Subject/Grade level: Reading, 7th grade

Unit topic: Persuasive text

Lesson Title: Planet Persuasion
Estimated length of Lesson: 45 minutes

TEKS Standards:

(11) Reading/Comprehension of Informational Text/Persuasive Text. Students analyze,

make inferences and draw conclusions about persuasive text and provide evidence from
text to support their analysis. Students are expected to:

(B) Identify such rhetorical fallacies as ad hominem, exaggeration, stereotyping, or

categorical claims in persuasive texts.

Learning Objectives: Students will be able to identify and use at least two rhetorical fallacies
(ad hominem, exaggeration, stereotyping, or categorical claim) to persuade their audience
through an ad and short speech.

Academic Language: Academic language that students must know are: Rhetorical Fallacy, Ad
Hominem, Stereotyping, Categorical claim, and testimonial.

Materials: Poster paper, markers, color pencils, dry erase marker, timer

Instructional Procedures:

Before lesson: Before the lesson begins, the teacher will go over academic vocabulary that
students will have already learned, in order to complete the assignment. The teacher will show
students advertisements that model what each rhetorical fallacy looks like. This will give
students a better understanding of how these rhetorical fallacy techniques are used in media to
persuade their audience.

During Activity: The teacher will introduce the following story line:

The earth is ending and humans must choose another planet to live on. There are very few
humans left and their time is running out. The other planets in the universe must persuade the
humans to choose their planet to live on, by sending them a message. The aliens want humans to
come to their planet because they will help make their planet become stronger.

Students will be divided into two groups and will be given 20 minutes to create an advertisement
poster, and come up with a short speech, using at least two rhetorical fallacies to persuade the
humans to choose their planet. A timer will be displayed on the projector that shows how much
time is left until the message must be sent to earth. After the timer goes off, the student’s will
need to be finished with their persuasive ad. They will then present their poster and give a short
speech as to why the humans should choose their planet.

After activity: Once the students are done presenting, they will explain which rhetorical fallacies
they used to persuade their audience, and why.

Assessment: The teacher will informally assess the students by observing if they used the
rhetorical fallacies in the correct way.

Accommodations: Students will be given sentence starters to help them express their persuasive
argument along with visuals of each rhetorical fallacy. Students will also be given extra time, the
day before the lesson to brainstorm ideas.
Example of sentence starter: On our planet, we offer…