9th grade english unit 9.4 week one

9th Grade English
Unit 9.4: It’s a Matter of Opinion – WEEK ONE
Mr. Suarez

Unit 9.4: It’s a Matter of Opinion
Unit Summary
 Unit Summary: In this unit, we will develop an understanding of the structure
and elements of persuasive text. We will focus our attention on the different
types of persuasive techniques used in a variety of texts. We will use
authentic texts to determine the components, structure, and purpose of
persuasive writing as we begin to create our own persuasive writing pieces
using the writing process.
 Unit Goal: We will leave the class able to use our learning of how to evaluate
and produce persuasive text to appropriately respond to persuasion in our
lives.

Important Ideas
Literature both reflects and contributes to knowledge.
Persuasive writing must be organized in a way that succinctly
supports the writer’s assertion.
Deliberate word choice positively impacts persuasive writing.
Persuasive writing has power and can affect lives and viewpoints.

Important Questions
In what ways does literature contribute to our
understanding of the world?
How are persuasive essays organized and supported?
How does word choice impact writing?
Why is it important to be able to read and produce
persuasive writings?

Important Words (Vocabulary)
FIND DEFINITIONS (10 points)
Propaganda
Editorial Advertisement
Persuasion Audience
Pathos Claim, thesis statement

Unit 9.4:
It’s a Matter of Opinion
DAY ONE

DAY ONE
OUR OBJECTIVE TODAY: After presenting
examples of persuasive texts and identifying the
“authors argument” the student will find an
example of a persuasive piece to identify
persuasive elements

DAY ONE
FIRST QUESTIONS:
In what ways does literature contribute to our
understanding of the world?
 How are persuasive essays organized and
supported?

In what ways does literature contribute to
our understanding of the world?
People who read literature develop greater empathy for and
understanding of other people. They are also better able to view
situations from others' perspectives. Deep reading, which is slow,
immersive reading without distractions, provides real exercise for
the brain even as it enriches the capacity for empathy and
understanding.
Understand what? Everything!

How are persuasive essays organized and
supported?

Persuasive Essay Structure:
When you’re trying to convince your audience of an idea or argument

Analyzing an Argument
What is an “argument”? ASK ME!
Analyzing an argument requires you to ﬁnd the 3 parts of
an argument:
1) the ARGUMENT
2) the CLAIMS
3) the EVIDENCE
 http://www.warrencountyschools.org/userfiles/3255/Classes/159684/analyzinganargument%20.pdf?id=54
3107

Analyzing an Argument Step #1:
Determine the author’s argument.
1) To find the argument, first look at the TITLE of the text. Titles usually
indicate the writer’s purpose/position. Some argument writers may state the
argument in the title and NOT state it anywhere else.
2) If you can’t find it in the TITLE, look in the INTRODUCTION paragraph
(usually near the end). *Note: sophisticated writers sometimes do not state
their argument until the end.
3) If you can’t find it in the INTRODUCTION, look in the CONCLUSION
paragraph.

Analyzing an Argument Step #2:
Determine the argument’s reasons (claims)
1) Generally, each claim is addressed in a different body paragraph of the text. If there are 4
body paragraphs, there are 4 different claims. If there are 3 body paragraphs, there are 3
different claims.
2) To ﬁnd a claim, look for the MAIN IDEA SENTENCE of each body paragraph.
3) Main idea sentences can be found at the beginning, middle, or end of each body
paragraph OR may be unstated, so it may have to be INFERRED (you may have to put it in
your own words rather than copy word-for-word from the text). Ask yourself, “What is
this entire paragraph about?”
4) If an article uses SUBHEADINGS, you can use those to guide you toward each CLAIM.
Subheadings will reveal a general subject that can help you determine the claim.

Analyzing an Argument Step 3:
Determine the evidence that supports the author’s claims.
1)To ﬁnd evidence, look for the supporting details in
each paragraph that support the claims (main
ideas).
2)The evidence will be very speciﬁc facts and
statements that further explain the claims.

HOMEWORK: PERSUASION IS ALL AROUND YOU
FRIDAY – 10 points
 You might be surprised at how many people and businesses are trying to convince you to do things
every day. You only have to watch commercials, read the paper, look at the ads in your magazines, or
read the billboards as you’re driving home to see that persuasion is all around you.
 for your homework TOMORROW find a persuasive piece to bring to or share about in class. It can be an
article in the newspaper, a letter to the editor, a movie or book review, a commercial, or an
advertisement in a magazine or newspaper. Once you have found your persuasive piece, answer the
questions below.
 1. Where did you find your persuasive example? ________________________________________
 2. Who is trying to persuade you? ___________________________________________________
 3. What are they trying to persuade you to do? ________________________________________
 4. Do you think their argument is convincing? Why or why not? _____________________________

Unit 9.4:
DAY TWO

DAY TWO
 Now that we have introduced the unit by presenting examples of persuasive
text and media and discussing claims (reasons), we will debate or discuss
whether or not the claims in the texts we found are convincing.
 First, Mr. Suarez will review the elements of a persuasive text.
 Next, each student will present their text or media.
 Then, each student will share his/her observations with a group of three other
students.
 We will debate or discuss whether or not the claims in the texts we found are
convincing (9.4 Learning Activity - Persuasion Is All Around)

Unit 9.4:
DAY THREE
DAY FOUR

DAY THREE/FOUR
Today Mr. Suarez will discuss persuasive strategy
definitions
HUH? What are persuasive strategies?
Persuasive strategies are techniques that a person uses
to influence another person or group of people to take
a certain action.

DAY THREE/FOUR
 Thousands of years ago, Greek philosopher Aristotle argued that there were three main strategies a
person must master to effectively persuade others. He named these strategies Logos, Pathos and
Ethos, and claimed that they are all equally effective when used verbally or in written form.
 Logos involves using facts, numbers and concrete information to make arguments more convincing.
Regardless of how knowledgeable a person is, arguments sound more credible to others when
statistics and other solid proof back up claims.
 Pathos requires persuaders to evoke emotion in the person or group they are addressing verbally or in
written form. A persuader must invoke happy, sad or angry feelings in the target about the information
presented.
 The final persuasive strategy is Ethos, which involves trust. For a person to feel comfortable taking a
certain action, he must trust the person telling him to take that action.

Learning Activity – Persuasive Strategy Definitions
PERSUASIVE STRATEGY DEFINITIONS
Claim – your main point
Big Names – experts and important people that support your
side of the argument
Logos – using logic, numbers, facts and data to support your
argument
Pathos – appealing to your audience’s emotions
Ethos – making yourself seem trustworthy and believable
Kairos – building a sense of urgency for your cause
Research – using studies and information to make your
argument seem more convincing; you can use words, graphs,
tables, and illustrations.

Unit 9.4: It’s a Matter of Opinion:
DAY THREE/FOUR - NEXT
Mr. Suarez will assign students to one of four groups.
Each group sits at a table with a different persuasive piece.
The students collaboratively read and view the piece, writing
examples of each persuasive strategy that they find in the examples
column of Attachment: 9.4 Learning Activity-Strategy Definition
The students will collaboratively read and view different persuasive
pieces to identify examples of each persuasive strategy.
The student will discuss through which piece is more effective in
persuading their audience.

9th grade english unit 9.4 week one

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9th grade english unit 9.4 week one