Language, Literature & Argument
Objectives
- D04.S1.10.01 Critique rhetoric in public speech and media, distinguishing emotional appeal from reasoned argument.
- D04.S1.10.02 Speak to a public or unfamiliar audience with confidence, adapting register and formality to the setting.
- D04.S2.10.01 Critically evaluate digital and print media for bias, omission, and the difference between evidence and belief.
- D04.S2.10.02 Read extended, complex literary and informational texts, tracking themes and arguments across a full work.
- D04.S3.10.01 Craft prose with deliberate style, varying sentence structure, word choice, and tone to suit purpose and audience.
- D04.S3.10.02 Compose multimodal texts that combine writing, image, sound, and design, with attention to accessibility.
- D04.S4.10.01 Analyze how language and power interact, such as whose language is used in law, medicine, and school.
- D04.S4.10.02 Communicate respectfully in a multicultural setting, adapting to different cultural norms of politeness and address.
Essential questions
- How do I critique rhetoric, distinguishing emotional appeal from reasoned argument, and speak with confidence to an unfamiliar audience?
- How do I read extended, complex works and evaluate media for bias, omission, and the difference between evidence and belief?
- How do I craft prose and accessible multimodal texts with deliberate style, and how does language and power interact across cultures?
Big ideas
- Rhetoric is critiqued by separating emotional appeal from reasoned argument, and public speech adapts register and formality to its audience.
- Reading extended works means tracking themes and arguments, and media are read for bias, omission, and the difference between evidence and belief.
- Deliberate style and accessible multimodal composition are craft, and language and power interact in law, medicine, school, and everyday politeness.
Lessons
- 1 The Three Appeals — and Many More 55 minutes
- 2 Emotional Appeal vs. Reasoned Argument 55 minutes
- 3 Critiquing a Public Speech 60 minutes
- 4 Register: Matching Your Voice to the Room 55 minutes
- 5 Speaking to an Unfamiliar Audience 60 minutes
- 6 Bias and Omission: What the Story Leaves Out 55 minutes
- 7 Evidence and Belief: Telling Them Apart 55 minutes
- 8 Tracking Themes Across a Full Work 55 minutes
- 9 Tracking Arguments Across a Full Work 55 minutes
- 10 The Full Work: Themes and Arguments Meet 55 minutes
- 11 Crafting Prose: Sentences and Word Choice 55 minutes
- 12 Crafting Prose: Tone for Purpose and Audience 55 minutes
- 13 Multimodal Composition, Accessible by Design 60 minutes
- 14 Language and Power: Whose Words Rule? 55 minutes
- 15 Politeness and Address Across Cultures 55 minutes
Assessment plan
A rhetoric critique of a public speech or media piece; a recorded public address adapted to an unfamiliar audience; a media-bias-and-evidence evaluation; a reading journal tracking themes and arguments across an extended work; a styled prose piece; an accessible multimodal composition; and a language-and-power analysis, gathered as portfolio artifacts.
Unit 4 — Language, Literature & Argument
Overview
This unit grows from Grade 9’s synthesis and authorship into criticism and craft, building on the analysis of structure, style, and argument and the writing of research-supported arguments. Learners critique rhetoric in public speech and media, distinguishing emotional appeal from reasoned argument, and speak to a public or unfamiliar audience with confidence, adapting register and formality to the setting. They critically evaluate digital and print media for bias, omission, and the difference between evidence and belief, and read extended, complex literary and informational texts, tracking themes and arguments across a full work. They craft prose with deliberate style, varying sentence structure, word choice, and tone to suit purpose and audience, and compose multimodal texts that combine writing, image, sound, and design with attention to accessibility. They analyze how language and power interact — whose language is used in law, medicine, and school — and communicate respectfully in a multicultural setting, adapting to different cultural norms of politeness and address. Home language is honored first; multilingualism is held as wealth.
Essential questions
- How do I critique rhetoric, distinguishing emotional appeal from reasoned argument, and speak with confidence to an unfamiliar audience?
- How do I read extended, complex works and evaluate media for bias, omission, and the difference between evidence and belief?
- How do I craft prose and accessible multimodal texts with deliberate style, and how does language and power interact across cultures?
Lessons
| Lesson | Title | Standards |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Three Appeals — and Many More | D04.S1.10.01 |
| 2 | Emotional Appeal vs. Reasoned Argument | D04.S1.10.01 |
| 3 | Critiquing a Public Speech | D04.S1.10.01 |
| 4 | Register: Matching Your Voice to the Room | D04.S1.10.02 |
| 5 | Speaking to an Unfamiliar Audience | D04.S1.10.02 |
| 6 | Bias and Omission: What the Story Leaves Out | D04.S2.10.01 |
| 7 | Evidence and Belief: Telling Them Apart | D04.S2.10.01 |
| 8 | Tracking Themes Across a Full Work | D04.S2.10.02 |
| 9 | Tracking Arguments Across a Full Work | D04.S2.10.02 |
| 10 | The Full Work: Themes and Arguments Meet | D04.S2.10.02 |
| 11 | Crafting Prose: Sentences and Word Choice | D04.S3.10.01 |
| 12 | Crafting Prose: Tone for Purpose and Audience | D04.S3.10.01 |
| 13 | Multimodal Composition, Accessible by Design | D04.S3.10.02 |
| 14 | Language and Power: Whose Words Rule? | D04.S4.10.01 |
| 15 | Politeness and Address Across Cultures | D04.S4.10.02 |