Rationale

Jessica Joy Leatherman

The writers characteristics for these two 50 minute lesson plan segments
represent an advanced level of L1 & L2 university composition students.
They are international students from all nations, of different ages, and
socioeconomic backgrounds. The common goal of these university students
is to advance in essay writing across genres as well as in writing
compositions and academic papers in preparation for a wide range of
academic and career purposes.

My specific objective as an English composition teacher for these two 50

minute segments is to focus on the argumentative essay and show the
students how to support arguments with evidence in persuasive genres. My
strategy to teach persuasive essay writing will be first to present an
argumentative essay written by linguist and author, James Baldwin. As
Baldwin is a N. American who lived most of his life as an expatriate in
France, his non-fiction essay writing speaks to issues of language and race in
a very sophisticated, academic way that hopefully will inspire the students to
read and analyze the challenging yet well written text. We will analyze
Baldwins essay to identify the strategies that the author employed to
convince us that Black English is a language. We will analyze his essay
specifically to discover Baldwins strategies for supporting his arguments
with evidence. We will deconstruct his essay to illustrate a way to construct
an argumentative essay. In other words, we will take it apart to illustrate
how an essay in this genre is put together.

After the essay analysis section, as part of the pre-writing process, the
students will do some brainstorming in class to help them in the process of
choosing a limited topic that is debatable and serious. I will present a

variety of topics such as Why a Professor Should Drop the Lowest Quiz
Grade to the much more serious political arguments of immigration,
corruption, etc. We will discuss these topics in preparation for them picking
their topics to write their own persuasive essay.

The homework that I give after this lesson and to precede the second
segment will further prepare the students to understand persuasive
techniques in arguments. The extra-class work that I will assign to the class
will be 2-part: First, to choose a topic for their persuasive essay while
keeping their audience in mind. In conjunction with this they will look
through several magazines and other media sources, (*and if possible to
include examples from their own culture). This will trigger schema and
stimulate much discussion that will appeal across cultures to pertinent topics
such as stereotypes and emotional appeals in arguments.

For the next fifty minute lesson segment we will analyze the materials for
fallacies and emotional appeals as well as to generate questions like: Who is
the audience? How does this make you feel? We will also uses the crosscultural media to talk about cultural differences within the persuasive genres
and how this affects discourse.

The next segment is a plan B in case of a failure in my lesson plan at some

point, or if the activities that I have presented run short. I will ask the
students if they know the difference between inductive and deductive
reasoning? I will do this to activate their various schemas and also to see
what they know about logical reasoning. We will then outline a deductive
argument and then an inductive argument.

I will ask them to get out the regalia and see if they can make an inductive
argument or deductive argument out of the images and texts. Next I will
introduce the ideas of fallacy by looking at the various emotional appeals,
cultural stereotypes, snob appeals, testimonials, etc. that are in the media
that the students bring. Learning how to identify common fallacies should
enable the students to create better arguments and persuasive writing
pieces and to detect errors in logic when they listen or read others attempts
to persuade them.

If time allows I will have the students begin to formulate an outline for their
argumentative essay, as well as to write the introductory paragraph. I would
walk around the class to offer one on one help.

To summarize my rationale for this lesson plan: I am using texts and

imagery to analyze various media. This will trigger students schema as well
as cultural inferences that will enable the students to learn what makes good
and bad persuasive arguments and how to incorporate valid persuasion
techniques into their writing process.

Lesson Plan (50+ 50 minutes)

Jessica Joy Leatherman

Learning Objectives

Persuade me with Finesse!

Read, & Write
Persuasive Essays
+ Enjoy the Process!

Student/Class Goal:
To recognize valid, supportive evidence in
argumentative essays and to be able to create
supportive arguments in their persuasive
writing.

Materials:

Time Frame:

Video Clip from Youtube on James Baldwin (Item B),

100 minutes/Up to 2-50 minute

James Baldwins essay: If Black English Isnt a

class sessions

Language, Then Tell Me, What is? (Item A)

Learning Prior Knowledge: Familiar with arguments and persuasion from their own schema of everyday
life, Some experience analyzing other texts, Previous experience writing 5-part essay in other genres
using the writing process (prewriting, planning and drafting, rewriting and revising, feedback, incubation,
and revision, editing, polishing and revision)

Time:

SEGMENT ONE/Instructional Activities:

5-10

Step 1-Activation of Prior Learning + Preview/Warm-Up: Ask the class what makes a good

min.

descriptive essay? Have students share their ideas/ learning. Then say, okay we know what
makes a good essay but What makes a good argument? What is Persuasive Language?
Have students share their ideas about what makes a good argument, and what persuasive
language is. Show video clip (Item B) of James Baldwin giving an example of persuasive
language. http://youtu.be/a6WlM1dca18

30-40

Step 2-Lesson Core: Read and analyze James Baldwins Essay entitled, If Black English,

min.

Isnt a Language, Then Tell Me, What Is? (Item A) As the essay is relatively short, in this first
segment, read the essay aloud either via the students, or via a digital recording where the
students listen and read along. Then analyze the text. First, identify the audience of the
essay, thesis, the supporting arguments, and then the conclusion. The overall focus for
analysis will be how Baldwin uses strategies/evidence throughout every part of his essay
(including the title) to support his argument. Ask the students to underline all of the
supporting evidence that Baldwin gives.

5-10

Step 3-Closure: Ask students after analyzing Baldwins essay what is his strongest skill?

min.

Ask them to think of a topic that they feel passionate about to write an essay. Give some
possible funny options such as Why an instructor should always drop the lowest quiz grade
, also present serious topic options such as immigration, religious wars, etc.

5-10

Step 4-Follow-up and Preparation for Next Lesson/Give Extra-class work: First, ask the

min.

students for next class to choose a topic for their persuasive essay while keeping their
audience in mind. In conjunction with this ask them to look through several magazines and
other media sources, (*and if possible to include examples from their own culture) & bring to
class at least six examples of advertising materials where imagery and text convey a
message to the reader/audience that they should do or buy something.

Time:

SEGMENT TWO/Instructional Activites:

5-10

Step 1-Activation of Prior Learning + Preview/Warm-Up: Ask the students: What topics did

min.

you come up with for your argumentative essays? What are you going to persuade us (your
audience)to do/think? Discuss what essay topics they came up with.

Step 2-Lesson Core: Ask students: How will you get your point across? Explain that in the
30 min.

previous lesson with Baldwins essay, we learned lots of strategies TO DO/ Today we will
learn what NOT TO DO. Explain to students that as writers we need to be able to recognize
fallacies and avoid them in our writing. Ask the students to bring out their cultural
regalia/advertising/propaganda. Engage them in Critical Thinking/Ask them if any of the
materials elicit an emotional response. Discuss the cultural stereotypes, if any.
Generate questions like: Who is the audience? How does this make you feel? Use the crosscultural media to talk about cultural differences within the persuasive genres and how this
affects discourse.
Then use these examples (stereotypes, generalizations, emotional appeals, etc.) to explain
the concept of fallacy as defined:
1. A false notion.
2. A statement or an argument based on a false or invalid inference.
3. Incorrectness of reasoning or belief; erroneousness.
Explain to student these common fallacies: hasty generalization, stereotypes, attacking the
persons character (political), emotional propoganda
*** Now revisit the materials and see if there are any concrete examples of the above
mentioned, common fallacies. Advise them against using these weak arguments in their
persuasive essays.

Step 3-More Core Lesson: To begin this back-up segment, Ask the students if they know
the difference between inductive and deductive reasoning? Then outline an example of a
deductive argument and then an inductive argument on the chalk board:
Explain: Whenever you begin an argument by presenting your evidence and end by making
PLAN

a logical conclusion based on the evidence you are using inductive reasoning. Your logical

B>>>>,

conclusion must be true if all of your evidence is true. Inductive: 1.) Gather many specific

(if time

pieces of evidence. Record your observations. 2. Study the evidence to try to explain it. 3.

is avail.

Make a generalization (conclustion based on the evidence.

or if

Deductive reasoning begins with a generalization, applies that generalization to a particular

somethi

example, and arrives at a conclusion.

ng fails

GENERALIZATION: All animals need water.

in the

SPECIFIC EXAMPLE: Dogs are animals.

plan

CONCLUSION: Dogs need water.

above,

Ask them to once again revisit the homework assignment/materials and see if they can make

do

an inductive argument or deductive argument out of the images and texts.

this>)1020 min.

CONCLUDE & put skills to use in class: Prompt students to recall their topics and spend the
last 10 minutes of class brainstorming to create an outline and possible creative intro to their
topic of persuasion. Walk around the class room giving individual help with each student and
work with them on this pre-writing stage according to the individual students needs (i.e.
some students like to cluster, others like to list etc.).

5-10

Wrap-up/ Explain Extra-Class Work:

min.

Have the students use their in class work as a basis to formulate an outline for their
argumentative essay, & also to write the introductory paragraph/s & thesis to bring to the
next class session.

3-5 min.

Essay: Baldwin, James. If Black English, Isnt a

Language, Then Tell Me, What Is?
<Materials>

Item A, Baldwin Essay taken from:

Baldwin, J. (1979). If Black English Isnt a Language, then tell Me, What
Is?. Hall, Donald. The Contemporary Essay (pp. 39-43).St. Martins Press.

Item B, Baldwin Video Clip:

xdarling7. (2012, September 10). James Baldwin on the Dick Cavett Show
From PBS American Masters James Baldwin, "The Price of the Ticket"
Retrieved from http://youtu.be/a6WlM1dca18

Presentation

Jessica Joy Leatherman

For the Presentation segment of my project, I will present my take on the

assigned topic: d. A university composition course serving L1 and L2
writers who need help supporting arguments with evidence in persuasive
genres.

To focus on the argumentative essay and show the students how to support
arguments with evidence in persuasive genres, my strategy is to teach
persuasive essay writing through reading, analysis of cultural advertising
materials and propaganda, and the use of logic in arguments. My reasoning
behind this is that the writers will learn not only learn how to effectively
write a persuasive essay through reading but they will also become aware of
inductive and deductive reasoning as well as fallacies through cultural
authentic materials or realia. These strategies should enable students to
build supportive evidence for their arguments in their persuasive essays.

For the mini-lesson Presentation:

Intro: What is Persuasive Language? Here is an example (one minute video
clip) presented by the author of the essay that we will be analyzing, James
Baldwin. http://youtu.be/a6WlM1dca18

I will then present the argumentative essay written by linguist and author,
Baldwin. I will make handouts of the essay to give to my mock class and we
will begin by analyzing the essay for thesis and the supporting arguments
presented in the first few paragraphs as the time allows in ten minutes.