Lesson One:

Rhetorical Techniques & Logical Fallacies

Summary Persuasion is a tricky art, built on the use of logic and rhetorical techniques. To best understand what devices are being employed to persuade the listener of a point, we must understand rhetorical techniques and logical fallacies. This lesson ought to built an understanding of the formal properties of logical fallacies and rhetorical techniques, so that these strategies can be identied, understood, and, indeed, employed. Students will produce a project on persuasion either a brochure or a persuasive argument that employs several techniques in order to demonstrate that they have achieved a level of comfort with rhetoric. This lesson should set up the following two lessons of the unit: by understanding rhetorical techniques and fallacies as implemented in both advertising and ction (lessons two and three), students should be able to apply this understanding broadly. Students should come away from this unit with a good grasp on rhetorical strategies, and should be able to both identify and employ those strategies. Logical fallacies should also be understood, as this sets the grounds for how to construct solid persuasive arguments, and students ought to develop a skill set that allows them to avoid falling prey to poor persuasive arguments that rely on poor evidence. SCOs: 1.3 (address complex issues based on evidence and either revise or defend their position based on divergent views); 2.2 (effectively adapt language and delivery for a variety of audiences and situations); 3.2 (discuss and experiment with some language techniques in formal structures to inuence and persuade audiences); 3.3 (adapt language and communication style to audience, purpose, and situation); 4.2 (view a wide variety of media and visual texts, focusing on the structure, genre, style, and cultural diversity); 4.4 (demonstrate an understanding of and apply the strategies required to gain information from complex texts); 4.5 (articulate their understanding of the authors purpose in relation to the impact of literary devices and media techniques); 7.3 (examine the relationships of language, topic, purpose, context, and audience); 7.7 (explore ways texts reveal and produce ideologies, identities, and positions); 9.1 (construct increasingly complex texts using various forms to serve their purposes); 9.2 (create coherent structures in writing and media production); 10.2 (demonstrate control of the conventions of written language in nal products)

Objectives

Outcomes Met

Materials

Paper, magazines, glue, markers, crayons crafting supplies for the brochure. Students ought to have hand-outs on logical fallacies, and notes on rhetorical techniques. Photocopy sheets on logical fallacies/advertising techniques for distribution. Bring in books and resources that detail rhetorical techniques/ fallacies, so that students can access these resources if theyre interested. Go over logical fallacies and rhetorical techniques. Think of contemporary examples. Prepare presentation on logical fallacies/rhetoric. Prepare worksheets for students. Prepare assignment hand-outs and gather materials. Prepare three hand-outs to be distributed (rhetorical devices, logical fallacies, and media literacy)

Pre-Work

Plan Warm-Up 1. Mini-lecture: Give a short (10 minutes) lecture on logical (1-1 classes) fallacies, with plenty of examples. Dene and discuss rhetoric and rhetorical techniques. Students can offer examples. (Prezi is a possibility for a presentation method should be fun!) 2. Distribute a word list of common vocabulary/advertising techniques. The class should be divided into groups for group work throughout this lesson. 3. Collectively, work out what we associate with the words persuasion, logic, and propaganda. Have students split into groups (ideally, two for each term) and use a think, pair, share strategy to mix it up between groups. Once students feel comfortable with what theyve produced, work on the terms as a class. 4. Prepare an exercise in identifying advertising techniques/logical fallacies in passages of text and advertisements. Hand these out and have groups work on them. (At some point, you may want to discuss the terms on the hand-out The Common Language of Media Literacy from MediaSmarts this depends on where the particular class is in terms of media literacy, what kind of background theyve had previously You may wish to distribute a vocabulary test to determine general knowledge before this class in order to determine where you ought to begin.)

Main Act 1. Each day should begin with a mini-lecture on one of the terms (3 classes) discussed in the introductory class (persuasion, logic, propaganda). These lectures ought to go more in-depth and link the terms with other ideas: for example, propaganda links nicely with how rhetoric can be used to subtly promote hate. See MediaSmarts lesson Online Propaganda and the Proliferation of Hate. 2. On day one, re-cap the previous day (the introduction): have a couple examples of rhetorical techniques/logical fallacies ready, and students can practice naming them. Encourage students to bring in examples of persuasive techniques being employed in every day cultural products for discussion at the beginning of each class. 3. Introduce the assessment activities. Have students indicate whether they would rather do the brochure or verbal argument, then distribute assignment sheets. 4. After review/lecture, students will have time to work on their projects. Conclusion 1. Review of techniques/approaches, how students understanding has (1 class) shifted. Revisit the terms persuasion, logic, and propaganda: how do we feel about them now? 2. There should be time in the class for students to share what they have produced in small groups. Students can go over their brochures with their group mates, or present their verbal arguments to their peers. Peer assessment would be a fantastic tool to use, if time is available. 3. All class materials produced (particularly brochures) should be displayed afterwards maybe put together a display called Persuasion: Information for the Vulnerable, or something a little campy/silly. Assessment Assignment for the end of the week: 1. Design and write a brochure on persuasion. This ought to include information about different persuasive techniques, two logical fallacies, and a few images. 2. Take a stance on an issue and write a persuasive argument for verbal performance. This argument should employ three to ve rhetorical techniques, and at least one logical fallacy. Remember: a logical fallacy does not make an argument invalid; it invalidates that approach. Differentiated outcomes on the assessment (audience to whom the student is writing). Students who nish their projects during class time will have the option of getting started on their next project (an advertising campaign) or they will be given materials that deepen their understanding of logical fallacies/rhetoric, depending on interest. They could get started on Jib Fowless Advertisings Fifteen Basic Appeals.

Adaptations Extensions

Research

Boles, Derek. The Language of Media Literacy: A Glossary. MediaSmarts. Richardson, Jesse. Thou Shalt Not Commit Logical Fallacies. yourlogicalfallacyis.com [also a great interactive website students can click on logical fallacies and they will be explained with examples] Gagnon, Jeff. Online Propaganda and the Proliferation of Hate. MediaSmarts. Ohio Department of Education. Rhetorical Devices Grade 11. Ohio Department of Education website. Wickham, Lori Brandt. Bright Ideas Lesson Plans: Rhetorical Devices. The Daytona Beach News Journal: Newspapers in Education. 1. Hand-out on rhetorical devices. 2. Hand-out on media literacy. 3. Hand-out on logical fallacies.

Readings

Lesson Two:
Rhetoric in Advertisements/Commercial Culture
Summary Advertisements are, obviously, very prevalent in our world whether on billboards, on television, the radio, the internet, sneakers, t-shirts This isnt necessarily a bad thing in and of itself, so far as individuals are aware of the techniques advertisers employs in order to make sales, and how these techniques manipulate the audience. Understanding the mechanisms that advertisers use will make consumers more thoughtful; it ought to be an empowering shift in thinking. At the end of this lesson, the student should be able to translate the skills learned in the previous unit about persuasion to advertisements both in pictures, in print, and in video. Students should be able to recognize techniques employed by advertisers and to critically evaluate these techniques, so that they are not persuaded without good critical thought rst. SCOs: 1.2 (ask discerning questions to explore ideas for information); 1.3 (address complex issues based on evidence and either revise or defend their position based on divergent views); 1.3 (listen critically to evaluate others ideas based on their understanding and experiences, and identify ambiguities and unsubstantiated statements); 2.2 (effectively adapt language and delivery for a variety of audiences and situations); 2.4 (critically evaluate others use of language and apply this knowledge to improve their language); 3.2 (discuss and experiment with some language techniques in formal structures to inuence and persuade audiences); 3.3 (adapt language and communication style to audience, purpose, and situation); 4.1-4.5; 6.2 (make connections between the ideas and information presented in texts and their own experiences); 7.3 (examine the relationships of language, topic, purpose, context, and audience); 7.6 (respond critically to complex texts); 7.7 (explore ways texts reveal and produce ideologies, identities, and positions); 8.3 (make informed choices of language and techniques to enhance imaginative writing and other ways of representing); 9.2 (create coherent structures in writing and media production: make informed choices of form, style, and content for audiences and purposes; use effective strategies to engage the reader or viewer); 9.3 (use audience feedback in the process of writing and multimedia projects to improve the effectiveness); 10.2 (demonstrate control of the conventions of written language in nal products); 10.3 make informed choices about the use of technology to serve their communication purposes )

Objectives

Outcomes Met

Materials

Magazines, paper, scissors, glue, access to computers/technology. Students should have access to all the materials necessary to create their advertising campaigns. Photocopy a list of advertisings common appeals (Jib Fowles) for distribution. Queue up some advertising campaigns (YouTube) that are contemporary so that students can collaboratively analyze what techniques are at work. Prepare ads for initial presentation. Ensure students have access to numerous magazines for their group work. Photocopy hand-outs on advertising to kids/advertising techniques (Tallim). Prepare presentation on advertising.

Pre-Work

Plan Warm-Up 1. Review the previous weeks work. Have students, in groups that (2 classes) differ from last weeks, list the questions they think they ought to be able to answer about persuasion (group passing brainstorming technique). Review these questions/answers as a way of connecting last weeks lesson to this weeks. 2. Show a series of advertisements some video, some online, some images and ask students to determine what techniques they think are at work (one-two per group). Use the think, pair, share method. Review as a class. 3. Distribute Jib Fowless Advertisings Fifteen Basic Appeals. Each group is assigned a cluster of appeals. Using a stack of magazines or, if possible, computer access, have students nd examples of each technique. These will then be shared with the class as a whole. 4. Distribute hand-outs (Tallim) on advertising on television vs. online, and on common advertising techniques employed when advertising to children. 5. Info-dump: Lecture on advertising, how the advertising industry works, how standards have changed. Discuss disposable income, techniques previously examined and how they manifest differently across different forms of media.

Main Act 1. (First class) Assign this weeks project (advertising campaign) and (2 classes) give students 5-10 minutes to come up with a product/service theyll be advertising. List these and ensure there isnt much overlap. 2. Students should have the majority of class time to work on these projects. Ideally, in each class, groups will come and meet with you to receive feedback. 3. Students should meet with other groups at the start of the second day and receive peer feedback. Advertising campaigns should be adjusted accordingly (peer review/critique worksheets to be handed in with nal projects). Conclusion 1. Presentation of advertisements to the class. After each presentation, (1 class) the class will discuss what techniques the group used and if the advertisements are effective. Final peer review sheets to be completed. This should assess if students have understood how to analyze advertising as well as if they can create advertisements. 2. Depending on number of groups/depth of presentations, there may be additional time. If so, have students begin to formulate what they would consider good test questions for future assessment. Assessment Students will, in groups of three to four, create an advertising campaign that comprises two advertisements (collaged, drawn, radio ads, video ads, web ads, etc.), which will use at least two appeals/rhetorical techniques each. The advertisements can be for a company that already exists, or a company they make up they can be silly (adverts for zombie survival gear!) or not silly (fundraising ads for charity). These campaigns, once completed, will be shared with the class at the end of the week and, together, we will analyze how each campaign functions, if it is effective (persuasive), and what the viewer might think or feel after encountering the advertisements. Students will be able to choose the level of their campaign is it aimed at children? at university students? at middle-aged adults? at seniors? This should build in enough room for differentiated outcomes. Students who have difculty working with others could create one advertisement on their own; students who have difculty writing could create a visual ad. If nal class concludes early, students can begin composing assessment questions (what they feel their peers ought to know) for an eventual test/review sheet. Students who nish their advertising campaigns well ahead of time will be encouraged to extend their campaign for bonus points: consider a new target audience and how you could adapt your campaign.

Adaptations

Extensions

Research

Fowles, Jib. Advertisings Fifteen Basic Appeals. Reading Popular Culture. Eds. Michael Petracca and Madeleine Sorapure. Penguin Academics, 2011. Tallim, Jane. Online Marketing to Kids: Strategies and Techniques. Mediasmarts. 1. Jib Fowless hand-out. 2. Hand-out on television vs. online advertising (Tallim). 3. Hand-out on advertising techniques (Tallim).

Readings

Lesson Three:
Zombies and Veracity
Summary Zombies are a popular culture phenomenon. In addition to being encoded with fascinating values (see Kyle Bishop article), a subset of zombie literature has taken off: the survival guide, accompanied by real world accounts of World War Z. Max Brooks is extremely successful in creating a sense of reality in his survival guide: by analyzing how he does this, and working to creating their own survival guide, students can engage with exciting subject material and employ rhetorical techniques and strategies that evoke a sense of truthfulness and authority. Students should be able to understand what makes information seem true, what techniques can be employed to make an account seem like it really happened, and how to make a persuasive argument. This will empower students to better voice their own opinions and understand the mechanisms behind the presentation of knowledge. Ideally, students will also begin to grasp that the ofcial story the hegemonic vision of reality may be encoded with techniques to make it seem more truthful or accurate than it actually is. While zombies may seem a silly way to get at hegemony and ideology, this lesson should begin the process of recognizing how truth is often made to seem truthful. 1.3 (listen critically to evaluate others ideas based on their understanding and experiences, and identify ambiguities and unsubstantiated statements); 2.2 (effectively adapt language and delivery for a variety of audiences and situations); 2.4 (critically evaluate others use of language and apply this knowledge to improve their language); 3.2 (discuss and experiment with some language techniques in formal structures to inuence and persuade audiences); 3.3 (adapt language and communication style to audience, purpose, and situation); 4.5 (articulate their understanding of the authors purpose in relation to the impact of literary devices and media techniques); 7.3 (examine the relationships of language, topic, purpose, context, and audience); 7.6 (respond critically to complex texts); 7.7 (explore ways texts reveal and produce ideologies, identities, and positions); 8.3 (make informed choices of language and techniques to enhance imaginative writing and other ways of representing); 9.3 (use audience feedback in the process of writing and multimedia projects to improve the effectiveness); 10.2 (demonstrate control of the conventions of written language in nal products)

Objectives

Outcomes Met

Materials

Copies of Max Brookss Zombie Survival Guide, other survival guides. History books may also be useful. All of these should demonstrate what devices work together to create a sense of veracity dates/ places, appeals to authority, overloading of detail, etc. Prepare (photocopy or put in a presentation) sample accounts from the book. Ensure there are enough copies of the Zombie Survival Guide for help when students are creating their account. Find and bring history textbooks, survival guides, how-to guides (how to farm might be a good one, because that tends to come with a clear ideological stance on food production/lifestyle). Photocopy Kyle Bishops essay for distribution. Prepare peer-editing/peer-review worksheets. Make peer evaluation sheets for nal projects.

Pre-Work

Plan Warm-Up 1. Introduce the idea of ideology. First, brainstorm what we associate (1-1 classes) with the term ideology. Think about political ideology as a grounding point for the real world. How does ideology relate to propaganda? 2. Info-dump: Introduce concepts of ideology and hegemony, how certain ways of seeing the world are encoded into cultural products. Review media terms if necessary so students understand what we mean by different cultural products/media. 3. What do we nd so compelling about zombies? Brainstorm rst, and then distribute Kyle Bishops essay. Do we agree? Do we think some points are valid and others arent? 4. Review/construct list of types of common rhetorical devices how do we make things seem truthful? What types of documents are we likely to take at face value? Are they ever wrong? Could things that spin themselves as factual actually be encoded with ideology? the point here is to help students realize that everything comes with ideological baggage (ideology =/= bad), and that to learn to become good critical thinkers and good citizens of the world, we must be able to pick apart texts to see whats going on beneath the surface. Think of an iceberg.

Main Act 1. Each class should begin with an analysis of a section of the zombie (3 classes) survival guide, and students should collaboratively, as a class, determine what devices are at work. 2. Class should then build on what theyve done throughout the unit to, in groups, begin developing their own survival guide. 3. The last 15-20 minutes of each class will consist of a peer-editing/ peer-review process, during which groups split up to make workshopping groups comprised of a member from each group. These groups discuss and review what theyve done and take suggestions. Distribute worksheets to help with the editing/revision process. Conclusion 1. This is survival day encourage students to come to class as if (1 class) theyre on the cusp of a zombie apocalypse and they need to get the real information. Distribute peer evaluation sheets for nal product. (Possibly distribute tokens for the students to give to the two most persuasive presentations after theyve seen them all). 2. Set up the class as a kind of survive the apocalypse fair. One group member will stay by the project and explain it to the other students, then will be spelled off by their peers. Explain that students cannot vote for their own group. After all projects have been reviewed (notes taken, peer evaluations completed), tokens are distributed and two groups come away with some sort of prize. 3. Review why those projects won/were most persuasive. This should be a fun and relaxing class, a celebration of all the great work that weve completed this unit. Assessment Students will create their own Zombie Survival Guide: School Edition. They will choose a section to write about from a list (i.e.: escape plans; how to ght zombies off in school; accounts of school zombie encounters; places to hide, etc., etc.). Each account must be accompanied by an explanation of why their writing is persuasive, analyzing the techniques at work in the guide we create as a whole (level of detail, serious tone, etc.), and in their own piece. The guide will be compiled at the end of the week in a digital format and shared with the students we may even, if theres time, make a website. ** Think about several different guides students could get in groups to create their own guides on a topic theyd like (ghosts; unicorns; aliens; leprechauns; anything that is beyond the realm of the everyday and can be turned into a piece of literature that will seem real) (show John Winchesters journal as an example of something that looks home-made but real) Adaptations Students should be able to model their account off the other accounts quite closely: students with difculty writing could create several short pieces of information accompanied with illustrations or photographs.

Extensions

Students who nish early will be encouraged to extend their project to make it seem even more real. Encourage crafting making the most convincing-seeming book. Bishop, Kyle. Dead Man Still Walking: Explaining the Zombie Renaissance. Reading Popular Culture. Eds. Michael Petracca and Madeleine Sorapure. Penguin Academics, 2011. 1. Kyle Bishops essay. 2. Samples of true-seeming texts. 3. Sections of the Zombie Survival Guide.

Research

Readings