Juliana Dunn
Kerr
Lesson Plan for 10/16: Analyzing Arguments Rhetorically
Objective(s):
Outline of Lesson:
12:00 - 12:05
Method of Assessing:
Kerr
Lesson Plan for 10/16: Analyzing Arguments Rhetorically
Objective(s):
- In previous lessons, students will have already been introduced to the basics of rhetorical arguments (logos, ethos, pathos, kairos, exigence, and so on)
- Because they already have the basics, the purpose of this lesson will be to solidify/ test what they already know, and expand upon it by adding in more important details that relate to rhetoric, and how they should be analyzed; connect this to their own Rhetorical Analysis writing assignment.
- What questions should be asked during a rhetorical analysis?
- As mentioned above, we will have already thoroughly addressed the basics (logos, ethos, pathos, kairos, and exigence); so new focus should be put on different material the students may not be so familiar with (as outlined in their reading)
- Writer’s purpose and audience
- What is the writer’s purpose?
- What is the intended audience?
- What assumptions, values, and beliefs should readers hold to make this argument persuasive? (enthymeme)
- How well does the text suit this audience?
- Rhetorical context: genre
- What is the argument’s original genre?
- What is the original medium of publication?
- How does the genre/ argument influence the piece’s content, structure, and style?
- Writer’s style
- How does the writer’s language choices/ sentence length and complexity contribute to the impact of the argument?
- How well does the writer’s tone suit the argument?
- Design and visual elements (?)
- Brief review, since entire other lesson is focused on this (?)
- How do graphics and images contribute to the persuasiveness of the argument?
- Overall persuasiveness -
- Is it persuasive? Yes or no? Why or why not?
- Structure/ organization of the Rhetorical Analysis
- Introduction
- Present kairos, generate interest/ investment
- Present thesis - which main rhetorical points will you focus on in your piece?
- Summary of Argument
- Present the most important points of the article
- Potentially part of the introduction
- Rhetorical Analysis!!
- Explain, develop, discuss use of rhetorical points in the piece
- Be specific! Use lots of examples and quotations
- Conclusion
- Wrap up the analysis
- Re-mention kairos, importance of the piece relating to its topic
- Look at reading in TSIS for templates!
- Introduction
- Required reading: IA “Analyzing Arguments Rhetorically” 154-174; TSIS 92-101
- Political teen vogue articles:
- https://www.teenvogue.com/story/donald-trump-lawsuit-business-conflicts-violate-constitution-foreign-governments
- https://www.teenvogue.com/story/presidential-impeachment-explained-what-is-it
- https://www.teenvogue.com/story/what-you-need-to-know-about-hate-speech-and-free-speech
- https://www.teenvogue.com/story/attorneys-general-to-sue-trump-emoluments-clause-woke-list
Outline of Lesson:
12:00 - 12:05
- wait for students to settle in, take attendance, hand out sheets
- give students instructions:
- read over sheets, get in groups with others who have the same article as you - will be numbered 1-4.
- Once finished reading, discuss the article, especially: writer’s purpose and audience; genre; writer’s style; overall persuasiveness
- Give students time to read, discuss
- Class discussion time!
- Reveal articles were from Teen vogue, ask if that changes how they feel about their answers (esp. Genre, target audience, effectiveness, other rhetorical appeals, etc.)
- Ask students to take out IA, turn to pg 168 and review organizational plan for rhetorical analysis of an argument
- Ask students discuss/ share with class how they would use this structure to rhetorically analyze the piece they read
Method of Assessing:
- Students will be assessed by their participation in the conversation, which should show understanding of the reading, questions asked of them during class activities, and comfort with general ideas of rhetorical points and rhetorical analysis.
10/16 Lesson Reflection
This lesson, being my first of the semester, went surprisingly well. This lesson plan was based around a reading in Inventing Arguments which focused on the the writer’s effect on the audience. The writer’s effect on the audience was studied through a brief review on logos, ethos, pathos and kairos (as the appeals had already been heavily studied and discussed in class previously), as well as the writer’s purpose, intended audience, genre, word choice, and so on; and how they should shape their work around these aspects of writing. The lesson was focused around handouts given to the students from different news sources about different topics. The students’ job was to analyze the work and its effectiveness, guess at what news sources it came from, etc.
At the beginning of the lesson I was somewhat nervous, but because I had taken an exam the class prior and was mentally exhausted from the process I was able to ignore my nervousness and continue teaching. Overall, I was very pleased with how the lesson went. This group of students is wonderful at continuing productive and thought-provoking conversation, and they have a lot of fun with it- teaching them is incredibly enjoyable. During the lesson I did not feel as if I had any difficulty explaining any of the themes of the lesson or asking questions, but I did have a hard time slowing myself down and regulating how quickly I talked. This was especially evident in my unwillingness to wait for students to answer questions; once I had received a couple of responses I usually moved on if no one else answered (I am not too fond of the awkward silences and eye contact while waiting for a response). Towards the end of the lesson, I was able to slow myself down and wait longer. At the end of the day, I think this lesson went very well and I was able to teach the students what I had set out to in a fun and interactive way.
This lesson, being my first of the semester, went surprisingly well. This lesson plan was based around a reading in Inventing Arguments which focused on the the writer’s effect on the audience. The writer’s effect on the audience was studied through a brief review on logos, ethos, pathos and kairos (as the appeals had already been heavily studied and discussed in class previously), as well as the writer’s purpose, intended audience, genre, word choice, and so on; and how they should shape their work around these aspects of writing. The lesson was focused around handouts given to the students from different news sources about different topics. The students’ job was to analyze the work and its effectiveness, guess at what news sources it came from, etc.
At the beginning of the lesson I was somewhat nervous, but because I had taken an exam the class prior and was mentally exhausted from the process I was able to ignore my nervousness and continue teaching. Overall, I was very pleased with how the lesson went. This group of students is wonderful at continuing productive and thought-provoking conversation, and they have a lot of fun with it- teaching them is incredibly enjoyable. During the lesson I did not feel as if I had any difficulty explaining any of the themes of the lesson or asking questions, but I did have a hard time slowing myself down and regulating how quickly I talked. This was especially evident in my unwillingness to wait for students to answer questions; once I had received a couple of responses I usually moved on if no one else answered (I am not too fond of the awkward silences and eye contact while waiting for a response). Towards the end of the lesson, I was able to slow myself down and wait longer. At the end of the day, I think this lesson went very well and I was able to teach the students what I had set out to in a fun and interactive way.
Juliana Dunn
Kerr
Lesson Plan for 11/06: Language Varieties
Objective(s):
Outline of Lesson:
12:03-12:08: Review maps/ class results, Introduce subject of the lecture/ lesson
Method of Assessing:
Email to be sent out on 11/03 after class:
Hey everyone!
I know Professor Kerr has mentioned this in class a few times, but I will be teaching class on Monday! Before class however, I would like you guys to do a few things to be prepared. First, of course, please remember to do the required reading, Fahnestock’s “Understanding Language Varieties”, which can be found in IA pages 405-416.
Next, I would like you to take this dialect quiz from the New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/dialect-quiz-map.html). After taking this quiz, please send me the results - the names of the three cities your dialect is most similar to (this will make more sense after you have taken the quiz and see your results!). PLEASE have this emailed to me by 3 PM Sunday, November 5 - your email/ response will be worth five participation points!
I look forward to seeing you all on Monday,
Kerr
Lesson Plan for 11/06: Language Varieties
Objective(s):
- Introduce students to different varieties and forms of language
- Idea of “appropriateness” of language
- simple/ low, middle, grand/high forms of language (IA)
- Dialects!
- What is a dialect? (linguistic perspective)
- Code switching
- Regiolects and Sociolects
- Idiolects
- registers/ jargon
- Genre and register
- shifting/ mixing language varieties
- Spoken vs written language
- Address how this may pertain to ENG101/ life (?)
- Friday 11/06 - send out email to students about reading, NYT quiz (see email below)
- Required reading: IA Fahnestock “Language Varieties”
- http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/12/20/sunday-review/dialect-quiz-map.html
- quiz/ graph about class statistics
- Powerpoint
- (? should writers use they own english - at least use excerpts in powerpoint)
Outline of Lesson:
- General lecture structure - questions?
12:03-12:08: Review maps/ class results, Introduce subject of the lecture/ lesson
- Ask students to point out any patterns they may have noticed, comment on which areas dialects are most spoken in
- Why might this be the case - populations, demographics, etc.
- Discussion of varieties and forms of language
- Ask students what they think a language is made up of
- Brief introduction of phonetics/ phonology, morphology, syntax, lexicon, semantics, pragmatics, and word choice
- Why is it important to understand this?
- Because if we don’t know what a language is made up of, how can we study it?? And……
- Spoken vs. written language
- Much of the time, written language is going to sound different than spoken or signed languages
- Why? Time - you have more time to formulate your thoughts, you can edit them, used more advanced vocabulary, etc.
- What’s one contradiction to this rule? texting!
- Another reason spoken language might be different from those spoken/ signed in real time is…..
- Ideas of appropriateness/ form!
- Much of the time, written language is going to sound different than spoken or signed languages
- Rhetorical Appropriateness
- Language that fits the audience, rhetor, the subject, and the situation: obviously, applies to spoken as well as written language
- Quote by Donald Trump - not exactly the type of vocabulary you would expect from some running for office (would want more formal, romantic, “higher-level” vocabulary
- But!!! This is a double-edged sword - one of the reasons Trump won was because he was perceived as a “man of the people”, not an out-of-touch, highly educated political machine who the people could not connect with
- So remember, these perceptions of appropriateness are very closely tied to sociocultural standards and norms - age, gender, race, socioeconomic standing, level of education, occupation, and so on
- Which brings us to……
- Language that fits the audience, rhetor, the subject, and the situation: obviously, applies to spoken as well as written language
- Low style - informal or colloquial language → sounds casual conversational
- What kind of grammar/ vocabulary might be used to achieve this effect?
- Why might a speaker or writer want to use this type of language?
- Ask students for written example of low-style writing
- Low style: Lower-class dialect example:
- Scouse - spoken in Liverpool by lower, working class
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A05OjKCAOsg
- Start at 1:35
- Cockney - spoken by lower-class in London (Essex) - rhyming slang
- Scouse - spoken in Liverpool by lower, working class
- Middle style - considered to be Standard Edited American English (when written)
- This is considered a grapholect - a “standard” form of a written language
- Why might this be used as the “standard”, and why does it have to be taught (hint: because we all speak in different ways - we all have our own dialects!)
- Standard spoken English is somewhat similar, but it does not have to be taught to everyone
- What kind of grammar/ vocabulary might be used to achieve this effect?
- Why might a speaker or writer want to use this type of language?
- Ask students for written example of middle-style writing
- Middle style: middle-class dialect example: Estuary
- Spoken by lower to middle working class in southern England
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC_IW8GeM9U
- Start at :07
- Formal/ “Grand”/ “High” style - both spoken and written
- Used in official speeches, documents, and publications
- Found in older forms of writing/ literature/ art
- What kind of grammar/ vocabulary might be used to achieve this effect?
- Why might a speaker or writer want to use this type of language?
- Ask students for written example of high-style writing
- Upper style: URP (Upper Received Pronounciation)/ Posh - spoken by upper class/ nobility, about 3% of Eng. pop speak this dialect - used to be more common
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Mzor6Hf1tY
- Start at 2:00
- What would you call these different forms of the same language (generally..)?..
- Before we start, remember - everything is in a little bit of a grey area when it comes to language!
- What is a dialect?
- A language is a collection or assortment of dialects!
- According to the book: spoken variants of one language
- This may change - we text differently from how we speak or write formally - perhaps one day this will be formally classified as its own dialect!
- More specific definition: A dialect is a form or variety of one language spoken by a certain group/ demographic of people. Importantly, there are SYSTEMATIC differences between dialects (such as the way certain sounds are pronounced, grammar used, and so on).
- Differences in grammatical structure from the “standard” form of a language DO NOT make dialects grammatically incorrect - they are simply different!
- Technically, dialects should be mutually intelligible - if both sides cannot understand what the other is saying, what is being spoken should be considered another language
- Confusing!
- What if Spanish, Italian, and French speakers can understand each other - does this mean they are all dialects of the same language?
- What if American and Scottish English speakers can’t understand each other - does this mean they are speaking different languages?
- Play example of scottish man on roof
- Confusing!
- History of dialects: some dialects or new language were formed from pidgin languages - a blend of languages used in an area where many people speak 1+ language and must learn how to communicate - no one is a native speaker of a pidgin language. This is a simplified language with rudimentary grammar and vocabulary (ex: language spoken by workers on the sugar cane plantations of Hawaii in the 19th century
- From pidgins, Creoles are born - Creole languages are often spoken as first or second languages, learned by a second generation that helps move the language forward - it becomes more grammatically complex, with an expanded vocabulary, etc. (ex: students brought in to learn sign language for the first time in nicaragua during the mid-late 20th century - 1st exposure to sign language → rudimentary sequenced signs; younger speakers/ those who came later developed a more complex grammatical system, composite signs)
- Dialects can be split off into many groups/ types:
- Regiolects: a dialect spoken by people in a certain geographical region (ex: Appalachian dialect, Irish vs. Indian English, etc.)
- Sociolect: a dialect spoken by a certain demographic or a social group of a population - groups as identified by race, SES, age, social group, and so on
- Race - one of the most well-known is AAVE/ Ebonics
- “slang”
- Register/ Jargon
- Register - “A subset of language tied to a particular activity or situation” → especially in relation to an occupation or hobby
- In writing, register helps define the style of the work (low, middle, high, etc.)
- Jargon - a specific vocabulary tied to a certain occupation, hobby, etc.
- Ex: doctor talk/ engineering → if we can’t understand it, does that make it another language?
- Register - “A subset of language tied to a particular activity or situation” → especially in relation to an occupation or hobby
- Idiolect - language spoken in a way that is unique to each individual person! :)
- What are some iconic idiolects/ who are some people who are famous for the iconic way they speak?
- Remember intersectionality - the way each group or person speaks is not just a result of one of these factors - for many dialects, they are often combinations of multiple factors, which is in part what leads them to be so distinctive
- Because of this intersectionality, we don’t just speak or even write in one dialect - code-switching and register switching
- Written language: registers and genre - can help change formality or tone of the piece
- Why would someone do this? So it is more easy to understand or less so, appeals to different audiences, etc.
- Spoken language: code-switching - occurs when switching between language/ language varieties when speaking
- Does anyone in here speak more than one language - do you switch when you’re speaking at home with your family?
- Remember Young’s “Should Writer’s Use They Own Language?”
- Written language: registers and genre - can help change formality or tone of the piece
- Watch these examples - what kind(s) of dialect do they display?
- Appalachian dialect:
- Video with people talking - Mountain Talk - Life and Language Project
- NC
- Feature Popcorn Sutton, famous moonshiner who lived in Appalachians of NC, TN his entire life
- Born 1946, died 2009
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bn8O6Nx3C6w
- Start at 4:26
- Hoi Toiders “Brogue”
- NC - Ocracoke
- Influence of Irish, scottish settlers
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7MvtQp2-UA
- Start at :45
- Cajun dialect
- Gullah
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kY_0lXMeVM
- Creole language
- Spoken by enslaved Africans on the coastal plantations of FL, GA, SC
- Appalachian dialect:
- Because of this intersectionality, we don’t just speak or even write in one dialect - code-switching and register switching
- So how does this pertain to real life?
- Language affects everything that we do - how we speak, we write, we feel
- Think about pathos, and what evokes really strong emotion
- There is nothing stronger than a feeling of belonging with a group of people, or feeling like an outcast
- What better facilitates belonging or ostracization than language or an ability to communicate?
- Keep this in mind in your writing - who you audience is, what you’re talking about, and how to address them/ present yourself in your writing
Method of Assessing:
- Student quiz answers, participation
- 5 participation points for sending in dialect quiz responses
Email to be sent out on 11/03 after class:
Hey everyone!
I know Professor Kerr has mentioned this in class a few times, but I will be teaching class on Monday! Before class however, I would like you guys to do a few things to be prepared. First, of course, please remember to do the required reading, Fahnestock’s “Understanding Language Varieties”, which can be found in IA pages 405-416.
Next, I would like you to take this dialect quiz from the New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/dialect-quiz-map.html). After taking this quiz, please send me the results - the names of the three cities your dialect is most similar to (this will make more sense after you have taken the quiz and see your results!). PLEASE have this emailed to me by 3 PM Sunday, November 5 - your email/ response will be worth five participation points!
I look forward to seeing you all on Monday,
- Juliana
As Hearing and Speech Sciences major, this lesson was focused around topics that were enjoyable for me, and I hope interesting for my students as well. The focus of this lesson was around “appropriateness”, different levels of language (grand, middle, low), and dialects. Having taken many linguistics courses, I felt very prepared for this lesson and was not nervous at all. Before the class began, I had students take a dialect quiz by the NYT which we used as a jumping-off point for the conversation.
After the initial conversation, the rest of the lesson was mostly lecture-based with pauses during and after the conversation to ask students questions about the material in order to gauge what they had learned. Although the first lesson I did this semester was definitely more interactive, I think this lesson was equally entertaining and informative (but perhaps the students would saying something different, considering they may not be interested in the same things as me and did not have as much time to speak in groups as they often do in class). I made sure to include as many examples and ask as many questions as I could to keep the students attentive and interested- I think my use of videos that displayed different examples of language varieties and dialects was very helpful in achieving this. After my experience with the first lesson plan, I was even less nervous and I think it showed in how well the class went. The conversations all went really well, and I was more careful about how I paced myself and did not run out of time like I did during my first lesson. Maybe, in order to make sure I have such successful and enjoyable lessons in the future, I should try to center my lessons around topics that I have a more solid background or interest in. However, because of the structure of ENG101, I do believe more discussion-based classes are more productive and instructive and I am not sure how easy it would be for me to incorporate linguistics-based themes in without the structure of a lecture.
After the initial conversation, the rest of the lesson was mostly lecture-based with pauses during and after the conversation to ask students questions about the material in order to gauge what they had learned. Although the first lesson I did this semester was definitely more interactive, I think this lesson was equally entertaining and informative (but perhaps the students would saying something different, considering they may not be interested in the same things as me and did not have as much time to speak in groups as they often do in class). I made sure to include as many examples and ask as many questions as I could to keep the students attentive and interested- I think my use of videos that displayed different examples of language varieties and dialects was very helpful in achieving this. After my experience with the first lesson plan, I was even less nervous and I think it showed in how well the class went. The conversations all went really well, and I was more careful about how I paced myself and did not run out of time like I did during my first lesson. Maybe, in order to make sure I have such successful and enjoyable lessons in the future, I should try to center my lessons around topics that I have a more solid background or interest in. However, because of the structure of ENG101, I do believe more discussion-based classes are more productive and instructive and I am not sure how easy it would be for me to incorporate linguistics-based themes in without the structure of a lecture.
Reviewing Other UTAs' Lesson Plans
Being able to review other UTAs’ lesson plans, I believe, is a real privilege. Having written a few lesson plans myself, I remember how nerve-wracking and work-intensive it is. Even though I have a little experience (very little) writing and creating lesson plans, the thought of another UTA pouring over them is still intimidating- and I remember the idea of someone else seeing my lesson plans as a first-semester UTA was even more worrying. So, even being able to look at the work someone else has done is something to be appreciated because you can understand how much pressure they were under to create it and make it good, and then the stress they most likely feel at the thought of someone else who has been TA-ing for a little longer than them seeing it.
The lesson plans that I had the privilege to look at were really wonderful. It is an interesting insight into the way a class works and the dynamic a UTA has within the class. Based on the amount of lecture the UTA includes, use of technology, in-class activities and so on, I think it is sometimes possible to get a good idea of how a professor runs their class, how the UTA interacts with the class, and the UTA’s own teaching style. Of the lesson plans that I reviewed, I remember the personality or style of the UTAs shining through. While they had to present some standard material/ course content, they did so in a way that would keep students interactive and involved during class. Not hoping to diminish the accomplishments of actual professors when I say this, but I believe that some lesson plans by UTAs can be even more interactive or interesting for students than those created by professors. Obviously this is not true for all professors (I have had wonderful experiences in my English-related classes at UMD), but I feel they often have a lot on their plates considering the grading they have to do and the many many lessons they have to plan each semester. For UTAs, it is completely different- they have about 1-2 chances a semester to prove they can plan and teach a lesson with, the the extra pressure of having to be fun/ relatable since they are closer to the students in age, but also be good enough at teaching to get course content across. This makes for interesting lesson plans that are generally really enjoyable to read.