Lesson Study
Marketing the Mea Culpa
Humanities | Grade 11
In a series of lessons, Marketing the Mea Culpa, students will explore the nuances of rhetorical strategies through an examination of marketed dvertisements.
In a series of 4 lessons, students will learn the key concepts of Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle (ethos, logos and pathos), and identify them in modern-day advertisements. The students will then apply these types of appeal to create storyboards and “elevator pitch” their advertisements to the class. Lastly, they will rate their use of rhetorical appeals and form focus groups to further apply demographic appeals as focus groups.
This lesson is 3rd in a sequence of 4 total lessons.
The human capacity for language and imagination is flexible, powerful, and beautiful. As instinctive storytellers, we have developed tools to extend our capabilities beyond our individual realities and form mass, collective beliefs that allow us to coexist with one another. Law, economics, science, religion—a few examples of concepts built upon the basis of shared belief. For our Lesson Study, our Research Team wanted to tap into this and engage with our students in an exploration of persuasion; how can language be utilized to convince people to believe in a story?
Overview
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP)
How can we support high schoolers in crafting a persuasive argument?
Research Question
Theory of Action
If we design opportunities for high school students to communicate through multiple modes of representation through a Humanities lesson then they will be able to practice identifying and utilizing rhetorical elements (using ethos, pathos, and/or logos) resulting in students articulating a specific, persuasive message.
For this Lesson Study, our Research Team's work was guided by CRP. Within a CRP framework, an educator’s most valuable tool is the ability to develop meaningful connections with their students. These relationships afford us insight into the worlds our students are a part of and, as a result, allow us to more accurately anticipate and address their needs. Culturally responsive teaching (CRT) involves leveraging both the culture and socio-political context(s) our students come from for the purpose of supporting increased academic agency
Planning
Lesson Goals
For this cycle of Lesson Study, our research team met to address the following planning items:
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Hopes and Dreams For Students
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Identify Student Strengths and Funds of Knowledge
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Determine a Research Question and Theory of Action
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Choosing a Research Lesson Topic
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Explore the Content
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Determining Equity and Content Goals
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Data Collection Plan
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Mock Lesson
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Lesson Study Prebrief and Debrief
CONTENT GOAL: ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Students will write a persuasive argument in an advertisement to gain the support of the audience.
EQUITY GOAL
Students will engage in critical thinking and engagement in linguistic formats that are culturally responsive to their unique identities.