Rhetorical Analysis Choice Board

This asynchronous module applies Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to help students practice rhetorical analysis. Students choose three tasks that speak to their needs and interests and engage with a variety of audiences, messages, and modalities in the process.

Activity title: Rhetorical Analysis Choice Board

Author: Harriett Jernigan

Course: PWR 1

Activity length and schedule: 1-2 class sessions, early in the quarter while students are working on rhetorical analysis

Activity goals:

• Help students adapt to hybrid instruction
• Demonstrate creative approaches to entering a situation rhetorically
• Level the playing field for all students, particularly F/LI students, students with access challenges
• Foster learning autonomy in a hybrid environment  
• Engage multiple modalities of learning and instruction

Activity details: Here's the rough scaffolding for this assignment:

• Introduce students to the topic: Social Media (Non) Apologies for racist behavior (inspired by Jessica O, student from Spring 2020)
• Small group work: put students in pre-determined breakout rooms.Task: identify and summarize a recent incident involving racist behavior and corresponding apology that you are familiar with. Upload image and summary on Harmonize or Canvas Discussion Board. Explain why the group agreed to focus on this particular apology
• Introduce “Ways of Reading” chart. Go over the chart with the students. (Slight adjustments made to some of the language)
• Open Announcement on Canvas that shows students links for the Google doc they have been assigned to, same as their breakout room groups. Each Google doc contains an empty Ways of Reading Chart.
• Have students complete first half of chart (categories marked in blue). Ways of Reading, Part 2 takes place with T.i.C.
• Introduce Choice Board
• Additional homework assignment at end of week: Proposal for rhetorical analysis.

You can find full, detailed instructions, including the student-facing choice board here.