• During the lesson, keep the focus on word choices that help students identify facts, opinions, propaganda, and emotional appeal. Based on the ads students created and their participation in discussions, determine which students need additional help. Use the following criteria to assess understanding:
  • ability to differentiate stated claims, sound reasoning, facts, and opinions in texts.
  • ability to analyze the use of emotional appeal and propaganda.
  • ability to cite evidence from texts to make assertions, inferences, generalizations, and to draw conclusions about the influence of word choice in nonfiction texts.

Focus Question: What are the elements of persuasive language?

Engage students by reviewing how word choices signal facts and opinions in text. Have a student define fact (something that can be proved true or false) and opinion (a personal view that cannot be verified).

Create a worksheet that contains a list of facts and opinions and distribute to students. You may use the examples below. For each item, have students write F for fact or O for opinion. As you read aloud each statement, have a student give the answer and identify word choices that signal a fact or an opinion.

1. Bats look very scary and mean. (O)
2. Presidential elections in the United Sates are held in November. (F)
3. I think fall is the perfect season. (O)
4. Earth has only one moon. (F)
5. Abraham Lincoln was the best president the United States ever had. (O)
6. George Washington was the first president of the United States. (F)
7. Dogs are friendlier than cats. (O)
8. Whales are mammals. (F)
9. It takes 365 days for Earth to orbit the sun. (F)
10. Our school is the best school in the state. (O)

Part 1

Say, “Often we take language for granted. We use it all the time. However, we should give it some serious thought because language can have very powerful effects on us.

“In two minutes and fewer than 300 words in his Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln summed up the sacrifice of the Civil War soldiers and the larger cause for which they died, offering words of inspiration that have been quoted again and again to call the nation together and to remind us of the strength of unity.

“Words can affect our emotions, our opinions, and our actions. Thinking clearly about persuasive text is important. For example, we need to consider what is fact and what is opinion, what is sound reasoning and what is emotional appeal.”

Display the Gettysburg Address on a screen and ask students to read it and note any vocabulary that is unfamiliar or needs explanation. Discuss these words to ensure students’ understanding of the speech before proceeding with the rest of the lesson.

Have students reread the address or listen to a reading of it, and identify facts. Point out that the first four sentences are based on facts. From that point, Lincoln moves into opinion and emotional appeal. Then ask students to identify Lincoln’s claim (the Union must be preserved) and his purpose for writing the speech (to encourage listeners to support the preservation of the Union).

Ask, “What reasoning did Lincoln use to try to convince listeners to support him?” (He pointed out that many had given their lives to preserve the Union, and he appealed to listeners to carry on so that the dead “shall not have died in vain.”) Explain that Lincoln’s words express a powerful emotional appeal (“we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground,” “they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced”) while acknowledging the fact of horrible human destruction.

Say, “This speech was Lincoln’s attempt to persuade others to honor those who had died at Gettysburg (and elsewhere during the war) by remaining dedicated to the continuation of the Union. In his argument, Lincoln presents the facts and then uses these facts to inspire listeners to support his claim that the Union must persevere. This speech demonstrates how powerfully words can affect our emotions, our opinions, and our actions. Whenever others want to convince us of something, they use language as a tool. We need to evaluate carefully what we read and what we hear.”

Part 2

Say, “Examining persuasive text is important. Not every text has inherently ‘good’ intentions as The Gettysburg Address has. We need to look closely at the purpose of the persuasion and be aware of the techniques that are being used to try to persuade us. Some writers go beyond the use of facts and reasons and use propaganda to try to shape listeners’ or readers’ viewpoints.”

Ask, “What is propaganda? Take a moment to think about it and then raise your hand if you have a definition for it.” (people trying to trick you into thinking something or trying to deceive you by using faulty reasoning)

Find examples of advertising that tries to influence a purchase. Ads for pet food, insurance, hair products, and cleaning products are good examples. You may wish to use the two animal food sites listed in Materials, which attempt to influence an owner to buy a particular pet food. Ask students what claim the ad makes (e.g., “Our dog food meets dogs’ nutritional needs”) and what evidence it gives to support its claim. Help students identify word choices that signal emotional appeals (e.g., pets make everybody happier, puppies are cute) and propaganda techniques (This dog food is the most nutritious, dogs who eat this dog food are healthier). Also help students identify any facts used in the ad, such as nutritional content, and how those facts are presented in the text.

Say, “You will prepare an ad. You may choose your product and what you say about it. Let’s first come up with a list of possible products.” Ask students to think about things that they or their parents have bought recently: cereal, bread, magazines, appliances, fast food. Create a list of about 20 items.

“After you choose your product, think about how you can make others want to buy it. The visual part of the ad may be drawn, or you can use something from a magazine or newspaper, but focus primarily on the text of your ad. Remember that you are using language to make others want to buy your product.” Encourage students to incorporate emotional appeal in their ads.

Have students share their ads with the class and allow others to identify word choices that appeal to the emotions or use propaganda techniques to sell the product. Discuss ways informed consumers can avoid buying products based on emotional appeal. Ask, “What sources of information might provide factual information about a product?”

Extension:

• Students who are ready to move beyond the standard may read “Best Soup Ever? Suits Over Ads Demand Proof.” (See Related Resources.) Refer specifically to the problems that companies are having with their advertising and proof for their claims. Identify the propaganda technique used in these two ads as sweeping generalization (an oversimplified statement based on limited information). Then have students find other examples of text or ads that use this technique to persuade.
• For students who need additional practice, review the definitions of fact and opinion. Then give students a checklist of five statements to identify as fact or opinion. Ask them to explain how word choices in the statements signal facts or opinions. To reinforce understanding of emotional appeal, discuss a popular commercial for fast food or ice cream. Point out how the commercial associates an emotion such as happiness, safety, or health with the product. Have students identify the words or pictures that appeal to emotions. (e.g., everyone using the product is smiling or laughing; the person using the product is physically fit and active).