Kadri Rama 426

REFLECTIONS ON ELA RHETORICAL ANALYSIS LP 1
FUTURE LESSON: Reflections on English Language Arts Rhetorical Analysis Lesson Plan
Rama Kadri
University of California Los Angeles

In assessing my lesson on identifying and analyzing rhetorical appeals within Emma
Watson’s powerful and passionate speech regarding her “HeForShe” campaign, delivered at the
United Nations Council, I plan to take multiple factors into account. I will, for example, highly
consider students’ affective filter, or their “emotional variables associated with the success or
failure of acquiring a second language” (Krashen). As an educator, I seek to be highly responsive
to my students’ academic and emotional needs, and, as such, strive to make sure every aspect of
my pedagogy, including my assessments, reflect this. More specifically, for instance, I try to
make sure that students participate in a variety of “low stake” informal assessments in order to
make sure that I am, “strategically organiz[ing] [my classroom] environment and instruction in
order to lower the affective filters of learners in [my] classroom” (Krashen).
In particular, I will first informally assess students while they work in small groups in
order to identify and initially analyze rhetorical appeals within this speech by circulating around
the room and ascertaining how well my students are grasping the material at hand. Thereafter, I
will “up the ante,” so to speak, ever so slightly by asking small groups to share at least one of
their findings with the class. In doing so, I will be able to “target students’ specific problem
areas, adapt instruction, and intervene earlier rather than later” (Colorin Colorado 2016). Of
course, if I find that students are not correctly identifying rhetorical appeals and/or are not
sufficiently analyzing their function, I will not reprimand them in any way. I may, of course,
redirect their thinking, but in a supportive, and caring manner that hopefully will not discourage
them from participating in the future.
I will then assess them further by collecting the handout they complete in small groups,
so that I can more “formally” (but certainly not summatively) assess their understandings. I will
again keep this rather “low stakes,” as it will be the first opportunity for students to demonstrate
their work with rhetorical appeals. Thus, this handout, in its entirety, will only be worth 10
points, in order to illustrate that this is just “practice.”
Lastly, I will then ask students to choose a speech on their own, that they will then
analyze by discussing 1.) the speech’s overarching message 2.) two rhetorical appeals 3.) an
analysis of the ways in which these rhetorical appeals work to support the speech’s overarching
message. This will take the form of a somewhat short, 3 paragraph essay. While this serves as the
most comprehensive assessment as part of this lesson, I will again make sure not to assign more
than 16 points to this assignment, in acknowledging that students are still grappling with the
difficult task of identifying and analyzing rhetorical appeals. Moreover, I also recognize that this
will be the first time students will be independently engaging with rhetorical analysis, and thus, I
feel that assigning a large number of points to this task would be ultimately detrimental to my
overarching objectives as an educator, and also add far too much pressure on my students.
One of my own “overarching messages,” that I hope to relay to students, is that I care
about their development as learners and as individuals. As such, I strive, as much as possible, to
make sure that they do not feel abundantly overwhelmed or overly stressed in my classroom. I
aim to scaffold material in a structured and organized fashion, and seek to apply justifiable
“weight” to assignments, so that not too much emphasis is placed on any given assignment,
especially on the first “shot.” These assessments, in particular, are illustrations of this. I hope
that, in this way, I will have a strong grasp on my students’ developed understandings of
rhetorical analysis, without over- pressuring or stressing them.

Assessment:
Emma Watson HeForShe Speech

Rhetorical Analysis
10 Points Total
What is the purpose behind this speech? 2 points total
Identify and analyze two rhetorical appeals. Then, using complete sentences,
please analyze the ways in which these rhetorical appeals propel the overarching
purpose of this speech. 8 points total.
1. Rhetorical Appeal/Device:
Analysis:
2. Rhetorical Appeal/Device:
Analysis:
Reference Page
Colorin, & Colorado. (2016, January 20). Using Informal Assessments for English Language
Learners. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from
http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/using-informal-assessments-english-language-
Learners
Krashen. (n.d.). What Is The Affective Filter. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from
http://eldstrategies.com/affectivefilter.html

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REFLECTIONS ON ELA RHETORICAL ANALYSIS LP 1

University of California Los Angeles

In assessing my lesson on identifying and analyzing rhetorical appeals within Emma

failure of acquiring a second language” (Krashen). As an educator, I seek to be highly responsive

order to lower the affective filters of learners in [my] classroom” (Krashen).

them from participating in the future.

points, in order to illustrate that this is just “practice.”

rhetorical analysis, without over- pressuring or stressing them.

Emma Watson HeForShe Speech

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