Rhetorical Appeals

Introduction

Rhetorical Appeals are used to persuade an audience to feel some kind of way. For example, Ethos is used to persuade the audience to trust the author's credibility. Logos is used to persuade the audience's logic. Pathos is used to persuade the audience's emotions. 

Task

Students will be able to identify rhetorical devices (logos, ethos, and pathos.) The students will be able to identify rhetorical devices in passages, speeches, and video formats.

Process
 

  1. The teacher will gain the attention of the students and have them look at the board. After the students are looking at the board, the teacher will tell the students to focus on how they feel during the videos that are able to play. Then the teacher will start the videos on the first slide in the powerpoint. 

  2. After the videos play the teacher will then ask the students to explain to the whole group how the videos made them feel. This will set up the purpose of the three rhetorical appeals being taught. 

  3. The videos are popular ads that many of the students have seen in the past so this will link background knowledge to the current lesson. 

Step one: The teacher will then show the powerpoint and teach the students what Rhetorical Appeals are and how they can be used in literature. 

  • Slide one: Title Slide

  • Slide two: Logos 

  • The teacher will explain the definition.

  • The teacher will give an example of a Logos Appeal. (The parent tells their child that they can not eat all of their Halloween candy in one night because it will make them sick. This is an example of a logos appeal because the parent uses logic to make their case to the child.) 

  • The teacher will then give the students an example in literature using the expect from To Kill a Mockingbird. 

  • The teacher will go through the passage and show the students where the appeal is and how the author used it in the text. 

  • Slide four: Ethos 

  • The teacher will explain the definition. 

  • The teacher will give an example of an Ethos Appeal. (The author of the book Winning Balance: What I’ve Learned about Love, Faith, and Living your Dreams, is an olympic gold medalist. This example gives the author credibility.)

  • The teacher will then give the students an example within literature and explain how the passage is an example of an Ethos Appeal. 

  • Slide six: Pathos 

  • The teacher will explain the definition. 

  • The teacher will give an example of a Pathos Appeal. (My poor sweet basset hound is a sweet little baby. Like look at her eyes!! They are the sweetest. She is the best dog!) 

  • The teacher will then give the students examples within the literature and explain how the passages are an example of Pathos. 

Step two: As a class, the teacher will go through the I Have a Dream speech to give the students more examples of how rhetorical appeals are used. The teacher will use the designed colors and highlight the words that the students tell her. The whole class will talk about the highlighted sections and determine if the section is highlighted the right color or should even be highlighted. 

 
Evaluation

  1. The teacher will assess the students on their knowledge of the lesson using the Ethos, Logos, & Pathos worksheet. 

  2. The teacher will observe the discussion of the groups while they are coming up with the answers. 

  3. Once everyone is finished, the class will then go to the whole group to discuss their different answers and explain their answers. 

  4. After the lesson the students will be able to identify rhetorical devices (logos, ethos, and pathos.)

Conclusion

  • The teacher will redefine the new vocabulary: Ethos, Logos, & Pathos. 

  • The teacher will ask two of the higher order questions to be able to connect the lesson to actual life. 

  •  How could you apply rhetorical appeals to everyday life? 

  • Could you try to use a rhetorical appeal when you are writing an argument essay?

Credits

https://www.liveworksheets.com/ss1945610bj 

Teacher Page

ELA.9.R.2.3 

 

Clarification 2: Students will explain the appropriateness of appeals in achieving a purpose. In this grade level, students are using and responsible for the appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos.