Lesson Information

Teacher Name  Thouin Course  AP Language

Date  August 20th Lesson Title  Rhetorical
Desired Results

The “What”

Standards,
Objectives,

and Key Points

Student
Rhetorical Choice Quiz (Schoology)
Output

Alignment to
Summative
Assessment
 Identify common rhetorical choices.
Criteria for
Explain the functions of common rhetorical choices.
Success

Today’s lesson is a great review of the rhetorical choices that we have been learning about. By the end of today, you
The “Why” should feel confident that you are able to identify rhetorical choices and explain why the author made such choices in
their writing. Overall, this lesson is key to better understanding the text that we read.

Do First: 15 minutes Pre: 5 minutes During: 45 minutes Post: 30 minutes

Agenda w/
Passage with questions Present objectives and Review activity Rhetorical choice quiz
Time Stamp today’s lesson

Differentiation

Vocabulary and Prerequisites Special Pops Scaffolds

Allusion 5th 6th Access Content Product

Anaphora
Apostrophe
Anecdote During the matching review
Students may use
Counterargument activity, students will be grouped
KJ OP class notes during
Exemplification together. I will be intentionally 80% or above on rhetorical
TY AS quiz as additional
Juxtaposition working with them during this choice quiz.
RE WE support.
Parallel Structure time to ensure that they are set
Repetition up for success on the quiz.
Rhetorical Question

Completed SW

Unit 1
L2: Rhetorical Choices Review
Today we will…
 Identify and explain the functions of common rhetorical choices

Warm-Up
Directions: Read the following excerpt. Pay attention to the author’s style of writing and the choices they
make. Highlight at least 2 sentences or phrases that stand out.

from Armadillos and Old Lace* by Kinky Friedman

I leaned the shotgun up against the wall, poured another cup of coffee, and lit up a cigar. I sat down in the
sunlit doorway of the trailer and sipped the coffee, smoked the cigar, and reflected upon the subject of
loners in this world. There've been some very good loners down through the ages. Henry David Thoreau,
Emily Dickinson, Johnny Appleseed, the woman who worked with gorillas in Africa whatever the hell her
name was, even Benny Hill in the last years of his life after they canceled his television show. These people
all knew that the majority is always wrong, and even if it isn't, who gives a damn anyway. They knew that
within is where it's at, and if nothing's happening within it doesn't really matter if your co-dependent wife
throws a black-tie surprise birthday party for you and hundreds of well-wishers show up who would just as
soon wish you'd fallen down a well. I liked loners. The downside, of course, was that every serial killer
who'd ever lived had also been a loner. Well, you can't have everything. People just tend to drive you crazy
after a while. That's why penthouses, nunneries, sailboats, islands, and jail cells do such a booming
business. And trailers.

* Kinky Friedman's Armadillos and Old Lace was published by Simon & Schuster in 1994
Responses will vary:
Circulate and jot down students with exemplary responses. Have them share out whole group when time is
up.
1. What is the author saying?
The author is recalling a time where they “zoned out” and began thinking about what makes
people loners. In the end, she confesses that she too is a loner.

2. What is the author doing?

The author is using language that is personable and makes you feel like you are in a real
conversation with them.

3. How did the author do it?

The author does this by using anecdotes about their life.

Guiding Question: How do we talk about rhetorical choices?

Today’s Lesson
Writers/speakers make intentional choices with language and punctuation because of the effects that those
choices have. We can describe what a speaker is doing by using rhetorically accurate verbs. We describe
how they did it by analyzing the rhetorical strategies (sometimes called devices) they used.

Key Points
Rhetorically Accurate Verbs (RAVs) are action verbs that describe what a writer/speaker is
doing. These more precise verbs replace generic terms like “uses”, “says”, or “shows”.

Rhetorical Choices are the ways a writer/speaker uses language, punctuation, sentence
structure and organization to achieve a specific effect. The term “rhetorical choice” is broader
than rhetorical device.

For example, a writer may choose to pose a question and then answer it themselves (hypophora)
or leave it unanswered (rhetorical question) or describe a specific moment in their lives and follow
it with similar examples form a scientific study. Even the way a composition is organized is a
rhetorical choice.

Guided Practice – Rhetorical Choices Matching

 
Directions: In your group, shuffle the matching game cards and arrange them face-down in rows. Try to
create matches by turning over 2-3 cards at a time and reading them aloud. If there is a match, the person
who turned them over keeps it. If not, replace the cards face-down.
 o Round 1= Match rhetorical choices with their definition.
o Round 2 = Match rhetorical choices, definition and effect to create sets of 3.
o Round 3 = Categorize the sets into groups (i.e. create a set where all the choices have to do
with patterns). Discuss the similarities and differences between and among the sets.

1. Which rhetorical choices are like each other? What is the difference?

Responses will vary:

1. Anaphora and parallel structure are similar. They are different in that parallel structure is an
idea where an anaphora is the same phrase.

2. Allusion and anecdote are similar. They are different in that allusion is used to build a
connection with the audience over common beliefs or understandings.

2. Which rhetorical choice do you find yourself using most often?

Responses will vary:

I find myself most using parallel structure. I enjoy building a story and a rhythm through like
sentences.

My Notes
Today, I learned…
Responses will vary:

Look for responses that suggest a student has caught a mistake they were making or has gained
new insight into what a rhetorical device really looks, and sounds like in a text.

Take this time to check in with students that may have written that they did not learn anything today
or that they are still struggling.

Independent Practice

Take the Rhetorical Choice Quiz. Correct Answers Below. Circulate and check-in with special pop students
as needed.

After taking the quiz, choose 1-2 that you got incorrect (if any) and explain why the correct answer is correct
(and your original was wrong).

Teacher Note: Have students reflect and write silently. Then ask a few students to share out most
missed responses and have them share their processing for why the correct answer is correct.
1. Apostrophe
2. Connotative Diction
3. Parallel Structure
4. Rhetorical Question
5. B- demonstrate the speaker’s ability to consider multiple sides of an issue
6. Allusion
7. Juxtaposition
8. Allusion and anaphora
9. A-Parallel Structure
10. B-imagery and rhetorical question