Persuasive Change
By:  Cathy Engel

Project at a Glance :

This project is for Honors English 2 students (9th&10th grade) reading the play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. It will allow students to learn about modern advertising and connect it to the rhetoric in the play. The focus will be on helping a community non-profit advertise their services and/or a campaign to raise money and/or awareness. The unit will integrate multimedia presentation skills along with ELA CCSS standards of speaking and listening along with writing and persuasion. The project will run for 4 weeks).

Driving Question:

What is the most effective way to spread the word about a West Michigan non-profit organization?          

Standards:

• CCSS 9-10.W.1 a-e (write arguments that support a claim)
• CCSS 9-10.W. 4 (clear and coherent writing)
• CCSS 9-10.W. 5 (revise and edit writing)
• CCSS 9-10.W. 7 (Sustained research)
• CCSS 9-10.W. 10 (write over a sustained period of time)
• CCSS 9-10. SL. 1 a-e (collaborate discussions and working with peers)
• CCSS 9-10.SL. 4 (present information clearly and concisely) 
• CCSS 9-10.SL. 5 (strategic use of digital media)

Team / Culture Building:


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Entry Event:

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Stakeholders:

• Local Organizations such as: Kids Food Basket, Boys and Girls Club, WinWO, Panther Fund, Harbor Humane, Hope Pkgs Inc, Outdoor Discovery Center, Community Action House, Resilience, Foster the Family, Habitat for Humanity, Caroline's PEACH, and Gateway Mission

Empathy Building:

• Stakeholder Map
• Empathy Map

Inquiry / Need to Knows:

•  Allow students time to work with their organizations on the issues their groups are working on. 
• Have students identify the gaps that may exist with information available to people. 
• Touchstone Tour
• Innovators Compass
• Speedboat - what is holding the company back?

Incubation:

• Use the 100 ideas protocol along with the Rule of Thirds to get out as many solution ideas as possible.
  
• 3-12-3 - will help students to explain the solution ideas.

Checking in:

• Students will complete multiple reflections as they work through the unit. These will include topics that show the teacher what they are learning, while also reflecting on how they work as a team. 
• Utilize two formal reflections and 1 informal reflection each week of the project.
  
• Pluses and Deltas- they can assess what is going well and what can change.​

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Solution Building:

• Students will create an ad campaign and graphic to persuade people to volunteer or donate to the non-profit they are focusing on. 
  
• Students will create Storyboards of their advertisements that will include pertinent information from their investigation. 
  
• Students will use the Rule of Thirds, Dot Voting, Combine-ideation, and $100 test to craft their ideas into a solution they are excited about. 

Critique and Revision: 

• NUF Test
  
• Seeking Skeptics
  
• Critical Friends to receive feedback before the presentations of solutions. 

Authentic Audience:

• Ambassadors from organizations

Who were the partner organizations??

• Media Specialists
• West Ottawa Broadcasting Teacher

Final Presentation:

•  Students will publish their advertisements online and present their solution to the panel.
• Students will choose what organization, the tone of the advertising, and the way in which they present their information. ​

Click here for teacher's full plan.

​Reflection and Feedback:

Click here for the teacher's Journey through PBL on Padlet . . .

Meet the Educator:

Cathy Engel teaches English 11 & 12 at West Ottawa High School.

"PBL helps me bridge the gap between curriculum and the real-world."