Exploring Authors’ Points-of-View: Reading Critically [Resource]

Reading Critically for Bias and Tone

Overview

The purpose of this exercise is to sensitize the students to authors’ points of view by examining various opposing articles on a controversial topic and actively determining the use of tone, language, and other factors that would reveal the authors’ attitudes on the given topic.

The goal of this assignment is for the students to develop a questioning approach to controversial topics considering their own beliefs in the process of making judgements. They will be encouraged to withhold judgment until they complete a systematic review of all viewpoints.

Assignment Expectations

1. Groups of two or three students will analyze and apply critical questioning strategies on two opposing articles on a controversial topic.  They will determine the strengths and weaknesses of both sides.
2. Students will be divided into two opposing teams to debate the given topic. Individual team assignments will be determined at the time of the debate.
3. Each student will write a 200 – 300-word evaluative essay on one of the articles (student’s choice) identifying the criteria used, specific evidence (such as word choice), the presence of propaganda techniques, and the student’s final judgment on the topic.

Course

English or developmental IRW

Grade Level

Twelfth-grade or college-level developmental education

Objectives

Students will:

• Analyze two opposing articles on a controversial subject for bias and viewpoints using various criteria.
  • Word choice – use of negatives/positives, emotionally-laden, connotative words (See Loaded Words worksheet)
  • Facts or lack of facts – supportive information that is provable
  • Tone – spotting sarcasm, humor, authority, anger, passion, and such by words and phrasing
  • Detecting propaganda techniques such as strawman arguments, bandwagon appeals, either-or approaches, and so on.
• Actively work in teams, listening and sharing ideas on the articles being analyzed.
• Examine opposing articles’ strengths and weaknesses.
• Individually prepare to debate either side of a debate on the topic of the articles. (optional)
• Participate in an active debate defending an assigned position on the given topic. (optional)
• Write a short essay (200 – 300 words) evaluating the student’s choice of articles either negatively or positively and present a personal judgment on the topic. The student must recognize and name the various propaganda techniques as well as other descriptive observations of the article’s components.

Lesson Preparation

• Select two articles from newspapers, magazines, or other media with opposing views on a given topic and prepare student copies.
  • Example:
    • “‘The Climate Time-Bomb Is Ticking’: The World Is Running out of Time to Avoid Catastrophe, New UN Report Warns.” by Laura Paddison ^[1]
    • “Top 10 Global Warming Lies That May Shock You.” by James Taylor.^[2]
• Prepare “Loaded Words” worksheets (see Downloadable Resources below).
• Prepare a rubric for grading each student’s essay (see Downloadable Resources below).

Student Prior Knowledge

• Students should be able to construct a simple evaluative essay.
• Students should demonstrate the ability to determine fact from opinion.
• Students should have prior knowledge of the propaganda techniques of strawman argumentation, bandwagon appeals, obfuscation, loaded words, and others.
• Students should be able to utilize Google Docs for the construction and submission of written work.

Reading Critically for Propaganda Techniques

Overview

Propaganda is used in several ways as a persuasive technique. Designers and authors desire to sway the reader’s thinking in specific ways to perhaps make certain purchases, as is the case in retail advertising. Other authors would like to communicate certain ideas and persuade the readers to adopt their beliefs. Naïve or unaware readers may find themselves subject to being pressured into challenging their own deeply held beliefs by experts or authorities or by something heard on the news or read in a book. The purpose of this exercise is to sensitize the readers to the various propaganda techniques used in media of various forms and to challenge the readers to screen incoming information through their belief systems.

Assignment Expectations

1. Students will be able to identify several common propaganda techniques found in media, such as newspapers, online news sources, TV and radio, and other printed material.
2. Students will be able to edit and rewrite grammatically correct articles clear of any propaganda.

Course

English or developmental IRW

Grade Level

Twelfth-grade or college-level developmental education

Objectives

Students will:

• Be able to identify propaganda techniques commonly found in media, such as:
  • Straw man arguments – a statement either exaggerating or purposely misstating an opponent’s idea in order to easily attack it,
  • Bandwagon appeals – “everybody agrees” approach; the majority must be right, therefore, the majority rules,
  • Half-truths – presenting factual information, but omitting significant and defining facts in order to deceive,
  •  Loaded words – words used to elicit certain emotions in order to persuade,
  • Obfuscation – intentionally confusing the issue with intentional vagueness and non-specific language.
• Students will match the propaganda techniques with the appropriate given examples, and as a group, determine a definition for each.
•  Students will analyze short, written articles containing one or several of the propaganda techniques and be able to identify each.
• Individually, students will rewrite a previously examined short article free of any propaganda techniques. For this exercise, students are free to create facts and persons, or may add to or subtract any portion of the article to complete the assignment. (Their fabrications will not be considered a propaganda technique.)

Lesson Preparation

• Prepare the “Identifying Propaganda Techniques” worksheet for each student (see Downloadable Resources below).
• Supply articles containing various propaganda for student examination.

Student Prior Knowledge

Other than basic reading and writing abilities, there are no prerequisite requirements for this activity.

Downloadable Resources (Worksheets, Rubric)

Click here to download a Word Doc version of the “Loaded Words” worksheet:

Loaded Words worksheet

Click here to download a Word Doc version of the rubric for the “Reading Critically for Bias and Tone” lesson:

Reading Critically for Bias and Tone: Rubric

Click here to download a Word Doc version of the “Identifying Propaganda Techniques” worksheet:

Identifying Propaganda Techniques worksheet