Analysing persuasive text

2. Authors' intentions

Required Resources

• Student Worksheet 1
• Slide 8

Delivery

• Explain that in order to analyse the use of persuasive techniques, students need to first understand the author's intended perceptions and emotional reactions. Distribute Student Worksheet 1 which requires students to brainstorm the emotions that an author would want to evoke amongst allies and enemies. Once students have completed this activity, encourage feedback and note the ideas on the board.
• Student Worksheet 1 then requires students to consider imagery that could be used to evoke an emotion or idea. If students find this difficult, you could ask them to think of a TV advert or a film that evoked a certain emotion. Then ask them what specific part of the film evoked that feeling. This will help them to derive a list of potential images for the exercise.

Differentiation

Lower Ability:

Students may benefit from completing the worksheet in mixed ability pairs. The emotion adjectives on Slide 8 may help and students may need access to dictionaries to assist definition.

Higher Ability:

Encourage students to use their own adjectives, rather than referring to the examples provided on the slide.