Activity

Pearl Harbor Activity #2: Why Do Words Matter?

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Pearl Harbor Activity #2: Why Do Words Matter? activity also includes:

Words matter! That's the big idea behind an activity that asks scholars to replace words in FDR's "Day of Infamy" speech with synonyms. They then listen to a recording of President Roosevelt's address and compare his version to their own.

1 Collection 4 Views 6 Downloads
Concepts
pearl harbor, rhetorical devices, persuasive speeches, persuasive techniques, giving speeches, writing speeches, franklin d. roosevelt, persuasive language, diction, syntax, word choice, connotation, compare and contrast
Show More Show Less
Instructional Ideas
  • Rather than using the worksheet, provide class members with the full text of the speech, have them highlight rhetorical devices, persuasive techniques, and emotive language in the text
Classroom Considerations
  • The second activity in a seven-part Pearl Harbor series
  • Requires copies of the text of the "Day of Infamy" speech and the "Message to the Congress" worksheet
  • Participants need access to dictionaries
  • Presumes pupils have previous knowledge of rhetorical devices, propaganda techniques, and persuasive language
Pros
  • The activity underscores the importance diction, syntax, and connotative language
  • An extension activity offers learners a chance to repeat the activity with other famous speeches
Cons
  • None