Page 37 - SpringBoard_CloseReading_Workshop_Grade8_Flipbook

Close Reading of argumentative nonfiction Texts (continued)
ACTiviTy 4
Synthesis Questions
Your teacher may choose or ask you to choose one of the following assessments as a way of showing your understanding of the texts you have read.
Writing Prompt: Review the different techniques used to persuade an audience in the speeches by Florence Kelley and Patrice Lumumba, as well as the cartoon by Clifford Berryman. Revisit the work you have done with the three texts, and consider how the different authors used pathos and logos to encourage their audiences to respond to a particular “call to action.” Which text was the most persuasive? Use evidence from at least two of the three texts to support your choice.
Debate/Discussion: Prepare to debate or discuss a problem in your school or community that you think needs to be addressed. With your class, identify one problem and brainstorm a variety of different possible solutions. Next, with a partner or small group, choose one solution to present to the class as a “call to action.” Prepare notes to defend your solution with both emotional appeals (pathos) and logical appeals (logos). Use your notes to participate in a class discussion about the problem you identified and the proposed solutions.
Multimedia Presentation: You have been introduced to two speeches about
issues that involved long struggles with far-reaching impact: the women’s suffrage movement and the African independence movement. Conduct independent research to learn more about another leader who worked toward change on one of these issues. Prepare to share your work with your class and explain its connection to one of the written texts. Also share your thoughts on how the leader you investigated used persuasive appeals to encourage others to respond to a “call to action.”
Reflection
Think about what you have learned from your close reading and analysis of the text passages you have read in this workshop.
1. How do speakers use logos and pathos to persuade an audience to respond to their call to action in order to address a problem in society?
2. In this workshop, you have learned how to make meaning of three different texts. How can you use what you have learned to help you as you encounter challenging texts in the future? What strategies best helped you as a learner during this workshop? When and why would you use these strategies in the future?
36 SpringBoard® English Language Arts Grade 8
© 2014 College Board. All rights reserved.