Morality Unit 5
Modes of Discourse
Georgia Performance Standards:
ELA10RL1:
 Analyzes, evaluates, and applies knowledge of the ways authors use language, style,
syntax, and rhetorical strategies for specific purposes
ELA10RC2:
 Responds to a variety of texts in multiple modes of discourse.
ELA10RC3:
 Demonstrates an understanding of contextual vocabulary in various subjects
Brilliant Star Objectives:
Cognitive/Thinking:
 Inductive Inference – Students will be able to derive a generalization or rule from a
given set of examples based on logical thinking.
 Metacognition-- Students will be able to state what they know of a particular
phenomena or situation.
Lesson Essential Questions:
 How is literature structured?
 How does the situation determine your mode of writing?
Texts: (See Appendix A for links to texts)
 Excerpt from Britannica.com article: first paragraph only
 “Remarks to the Court” by Bartolomeo Vanzetti
 “Justice Denied in Massachusetts” by Edna St. Vincent Millay
Procedure:
Activating Strategy/Acquisition Lesson:
Think-Pair-Share: Students discuss terminology for lesson: language, modes of discourse,
communication process. As students share, list ideas on board for further discussion.
Presentation:
Show students the Sacco and Vanzetti video segment from United Streaming to provide
them with background knowledge about the reading selections. The video is titled “Sacco
and Vanzetti and the Communist Scare” and lasts 36 seconds. Read the three selections
“Remarks to the Court” (rhetorical), “Justice Denied in Massachusetts” (creative), and
the excerpt from Britannica.com (informative) aloud and discuss similarities and
differences among them. Write ideas on board as students share their thoughts.
Morality Unit 6
Collaborative Pairs:
Students work with partner to complete the graphic organizer “The Modes of Discourse:
Part I.” (See Appendix B)
Formative Assessment:
Assess understanding of the elements of modes of discourse through whole class
discussion based on graphic organizer.
Presentation and Collaborative Pairs:
As a whole class, show students pictures from Kodak or Wikipedia’s picture of the day
selections.
Have students think of five phrases to describe each picture in the three modes of
discourse discussed (informative, persuasive, poetic). Discuss phrases with collaborative
partner. Share phrases with the class.
Formative Assessment:
Gauge student understanding of concepts my observing phrase activity and by asking
probing questions about their thought processes as they work.
Individual Graphic Organizer and Summative Assessment:
Students clarify their understanding of the three modes of discourse by completing “The
Modes of Discourse: Part Two.” (See Appendix C) Grade on understanding of modes of
discourse.