Kingsport City Schools Lesson Planning Guide
Course Title:
Language Arts
Grade: 8
Unit Title: Logic
Lesson Title: Inductive & Deductive Reasoning
Created By/Date: Allison Ball | 1/26/12
Dates Taught (Start/End): 2/3, 2/6, 2/7/12
Lesson Summary/Overview: Students will learn what makes an argument valid and identify deductive
and inductive reasoning. To begin the lesson, students will be preassessed about unit vocabulary, set up
a note outline to be used throughout the unit, and will then watch a video clip about logic. All students
will identify and explain differences in whole group practice after completing guided notes. Students
will then practice analyzing and differentiating examples in pairs and will finish independently for
homework. Students will also identify logical fallacy through real-life examples for homework. At the
conclusion of class, as an exit ticket, students will show with their hands in the shape of the triangle that
represents deductive reasoning. At least 75% of my students will accurately differentiate between
inductive and deductive reasoning on at least 75% of the homework (15 of 20 questions). By the end of
the unit, however, 100% of students will identify the differences between inductive and deductive
reasoning as well as create examples of each.
Prior to this lesson, students have completed an expository essay unit. In seventh grade, students were
introduced to inductive and deductive reasoning as well as types and techniques of propaganda.
However, students have less experience with differentiating among difficult examples (that don’t always
follow an if-then or fact-only pattern). The preassessment indicated that at least 90% of students had
heard of 70% of the unit vocabulary (10 of 14 words) but felt comfortable defining or explaining only
four of the words. This indicated that more time will need to be spent on logical fallacies and specific
types later in the unit. Also, despite inductive and deductive reasoning being explicitly taught last year,
only four students indicated remembering the terms well enough to define or explain them.
Thus, the lesson needed more explanation and differentiation between the two terms than I originally
anticipated. I expected that students would know more about argument, premise, and logic
terminology and that a third of class time would be spent in paired practice. However, students needed
much more direct instruction than anticipated. I tried to access students’ prior knowledge by referring
to our essay unit and making comparisons between the introduction and deductive reasoning (general
to specific), by using math and science examples, and by mentioning everyday, practical examples
(“Everyone else is going… Therefore, I should go, too.”). However, later in the Powerpoint, some
examples proved problematic and were structurally unsound, causing me to skip some and have to
rearrange others’ structure in order to make sense. First period helped me to realize which examples
were problematic for the rest of the classes, so a couple examples will be revisited on day two. Because
first period needed more direct instruction than anticipated and didn’t have as much time to practice in
pairs, I would cut our starter, “Giggles in the Middle,” and instead have students set up notes in their
journals as the starter. This would have freed up more time for paired practice.
On day two of the lesson, students will watch part two of the video clip, “Broken Logic,” and enter a
deeper discussion about false premises and logical fallacies. We will watch a Prezi called “The Road to
Logic” focusing on fallacy and what makes an argument faulty, and students will take guided notes.
Then, as a whole group, we will discuss inductive and deductive reasoning homework from the previous
day and make corrections. Based on what the students missed and struggled with on their homework,
we will revisit certain Powerpoint slides and notes from Friday. Additionally, we will add on to the
previous homework by analyzing each example to determine if it is a valid or faulty argument. Students
will complete this in pairs. Next, as a class, we will read an article about global warming (the first of two
over the next two days). Students will create a chart analyzing and evaluating the authors’ claim,
evidence, logical and emotional appeals/fallacies, credibility, and structure. While reading, we will stop
at four designated parts in the text to evaluate and find evidence of certain fallacies or claims. After
reading, students will fill in their chart.
The next day, students will take a quiz over Inductive and Deductive Reasoning. Then, students will read
the second article about global warming. Students will fill in the second column of their chart for this
piece and again stop at five designated points of the text to reflect, make inferences, draw conclusions,
and use textual evidence to support the author’s claims. After reading both articles and completing the
chart, the students will write an essay that is a structured argument analysis. Students will be given a
graphic organizer to scaffold prewriting ideas and will identify, analyze, and explain fallacies and appeals
used in each article as well as each author’s claim. Then, students will choose one article that is the
most credible and logical, which may not necessarily be the article supporting their personal opinion
about global warming. Students will use the textual evidence, chart, and answers to text-driven
questions to help them complete this argument analysis.
Desired Results
Tennessee Standards:
SPI 0801.5.4 Identify examples of persuasive devices (i.e., bandwagon, loaded words,
testimonial, name-calling, plain folks, snob appeal).
SPI 0801.5.6 Identify an example of deductive or inductive reasoning in text.
SPI 0801.5.7 Identify a false premise in text.
SPI 0801.5.9 Make inferences and draw conclusions based on evidence in text.
CFUs to clarify SPIs above:
� 0801.5.6 Determine the relevance and quality of evidence given to support or oppose an
argument.
� 0801.5.7 Compare and contrast evidence and conclusions between/among two or more
arguments on the same topic.
� 0801.5.8 Identify and analyze examples of deductive and inductive reasoning in text.
� 0801.5.9 Identify and describe the structure of an argument, including its main claim and
supporting premises.
� 0801.5.10 Identify a variety of false premises, including those involving categorical
claims (e.g., all mammals are human beings).
� 0801.5.11 Identify and analyze the persuasive devices used in written and oral
communication (e.g., bandwagon, loaded words, testimonial, name-calling, plain folks, snob
appeal).
� 0801.5.12 Continue to explore logical fallacies (e.g., appeal to fear, personal attack, false
dilemma, false analogy) in a variety of texts.
Understandings
Essential Questions
(Big Ideas):
*People use a variety of persuasive techniques to
persuade others.
*I can tell if someone is being persuasive by
analyzing their logic.
Know/Vocabulary
(Definitions, Facts, Names, Dates, Academic
Vocabulary, Procedural Knowledge):
*Inductive reasoning
*Deductive reasoning
*Argument
*(False) premise
*Logical fallacies
-Name-calling, loaded words, ad hominem, nonsequitur, hasty generalization
*Valid
*Faulty
*Logic
(How or Why/Basis for Assessment):
*How do people persuade others?
*How do I know if someone is trying to persuade
me?
Do/Skills
(Learning Targets/”I can” Statements):
*I can define and identify inductive and deductive
reasoning.
*I can identify an author’s purpose, arguments,
and discern fact vs. opinion in a text.
*I can locate false premises in a text.
*I can evaluate and analyze two texts in order to
make a claim.
Assessment Evidence
(Evidence that will be collected to determine whether or not the understandings have been
developed, the knowledge and skill attained, and the state standard met)
Pre-Assessments
Formative Assessments:
Summative Assessments:
*Students held up 1 or 2 fingers
*Teacher questioning and
*Argument analysis essay
to indicate familiarity with unit
observation as students identify focusing on types of reasoning
vocabulary, indicating that 90%
examples, read the text, and
and fallacies used in order to
of students had heard at least
participate in in-class activities
claim one article is more logical
70% of vocabulary but only felt
*PowerPoint on reasoning
and credible than the other
comfortable defining and
including examples through
*Persuasive speech (at end of
explaining four of 14 words
which students identify which
unit) in which students will use
*Past year’s TCAP data indicates type is used
reasoning and fallacies
that students struggle with logic *Class examples on Smart Board introduced at beginning of unit
and reasoning
*Inductive/deductive reasoning
*Unit test including questions on
worksheet for homework which
reasoning and fallacy
students began in pairs
*Prezi on logical fallacies
*Chart analyzing two articles’
arguments on global warming
Other Assessments
(May include journals, homework, quizzes, exit carts, self-assessments, or inventories):
*Exit ticket=hold up hands in shape of a triangle that represents deductive reasoning (All students did
this correctly.)
*Quiz over deductive and inductive reasoning
Learning Activities
Print and Manipulatives:
*Class set of inductive/deductive examples
Materials
Multimedia, Electronic, and Internet Resources:
* Logic and Broken Logic videos from Gaggle
*Inductive/Deductive Reasoning questions for HW
*Pre-assessment vocab list on Smartboard
*Inductive/Deductive reasoning quiz
*PowerPoint for Cloze notes on Inductive &
*Global Warming articles/packet
Deductive Reasoning
*Global Warming essay template
*Prezi on Logical Fallacies/The Road to Logic
*Unit test (end of unit)
*SmartBoard
Planned Learning Activities/Experiences/Reflection:
Prior to Day One:
*Finish essay unit
Day One
*Preassess unit vocabulary on Smartboard (hold up 1-2 fingers)
*Set up notes in Reader/Writer Journal
*Logic video clip/fill in notes in journal
* PowerPoint/Students do Cloze notes on logic and reasoning and identify examples
*Whole group examples on Smartboard
*Paired practice to begin homework
*Exit ticket—Students show triangles to demonstrate which is deductive reasoning
Day Two
*Broken Logic video on fallacies
*Road to Logic Prezi/guided notes
*Check, correct, and revisit Inductive/Deductive reasoning homework
*Global Warming packet—read article one and set up chart
*Fill in chart and answer questions during reading
*Exit ticket—Give one example of a logical appeal as you leave from the text
Day Three
*Inductive/deductive reasoning quiz
*Read second article in Global Warming packet
*Complete chart
*Fill in template and prewrite for argument analysis essay
*Finish argument analysis essay for homework
Following This Lesson
*Discuss and share argument analyses
*Discuss, share, and analyze logical fallacies homework from Super Bowl weekend (What devices were
used and were they effective? How/why/why not?
*Analyze various speeches for reasoning and fallacies
*Organize a persuasive speech
*At end of unit—take unit test and present persuasive speech
Differentiation for All Learners
Readiness
Learning Profile
Interest
*Preassessment of unit
*Kinesthetic and visual learners
*The video clip engaged
vocabulary introduces students
will benefit from guided notes,
students’ interest and thinking
to new terms and assesses prior Powerpoint and Prezi
about the power of logic and
knowledge.
presentations, and triangles to
reasoning and provided a good
*Cloze notes will help students
distinguish types of reasoning.
springboard for what makes an
write key words who need more
efficient note-taking assistance.
*The PowerPoint and notes sets
up students to understand new
vocabulary and ideas.
*Whole group examples
scaffolds instruction to ready
students to identify examples of
reasoning independently.
*Auditory learners will benefit
from reading/listening to video
clips at the beginning of lesson.
*Students meet up with
appointment clock partners to
begin reasoning practice (to
finish for homework)—teacher
previewed appointment clock
pairs to be sure learning would
be focused and that learners
needing more assistance would
have a peer helper.
*Students with IEPs are given
notes with more blanks filled,
have chunked quizzes, and will
receive extended time on the
argument analysis.
argument valid.
*Examples used engaged
students’ interest through their
social lives as well as other
curriculum and content areas.
*Students choose logical fallacies
to explore through Super Bowl
or Presidential ads or get to
make up their own.
*Students analyze articles on a
high-interest, highlycontroversial issue.