English Language Arts · 10th Grade

Active learning ideas

Analyzing Rhetorical Devices

When students actively analyze rhetorical devices, they move beyond memorization to understand how language shapes meaning and persuasion. This topic thrives on discussion, collaboration, and hands-on examination, because rhetorical devices are tools of influence, not just literary ornaments.

• Common Core State Standards
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.6
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.5

• 20–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Device Swap

Give students a short speech excerpt and ask them to rewrite one sentence removing a specific rhetorical device (e.g., replace an anaphora with a single direct statement). Partners compare what changed and share observations with the class about effect and tone.

Differentiate between various rhetorical devices and their intended effects on an audience.

Facilitation Tip

For Structured Discussion, provide sentence frames to scaffold the move from observation to analysis, reducing cognitive load during complex reasoning.

What to look for

Provide students with a short excerpt from a famous speech. Ask them to identify one rhetorical device used, explain its intended effect on the audience in one sentence, and state whether they found it effective.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 35 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Device Dissection

Post six speech excerpts around the room, each featuring a different rhetorical device. Groups rotate and annotate each excerpt on a sticky note: name the device, explain what effect it creates, and rate how well it works (1-3). Debrief by comparing ratings across groups.

Analyze how specific rhetorical devices contribute to the overall persuasive power of a text.

What to look for

Present students with two versions of a sentence: one plain, and one using a specific rhetorical device (e.g., parallelism). Ask them to vote or signal which version is more persuasive and briefly explain why.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Inquiry Circle
• 45 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Rhetorical Device Toolkit

Groups receive a full persuasive text and assign each member two devices to track. Members color-code their assigned devices throughout the text, then combine their annotations to map how the devices cluster around key moments in the argument.

Evaluate the effectiveness of a speaker's choice of rhetorical devices for a particular context.

What to look for

In small groups, students analyze a provided text for rhetorical devices. Each student identifies one device and its effect. They then share their findings, and group members offer feedback on the accuracy of the identification and the clarity of the explanation.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Gallery Walk
• 25 min · Whole Class

Structured Discussion: Intended vs. Actual Effect

Students read the same excerpt and each silently records their emotional or intellectual response. The class then compares responses and traces which specific devices produced which reactions, surfacing the gap between intended and actual audience effect.

Differentiate between various rhetorical devices and their intended effects on an audience.

What to look for

Provide students with a short excerpt from a famous speech. Ask them to identify one rhetorical device used, explain its intended effect on the audience in one sentence, and state whether they found it effective.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should approach this topic by modeling how to unpack a device’s purpose rather than just labeling it. Avoid rushing to definitions—anchor analysis in the text’s context and audience. Research shows that students learn rhetorical analysis best when they see the gap between a plain version of a text and the version with devices, making the work of rhetoric visible and meaningful.

Successful learning looks like students not only naming devices but explaining their purpose and effect in context. They should connect specific choices by authors to audience response, using clear, evidence-based reasoning in discussion and writing.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Think-Pair-Share, watch for students who treat rhetorical devices as purely decorative rather than strategic tools.

  Have students remove the device from the text and rewrite the passage without it. Then, ask them to explain what the argument or emotion loses, making the functional purpose of the device explicit.

• During Gallery Walk, watch for students who stop at naming the device rather than analyzing its purpose.

  At each station, include a prompt that asks students to explain why the author chose that device at that moment and what it does to the audience, using evidence from the text.

• During Collaborative Investigation, watch for students who assume rhetorical devices only work in speeches or formal writing.

  Provide contemporary examples like ads or social media posts, and ask students to identify devices and their effects in these familiar formats to broaden their understanding.

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share
• Gallery Walk
• Inquiry Circle