PDF Persuasive Messages - Ms. Schrader's Teaching Portfolio

[Pages:43]Persuasive Messages

Teacher: Sarah Schrader Grade: 11th-12th

When taught: Weeks 5-7 of the semester

Background Information: This unit is preceded by a 1 week introduction unit with ice-breakers,

1 week on outlining, researching, and citing sources, and 2 weeks on self speeches. Text: Teacher texts--Essentials of Human Communication, 6th edition and Person to Person: An Introduction to Speech Communication, 5th edition

Introduction This unit will provide an introduction to and close examination of several key issues associated with creating and presenting effective persuasive messages. The unit examines ten various aspects of persuasive messages, beginning with a brief introduction of what constitutes a persuasive message and including ways to be effective persuaders, how to choose a topic, how to use presentation aids, tips for effective delivery, and how to evaluate persuasive messages and the speakers who give them. The students will use knowledge of research and outlining that they learned earlier in the year to create their persuasive outlines, and the students will deliver 4-6 minute-long persuasive speeches at the end of the unit. Throughout the unit, students should see the tremendous influence they can have on the attitudes, beliefs, values, and/or actions of others when they use effective persuasive messages.

Unit Syllabus Outline: The students will hand in an outline to be graded using the rubric immediately following the unit calendar. Speech Delivery: The students' speech delivery will be graded using the rubric immediately following the unit calendar. Class Participation: Students will receive up to 100 points for turning in homework assignments, participating in class discussions, and turning in in-class work on various days. Participation is key to understanding the concepts. Policies: Late work will receive a full-grade deduction for each day it is late unless the student talks to me before the assignment is due.

Grading Scale:

Outline Speech delivery Class participation

TOTAL

100 points 100 points 100 points 300 points

Total Points 300-283 282-268 267-259 258-250 249-238 237-229

Unit Grade A AB+ B BC+

Total Points 228-220 219-208 207-199 198-190 189-178 Below 177

Unit Grade C CD+ D DE

Class Schedule

Day

Topic

1

What is a persuasive message?

2

Types of persuasive messages

3

Increasing effectiveness

4

Topic selection

*5

Library Day

Topic choices due

6

Ethics and persuasion

Main points due

7

Types of appeals

8

Credibility

9

Presentation aids

Outline Rough Draft Due

10

Delivery

Presentation aids due

11

Evaluating persuasive messages

*12

Speech day--ALL Outlines Due

Outline Final Draft Due

*13

Speech day

*14

Speech day

*15

Speech day

* = "No content" day

Assignment Explore topic ideas Explore topic ideas Explore topic ideas Bring 5 topic choices on Friday Bring 3 main points on Monday

Work on outline

Work on outline Finish outline rough draft Find 3 presentation aids

Make revisions to outline

Finish outline final draft Prepare for speech

Prepare for speech Prepare for speech None

Day 1: What is a persuasive message?

Objectives/Goals: 1. Students will be able to define persuasion. 2. Students will be able to give examples of attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors. 3. Students will be able to state three goals of persuasive messages. 4. Students will be able to list characteristics of each goal of persuasive messages.

Approach: This lesson will begin with greeting the class and taking roll. Students will then brainstorm their ideas of what persuasion is and develop a class definition of persuasive messages. Some lecture and discussion is used to teach what a persuasive message is and what the goals of persuasive messages are. Students will then watch a video clip and work with a partner to find examples of persuasive goals in a video persuasive speech.

Organization and Content:

I. Welcome the class. A. Greet the class. B. Take roll.

II. Conduct a short exercise or attention-getter A. When the class enters, have "What is a persuasive message?" written on the board. B. Tell the students: "Today is the first day of three weeks we are going to spend on persuasive messages. Before we can start to make our own persuasive messages, we need to have a good idea of what a persuasive message is. I'm sure many of you have some ideas about what a persuasive message is, and for the next few minutes, we will explore some of the beliefs we already have. In a little bit, you will get into groups of three. In your groups, come up with a one to two sentence answer to the question on the board. After three minutes, we'll share our ideas with the class." C. Divide the class into groups of four and give each group three minutes to come up with an answer to the question. D. After three minutes, have each group share their definition. Then say, "Many of you have some great ideas about what a persuasive message is. Over the next few weeks your answers to the question will change as you learn more about persuasive messages.

III. Preview the day: Today, we will be starting our unit on persuasive messages. We are going to be spending the next few weeks on persuasive messages, and it is important for you to have a clear idea of what a persuasive message is. First we will talk about the definition of persuasion, and then we will move into the goals of persuasive messages.

IV. Teach content. Check for students' understanding throughout this section and answer any questions the students might have about the content.

A. Persuasion is the process of influencing another person's attitudes, beliefs, values, and/or behaviors. 1. Attitudes affect how you respond to something. a) If you have a positive attitude towards the President, you might agree with what he says about the need for new health care policies. b) If you have a negative attitude towards the President, you might be more likely to disagree with what he says about the need for new health care policies. c) What kinds of attitudes do you have? 2. Belief is your confidence in the existence of something or truth of a statement or idea. a) If someone believes that the health care system needs to be fixed, they are likely to support changes in the system. b) If someone believes that the health care system is fine as it is, they are likely to oppose changes to the system. c) Can you think of other beliefs people might have? 3. Your values are what you believe to be good or bad, moral or immoral. a) Someone who believes that abortion is immoral might be opposed to including provisions for abortion in the health care bill. b) Someone who does not believe that abortion is immoral might support a health care bill with provisions for abortion. c) What are some other examples of values? 4. Finally, behaviors are actions that can be observed by another person. a) When talking about persuasion, these are behaviors that can be influenced by outside forces. b) What kinds of things do you do that are influenced by others?

B. There are three general goals for persuasive messages. 1. The first goal is to strengthen or weaken attitudes, beliefs, and/or values. a) A speaker addressing people in favor of changing health care policies might give them more reasons why the change would be good, which would strengthen what they believe. b) The same speaker might encourage the audience to look at both sides of the issues, which could weaken their beliefs. c) What are some other persuasive messages that might strengthen or weaken attitudes, beliefs, or values? 2. Persuasive messages can also be used to change attitudes, beliefs, and/or values. a) If a speaker who addresses a group of people who support new health care about the negative impact of the change is trying to change their beliefs.

b) What messages have you seen or heard that try to change beliefs, attitudes, or values? 3. Finally, persuasive messages might call someone to action. a) Any message that asks you to do something is a call to action. b) What kinds of messages do you know of that contain a call to action?

V. What questions do you have about the definition of persuasion or three goals of persuasive messages?

VI. Review the content: So far we have talked about the definition of persuasion, which includes influencing what? (Another person's attitudes, beliefs, values, or behaviors) We have also discussed three general goals for persuasive messages. Who can tell me what these goals are? (Strengthen/weaken attitudes, beliefs, values; change attitudes, beliefs, values; and call to action)

VII. Do an activity. A. Tell the students: "Knowing what the goals for persuasive messages are is helpful, but it is more important to be able to recognize these goals in an actual persuasive message. We are going to watch an example of a persuasive message given by a high school student. While we watch the clip, take notes of evidence you find of the different types of goals within the speech. I will pass out a worksheet that will help you organize your thoughts as you watch the speech. Do you have any questions about what to do during the video clip?" B. Pass out the worksheet to students and start the video, "Gay Marriage in America," from . C. After the video is done, have students share the evidence that they found for each persuasive goal within the speech. D. End the activity by telling the students: "As you can see, sometimes persuasive messages can have more than one goal. Usually one goal is most dominant, but it is possible that one speech can accomplish many different goals. Your own persuasive messages might contain different goals, but it is important to have one dominant goal within your message."

VIII. Does anyone have any questions about what we covered today?

IX. Remind the class of any homework that is due the next day: In the next few weeks we are going to be creating and presenting our own persuasive messages. You will have to create an outline, much like you created for your self-introduction speech, but this outline will include much more research from credible sources. In the next couple of days, start to think about what you might want to give a persuasive message on.

X. Now that we have talked about what a persuasive message is, tomorrow we will talk more about different kinds of persuasive messages.

XI. Be sure to turn in your worksheets from the video activity. Have a great day!

Pupil Experiences and Activities: 1. Students are encouraged to ask questions throughout the lesson to clear up any confusion they might have had about what a persuasive message is or about persuasive message goals. 2. Students are encouraged to give examples of their own attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors and to help review the content. 3. Students work as an entire class to generate a class definition of persuasive messages. 4. Students work with a partner as they watch a video and generate examples of the goals of persuasive messages.

Evaluation and Testing:

Objective 1: The students' knowledge of the definition of persuasion will be evaluated informally during the review the content portion of the lesson as they answer the questions.

Objective 2: The students' ability to give examples of attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors will be evaluated informally through examples they give during class discussion.

Objective 3: Their knowledge of the three goals of persuasive messages will be evaluated informally during their discussion with their partner during the "say something" activity.

Objective 4: The students' knowledge of the characteristics of each goal will be evaluated informally through the discussion at the end of the video activity and formally through the worksheet that they fill out during the video activity with a partner. Activity is outlined in "Organization and Content" section.

"If Time" Activities: If there is extra time left at the end of the class period, have students get with a shoulder buddy and brainstorm different kinds of persuasive messages that they see in their daily lives. Give students three to four minutes to generate their lists, walking around the classroom as the students brainstorm, checking for any problems. After the students are done brainstorming, generate a class list of persuasive messages on the board. This will give the students a good sense of how often they see persuasive messages in their own lives.

Day 2: Types of persuasive messages

Objectives/Goals: 1. Students will be able to state three types of persuasive messages. 2. Students will be able to list characteristics of three types of persuasive messages. 3. Students will be able to give examples of each type of persuasive message.

Approach: This lesson begins with greeting the class and asking if they have questions about the previous day's lesson. The students then have a chance to brainstorm persuasive messages that they encounter on a daily basis. This is followed by a brief lecture and discussion on different types of persuasive messages. Students will then read a persuasive speech outline, and form an opinion on what type of persuasive message it is with a partner. This will be followed by a whole class discussion.

Organization and Content:

I. Welcome the class A. Greet the class. B. Take roll. C. Are there any questions about your homework or what we have been learning about lately?

II. Conduct a short exercise or attention-getter A. Begin by telling the class: "For the next two minutes, I want everyone to get out a piece of paper and write down as many different persuasive messages in your own lives as possible. Do not be afraid to write down a wrong answer; there are no wrong answers when you are brainstorming. Ready? Go!" B. Walk around as students write their lists. After two minutes, get the students' attention and go around the classroom having students share their ideas. C. Then say: "Today, we are going to talk about different kinds of persuasive messages. Many of the ideas that you have just shared will fall under the three categories that we will learn about."

III. Preview the day: Now that we know what the purpose of persuasive messages and have an idea of what kinds of speeches we will be writing in the next couple of weeks, today we can talk about the different types of persuasive speeches: questions of fact, questions of value, and questions of policy.

IV. Teach content. Check for students' understanding throughout this section and answer any questions the students might have about the content. A. Persuasive speeches can address questions of fact.

1. Persuasive speeches on questions of fact could address: what is true or not true, what does or does not exist, or what did or did not happen.

2. Many times questions of fact might be easily answered, such as, "When was George Washington president?"

3. Questions of fact in persuasive messages are ones that different people have different answers to, such as, "Has technology improved communication between teachers and students in recent years?"

4. What are some possible persuasive questions of fact? Which of your examples fall under this category?

B. Persuasive speeches can also focus on questions of value. 1. These speeches focus on what is good or bad, moral or immoral, or just or unjust. 2. Speeches based on questions of value are usually most effective when they try to strengthen the audience's preexisting beliefs, attitudes, or values. 3. It is more difficult to try to convince an audience to change their beliefs, attitudes, or values. 4. One question of value might be, "Is the United States government is justified in becoming involved in foreign affairs?" 5. What questions of value can you think of? Which of your examples fall under this category?

C. The final type of persuasive speech addresses questions of policy. 1. These speeches focus on what should be done, what procedures should be adopted, what laws should be changed, or what policy should be followed. 2. Speeches based on questions of policy could propose new policies or push for changes to existing policies. 3. A question of policy might be, "Should the United States government change health care policy?" 4. What are some examples of questions of policy that you know of? Which of your examples fall under this category?

V. What questions about the three types of persuasive speeches do you have?

VI. Review the content: Today we talked about three different types of persuasive messages. Who can tell me what the three types are?

VII. Do an activity A. Tell students: "Now that we have learned a bit about different types of persuasive messages, we are going to see if we can see elements of the different types in a persuasive speech outline. With a shoulder buddy, you will read the outline. Each pair will have a discussion web to fill out with examples from the outline. Your goal is to be able to argue whether or not the speech is the type of persuasive message given on your discussion web. You will have about ten minutes to complete this task, and then we will discuss the outline as a class and try to determine which type of persuasive message the message is most like. Do you have any questions? Ok,

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