By: Morgan McElroy
Mrs. Sullivan’s tenth grade English Language Arts class has been studying rhetorical devices and the art of appeal over the past couple of weeks. Learning these skills will be beneficial in argumentative writing. They began by analyzing Christmas commercials and determining which device the company used. Then they analyzed an episode of “Shark Tank” to determine how to use appeals and rhetorical devices to persuade the sharks to invest in their product. Being able to persuade someone is key when writing an argumentative piece. Once Mrs. Sullivan felt sure her 10th graders could decipher how to use rhetorical devices and appeals appropriately, she presented her students the opportunity to utilize their new found skills. The class was put into groups of four and was instructed to come up with a toy design to persuade Santa’s workshop to invest in their toy. The groups designed their own toy, whether it just be a toy or a tool to use around the house. Each group created slides to explain their toy, demonstrated its functions, and explained who the targeted audience was, how much the toy would cost to produce, and how the toy would be advertised. The group then drew their toy and presented their product to the rest of the class. Each group worked on a pitch that was enticing to the other students. Students had to decide what rhetorical devices and appeals they used to make their audience believe their product was worthy of being invented. While groups presented, other groups listened to decide which rhetorical devices were used, the group’s weakest points, and what the group did effectively.
The 10th grade students came up with several great ideas including the idea of an RC car that has a mop head attached. This group's presentation went really well! One of their group members, John Riley, made a model of their toy, going above and beyond what was expected of the group. As a class, everyone decided that the group with the RC car did the best and they had the best presentation. Mrs. Sullivan was very proud of her students and they all have gained a better understanding of the importance of using rhetorical devices in their writing!
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