I will begin my persuasive writing unit with a day devoted to teaching ethos, pathos, and logos. On this day in class, I will ask them to begin thinking about ethos, logos, and pathos, without yet having the terms, by throwing this thinking exercise on the board.
Exercise
Pretend you are in a debate with someone over a controversial social or political issue. You strongly favor one side, and your opponent strongly favors the opposite. Now answer the following questions…
1)What credentials could your opponent have that would make you listen to him or her?
2)What facts or statistics could he or she provide that might sway your opinion?
3)What stories could he or she tell that would change your mind?
Answering “nothing” to the above questions doesn’t count!
*Thanks to Dani Ryskamp who gave me this prompt.
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