Rhetorical Strategies for The Declaration of Independence

( Ethos Pathos Logos Lesson Plan • Buy Poster • Buy PDF )

In high school, the ELA Common Core Standards require students to develop formal writing skills, creating essays and arguments that are well-thought-out and syntactically varied. They also require students to effectively use persuasive writing strategies to defend a claim or point of view. The ability to dissect and validate, or debunk, other arguments is key to strong persuasive writing. This requires a basic working knowledge of rhetoric. A great way to enhance students' understanding of effective arguments is to teach the Aristotelian concepts of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Students can then identify and analyze the effectiveness of these strategies in a work of literature, a speech, or a letter.

The Declaration of Independence was written to officially announce the colonies’ break-up with England; however, it also needed to formally outline why they had done so not only to King George III, but also to the citizens of the colonies and to the world. It needed to be clear, show that all steps had already been taken to avoid this, and persuade the people that this was the right decision. Have students examine the text and come up with quotes from throughout the document of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos rhetoric. Have students illustrate these examples in a storyboard.

Student Instructions

Create a storyboard that shows examples of ethos, pathos, and logos from the Declaration of Independence.

1. Click "Start Assignment".
2. Identify two examples of each rhetorical strategy: ethos, pathos, and logos.
3. Type the examples into the description box under the cell.
4. Illustrate the examples using any combination of scenes, characters, and items.