Universal Lesson Plan Template – Curry Secondary Program

Name: Matthew Chaney Lesson Topic: Rhetorical Fallacies

Content Area: English Grade Level(s): 11th

Lesson Content

Background Information/ Relevance/ Context/ Rationale (Purpose) – Please be clear about how this particular
lesson is situated within the current instructional sequence (i.e., unit), why this content important for students to
learn, and how you will convey the relevance and significance of this lesson to students.

Students in Ms. Baum’s 11th grade AP Language courses have been working primarily on getting the basics of
writing a rhetorical analysis (including extensive practice writing “woven paragraphs”—an assertion followed by
at least two rounds of evidence and analysis), but we have just begun the process of reading our first major group
text, Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible.” As we finish the third act, we want to introduce the concept of rhetorical
fallacies and give students the opportunity to practice identifying them.

Rhetorical fallacies are relevant in multiple ways at this point in the unit; one, because students should be able to
recognize logical and ethical fallacies in their own writing and two, because this is a skill that is important to being
able to analyze other people’s writing/rhetoric. In the larger context of their lives, they need to be able to make
arguments that are free of fallacies to be credible writers. Also, they need to be able to identify the fallacies in
other’s writing to know whether or not to consider them to be credible sources of information. In the context of
“The Crucible,” we want students to be able to see the flaws in the arguments being made in support of
witchcraft in the play, and also make the connection that rhetorical analysis skills can also be used to critique
fiction.

The lesson will be made up of three major parts: 1) Me explaining the definitions of the various rhetorical fallacies
we are studying, before giving an example of a rhetorical fallacy, followed by an explanation of why the fallacy fits
that characterization; 2) Students working in small groups to find examples of an assigned fallacy and reporting on
it to the class, following my example; and 3) students using what they know about fallacies to identify one
example in the third act of “The Crucible” and writing a woven paragraph explaining their rationale for selecting
it.

Also, this is a good opportunity for students to focus on working in a group, and giving a brief oral presentation, in
a low-stakes, formative way.

Relevant VSOLs/CCSSs – Include only the standards addressed by this particular lesson
VSOL 11.1 The student will make planned informative and persuasive multimodal, interactive presentations
collaboratively and individually: a) Select and effectively use multimodal tools to design and develop presentation
content; c) Demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively with diverse teams; d) Respond thoughtfully and
tactfully to diverse perspectives, summarizing points of agreement and disagreement; e) Use a variety of
strategies to listen actively and speak using appropriate discussion rules with awareness of verbal and nonverbal
cues

VSOL 11.2 The student will examine how values and points of view are included or excluded and how media
influences beliefs and behaviors: g) Demonstrate ethical use of the Internet when evaluating or producing
creative or informational media messages. Essential Understanding 2) Understand the difference between
objectivity, or fact, and subjectivity, or bias, in media messages.

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Universal Lesson Plan Template – Curry Secondary Program

VSOL 11.5 The student will read, interpret, analyze, and evaluate a variety of nonfiction texts including
employment documents and technical writing: g) Analyze false premises, claims, counterclaims, and other
evidence in persuasive writing. Essential Understanding 2) Students should understand a variety of persuasive
techniques and rhetorical devices; Essential Knowledge/Skills 4) analyze and use a variety of persuasive
techniques and rhetorical devices including but not limited to: ethos, pathos, logos, claims/counterclaims, false
premises, ad hominem arguments, begging the question, strawman etc. 7) identify how authors use rhetorical
devices to create ethos, pathos, and logos.
Learning Targets -- Please reference these learning targets throughout your lesson plan.
As a result of this lesson, students will…
EXPLORE the following Essential Questions(s): UNDERSTAND THAT:
● What is a rhetorical fallacy? ● U1: Rhetorical fallacies are common errors in
● What is the point of knowing how to identify reasoning that undermine the validity of an
rhetorical fallacies? argument.
● How does the concept of a rhetorical fallacy ● U2: Rhetorical fallacies can occur in fiction texts
relate to students’ writing? as well as in nonfiction and virtually any other
type of media or argument
KNOW: BE ABLE TO (DO):
● K1: The following examples of fallacies: A) Ad ● D1: Work with group members to identify and
hominem attacks, B) Straw Man fallacy, C) give a presentation on examples of fallacies
Slippery Slope, D) Hasty Generalizations, E) ● D2: Identify examples of fallacies (in
Post hoc ergo propter hoc, F) Circular advertising, essays, speeches, news articles,
Argument, G) Either/or, H) Ad populum, I) Red opinion articles, movies, and more)
Herring, J) Moral Equivalence ● D3: Distinguish between the various types of
● K2: The similarities and differences between rhetorical fallacies
the types of fallacies ● D4: Provide evidence to support an argument
● K3: Signs that a fallacy has been used, such as: about why a piece of rhetoric contains a fallacy
lack of evidence supporting a claim and when ● D5: Write a woven paragraph—assertion,
the points the author makes are irrelevant to followed by supporting evidence, followed by
their argument analysis linking the evidence to the assertion—
● K4: The steps to writing a woven paragraph: 1) to explain their reasoning about how an
write an assertion 2) support the assertion with author(s) or character(s) has/have used a
evidence 3) use analysis to link your evidence specific type of fallacy
to the assertion 4) cite more evidence 5) link
this second piece of evidence to the assertion
Assessments: – How will you know if students have met/made progress towards the learning targets? Be sure
these assessments are integrated throughout the procedures and steps in the lesson outlined below.
Formative Formative Formative
Method of assessment: Collectively Method of assessment: Oral Method of assessment: Woven
written woven paragraph analyzing presentation paragraph homework
an example of moral equivalence, a
type of rhetorical fallacy Aligned with which Learning Aligned with which Learning
Target(s): Target(s):
Aligned with which Learning K1, D1, D2, D3 U1, U2, K1, K2, K3, D1, D2, D3, D4,
Target(s): D5
K1, K3, K4, D2, D4, D5 Criteria for assessment: Students
will work with a group to accurately Criteria for assessment: Students
Criteria for assessment: identify an example of an assigned will independently review Act 3 of
Students will volunteer information type of fallacy, which they will post “The Crucible” for homework to
to help write a woven paragraph in in an organized, clear manner identify one example of a rhetorical
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Universal Lesson Plan Template – Curry Secondary Program

response to a video we watch within a shared classroom Google fallacy and write one woven
together which is an example of Slide. They will also explain why paragraph (An assertion followed by
moral equivalence. Students will their example represents their two rounds of evidence supported
collectively be able to make an assigned type of fallacy, using by analysis linking the evidence to
assertion about what type of fallacy evidence from the text/rhetoric the assertion) explaining what type
has occurred (The video used that they selected. They will then of rhetorical fallacy they identified,
several examples of the moral give a brief (2-3 minutes or less) supported with 2 rounds of
equivalence fallacy), followed by presentation, citing examples, and evidence from the text which
two rounds of evidence and analysis explaining their rationale for why support their assertion, and 2
(First round: The advertisement the example represents a type of rounds of analysis explaining why
starts by asking, “Has the tobacco fallacy. Examples must be school- that evidence fits the description of
industry been getting away with appropriate, and every student that particular type of fallacy.
murder?” While the tobacco within a group must speak. Also,
industry may have created a highly students will have a rubric listing How data will be used:
addictive product which is known to these requirements. Students’ woven paragraph
cause cancer, this is not the same responses will be graded for
thing as intentionally taking How data will be used: completion, but will also receive
another human’s life. Second Students will present examples of feedback to let students know how
round: A speaker in the video at one rhetorical fallacies to their peers in well they are grasping the concepts.
point equates the actions of tobacco an effort to solidify the class’s This information will also be noted
companies to bludgeoning a person understanding of each assigned to get an idea of how well the class
with a hammer. While tobacco fallacy type, and how they differ. as a whole is comprehending the
products are irrefutably harmful to While I will take notes on students’ material. If the group as a whole
users’ health, people who smoke do performance, this will not be for a seems to be off-target, we’ll review
make the choice at some point to grade, but students will receive the material again to ensure that all
start, whereas, most people would feedback on their performance. students are comprehending the
not willingly choose to get hit with a concepts.
hammer.) as I write their responses Students’ performance on this will
on the board, while asking guiding inform how much additional time
questions. Even if students cite we need to spend talking about
other evidence, as long as they rhetorical fallacies in class, and
support the evidence with logically possibly if we need to review this in
valid analysis, we will use it. the future.

How data will be used: I will note

who speaks, and call on those
people to lead their respective
groups in the following group
assignment.
Proactive Planning for Learning Differences: – What planned supports have you included to make the content
accessible for all learners (i.e., groups of students and/or specific students) and to build upon learners’ diversity?
Be sure any modifications are explicitly explained in the procedures/steps outlined below.

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Universal Lesson Plan Template – Curry Secondary Program

Procedures/Steps in the Lesson: Please follow the steps of the Direct Instruction/Gradual Release Model as
outlined below. Be sure to think about what students will be doing during each step, in addition to what you are
doing. Scripting and/or estimated time frames may or may not be included, but the plan should be clear and
explicit enough that another person would be able to teach from it.

STEP 1: Activate Prior Knowledge

I. The overhead projector will be on when students enter the classroom reviewing the plan for the day.
Take a minute to briefly go over this: Hi everyone, we’ve got a lot to do today, but before we get
started we’re going to take a moment to review the plan for the day. We’re going to briefly review
ethos, logos, and pathos before introducing the concept of rhetorical fallacies, and going over an
example. We’ll then work in groups to go deeper into the topic of rhetorical fallacies before presenting
on the work we did in groups towards the end of class. And then I’ll answer any questions you may
have and assign your homework, which connects the idea of rhetorical fallacies to “The Crucible.”
II. Second Slide will have a brief review of ethos (ethical appeal/speaks to author’s credibility), logos
(logical appeal), and pathos (emotional appeal), and begin making the connection between these and
rhetorical fallacies: Remember how we talked before about ethos, logos, and pathos? Who can tell me
what ethos is? [Answer I’m looking for is ethos refers to argument made in an effort to convince an
audience of the author’s credibility or character.] How about logos? [Answer should be logos refers to
an attempt to convince an audience relying on logic or reason, citing statistics, facts, or other types of
evidence.] How about pathos? [An emotional appeal, meant to persuade by appealing to an
audience’s emotions.] So, sometimes, in the process of making arguments based in logic or emotion,
rhetors will make errors that hurt their credibility. When this occurs, it’s called a rhetorical fallacy.
STEP 2: Presentation of Content (I Do)
I. Introduce the concept of rhetorical fallacies. Go to Slide 3 displaying the definition of rhetorical
fallacy, while explaining the rationale for why they should be avoided—they undermine the validity of
arguments: Now, sometimes in the process of making an argument, the rhetor (or author) will make
an error which we refer to as a rhetorical fallacy. The literal definition of “fallacy” is “a wrong belief; a
mistaken idea.” Fallacies are errors in reasoning which undermine the validity of an argument, and
should therefore be identified and avoided in your own writing. Fallacies can be either an illegitimate
argument or an irrelevant point, and they can often be discovered because the claim they make lacks
supporting evidence. You should be able to identify these arguments in order to avoid them in your
own writing and be able to notice them in the writing of others.
II. Overview of rhetorical fallacies. Go to Slide 4: There are two major categories of rhetorical fallacies:
Ethical fallacies and Logical fallacies. Within these categories there are 10 types of fallacies we will be
studying in this class: The two ethical fallacies: 1) ad hominem attacks and 2) straw man fallacy; and
the eight logical fallacies: 1) slippery slope, 2) hasty generalizations, 3) post hoc ergo propter hoc, 4)
circular argument, 5) either/or, 6) ad populum, 7) red herring, 8) moral equivalence
III. I give an example of one of the logical fallacies that students can model after when they practice. Go
to Slide 5. Moral Equivalence, also known as false equivalence, compares minor misdeeds with major
atrocities. For example: “The officer who gave me a speeding ticket is as bad as a Nazi.” The rhetor in
this example compares the relatively harmless action of a person doing their job (to uphold laws which
make roads safer) with the horrific actions of a fascist political party in Germany which was
responsible for killing millions of people in the Holocaust.
STEP 3: Guided Practice (We Do)
IV. 2nd Example of Moral Equivalence: Go to slide 6. Show anti-smoking video which compares the
actions of tobacco companies with bludgeoning someone with a hammer. Now turn to the class with
marker in hand and work on drafting a woven paragraph together with the class, making an assertion
about how the ad has several examples of the moral equivalence fallacy. O.k. Help me out here with
making an assertion about the video we just watched (Something like: The video used several
examples of the moral equivalence fallacy.) Can someone give me some evidence to support this
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Universal Lesson Plan Template – Curry Secondary Program

assertion? (Something like: The advertisement starts by asking, “Has the tobacco industry been
getting away with murder?”) Now, let’s write some analysis, linking the assertion to the evidence.
(Something like: While the tobacco industry may have created a highly addictive product which is
known to cause cancer, this is not the same thing as intentionally taking another human’s life.) Now,
let’s write another round of evidence and analysis (Something like: A speaker in the video at one point
equates the actions of tobacco companies to bludgeoning a person with a hammer. While tobacco
products are irrefutably harmful to users’ health, people who smoke do make the choice at some point
to start, whereas, most people would not willingly choose to get hit with a hammer. While these are
the strongest pieces of evidence, be open to other suggestions that students make, as long as the
evidence is supported by sound logic/analysis.
STEP 4: You (all) Do
V. Group work strategies: Go to Slide 7, showing tips for group work. Now it’s your turn to create a short
presentation based on an assigned logical fallacy. I have already assigned groups for you to work in.
Before we go on, let’s review our short list of tips for working in a group. Who will read the first one?
[Continue until every tip has been read: Don’t interrupt anyone when they are speaking; Say what you
think, but don’t do all the talking; Criticize ideas, not people; Focus on learning, not debating; Support
every assertion with evidence from the text]
VI. Instructions: Go to Slide 8, listing the groups/what fallacy each group has been assigned: In the next
20 minutes of class you will get with your groupmates to research examples of your assigned type of
fallacy. Be sure to read the definition carefully prior to searching in case it gives you any ideas.
Examples can be videos, comics, opinion articles, or just about any other media form, but it must be
school-appropriate, and err on the side of being apolitical, if possible—this is not about attacking a
political perspective; it’s about attacking an argument. Once your group has picked a single example,
take a moment to write a woven paragraph like we just did. Then, go to your group’s Google Slide
(which is linked on our class webpage--or will be, assuming my mentor teacher agrees to this--
https://sites.google.com/a/k12albemarle.org/ahs-english-with-ms-baum/2019-20-ap-language-
comp) and add the example, and be ready to report to the group. Pass out a rubric, listing the
required parts of the presentation, and read this with the class: Every presentation must have the
following: 1) A teacher-approved example of the assigned fallacy 2) make a strong assertion about
how the example represents your assigned fallacy 3) two rounds of evidence and analysis explaining
the assertion 4) Every group member speaks at least once 5) Presentation is clear and easy to follow.
While this assignment is a completion grade, I will provide feedback after the assignment is over. Use
a timer, posted on the overhead, to show students how much time they have: Twenty minutes starts
now. While groups are working, I will go around and listen to students’ conversations and answer any
questions they may have about whether their example fits the assigned fallacy, or if it is or isn’t
school appropriate, or to help them justify their answers.
VII. Presentations: Once time is up, have the first group step up and report on their fallacy using the
shared Google Slide, which will be separate from the current PowerPoint (switch this over now).
Alright guys, that’s the timer. Can Group 1, which worked on Ad hominem attacks step up? Give each
group about two-three minutes to present on their topic, and take notes as they present, using the
rubric. Also interject if anybody makes any glaring errors (although hopefully these will be prevented
by going around and checking in with groups before the presentation stage).
STEP 5: Independent Practice (You Do)/Wrap up assessment
VIII. Homework assignment connecting rhetorical fallacies to “The Crucible”: Open PowerPoint back up
to Slide 9 which gives an explanation of the homework (this will also be posted on the above linked
class website). While doing this, pass out a handout listing all the types of fallacies we talked about,
with definitions and examples for students’ quick reference while doing homework: Okie doke, the
handout I just passed out is just for your quick reference while working on this homework, but it’s
basically the same thing that you and your peers just presented on, so go ahead and put that away,
and give me your attention while I go over your homework assignment for tonight. So, one big idea I
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Universal Lesson Plan Template – Curry Secondary Program

want to make clear before going further is that while we use rhetorical analysis to discuss works of
nonfiction and rhetoric, the same devices can be used to analyze fiction. So, to hammer this point
home, tonight you, as individuals will look back over Act 3 of “The Crucible” and identify two examples
of any one of the rhetorical fallacies we just discussed. You will then write two woven paragraphs on
this, each containing a strong assertion addressing the type of fallacy, where it occurs in the story, and
which character said it, followed by an example and analysis of how the evidence from the play
demonstrates why this represents the chosen fallacy, followed by another example and more analysis.
Feel free to use more than, but no less than two loops of evidence per paragraph. This assignment will
also be posted on schoology and on Ms. Baum’s website. You are welcome to handwrite or type, and
you can submit digitally or in-person. Your choice. Any questions or comments before the bell rings?

Materials/ Supplies/ Sources/ Digital and Interactive Instructional Technology (if appropriate): – Please list all
necessary instructional supplies, materials, and sources. Make sure that these are clearly labeled and referenced
throughout the lesson plan to enhance clarity.

-Direct instruction Google Slideshow: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1r3lD7fEb-PV3B07u-

atM4urnTALlqH5N/edit#slide=id.p1

-Google Slides presentation with student group assignments/space for them to work/present their material:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WmUOXo9vwjP0fwyubNJ404ffx8kCLnj7/view?usp=sharing

-Rubric, explaining what students must do for the presentation:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QTLQCpUCQ7GSVbsG8mYK32y8-XYT3gB3xhCqsV1JDVc/edit

-Handout listing the types of fallacies, definitions, and examples for quick reference during homework:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/13lSQ1m1p9EGnHgYiElZdRPBaEFHRUdpp_gZXnbqRkr4/edit