ADDIE: EVALUATION: PERSUASION, PROPAGANDA, AND FAULTY REASONING
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Introduction
When creating this unit the goal centered on seventh grade students learning how to
identify examples of persuasion, propaganda, and faulty reasoning in visual and written text. At
the completion of this process going back through all of the materials, and evaluating each one to
ensure that it helps students reach seven performance objectives was required. Listed below are
the Oklahoma State Standards to which the lesson was based upon, the seven performance
objectives, and a description of each portion of the unit. Included is a description of how the
activity addresses the performance objectives.
Oklahoma State PASS Standards for Grade 7:
Standard 5: Research and Information - The student will conduct research and organize
information.
1. Accessing Information - Select the best source for a given purpose.
2. e. Note instances of persuasion, propaganda, and faulty reasoning in text.
3. Interpreting Information - The student will analyze and evaluate information from a
variety of sources
d. Determine the appropriateness of an information source for a research topic.
Objectives
1. Learners will identify examples of persuasion in written and visual text.
2. Learners will identify examples of propaganda in written and visual text.
3. Learners will identify examples of faulty reasoning in written and visual text.
4. Learners will locate a variety of nonfiction written and visual texts.
5. Learners will identify the persuasion, propaganda, or faulty reasoning techniques used in these
texts.
6. Learners will explain the author’s purpose for these techniques.
7. Learner will determine if the author was successful.
Pre Assessment
As part of the unit, it is vitally important for teachers to identify student knowledge prior
to teaching the unit. This will provide the teacher with information in regards to what the
students know, and what they lack. The teacher should make adjustments based on their
population’s knowledge. Performance objective one, two, and three will be addressed with
ADDIE: EVALUATION: PERSUASION, PROPAGANDA, AND FAULTY REASONING
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the pre-assessment. Students will view examples of written and visual text. After reading the
samples students will answer questions about the techniques used throughout the samples.
Power-Point Note Taking
As an in class activity the teacher will provide students with notes. During these notes
students will examine examples of visual text. While the students are taking the notes the
teacher is expected to conduct class discussion over the examples presented. Students should
turn and talk to peers in an attempt to identify why the author used the technique. They should
then share out their ideas to come to an understanding of why such techniques are used in visual
text and advertisements. This will also help English Language Learners become familiar with
the language of persuasion, propaganda, and faulty reasoning. During the notes portion of the
lesson teachers will be working on performance standard one, two and three, as they are
primarily working with visual text examples.
In Class Practice
Teachers will address performance objectives one, two, and three during the in class
practice. In regards to performance objectives one, two, and three, students will view an
advertisement for dog grooming. They will need to identify the various techniques used in the
provided advertisements. Students will also identify author’s purpose in selecting those
techniques, as well as the author's success in using the techniques. This leads the teacher to
performance objective one, two, and three, where students will read two documents. One a
speech prepared for a speech class, and the second an article on green world activists. During
the reading of these two passages students will identify the techniques used, why the authors
choose to use these techniques, and determine if the author was successful.
Persuasion in the media
Students need to practice identifying persuasion, propaganda, and faulty reasoning in the
real world. Teachers will facilitate this real world application by assigning an at home practice
activity. During this activity performance objective one, two, and three will be practiced by
the students. They will view video commercials that contain various persuasion, propaganda,
and faulty reasoning techniques. It will be the student’s job to identify what techniques are being
used, why the author uses these techniques, and if the author is successful.
Persuasion Project
The persuasion project will address four of the performance objectives. In regards to
performance objective four: Students will be locating four examples of visual text and identify
what techniques were used in their sources. Performance objective five: Students will be
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identifying what techniques were used in their sources. Performance objective six: Students
will explain why the author chose these techniques. Performance objective seven: Students will
explain how successful the authors were in using the given techniques to persuade the audience.
Post Assessment
At the end of the unit students will take a post assessment that mimics the pre assessment
given at the beginning of the unit. During this post assessment students will be addressing
performance standards one, two, and three as they view various sources, and are expected to
identify what is being used, why, and if the use of the technique is successful. The post
assessment is a way for teachers to identify what students have learned, and what their students
still struggle with in regards to persuasion, propaganda, and faulty reasoning. The teacher can
then re-teach any concepts their students have not mastered.