish) day of school, I show Sir Ken Robinson’s TED Talk “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” If you haven’t watched this yourself, you need to go do it RIGHT NOW. There are SO many great TED talks out there, but I really like this one because its message is so relevant to my students (who have been “schooled” for the last 11 years by this point) – they always have a lot of thoughts about his message and it sparks a good conversation about the way current education is structured, where priorities lie in education, and how they feel they’ve been affected by that system. . I also really like the fact that this a pretty simple, straight-forward speech. There’s nothing fancy about it – just a man standing on a stage – BUT, it’s still one of the most downloaded TED Talks of all time. I have my students think (and talk) about why that is… My students have (hopefully) just finished reading Thank You for Arguing as part of their summer reading at this point, so they should have some good vocabulary to discuss Robinsons’ delivery and persuasive techniques.

Then, after we’ve watched and discussed Robinson’s Talk thoroughly, I share what this has to do with OUR class…

See why I like this so much for the beginning of the year?!? 

If you’re pressed for time, you could definitely stop here, but I go further…

STEP TWO: Next, I ask my students to explore the TED website on their own and select two Talks that interest them to analyze and share with the class. (I have students sign up for the Talks they want to analyze on a Google Doc so that there are no duplicates.) Here are the posting instructions I give…

Analytical Work/Discussion Board Post: 

Students will offer a two-part written summary of and analysis of the persuasive strategies used in the TWO TED Talk videos of their choosing and post a review/analysis on the class discussion board. Your post should have the same title as the Talk so that your classmates can easily find it if they’d like to watch for themselves.  Each discussion board post should include the following —

      • Part One: Simply tell me about this particular TED Talk. What is it about? Why did you pick this Talk? What questions or thoughts did it spark in you? Would you recommend this to someone else? Why or why not? Write respectfully and thoughtfully. Attempt to be “remarkable,” so that visitors will want to choose and remark on your post. Beyond that, write in a way that is meaningful and compelling. You must be sure to include the TED talk title and the speaker’s first and last name in your first sentence. (5-10 sentences total)
      • Part Two: Identify the Rhetorical Situation (SOAPS) for your chosen TED Talk. Then, point out the speaker’s use of rhetorical appeals (logos, ethos, & pathos) as well as any additional persuasive/speaking techniques that you notice. Pay attention to the speaker’s ARRANGEMENT (How is his/her speech organized?), STYLE (things like repetition, humor, etc.), and DELIVERY (volume, pace, movement, visuals, etc.). Ultimately, tell whether the speaker is successful in achieving his/her purpose. (5-10 sentences total)

In addition to posting their own discussion board threads, I also require everyone to choose two posts on which to comment.

*Note* As I mentioned above, my students have some familiarity with these terms from their summer reading assignments, but this part may require some pre-teaching. I’d recommend at least introducing the Rhetorical Situation and SOAPS (subject, occasion, audience, purpose, and speaker) as well as logos, ethos, and pathos before moving on to the individual analysis. This can easily be done with the Ken Robison Talk.

STEP THREE: Finally, students have the opportunity to write their own TED Talk on a topic that matters to them. I intentionally keep the parameters pretty vague by saying that their Talk must be persuasive in nature, at least 2-3 minutes, and demonstrate an understanding of the rhetoric/persuasive techniques we have discussed in class and covered in our summer reading. Typically, I provide several resources from the TED website and elsewhere on “writing a TED Talk” and encourage students to do their own research. Ultimately, since my students are in a speciality program that gives them access to a green screen and editing software, they are required to actually film their talks, add special effects (they almost always add in the official TED background and logo), and upload to a shared class file for everyone to view. I also offer extra credit points for students that go above and beyond with additional graphics, videos, etc. that complement their content. (If you wanted to keep it a little simpler, you could just ask students to present their Talks live in class.)

I do not require students to write their TED Talks in a formal structure or anything like that, but these will become the basis for their first formal argumentative essay in a couple of weeks. (It really helps to show them early on that they really “already know how” to write an argument… Our class will just be about strengthening and tweaking those skills.)

So, there you go! In total, this unit takes about three weeks or 6-8 blocks with some class time devoted to independent work and some work done outside of class. It isn’t “quick” necessarily, but I really love how it sets up the rest of the course and introduces them to all the key components of rhetoric / AP Language and Composition. My students also really enjoy it — it’s one of the units they mention every year on their end-of-year surveys!

If you do something like this, I’d LOVE to hear how it works for you; and, if you have questions about my unit, please leave them in the comments – I promise I’ll come back and answer them asap!

Happy Back-to-School season!

E P.S. Want more beginning-of-the-school-year resources? Here are a few of my favorites — Decoration & Organization for the High School Classroom How to Make a Custom Blackboard Course Banner for Free Missing Work Log My Favorite Tool for Teachers: Remind 101 First Day of School Activity and Meme Power Point to Go Over Syllabus Etc. 20 Things to Know Before Your First Year Teaching High School Class Procedures BINGO Game

The New, Faster Way I’m Grading Essays

Testing… Testing… Is this thing on?!?

I don’t even know what day of the week it is (I’m not kidding), but let’s pretend it’s Tuesday, ok? Teaching Tuesday. Because you teachers deserve a blog post about how to make your life easier… Right?

If you are a teacher and you aren’t looking for a way to make your life easier right now, I’m going to need you to email me. (samandscoutblog@gmail.com) Seriously, send me all your secrets.

For all the rest of you, I’m popping in randomly to tell you about this great (I think?) new thing I’m doing to help me save some time *but still be as effective as possible* when it comes to grading student essays — everyone’s favorite activity!

Are you ready?

Here it is:

I write the class a letter after grading each set of papers.

Before you think I’ve officially lost it, let me explain…

Basically, you know how when you are grading a class set of essays you find yourself writing the SAME BLASTED COMMENTS on every.single.paper!?! (Just me? I didn’t think so.) Well, recently, I’ve quit (mostly) writing “italicize book titles” (seriously though, why is this so hard for them?) or “avoid first and second person in formal essays” ten million times, and just make a little mark – like an I for italicize or circling the word “you” – on the actual essay. THEN, I simply write a letter *to the whole class* that outlines and comments on all the most frequent mistakes. Then, I copy it and distribute it when I return the papers.

Need a visual?

You get the idea?

So far, it has worked really well to go over it point by point with the whole class, then ask students to actually go back through/re-read their own essay and look for places where they, personally, “committed these crimes.” (I tell them to star the points on the letter that specifically apply to their writing for reference/reminder later.) When we are done, they can staple the letter to their paper or just put it in their binder with it and use it as a reminder of what NOT to do on their next assignment.

Logistically, I’ve been able to implement this really easily. Most of the time, the key “areas for concern” are pretty easy to pick out as I’m grading, but I also keep a little post-it note with me to make notes/ jot down examples as I go. Then, right when I finish, while it is all still fresh in my mind, I write my letter and print/post it.

Of course this doesn’t fully take the place of marking on students’ papers — I still use a rubric to score each essay and make some marginal comments etc., but I really do think it cuts down on the amount of time it takes me to score each individual paper since I’m not writing the same little reminder over and over (and over and over) again.

I also really think this makes the experience of writing a paper (and getting it back) much more meaningful for my students. (Is it bad if I say that’s second to saving me time right now?) I had been noticing recently that when I returned a paper they immediately flipped to the back to see their grade and then barely glanced at my comments – super frustrating when I’d just given up HOURS of my life to write said comments. Then, to make matters even worse, they were making the same mistakes on every single assignment. Now, I can point them back to this letter as a sort of “checklist” before they turn in their next assignment.

It’s a win win.

I hope it helps someone out there today — goodness knows we need all the help we can get this time of year! 😉

If you do something similar to this, I’d love to hear about it? Or, if you give this a shot, let me know how it goes!

In the meantime, stay strong sister!

XOXO,

E

10 Unbiased Ways To Use the Election in the AP Language Classroom

As an AP Language and Composition teacher, it’s hard to pass up an opportunity like a Presidential election when it comes to talking about rhetoric, persuasion, and argument. However, this election – maybe more so than in other years – is a tough one to present without personal and/or media bias… I REALLY value respect and open-mindedness in my classroom, so I considered avoiding discussion of the election; but, in the end, I decided that was doing my students a major injustice. After all, one of my goals for the course is for them to become educated consumer and citizens – and what better chance to teach that?!?  Instead, I laid out some ground rules early on about how we would discuss the election/candidates, threatened to “shut it down” if we couldn’t handle it like mature, intelligent, and kind adults (well, teenagers, but you know what I mean), and have made a valiant effort to present both sides of every story any time the election is referenced in our class.

From the beginning, I made sure my students knew that my intention was present each candidate fairly and objectively. I told them that I would not be sharing my own political viewpoint – that if they felt “confused” by where I stand, I’d done my job effectively – and encouraged them to do the same. I reminded them that the focus of our class was on RHETORIC – that is, the techniques and strategies that are used in persuasion, NOT necessarily the issues. And, finally, I made it clear that personal/character attacks – of either candidate, political party, or each other – would not be tolerated.

With each of the activities I’ve used in class (and presented below), I’ve chosen examples representing each candidate/party. Whenever possible, I’ve used materials provided by the candidate (or his/her foundation) itself to avoid inadvertent media bias. And, I’ve stayed away from news outlets and organizations with a known reputation for a having a particular political slant (at least as much as possible).

So far so good. My students have blown me away with their knowledge and enthusiasm about the election. Our class discussions have been dynamic, intelligent, and respectful. They are learning elements of rhetoric (in particular, the rhetorical situation and appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos) in a way that feels very relevant and timely in their lives. And, to be honest, we’re all (myself included) having fun with it.

Since it’s working out so nicely for us, I thought I’d share some of my ideas so that you can adapt and apply them in your classroom over the next month… (That’s right folks, election day is one month from tomorrow!)

election-banner

1. Have students record appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos from each candidate as they watch the Presidential debates. My students simply kept a three column list as they watched, and we discussed with video clips and a full transcript (I used this one, from NPR) the next morning in class. (The next debate is this Sunday, 10/9.)

2. Have students analyze each candidate’s website. Using this chart, I had students examine each website’s use of color, photos, logos, and slogans, as well as the appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos.  I split my class in two and had half look at Clinton’s and half look at Trump’s. Then, each group shared, and we had a whole class discussion about their similarities and differences, why each candidate likely made the decisions he/she did about the website, and which was more effective and why.

3. Have students watch and analyze video ads for each candidate again identifying the rhetorical situation (audience, occasion, purpose, etc.) and identifying use of rhetorical appeals and other techniques (think tropes and schemes). *This website had the best compilation of all the ads that I could find.

4. Have students look at, analyze, and (if you want) make their own print ads for each candidate. *Ideally, try to get your hands on hard copies of these (you haven’t been getting political “literature” in your mailbox or on your windshield lately, have you?!?).

5. Start classes with a political cartoon on the ActivBoard. Have students identify the rhetorical situation + use of rhetorical appeals and techniques, then discuss the overall impact of the cartoon. Discuss where it was published and what the underlying message is. (Just be careful to choose cartoons from both sides of the fence.) *US News has a good database of cartoons to start with.

6. Read, analyze, and discuss Op-Ed articles on the election.

7. Read (or, better yet, watch), analyze, and discuss speeches from both candidates.

8. Examine two (or more) different news outlets’ take on the same “event” and identify/discuss media bias.

9. Teach a mini-lesson on satire using SNL’s skit from Saturday night and/or an article from The Onion – just make sure you read and censor first! (You might follow up with a unit on A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift if you want to extend this, OR use the 2005 released AP analysis prompt as a practice timed writing.)

10. Invent a new candidate. This would be a bigger project; but, if you have the time, divide students into groups and have them create their “ideal” candidate. Groups could create a logo/slogan, make a campaign poster/bumper sticker, write a speech, compete in a debate. This would be a great way to have students apply and practice the rhetorical strategies you have studied in the above activities.

There ya go! If you’ve done any of these or have other ideas, I’d love to know how it’s gone for you. Please leave a comment (or email me for more details).

God Bless America ;),

E

How Do You Teach Grammar?

I’m enjoying my second snow day today (and hoping for at least one more after this – we got about 10 inches of snow and the temperatures are supposed to be COLD all week), but I’ve got teaching on the mind. Specifically, I’m wondering… How do you teach grammar?

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Every year around this time, as we approach our end-of-course writing assessment date in early March, I start to panic about grammar and beat myself up over not covering it more.  The truth is, grammar instruction is probably my weakest area as a teacher… I, obviously, value correct grammar in speaking and writing; however, I tend to fall more on the side of “we learn grammar best through regular reading” and am not a big fan of traditional grammar lessons.  I can get on board with lessons on where to place a comma or even a colon or semi-colon and certainly “commonly confused words” (think you’re vs. your); but, even with a master’s degree in English, I have never in my adult life needed to use the term “gerund” or “participial phrase.”  Honestly, teaching those things feels like a waste of valuable class time. (I realize I’m horrifying some of you right now.)

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Of course, the state tests don’t necessarily agree with me.  According to some of our pre-tests, they want students to not only know these terms, but also be able to pick them out of or add them to a sentence. This is in addition to being able to edit for correct spelling, punctuation, usage, etc. etc. etc.

On top of all that, I feel like grammar is one of those areas that kids let just go in one ear and out the other (or – worse – memorize for a test and then completely forget it).  I teach the same kids for ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade and still feel like I have to start at the very beginning of grammar (with topics like parts of speech, phrases, and clauses) every single year.

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It’s probably too late for this year, but I’m already thinking about how I can improve this area of my teaching-game for the future. I’d like to find some kind of grammar “curriculum” that starts with the basics and moves steadily into more complicated grammatical concepts that will a.) engage students, b.) not take up too much class time, and c.) be simple enough that students will remember it, but dynamic enough that they aren’t just memorizing for quizzes but actually APPLYING what they learn to their writing.  Anyone have any ideas?!?

 

How do you structure your grammar units?

How much time do you devote to grammar in your classroom?

How do you make it applicable and useful for students while still meeting the requirements of standardized tests, etc.?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!!! Have a great day!

E