Associated Lesson Plan

Core Skill: Rhetorical Appeals the proper use of Logos, Pathos, and
Ethos
logos: the rhetor attempts to persuade the audience by use of
arguments that will perceive as logical
pathos: the rhetor attempts to persuade the audience by making
them feel certain emotions
ethos: the rhetor is perceived by the audience as credible (or not)
Through this mini-lesson I would emphasize CCSS.ELA.LITERACY.L.910.3 requiring students to apply knowledge of language to understand
how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices
for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or
listening.
Rationale (why do students need to know this?): Students will
encounter rhetoric all day, every day. Almost every time a person holds a
discussion (or says nothing at all) they are using rhetoric to justify why
the listener should be listening to what they have to say. In order for
students to differentiate how others are trying to persuade even through
normal conversation, they must first understand the devices rhetoric
utilizes.
Relationship to unit EQ and how it will be made clear to students: The essential question
for this unit is: How do our personal backgrounds contribute to the unique way we perceive
the world around us? This lesson will relate to the essential question of the unit by teaching
students how appeals can and will influence their perspectives of the world. This will allow
them the tools for identifying and utilizing the rhetorical appeals in their everyday lives.
Student context (grade and type of school or class): 9th Grade
Duration: 2-3 days depending on the production of the movie. NOTE:
The Inquiry-Based Lesson will be the summative assessment for this
lesson.
Lesson Context: I would teach this lesson as a scaffold into the final
summative assessment of my poetry unit. Currently, I have this planned
for day seven out of the fifteen-day unit.
Title and author of any specific mentor texts you will be using:
John Keatings What Will Your Verse Be? speech from Dead Poets Society
Objective: SWBAT extract and define examples of rhetorical appeals
within a mentor text.

Assessment: The proper incorporation of at least one example of each

of the rhetorical appeals (one logos, one pathos, one ethos) in their
writers notebook passage.

Learning Activities:
1) AS: In your writers notebooks, finish the sentence If there is one
thing I could change in the world, it would be
2) DI: Define the rhetorical appeals (logos, pathos, ethos) and walk
students through the What Will Your Verse Be? example of how and
where to locate the appeals within the speech.
3) IW: In your writers notebooks, draft a logos appeal, an ethos appeal,
and a pathos appeal for your If there is one thing I could change in the
world, it would be passage and incorporate each into your initial
response.
4) GW: Verbally share your drafts with your shoulder partner should
partners, try to extract each appeal in your partners writing.
5) C: Watch the clip of John Keatings (Robin Williams) What Will Your
Verse Be? speech from the Dead Poets Society.
Sources and support for your planning ideas:
Activity:
Gallagher, Kelly. Write Like This. Portland: Stenhouse Publishers, 2011.
Print.
Definitions:
Williams, George H. Ethos Pathos Logos The 3 Rhetorical Appeals. PB
Works. 62. USC Upstate: English Program. Web. 30 Mar 2016.
Quote:
Williams, Robin, perf. Dead Poets Society. Touchstone Pictures, 1989. Film.
Video:
Afacevedo. What will your verse be? Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube.
14 Mar. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2015

Standards Addressed:
CCSS.ELA.LITERACY.SL.9-10.1.d Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives, summarize
points of agreement and disagreement, and, when warranted, qualify or justify their own views
and understanding and make new connections in light of the evidence and reasoning presented.
CCSS.ELA.LITERACY.SL.9-10.6 Adapt speech to a variety of context and tasks
CCSS.ELA.LITERACY.L.9-10.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language
functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to
comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

LECTURE NOTES
I. OBJECTIVES:
At the end of the 50 minute class, students will be able to:
1. understand and define the three rhetorical appeals
2. identify the rhetorical appeals within a text
3. generate their own example of each of the rhetorical appeals to incorporate into their
personal writing and revising
II. SUBJECT MATTER AND MATERIALS:
1. Students will read through John Keatings What Will Your Verse Be? speech with
me during class.
2. Materials:
a. What Will Your Verse Be? Worksheet blank copy attached for general
classroom copies, partially filled out copy attached for differentiation students,
completed copy attached for teacher example
b. Blue, red, and green crayons/pens/markers for annotation
c. Writers Notebooks they will have their own notebooks
III. LEARNING TASKS:
1. Before class begins, write the class schedule for the day
a. I. AS Writers Notebooks
II. DI Discuss rhetorical appeals
III. IW Draft rhetorical appeals
IV. GW Verbally share and extraxt appeals
V. C Movie clip
2. Have students get out their Writers Notebooks and turn to the next blank page.
a. Prompt the students to finish the sentence If there was one thing I could
change in the world, it would be
b. As the students write, the teacher will write in his/her notebook using the
same sentence stem for modeling.
c. Give the students 4 minutes to write.
d. With the remaining 1 minute, the teacher will share what he/she wrote.
3. Define the rhetorical appeals:
a. Recall: What are the definitions?
i. Logos: the rhetor attempts to persuade the audience by use of
arguments that will perceive as logical
ii. Pathos: the rhetor attempts to persuade the audience by making them
feel certain emotions
iii. Ethos: the rhetor is perceived by the audience as credible
b. Locate: Where can you find evidence of each rhetorical appeal?
i. Using the What Will Your Verse Be? worksheet, work with the
students to identify where in the speech John Keating uses instances of
the rhetorical appeals have students underline the quotes with the
apporpiate colors.
- Logos: And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are
noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life.

Pathos: But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we

stay alive for.
- Ethos: To quote from Whitman, W me! O life! of the
questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the
faithless of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid
these, O me, O life?
c. Analyze: How does each rhetorical appeal affect the power of Keatings
speech?
i. Logos: Justifies the opposition, leads audience to wonder about the
greater meaning of life through factual knowledge
ii. Pathos: Addresses the audiences true passions and yearnings
iii. Ethos: Demonstrates Keatings purpose from an alternative point of
view creating credibility for the speaker and solidifying the statements
on the relevance of poetry
d. Allow about 15 minutes for class direct instruction
4. Have students refer back to the If there is one thing I could change in the world, it
would be.. passage in their Writers Notebooks.
a. Prompt students to draft in their notebooks for the passage:
i. Generate: Where could you incorporate instances of logos, pathos,
and ethos to strengthen your passage?
b. Students should draft at least one example of each of the rhetorical appeals to
incorporate into their passage.
c. Allow about 15 minutes for individual work.
5. Refocus the students for group work.
a. Have students pair up with their shoulder partner and read their passages out
loud with the rhetorical appeals incorporated.
b. Evaluate: How easily could you identify the rhetorical appeals in your
partners passage as they read aloud?
c. Students should discuss well they were able to identify the appeals and their
affectivness within the passage.
d. Allow about 12 minutes for group work.
6. Wrap up the class period
a. Show the movie clip of John Keatings speech from the Dead Poets Society.
i. This should take about 3 minutes.
b. Students will turn their Writers Notebooks back in and may be dismissed
once they have done so.

Dead Poets Society

SPEECH BY JOHN KEATING (ROBIN WILLIAMS)
We dont read and write poetry because its cute. We read and write poetry because we are
members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law,
business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty,
romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, O me! O life! of the
questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless of cities filled with the
foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life? Answer. That you are here that life exists, and
identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful
play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?

What does it do for you?

Evidence of Logos

Evidence of
Pathos

Evidence of
Ethos

Dead Poets Society

SPEECH BY JOHN KEATING (ROBIN WILLIAMS)
We dont read and write poetry because its cute. We read and write poetry because we are
members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law,
business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty,
romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, O me! O life! of the
questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless of cities filled with the
foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life? Answer. That you are here that life exists, and
identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful
play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?

What does it do for you?

Evidence of Logos

Evidence of
Pathos

Evidence of
Ethos

Dead Poets Society

SPEECH BY JOHN KEATING (ROBIN WILLIAMS)
We dont read and write poetry because its cute. We read and write poetry because we are
members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law,
business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty,
romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, O me! O life! of the
questions of these recurring; of the endless trains of the faithless of cities filled with the
foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life? Answer. That you are here that life exists, and
identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. That the powerful
play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?

What does it do for you?

Evidence of Logos

Evidence of
Pathos

Evidence of
Ethos

justifies the opposition, leads audience to wonder about the

greater meaning of life through factual knowledge

addresses the audiences true passions and yearnings

demonstrates Keatings purpose from an alternative point

of view creating credibility for the speaker and solidifying
the statements on the relevance of poetry