Lesson Plan: The Art of Persuasion

Unit: The Writer's Toolkit | Time: 75 minutes

He Whakamārama (Rationale)

This lesson introduces students to the ancient and powerful art of rhetoric. By understanding the three core appeals—Ethos, Pathos, and Logos—students will be able to both deconstruct the persuasive messages they see every day and apply these techniques to make their own writing more convincing and effective.

Learning Intentions (WALT)

We are learning to...

Identify Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in persuasive texts.
Analyse how these appeals are used to persuade an audience.
Use Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in our own writing.

Success Criteria (WILF)

What I'm looking for...

I can define Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in my own words.
I can correctly identify the main appeal used in an example.
I can write three sentences on a topic, each using a different appeal.

Resources

Student Handout: Rhetorical Devices
Whiteboard or Projector
Student devices for interactive game

Lesson Sequence (75 Minutes)

1. Starter: What is Persuasive? (10 mins)

Teacher Action: Show students three short, different advertisements (e.g., one with a celebrity endorsement, one with a sad story, one with scientific claims). Ask: "Which one is most persuasive to you? Why? What is it doing to convince you?"

Student Action: Students discuss the different persuasive strategies used in the ads, providing a natural lead-in to Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.

2. Introduction: The Three Appeals (15 mins)

Teacher Action: Introduce Ethos, Pathos, and Logos using the definitions and examples on the handout. Use hand gestures to help students remember: Ethos (point to head/brain for credibility), Pathos (point to heart for emotion), Logos (point outwards for logic/facts).

Student Action: Students read the definitions and practice the hand gestures.

3. "We Do": Rhetorical Appeals Detective (15 mins)

Teacher Action: Direct students to the "Rhetorical Appeals Detective" game on their handout. Have them complete the interactive activity, matching the examples to the correct appeal.

Student Action: Students work in pairs or individually to complete the game, reinforcing their understanding.

4. "I Do": Deconstructing the Appeals (10 mins)

Teacher Action: Work through the "Deconstruction" task on the handout as a class. For each example, ask students to not only identify the appeal but to explain *why* it fits (e.g., "It's Pathos because it uses emotional words like 'helpless' and 'shivering' to make you feel sympathy.").

Student Action: Students contribute to the class discussion and justify their answers.

5. "You Do": Independent Application (15 mins)

Teacher Action: Instruct students to complete the "Application" task, writing three sentences to persuade the principal, each using a different appeal.

Student Action: Students work independently to write their three persuasive sentences.

6. Plenary: Persuasion Showcase (10 mins)

Teacher Action: Ask for volunteers to share their three sentences. For each student, ask the class: "Which of their three sentences was the most persuasive to you? Why?"

Student Action: Students share their work and discuss the relative effectiveness of the different appeals.

Differentiation & Teacher Notes

Support: Provide a word bank for each appeal (e.g., Pathos: "heartbreak," "joy," "outrage"; Logos: "data," "statistics," "proof").
Extension: Challenge students to find a speech or opinion article and highlight examples of all three appeals being used by the author. Have them write a short analysis of how the author balances the three appeals.
Cultural Note: Explain that in whaikōrero, a speaker's Ethos comes from their whakapapa and their right to speak. They use Pathos through storytelling and powerful language, and Logos by referencing historical events and tribal knowledge. All three are woven together.

Curriculum alignment

Language Studies — Knowledge: Crafting Texts — Persuasive texts (Phase 4): - Persuasive texts aim to convince the reader to agree with a point of view, take an action, or adopt a belief, drawing on emotion…
Language Studies — Practices: Persuasive texts aim to convince the reader to agree with a particular point of view, take an action, or adopt a certain belief; they use a combination of emotional appeal (pa…

📋 Teacher Planning Snapshot

Ngā Whāinga Ako — Learning Intentions

Students will engage with this resource to develop literacy, critical thinking, and writing skills, with connections to Te Ao Māori and real-world New Zealand contexts.

Ngā Paearu Angitū — Success Criteria

✅ Students can apply the key skill or concept from this resource in their own writing or analysis.
✅ Students can explain the learning using their own words and connect it to a real-world context.

Differentiation & Inclusion

Scaffold: Provide sentence starters, graphic organisers, and entry-level tasks. Offer extension challenges for capable learners to address a range of readiness levels.

ELL / ESOL: Pre-teach key vocabulary before the lesson. Provide bilingual glossaries and allow first-language drafting.

Inclusion: Neurodiverse learners benefit from chunked instructions and visual supports. Ensure accessible formats throughout.