This document outlines the learning objectives and lesson plan for an English class focusing on rhetorical devices in informational text. The objectives are to learn new rhetorical terms, read texts for understanding, determine central ideas, and analyze how authors develop and refine claims using rhetorical techniques. Key terms are defined. The lesson involves reviewing objectives and terms, reading an example text, more term review, completing a handout, and an activity identifying rhetorical devices in additional texts. Students are assigned extra practice analyzing rhetorical elements in other articles and writing their own short informational piece employing at least 3 such devices.

1. Friday, March 2, 2012
English 9
Navejar, Dammanna, Huth

2. Learning Objectives
Students will:
Key Ideas and Details
• RI.9-10.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
• RI.9-10.2. Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the
text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective
summary of the text.
• RI.9-10.3. Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the
order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the
connections that are drawn between them.
Craft and Structure
• RI.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including
figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word
choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a
newspaper).
• RI.9-10.5. Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined by
particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter).
• 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.

3. Learning Objectives
I will:
1. learn new rhetorical terms and devices
2. read informational text for understanding
3. determine the central idea of the reading
4. analyze the author’s claim
a. how it’s developed and refined by the use
of rhetorical devices
I know I will have learned the objectives because I will be able
to:
1. identify the usage of the rhetorical devices in other
informational text
2. describe how these rhetorical devices are being utilized

4. Vocabulary for this unit
Inference
Draw conclusions about their reading by connecting the text with their background knowledge. Synthesize new
ideas and information
Thesis
Focus statement of an essay; premise statement upon which the point of view or discussion in the essay is based.
Connotative
What is implied by a word. For example, the words sweet, gay, and awesome have connotations that are quite
different from their actual definitions.
Technical language
Used in or peculiar to a specific field or profession; specialized
Diction
An author's choice of words to convey a tone or effect
Tone
The attitude a literary work takes towards its subject and theme. It reflects the narrator's attitude.
Appeals to
authority, emotion, logic rhetorical arguments in which the speaker either claims to be
an expert or relies on information provided by experts (appeal to authority), attempts to
affect the listener's personal feelings (appeal to emotion), or attempts to persuade the
listener through use of deductive reasoning (appeal to logic).
Voice
The acknowledged or unacknowledged source of words of the story; the speaker, a
"person" telling the story or poem.

5. Sponge Activity
Everyone claims they lead busy lives.
Write a list of all the things you have to do or
are responsible for.

6. Order of Lesson
1. Review lesson objectives
a. Write down “student friendly” objectives 10 pts
2. Write down terms for this unit
3. Read “Point Well Taken”
4. Review terms again
5. Complete handout
6. Turn handout in (23 points)
7. Review Monday’s activity

7. Extra Practice
• Josh Hamilton Article
– Describe the rhetorical devices used to “prove” that Josh Hamilton is “one of the
best all-around players in baseball.”
• PlayStation Vita
– How much is the item?
• With 3G and without
– What are the features of the item (selling points)?
– Identify rhetorical devices used in this informational text
• Read “New This Month”
– What are the features of the item (selling points)?
– Identify rhetorical devices used in this informational text
• Writing Activity (Reflect on the following and choose one)
– Choose a video game that you like to play
– Choose a favorite sports person (basketball, soccer, baseball, boxing, etc…)
– Choose a restaurant, movie, or book
• Now write a short informational text (like the examples we just read)
using at least 3 rhetorical devices we learned. (15 points)