RATIONALE BEHIND UNIT
The purpose of this unit is to introduce students to the power of language through persuasion. We feel that it is important for our students to be familiar with the types of persuasion, as well as how it can be used in positive and negative ways to influence people. The activities and Team Time discussions we chose to use throughout the unit, were utilized because we believe they portray our philosophy of education. We believe that a student-centered approach to education is one that empowers the student and asks him or her to take charge of his or her learning.
Through this nine week unit it is our goal to give students the opportunity to experience diversity within the learning process. We will expose the students to diverse mediums that utilize rhetoric and persuasion in various ways to convey a particulr message. By using alternative texts, we hope to offer students the opportunity to challenge the dominant ideology. It is also important in our classroom to create an environment where students are able to communicate freely and build off one another's insights and reactions. By including various activities and Team Time discussions we hope to encourage and expose students to different types of learning.