Transcript Persuasive Unit

Persuasive Unit
AOI: Community and Service
Moving from “I” to “We”
– How do we live in relation to each other?
– How can I contribute to the community?
– How can I help others?
Standards
• Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a
text and analyze how the author acknowledges and
responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
• Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific
claims in a text, assessing whether the reasoning is
sound and the evidence is relevant and sufficient;
recognize when irrelevant evidence is introduced.
• Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons
and relevant evidence.
• Integrate multimedia and visual displays into
presentations to clarify information, strengthen claims
and evidence, and add interest.
Persuasion
Complete the concept map of the word
persuasion.
Definition
Example
Non-Example
Key Word
Example
Example
Non-Example
Analogy
Non-Example
Good Persuasive Writing
• Serious debatable topic vs. personal
preference
• Fact vs. opinion
• No Fence sitting
• Facts, examples, and statistics
Persuasive Writing
• A good piece of persuasive writing requires serious
debatable topics, not a topic that is a matter of personal
preference.
• Serious debatable topics naturally tend to divide the
population into three camps: the pro, the con, and the
undecided.
• There is never any right or wrong in persuasion. Persuasion
is not a black and white concept. There is only effective
persuasion and ineffective persuasion.
• The purpose of persuasion is to convince the reader (or
audience) that a view has merit. At its best it will cause a
person to completely agree with a view being presented.
At the least it should cause a person to consider the
possibility that the view being presented might make sense.
• In order for effective persuasion to take place, sound
reasoning must be employed.
• Persuasion is:
– Mind changing
– Convincing
– Getting a reader to
admit that a certain
view might make sense
• Persuasion is not:
– A matter of right or
wrong
– A matter of personal
preference
Serious debatable topic or personal preference?
List A
• Should euthanasia (mercy
killing) be legal in the United
States?
• Should women be expected to
fight and die on the battlefield
in defense of their country?
• Should homosexuals be
allowed to legally marry each
other?
List B
• Should our school be painted
black or brown?
• Which animal makes a better
pet: a dog or cat?
• Which fast food industry giant
really makes the best
hamburger?
Your Turn
(on your white board)
• Take three minutes
and brainstorm a
list of 5 serious,
debatable topics.
• Now create a list of
5 personal
preferences.
• What is pro? What is con?
• What is something that you are pro?
• What is something that you are con?
• Choose one of your serious debatable topics
and come up with three pro arguments and
three con arguments for the topic.
Fact vs. Opinion
• What is a fact?
• What is an opinion?
• Fact: something that
actually exists,
something that has
actually occurred, or
something known by
observation or
experience to be real
or true.
• Opinion: a
conclusion or
judgment held with
confidence, but
falling short of
positive knowledge.
Rats are incapable of puking.
McDonalds is better than Burger
King
Fact or Opinion
(thumbs up for Fact, “O” for Opinion)
1. There is less of a reliance on rail transportation for
people today than there was one hundred years ago.
2. A required two year enlistment in the armed forces
should be part of every young person’s life.
3. There are few frontiers left for modern humans to
conquer.
4. The switching from standard time to day light savings
time annually accounts for huge energy savings.
5. The opening of the Panama Canal greatly facilitated
the shipping of goods from one North American coast
to the other.
Write 3 of your own facts and 3 of
your own opinions
• Do you think that
teachers should be
paid based on student
performance?
• Write down one
opinion and one fact
about this issue
• Read the editorial about school paddling and
find three facts and three opinions. Write the
sentences down in your journal.
Disciplining students with a cane or “paddling” as it is commonly referred to, is still
allowed in 20 of the 52 states in the US. A recent case in Wichita Falls, Texas, has
brought attention to the issue, after an 11th grade student received a paddling that
put him in the hospital.
According to The Center for Effective Discipline or CED, corporal punishment exists
today mainly in the southern states, where it is ingrained in the customs and
traditions of small communities. CED are committed to educating parents and
children about the effects of corporal punishment on children and alternatives in
giving discipline. Since 1998 the 30th of April has been dubbed SpankOut Day
USA, to bring about an end to hitting children, and to promote their motto “Raising
Responsible (Good) Kids Without Hitting”. CED highlight the fact that if students
are hit at school, they think it is ok to be hit at home, and the cycle of violence
continues.
The student from Wichita Falls is currently involved in a legal case which may help
bring an end to the hitting of students in Texas. Recently, legislators in New Mexico
voted to end the practice in their state, although it still needs the approval of the
local governor before the law is passed.
Interestingly, St. Augustine High School, the only remaining catholic school in New
Orleans who practiced paddling, have recently banned the practice, only to be met
with protests from current students and the school community who want it
reinstated. They say that being able to utilise corporal punishment has contributed
to character building and higher graduation rates, and the senior students say they
can tell the difference between the older students and the newer ones who have
not been exposed to the same traditions.
Fence Sitting
• What do you
think fence
sitting means?
• What image
do you think
of when you
think of fence
sitting?
Fence Sitting
• Once a writer presents an opinion, s/he never
does anything to contradict that opinion.
• Once a writer presents an opinion, she uses
only facts, examples, and statistics that
directly support that opinion.
• Fence sitting is an indication of poor thought
and planning.
• Fence-sitting destroys persuasion.
Fence Sitting
• The state highway department needs to
immediately consider a plan to thin the trees
along the shoulders of US 180 along a seven
mile stretch north of town. Vehicular accident
statistics show that this segment of the
roadway is particularly treacherous in the
winter. Tree thinning would allow the sun to
more easily melt the ice on the roadway.
• The state highway department needs to
immediately consider a plan to thin the trees
along the shoulders of US 180 along a seven mile
stretch north of town. Vehicular accident
statistics show that this segment of the roadway
is particularly treacherous in the winter. There
are, however, more treacherous sections of the
roadway that can be found in the immediate
region. Tree thinning would allow the sun to
more easily melt the ice on the roadway, but the
amount of melting would probably not reduce
the number of accidents by any significant
number, since speed is responsible for more
accidents than the ice.
• Fact: something that actually exists,
something that actually occurred, or
something known by observation or
experience to be real or true.
• Example: a previous case or instance that is
identical with or similar to something under
consideration.
• Statistic: is a unit of numerical information
(25%, 10 times greater than, 20% less, 15
people).
• Plants cannot thrive unless
adequate nutrients are present
in the soil.
• Roses, for example, are
particularly susceptible to
wilting if reasonable nitrogen is
not present.
• In our own locale, nursery
operators estimate that 10-15%
of the rose plants germinated
annually die because of
inadequate nitrogen in the soil.
Fact, example, and statistic
• What is a fact? Give
an example
• What is an
example? Give an
example
• What is a statistic?
Give an example
• Topic: the importance of standardized tests
• 1 opinion about the importance of standardized
tests
• 1 fact about the importance of standardized tests
• 1 example about the importance of standardized
tests
• 1 statistic about the importance of standardized
tests
Opinion: Parents need to impose tighter
supervision upon their children with regard to their
television viewing.
– Reason 1: Unsupervised TV
viewings by impressionable
youngsters exposes them to far
too much violence.
– Reason 2: Unsupervised TV
viewing by children can contribute
to poor physical fitness.
– Reason 3: Too much television
viewing on the part of children can
lead to delayed social
development.
• Opinion statement: Our school needs to
immediately take measures to encourage
students to attend school regularly.
• Reason: Our declining attendance rate has
become a serious problem and an
embarrassment for all concerned with the school.
• Brainstorm a list of facts, statistics, and examples,
then write an actual body paragraph, starting
with the reason above.
• Remember that the Gypsies were not given reparations
for loss of property and life during the Holocaust. Do
you think that they should be compensated for those
losses? (Other groups were given compensation after
the war to help them recover – the Gypsies were a
group that was not).
• You will take the position of being either pro or con in
this situation.
• Think of two good reasons for your argument and then
come up with three examples, facts, or statistics to
make your argument stronger.
Argument: Gypsies should be compensated for the
atrocities they experienced during the Holocaust.
• Reason #1
– (f,e, or s)
– (f,e, or s)
– (f,e, or s)
• Reason #2
– (f,e, or s)
– (f,e, or s)
– (f,e, or s)
– What are some changes that should be made to
South Meadows.
– Make a list of five changes that should be
considered to make this a better school.
– Remember to pick serious debatable topics, not
just your personal preferences.
Argument: We should change _____ at South
Meadows
• Reason #1
– (f,e, or s)
– (f,e, or s)
– (f,e, or s)
• Reason #2
– (f,e, or s)
– (f,e, or s)
– (f,e, or s)
Letter to the Principal
• Write a letter to Mr.
Lomeli where you ask
him to make a change
about our school.
• In your letter you must:
• Talk about a serious
debatable topic
• No fence sitting
• After you state your
opinion – use facts, stats,
and examples to prove
your reasons.
Structure of a letter
Mr. Lomeli,
We need to change _____ at South Meadows. The two reasons
for this change are: ____________ and ____________.
• Reason #1
– (fact)
– (example)
– (statistic)
• Reason #2
– (fact)
– (example)
– (statistic)
Thank you for listening and please consider making this change.
Sincerely,
What is Empathy?
The ability to share/understand
another person’s emotions
and/or thoughts.
What is Apathy?
A lack of interest
or emotions.
Empathy vs. Apathy
• What examples of Apathy
were apparent in the
Holocaust?
• What examples of
Empathy were apparent
in the Holocaust?
Imagine that you are reading a newspaper and you come across the
following headline.
Landlord is finally able to evict a family from his home after they had
been living rent free for six months.
Now come up with at least three reasons for and three reasons against
the landlord’s actions.
Pro
How are your arguments empathetic?
Con
Appeal to Emotion
and Logic
• An appeal to emotion and logic is an
attempt by the writer to appeal
directly to the reader’s common
sense or to arouse some particular
emotion within the reader that
might ultimately cause him to act.
(fear, guilt, worry, out-rage).
• Appeals to emotion and logic are
usually short – one or two
sentences.
• Appeals to emotion and logic often
take the form of a sequence of
questions, with each building on the
other.
• How could a person who considers herself a
human being make a decision that would hurt the
children of her community?
– Translation: Let’s make the reader feel guilty, and
hopefully she will agree with us.
• How could any clear-thinking, well-informed
citizen come to any other possible conclusion?
– Translation: Let’s congratulate the reader on being
such a smart person (but she’s only really smart if she
agrees with us.
• What kind of mother would subject her baby to
such a thing?
– Translation: Let’s appeal to basic maternal instinct
and change this person’s mind.
• Appeals to emotion work
well with subjects that deal
with:
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–
–
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Basic human needs
Human well-being or suffering
Family relationships
Children
• Appeals to logic work well
with subjects that deal with:
– Money
– Image or appearance
– Right or wrong issues outside
the scope of human needs
Appeal to Emotion
• How did Hitler
utilize this tactic
during World War
II? Try to give
specific examples.
Letter to the Editor
• Read the example letter to the editor
• Write your own letter to the editor about an
issue. In your letter you need to include a
passionate appeal to emotion or logic when
making your point.
I once again feel a sense of complete disbelief at the funding
processes used within our schools ("Artificial turf to be replaced,"
West Metro Community News, April 7).
I am a former public school teacher and currently volunteer at
Vose Elementary in Beaverton School District. Vose has 87 percent
of its students on free or reduced-cost lunch. I recently purchased
a set of glue sticks, geoboards (for geometry) and hand sanitizer
for one of the classrooms. I spent $87.53. The district doesn't have
the money to provide the basics. It will, however, be able to spend
$850,000 to replace artificial turf that is still under warranty. The
rationale? The money comes from construction bonds, money that
could never be used to purchase classroom supplies.
Shouldn't there be a change to the fundamental way money is
appropriated? That is, if the students really are the priority.
NATALIE HAIMA
Tigard
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Climatic Change and Us
Obama as a President
an international sans Nuclear Weapons
Global Terrorism
Are We Having a Communications Technology Overkill?
Is Texting Taking its Toll on Correct Usage of Language
How Much is just too Much – Parental Restrictions on Children
Children’s Privacy
Value of Friendship
Will we Need Sex Education
Everyday Needs to be Parents Day
Your Role Model inside the Family
How Obesity Ostracizes
The Obsession With Weight-loss
Say No To Junk Food
Being Vegetarian – Key To Healthy Life
Blast from the Past – Reviving Old Methods of Recreation to Stay Fit
The Dreadful Drugs
No Smoking Please
Teenage Love
Cultivating the Habit of Reading
Are Curse Words Dominating Your Speech
Celebrity Worship
Fashion for kids
The Tinsel Town Effects
Your Perception of a Teacher
Awareness of Social Responsibility
Effects and Causes of Ozone Depletion
How to Write a Letter to the Editor
• Pick a topic that you feel passionate about. Relate it to an issue very
recently discussed in the publication to which you are writing.
• Think of new ways to discuss the topic and present unique solutions
to the problem.
• Write clearly and concisely. Most newspapers and have limitations
on space.
• Include your major points within the first few paragraphs.
• Sign your name
• Keep in mind that most publications verify by phone or in writing
that you, and not someone attributing these opinions to you,
authored the letter.
• If your letter is going to be shortened, it will usually be the final
paragraphs, so don't save your point for the end.
Advertising
• How is advertising a
form of persuasion?
• Do you think that
advertising is effective?
• Which advertising
campaigns do you think
are the most effective?
Homework
• Bring in an advertisement from a magazine, a
newspaper, or any other example you can bring
into the class or share.
Verbal abuse can be just as horrific, but you don’t have to
suffer in silence. Call the abuse helpline for advice and
support.
Advertising
What is the purpose of this advertisement?
What is it trying to convince you of?
Who is the target audience?
Is it effective? Why or why not?
What would you do differently if you were creating this advertisement?
Answer the following about your ad
• What is this ad trying to convince you of?
• Which persuasive technique(s) are being
used? (appeal to emotion, humor, shock
value, etc.)
• Who is the target audience?
Stop Animal testing now.
Create your own advertising campaign
Propaganda and inferences in
persuasion
• Propaganda is the promotion of information
with the purpose of influencing the opinions
or behaviors of large groups of people.
• Propaganda often presents facts selectively,
lying by omission, to produce an emotional
rather than rational response to the
information presented.
• The desired result is a change of the attitude
toward the subject in the target audience to
further a political agenda.
• When do you think
that propaganda is
most likely to be
used?
• Why do you think
that people use
propaganda to get
their message
across?
• Do you think it is
right or wrong to
use propaganda?
• Inference: Getting to a conclusion by using all
available information to make a judgment.
• Do you use inferences to judge propaganda?
• Create a
propaganda poster
for a political issue
of your choice.
Some examples are:
• Stricter gun control
• Nutrition in schools
• Zero-tolerance of
bullying in schools.
• Obama or Mitt
Romney
• Global Warming
• Gay Marriage
Decide on your communication objective
• The communications objective is the essence of your
message.
• If you want to tell people not to eat bananas because it’s
cruel, then that’s your communications objective.
• A word of caution: though perhaps the most important of
your 8 steps, this is also the one that beginners tend most
to neglect.
• A precise and well-defined objective is crucial to a good
ad. If your objective isn’t right on, then everything that
follows will be off as well.
Decide on your target audience
• Who is your message intended for?
• If you’re speaking to kids, then your language
and arguments will have to understandable to
kids.
• So define who your target audience is,
because that will decide how your message is
conveyed.
Develop your Concept
• Typically, an ad is made up of a photograph or a
drawing (the “visual”), a headline, and writing (the
“copy”).
• Whether you think of your visual or your headline
first makes little difference.
• However, here are a few guideline worth following.
Visual
• Though you don’t absolutely require a visual, it will help
draw attention to your ad.
• Research indicates that 70% of people will only look at the
visual in an ad, whereas only 30% will read the headline. So
if you use a visual, then you’re already talking to twice as
many people as you otherwise might.
• Another suggestion is to use photographs instead of
illustrations whenever possible. People tend to relate to
realistic photographs more easily than unrealistic ones.
• But whether you choose a photograph or an illustration,
the most important criteria is that image be the most
interesting one possible and at least half your ad whenever
possible.
Headline
• The most important thing to remember here is that your headline must be
short, snappy and must touch the people that read it.
• Your headline must affect the reader emotionally, either by making them
laugh, making them angry, making them curious or making them think. If
you can’t think of a headline that does one of these four things, then keep
thinking.
• Here’s a little tip that might help: try to find an insight or inner truth to the
message that you’re trying to convey, something that readers will easily
relate to and be touched by. Taking the rutabagas example once again, it
might be tempting to write a headline like: “Stop Exploiting These Migrant
Workers.” However, with a little thought, a more underlying truth might be
revealed - that Migrant Workers are as human as we are, and that our
actions do hurt them. From that inner truth, you might arrive at the
headline: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
• Of course, the headline doesn’t have to be biblical, though that in itself
will add meaning and power for many people. Finally, whenever possible,
avoid a headline longer than fifteen words. People just don’t read as much
as they used to.
The Copy
• Here’s where you make the case.
• If you have compelling arguments, make them. If you have persuasive
facts, state them. But don’t overwhelm with information. Two strong
arguments will make more of an impression than a dozen weaker ones.
• Finally, be clear, be precise, and be honest. Any hint of deception will
instantly detract from your entire message.
• Position your copy beneath the headline, laid out in two blocks two or
three inches in length. Only about 5% of people will read your copy,
whereas 30% will read your headline. By positioning your copy near your
heading, you create a visual continuity which will draw more people to the
information you want to convey.
• Use a serif typeface for your copy whenever possible. Those little lines and
swiggles on the letters make the reading easier and more
pleasing to the eye.
Subheads
• If you have lots of copy, break it up with
interesting subheads
• This will make your ad more inviting, more
organized, and easier to read.
Some mistakes to avoid
• The single most common mistake is visual clutter. Less is always better
than more. So if you’re not certain whether something is worth
including, then leave it out. If your ad is chaotic, people will simply
turn the page, and your message will never be read.
• The second most common mistake is to have an ad that’s unclear or
not easily understood (haven’t you ever looked at an ad and wondered
what it was for?). The best way to safeguard against this is to do some
rough sketches of your visual with the headline and show it around. If
people aren’t clear about your message, then it’s probably because
your message is unclear. And however tempting, don’t argue with
them or assume that they’re wrong and that your ad is fine. You’ll be in
for an unpleasant surprise.
• Proofread your ad, then give it to others to proofread, and then
proofread it yet again. Typographical errors diminish your credibility
and have an uncanny habit of creeping into ads when you least
expect it.
Debate
Persuasive Essay
• An effective persuasive introduction MUST contain:
• A clear statement of the author’s opinion without saying “I think” or
“In my opinion”
• An effective persuasive introduction MAY contain:
• statements which may help make the author’s opinion more clear
(clarifiers)
• a simple listing of reasons to be later discussed in the body
paragraphs
• both of the above elements
• An effective persuasive introduction MUST NOT contain:
• any actual example work, presentation of facts or statistics to
expand on the author’s opinion
• any statements which contradict the author’s opinion (fence-sitting)
Persuasive Essay Outline
I. Introduction
A. Opinion statement
B. Clarifying sentence OR list of reasons (3)
II. Body Paragraph #1
A. Transition, Reason #1.
B. Facts/Stats/Examples to support reason.
III. Body Paragraph #2
A. Transition, Reason #2.
B. Facts/Stats/Examples to support reason.
IV. Body Paragraph #3
A. Transition, Reason #3.
B. Facts/Stats/Examples to support reason.
C. Appeal to Logic/Emotion (one or two sentences in the form of
questions)
V. Conclusion
A. Restate opinion
B. Call for action
Instead of PRAYER IN SCHOOL, write
about one of these related issues:
• Public displays of the Ten Commandments
• Religious after school clubs at public schools
• Secular and religious holiday decorations in
schools
• School vouchers for religious schools
• A mandatory moment of silence in schools
• The Pledge of Allegiance
• Religious music sung in school choruses
• School days off for non-Christian holidays
Instead of GAY MARRIAGE, write
about one of these related issues:
• Same-sex adoption and access to reproductive
technologies
• Immigration rights for gay partners of citizens
• Sodomy laws
• Partnership benefits at state and federal
institutions
• Health care benefits and gay couples
• Property rights and gay couples
• Inheritance law and gay couples
Instead of THE DEATH PENALTY, write
about one of these related issues:
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The death penalty for minors
The death penalty for mentally retarded people
Televised executions
The death penalty as a deterrent
The relationship between race and the death penalty.
Women and the death penalty
The long appeals process for death row inmates
Death penalty methods, such as lethal injection
The Constitutional question of "cruel and unusual
punishment"
Instead of ABORTION, write about
one of these related issues:
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Partial birth abortion
Parental notification laws
Laws regulating protests at clinics
Mental and physical risks of abortion
Public funding of abortions
Violence against abortion providers
Adoption issues
State challenges to Roe vs. Wade
•Should boxing be banned?
•Should the driving age be raised to
18?
•Should semi-automatic weapons be
banned?
•Should teens who murder be
executed?
•Should hunting be outlawed?
•Should recycling be mandatory?
•Should schools require student
uniforms?
•Should college athletes be paid?
•Should condoms be available in high
school?
•Should the death penalty be
abolished?
•Should handguns be banned?
•Should assisted suicide be
permitted?
•Should legal immigration be
stopped?
•Should dying people be kept on life
support?
•Should tobacco products be
banned?
•Should the logging industry be
allowed to harvest public forests?
•Should state lotteries be banned?
•Should alcoholic beverages be
banned?
•Should alcoholic beverages be
legalized for all ages?
•Should the Internet be censored?
•Should school prayer be allowed?
•Should music lyrics be censored?
•Should extremist groups (i.e. KKK,
skinheads)
be banned?
•Should parents of teen vandals be
held responsible for their child's
damage?
•Should research on cloning be
discontinued?
•Should convicted sex offenders'
names be made public?
•Should the U.S. provide foreign aid?
•Should females in the military be excluded
from combat and other "hazardous"
duties?
•Should high schools be segregated by the
sex of the student?
•Should parents of students who are
excessively absent from school be
prosecuted under the law?
•Should "home schooling" be permitted?
•Should Native Americans be allowed to
have gambling casinos on their
reservations?
•Should students failing their classes in
high school have their driver's license
revoked?
•Should pros be allowed to draft college
athletes before they graduate?
•Should wolves be reintroduced to public
lands?
•Should free, disposable needles be given
to drug addicts?
•Should marijuana be legalized?
•Should adopted children be given the
choice of contacting their biological
parents?
•Should mothers who give their children
up for adoption be allowed to keep their
identity secret?
•Should welfare be limited by time?
•Should all pregnant women be required
to take an AIDS test?
•Should off-shore drilling be banned?
•Should school funding come from local
property taxes?
•Should casino gambling be legalized in
Ohio?
•Should the U.S. phase out the Electoral
College (regarding presidential elections)?
•Should abortion be legal?
•Should students be required to pass
proficiency tests in order to graduate
from high school?
All Summer in a Day
by Ray Bradbury
Rain or Shine?
• Which would be better – A world where it was
always sunny, or a world where it was always
rainy?
Pro/Con
Sunny World
Pro
Con
Rainy World
Pro
Con
Choose a World
• Decide which world would be better to live in
– rainy or sunny – then write a letter to
someone who is living in the opposite of your
chosen world and convince him/her why your
world is so much better than his/hers.
• Extra Credit: Illustrate your world.