English Language Development

The writer organizes the essay clearly and carefully so that each chunk builds upon the one

that precedes it. She describes the ad, analyzes its messages, and assesses the appeal of those

messages to today’s busy parents. She uses appropriate transitions to clarify relationships among

ideas and concepts. Within each chunk, the writer uses precise language and domain-specific

vocabulary to describe and analyze the ad. This makes the writer’s thinking and understanding

easy to follow.

The tone of the essay is objective and the style formal, both appropriate for an essay in cultural

criticism. The conclusion follows from and supports the information presented, and reflects on the

significance of the topic.

Source

Student Achievement Partners. 2013. “Collection of All In Common, Writing Samples, K–12.” Achieve the Core.

One of the most challenging aspects of teaching writing is revision. Students resist writing multiple
drafts and teachers have difficulty finding time to devote to the process and respond to students’
writing. A technique for engaging students in a rhetorical analysis of their own papers in preparation
for revision is the PAPA Square (Purpose, Audience, Persona, Argument). Students review their papers
and answer the questions for each category using a graphic organizer similar to the one in figure
7.26; they also analyze the rhetorical methods and strategies they have employed. This analysis helps
students clarify their thinking about their writing and uncover areas they have not yet addressed
or that need to be strengthened. Students consider their use of rhetorical methods and strategies
in connection with their intended purpose, audience, persona, and argument and decide which to
emphasize in their final draft. The PAPA Square can also be used when reading to analyze text and
to plan writing. The sample of student writing in figure 7.25 could be analyzed using this process to
identify ways in which the writing could be improved.

Figure 7.26. PAPA Square (Purpose, Audience, Argument, and Persona)

Purpose

(What is the writer’s purpose?)

Audience Argument

Who is the audience?) (What is the thesis or

argument?)

Persona

(What is the author’s persona or public image?)

Source

California State University. 2013. “Module 3 Racial Profiling: Teacher Version.” In California State University,

Expository Reading and Writing Course, 2nd ed., Module 3 Racial Profiling, 15–16. Long Beach, CA: California

State University Press.

As adapted from

Hairston, Maxine. 1986. Contemporary Composition: Short Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Rhetorical Methods and

Strategies

Logical Appeals (logos)

Pathetic Appeals (pathos)

Ethical Appeals (ethos)

Stylistic Devices

Grades 11 and 12 Chapter 7 | 777