• Inquiry Standard SS.9-12.4.2: Present arguments and explanations that reach a range of audiences using print and oral technologies (e.g., posters, essays, letters, debates, speeches, reports, maps) and digital technologies (e.g., Internet, social media, digital documentary).
• Inquiry Standard SS.9-12.5.1: Identify local, regional and/or global problems or issues by using interdisciplinary lenses.
• Inquiry Standard SS.9-12.5.3: Apply a range of deliberative strategies and procedures to make decisions and propose feasible solutions to address local, regional, and/or global concerns.

Hawai’i Core Standards in Social Studies

1. SS.PID.5.7.1 Plan and demonstrate some ways in which an active citizen can effect change in the community, state, nation, or world.

Common Core ELA Standards:

1. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.6: Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose.
2. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.9: Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance (e.g., Washington’s Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms speech, King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”), including how they address related themes and concepts.
3. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.1.d: Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
4. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.2.d: Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic.
5. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
6. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.10: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.
7. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1: Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
8. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.3: Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
9. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.1.a: Use parallel structure.
10. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.5.a: Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.

Nā Hopena Aʻo Cards

1. Sense of Excellence: Know and apply the unique gifts and abilities to a purpose, take initiative without being asked, explore many areas of interests and initiate new ideas, utilize creativity and imagination to problem-solve and innovate, see failure and opportunity to learn well, assess and make improvements to produce quality work
2. Sense of Responsibility: See self and others as active participants in the learning process, question ideas and listen generously, make good decisions with moral courage and integrity in every action, reflect on the quality and relevancy of the learning

Compelling Question

• What makes a written or spoken piece of writing persuasive?

Supporting Questions

• How can I use my own writing to persuade an audience on a given topic?
• How do politicians utilize persuasive language effectively? How does this language contribute to their overall message/ intention?

Overview

Throughout this unit, students will learn about the rhetorical triangle and explore a variety of literary devices that contribute to rhetoric. Students will apply their knowledge of said strategies by examining several different sources that include rhetorical devices and then writing their own persuasive pieces that utilize the rhetorical triangle and literary strategies.

Final Product

Students will write a persuasive letter to a local politician of their choice utilizing the rhetorical triangle and literary devices to persuade their audience of a topic of the student’s choosing.

Technology

• A method to project slides in the front of the room
• Students will need a computer, iPad, or some other device to write their letters
• Printer to print out MLK “I Have a Dream” speech and student letters for peer sharing

Teaching Pro Tips

• Be active and dynamic during presentation of the rhetorical triangle and literary devices.
• Try to include additional examples when you present the literary devices; use your students’ names and individual things that you know about them– this helps create rapport/relationships with students and can be very funny and engaging.
• Slow down as needed. This lesson can easily be extended to two or three additional days. The pacing below is quite quick, so extend into more days as needed, or cut out certain activities if you don’t have time to complete the entire unit.
• Create lots of space for class discussion and dialogue. Stop as necessary to add additional moments of discussion.

1. Start with an introduction to the concept of the rhetorical triangle.
2. You will use slidedeck, slides 1-9.
   1. This includes videos, graphics and an in-depth dive into logos, ethos, pathos and kairos.
   2. Slide two gives a basic overview of the rhetorical triangle. I suggest starting the lesson by asking students what they already know about rhetoric and/or any of these words. Start with a quick conversation to gauge what they might already know. Then jump into slides 3-8, which give a much more in-depth description of each section of the rhetorical triangle.
   3. Teaching tip: Feel free to include other commercials beyond those that are listed on slide nine. The ones that are linked on the slide work well and should be engaging/interesting, but there may be commercials that are more recent that could be great, especially when examining Kairos. For example, consider looking at current Super Bowl commercials.

1. Introduction to literary devices that aid in the art of persuasion.
2. You will use this slidedeck, slides 10-15.
   1. This includes the creation of a word bank that will be later hung around your classroom as well as a short discussion.
   2. Materials needed: You will need either notecards or pieces of scrap paper for students to write on for the activity on slide 15, as well as pens/pencils. You will also need string to hang the word bank in the classroom. At the end of the activity, you can either have students hang the cards around the classroom to make the activity more interactive, or you may hang the cards on your own, at a later time.

**Note: This following will likely take two full class periods, but it could possibly run into a third class period. Teaching tip: if you need to shorten this section, consider taking out one of the activities on slides 16-17 or not showing the optional videos listed below.

1. Finish the activity on slide 15 if it was not completed in the previous class period. Briefly review all terms/cards with students, particularly the “purpose” section of each card. You may choose to have each student stand and share their card aloud.
2. You will use this slidedeck, slides 16-17.
   1. The first activity is a listening/discussion assignment regarding Ronald Reagan’s “Space Shuttle Challenger” speech – there is a brief background on this speech included on the slidedeck; feel free to add additional information regarding this speech and the incident as you see fit.
   2. If you have time, consider showing one or both of the below videos, which give more information on Hawaiʻi astronaut, Ellison Onizuka, who was aboard the space shuttle when it exploded. Both of these are excellent videos, and you could even potentially ask students to listen for literary or rhetorical strategies within the videos (although the strategies are not quite as prevalent as in the other videos included in this unit plan).
      1. Big Island YouTube video – this video is a bit longer, but I really like it because it is much more Hawaiʻi focused and you really get a sense of how Hawaiʻi shaped Onizuka.
      2. “Meet NG-16” YouTube video – this one is much shorter and gives a good overview of Onizuka and his career, but it is not Hawaiʻi focused, so I prefer the first video.
   3. The second activity is an annotation activity on MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech (directions on slide 17). If time permits, consider showing this YouTube video of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech before or after completing the annotations.
   4. Materials needed: Print out copies of the “I Have a Dream” speech for all students ahead of time for the annotation activity.

1. Students will be introduced to their summative assessment on this unit: persuasive letter writing challenge.
2. You will use this slidedeck, slide 18.
   1. Read through the full guidelines of the assignment with the students. I suggest asking students to take turns reading out loud.
   2. Review the letter writing format links, which are included in the assignment directions. Project these links in front of the class for students. Point out differences between a standard letter writing format and other types of writing that they might be more familiar with (for example, writing an MLA formatted essay).
   3. Students will then begin working on their letter.

1. Persuasive letter peer sharing day.
2. You will use this slidedeck, slide 19.
   1. Students will complete the peer sharing activity – read through the directions out loud with the students so that they understand the format of the peer sharing.
   2. Create student pairs (or allow student choice, depending on your preference).
   3. Students will complete the activity while you circulate the room, offering feedback as you see fit.
   4. The peer sharing will take the majority of the class period. If they finish early, they may begin their revisions based on the peer feedback they received.

1. Letter revision day.
2. You will use this slidedeck, slide 20.
   1. Read through the directions out loud with the students.
   2. They will then begin revising their letters based off of the criteria on the slide.
   3. Teaching tip: this would be a great day to add in optional individual conferencing with students. As they are revising their letters, you can ask them to sign up for a conference with you to receive additional feedback. They may do this by informally writing their names on the board in class and then you will move through the list on the board for the duration of the class period.