Recognizing Counterarguments in Nonfiction
Recognizing Counterarguments in Nonfiction
Objectives
Students will learn how to identify counterarguments in persuasive text. Students will:
- explain what a counterargument is.
- identify and analyze counterarguments in persuasive text.
Essential Questions
- How do strategic readers create meaning from informational and literary text?
- What is this text really about?
- How does interaction with text provoke thinking and response?
- How do readers know what to believe in what they read, hear, and view?
Vocabulary
- Propaganda Techniques and Persuasive Tactics: Propaganda techniques and persuasive tactics are used to influence people to believe, buy, or do something. Students should be able to identify and comprehend the propaganda techniques and persuasive tactics listed below.
- A claim is a statement that a person asserts as true.
- Name-calling is an attack on a person instead of an issue.
- A bandwagon appeal tries to persuade the reader to do, think, or buy something because it is popular or because “everyone” is doing it.
- A red herring is an attempt to distract the reader with details not relevant to the argument.
- An emotional appeal tries to persuade the reader by using words that appeal to the reader’s emotions instead of to logic or reason.
- A testimonial attempts to persuade the reader by using a famous person to endorse a product or an idea (for instance, the celebrity endorsement).
- Repetition attempts to persuade the reader by repeating a message over and over again.
- A sweeping generalization (stereotyping) makes an oversimplified statement about a group based on limited information.
- A circular argument states a conclusion as part of the proof of the argument.
- An appeal to numbers, facts, or statistics attempts to persuade the reader by showing how many people think something is true.
- Counterargument: An argument used in opposition to another argument.
Duration
135–180 minutes/3–4 class periods
Prerequisite Skills
Prerequisite Skills haven't been entered into the lesson plan.
Materials
- Letter to Parents (L-6-3-2_Letter to Parents.doc)
- Letter to Brandon (L-6-3-2_Letter to Brandon.doc)
- overhead projector/document camera
- Persuasive Strategies (L-6-3-1_Persuasive Strategies.doc), a collection of letters to the editor and the counterargument letters that go with them. Teachers may substitute other materials to provide a range of reading and level of text complexity. The following online newspapers are good sources:
- Debate Planning Sheet (L-6-3-2_Debate Planning Sheet.doc), one copy per team
- http://library.thinkquest.org/C005627/Learn/Instruction/HOWADE_1/howade_1.HTM
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Final 03/01/2013