Practical Paideia

Lindsey Ralls (Summit Christian Academy)

General Ideas that work across all subjects

• Debate an issue – Throw out a question that is either controversial or does not have a clear answer. Assign sides and instruct the students to look in the text for examples that support the side they’ve been given.
  • “Is an adventure something that happens to you, or is it a result of your response to something that happened to you?” Persuade me of your side with an example from the text. 

• Find the Thesis Statement – Almost everything has a thesis statement. Have students find the thesis statement in what you are reading and then look for arguments by example that support that statement.
  • Pride and Prejudice – “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”  This is the opening statement in Pride and Prejudice and is in itself a thesis statement that the rest of the book is based on.
    • As students read the novel, have them search for the arguments that Jane makes to persuade us of her thesis. 
    • What examples does she use? 
    • Have students complete the bridge visual aid handout as they read
  • Paradise Lost – The first five lines are Milton’s thesis (with the main point being that one great man restored us)
    • Have students complete the bridge visual aid handout as they read, looking for examples Milton uses to persuade us of his thesis. 

• Vocabulary Connections – Have the students choose two words from a list of vocabulary words (or you could assign them two words) and provide you with an argument as to why they are similar.
  • Examine the words “Unknown” and “Recognizable”. Provide an example of how the Holy Spirit is both of these. Examples could be from their own experience or from a passage in scripture they are reading. 

• Current Events – Break the class into groups of four and hand each student in the group the same current event persuasive article. One of the students will read the article looking for arguments by example, one for arguments by analogy, one for arguments by authority and one for syllogisms. Once they finished reading they will discuss as a group (or in front of the class) what they discovered.
  • This gives them an opportunity to work together, move around a bit, and also narrows their objective so that they are only focusing on one thing at a time, but in the end they can see how their own part works with the others in the group to create a persuasive argument. 

• Refute an Argument – Have students bring in a persuasive article about a controversial topic or event you’re discussing in class. They can only select articles that they strongly disagree with. Their assignment is to build the rebuttal argument. Have them work either independently or together to determine what is wrong with the argument. Does it not add up? Are the statements not true? Are there no arguments by example, authority, or analogy? Are the syllogisms not true or not valid? Perhaps there are arguments by example, analogy or authority, but are the weak? 

• Persuasion – Have students think of a job they dislike doing (a chore perhaps). How would they persuade someone (a sibling or friend) to do the chore instead. (They can’t use money) They have to use an example in their argument. 

• Amazon Reviews – Have students think of a product they recently purchased and love. Have them write a review for the product and use an example in their review to persuade others to purchase the product. 

• Public Hearing – Break the class into two groups. Present them with a topic that relates to your subject and assign each group a side. Specific members of each group will be assigned specific jobs (one job will be to find arguments by example, one will be to find arguments by authority etc). Hold a mock hearing and have both sides present their argument.
  • Possible topics: Should Pluto be a planet? Should we get rid of the electoral college? Should Americans receive another stimulus package due to COVID hardships?