English Language · JC 2

Active learning ideas

How Leaders Talk to People

Active learning works well for this topic because students must analyze real-world language use to understand how words shape perception and power. By breaking down speeches and practicing communication themselves, they move beyond abstract theory to see how leaders build (or manipulate) connection through tone and framing.

• MOE Syllabus Outcomes
• MOE: Media Literacy - Secondary 3

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 30 min · Pairs

Pairs Analysis: Speech Breakdown

Provide transcripts of two leader speeches, one populist and one formal. Pairs highlight language features like contractions, personal pronouns, and anecdotes, then discuss how each builds rapport. Share findings with the class via a shared digital board.

How do politicians try to get people to support them?

Facilitation Tip

During Pairs Analysis, have students first read the speech silently before discussing, to prevent premature influence from a partner’s interpretation.

What to look for

Provide students with a short excerpt from a political speech. Ask them to identify one rhetorical device used and explain in one sentence how it aims to connect with 'ordinary people'.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 45 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Role-Play Challenge

Groups receive a scenario where they act as leaders addressing citizens on a policy issue. They craft and deliver 2-minute speeches using 'ordinary people' language, then peers critique for authenticity and division. Rotate roles for speaker and evaluator.

What kind of language do leaders use to sound like 'one of us'?

Facilitation Tip

In Small Groups: Role-Play Challenge, require groups to present their talk twice—once with casual language and once with formal phrasing—to highlight how tone shifts audience reception.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'When does a leader's attempt to sound like 'one of us' become insincere?' Facilitate a class discussion where students share examples and justify their reasoning based on linguistic cues.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 03

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 35 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Divisive Language Hunt

Project a leader's speech; class calls out divisive phrases in real-time using hand signals. Follow with a guided vote on intent, tallying results to reveal patterns. Conclude with a class mind map of unifying alternatives.

How can we tell if a leader's message is trying to divide people?

Facilitation Tip

For the Whole Class: Divisive Language Hunt, provide a color-coded transcript so students can visually track repeated terms like ‘we,’ ‘them,’ or ‘elites’ to spot patterns quickly.

What to look for

Present students with two contrasting short statements from political figures. Ask them to identify which statement uses 'us versus them' framing and to briefly explain why.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 04

• Outdoor Investigation Session
• 25 min · Individual

Individual: Annotation Task

Students annotate a short video clip of a leader's talk, noting rhetorical devices and audience reactions. Submit digital annotations, then gallery walk to compare interpretations.

How do politicians try to get people to support them?

Facilitation Tip

For the Individual: Annotation Task, model annotating one paragraph aloud first, showing how to mark rhetorical moves and explain their effect in a margin.

What to look for

Provide students with a short excerpt from a political speech. Ask them to identify one rhetorical device used and explain in one sentence how it aims to connect with 'ordinary people'.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness
• Decision-Making

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by balancing close reading with critical skepticism. Avoid treating all simple language as authentic; instead, use students’ own role-plays to reveal how easily rapport can be manufactured. Research suggests that students grasp rhetorical power best when they see it in action, so prioritize activities where they dissect and create speeches rather than just listen. Emphasize that critique is part of media literacy—the goal isn’t to distrust all leaders but to ask nuanced questions about their methods.

Successful learning looks like students accurately identifying rhetorical strategies in speeches and explaining their purpose, not just listing devices. They should also articulate why casual language can feel genuine or manipulative depending on context, using evidence from their analyses.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Pairs Analysis: Speech Breakdown, students may assume that simple language always signals sincerity.

  During Pairs Analysis: Speech Breakdown, redirect students to compare the speech’s tone with its context—ask them to note if the leader’s casual phrasing aligns with concrete policies or if it deflects from them, using their partner’s observations to challenge assumptions.

• During Small Groups: Role-Play Challenge, students might believe that using everyday words guarantees a leader’s genuine connection with the public.

  During Small Groups: Role-Play Challenge, have each group record their talk and reflect on whether their language choice matched their stated intent or if it felt performative, using group feedback to identify when casual speech becomes hollow.

• During Whole Class: Divisive Language Hunt, students initially overlook subtle ‘us versus them’ framing.

  During Whole Class: Divisive Language Hunt, pause the hunt after 10 minutes to ask groups to share one term they found that could divide, then discuss how the term’s repetition builds bias, using evidence from the transcript to refine their detection.

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Methods used in this brief

• Outdoor Investigation Session