Graphic Organizer “Persuasion”

Graphic Organizer
“Persuasion”
Sanmin Reader
Book VI Unit 12
Have a Good Four Years
台 北 市 立 建 國 高 級 中 學
宋 琦 華
Deborah Soong

Introduction
I. How to train students to write
effectively
II. Using graphic organizers to
produce ideas

I. How to train students to write
effectively
1.Incorporate writing into classroom
activities
2.Ask students to write as they read
3.Draw pictures, maps or diagrams of
relationships emerging from the
reading

I. How to train students to write
effectively
4. Ask students to share their writing
outcomes to brainstorm and inspire
mutually
5. Ask students to get feedback from
peers to improve writing

II. Using graphic organizers to
produce ideas
1. Motivate students with inspiring
introduction
2. Guide students to integrate
graphic organizers into their
compositions

Have a Good Four Years
The difficult level of lesson plan:
Basic Elementary Intermediate Upper-Intermediate Advanced
Focus of this lesson : persuasion
Text Structure: exposition, cluster web, main
ideas, supporting details, and
examples
Grammar : future tense

Reading
Have a Good Four Years
- Speech by Derek Curtis Bok

Lesson Plan

I. Create Background

Directions:
The teacher divides the class into
several groups, and asks the students
the following questions to help them
imagine about college life. Make each
group present their discussion results
in front of the class.

1.1 There are many famous people who
either did not go to college or did
not finish it. Do you think going to
college is essential List the reasons
why people go to college.
1.2 Make a table to show the possible
similarities and differences between
high school life and college life.

1.3 Write down important tasks of high
school life. Rank them in terms of
significance and give persuasive
reasons to explain why.
1.4. How do you want to spend your
four years’ college life Make a
plan that includes goals, steps, and
target completion dates.

II. Establish New Information
2.1 Harvard University
2.2 Derek Curtis Bok
2.3 Graphic Organizer

2.1 Harvard University

* Brown University
* Columbia University
* Dartmouth College
* Harvard University
* University of Pennsylvania
* Princeton University
* Yale University
* Cornell University

*joint conferences and programs
*cross-registration in
undergraduate or graduate classes

Theodore
Roosevelt
Franklin
Roosevelt
John F.
Kennedy

T.S. Eliot
E. E. Cummings

Founder of
Microsoft
Corporation
Bill Gates

Nobel Prize winners
are from
Harvard university.

2.2 Derek Curtis Bok

Derek Curtis Bok
born on March 22, 1930
an American lawyer and educator
the former president of
Harvard University
the speaker of
“Have a Good Four Years”(1971)

Derek Curtis Bok
graduated from Stanford University ,
Harvard Law School , and George
Washington University
taught law at Harvard from 1958

2.3
First, divide the whole class into
several groups. By using the
graphic organizer, guide each
group to discuss the goals that
Harvard expect their students
to achieve.

Based on the reading “Have a Good Four Years”

Then, ask each group of the
students to think about their
own goals in college life, draw
a diagram to fill in their ideas,
and share their opinions with
the other groups.

Second, ask the groups of
students to find out the main
idea and supporting details by
using skimming and scanning
skills.

Paragraph
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 9
Main Idea
Details

Fill in the graphic organizer
charting the main idea and
important details of each
paragraph. This could also be
done as a whole-class activity;
the teacher could guide the
whole class to complete this
chart together.

Paragraph
Main Idea
Details
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 9
The goal of college education is
not only for a job or a certificate.
The most important goal of college
is to give knowledge.
Habits of mind which last longer is
also an important goal of
knowledge.
Harvard education hopes to instill
certain attitudes of mind.
College education should lay a
foundation for the creative use of
leisure time.
Harvard people should think
broadly about what we want to
accomplish here.
Harvard people should think about
what we can do for others.
Harvard people should enjoy
themselves hugely in years at
Harvard.
We should not take ourselves too
seriously.
Harvard education wants to develop students with a broader view
of college career.
Knowledge includes concentrated knowledge in one field and
general knowledge of other subjects.
That includes the capacity for critical analysis, accurate and
logical use of information, the ability to derive useful concepts
and generalizations, to find and process data, and so forth.
That includes a willingness to accept ambiguity, uncertainty, and
the lack of definite truths; a sense of the complexity of human
affairs and the variety of human experiences; an independence of
thoughts, a respect for facts and for the uncomfortable
conclusions.
This capacity can be stimulated in the classroom, with courses in
the humanities and the arts, as well as on the athletic fields, in
music rooms, student theaters, concert halls, and so forth.
Getting high grades, getting into a graduate school, or even only
finding a comfortable and prosperous job is a limited goal.
There are many problems waiting for your help. The contributions
of working with them can not be replaced by anything else.
Frustration and bewilderment are indispensable to our well-being.
That pushes mind and spirit to greater conception of the world.
The world is filled with self-important and obsessive people. Do
not become too preoccupied to enjoy the opportunities around us.

III. Practice and Personalization
3.1 Finding the Truth
3.2 Listen to a famous person’s
story of his college life
3.3 The Interview of Steve Jobs,
CEO of Apple Computer

3.1 Finding the Truth
Guide the students to ask their senior
classmates who have graduated from
the same school if they have “A Good
Four Years” as the article suggests.
Ask them to find out the capacities that
university students will have. These
capacities are also the reasons which
persuade college students to live a
meaningful life.

Fill in the following graphic organizer
chart with the students’ findings.
Have a Good
Four Years
capacities university students will have

Develop habits of
mind like critical
analysis
Have concentrated
knowledge in one
field and general
knowledge
Have attitudes of
mind like
willingness to
accept uncertainty
Have a broader
vision on future and
career path
Have a Good
Four Years
Use leisure time
on arts, sports,
music and
drama
Contribute
efforts to help
people and
society
Know how to live
with anxieties and
frustrations
Learn not to be selfindulgent
and take
“I” too seriously
capacities university students will have
reference answer

3.2 Listen to a famous person’s story
of his college life
Read the speech by Steve Job and try to
analyze it by using the story organizer.
Find out the main ideas and try to
create a cluster web. Give the story a
title and discuss the key message that
the speaker wants to convey.

Steve Jobs
CEO of Apple Computer
and of Pixar Animation Studios
Macintosh computer
iPod products

dropped
out of
Reed College
took a
calligraphy
class
10 years later
designed
beautiful
calligraphy
into the first
Macintosh
computer

Steve Job said,
“ You have to trust that
the dots will somehow
connect in your future
and make all the
difference in your life. “

3.3 The Interview of Steve Jobs,
CEO of Apple Computer
After the speech of Steve Jobs, the
students can have a chance to
“Interview” this world-famous figure.
Students should find a partner and pair
up. Let one be the prestigious
businessman Mr. Jobs while the other
plays the role of the journalist. Each
group should write down the interview.

the most
successful
animation
studio
now
released
the finest
creation
Macintosh
started
NeXT
&
Pixar
married
Laurene
the world’s first
animation film
Toy Story
fired by Apple

• Steve Job said,
“ You’ve got to find what you love.
The only way to be truly satisfied is
to do what you believe is great
work.
And the only way to do great work
is to love what you do.”

IV. Application
4.1 College Survival Tips
4.2 Application Essay

IV. Application
4.1 College Survival Tips
This is a group-work project to make
an English pamphlet called “College
Survival Tips.” Each group should be
made up of 4 to 5 students. The students
have to interview their fellow high
school students and some college
students to complete this work.

This pamphlet should include the
following topics:
Concerns of high school students
Suggestions from
college students
Comprehensive survival tips
for students

Example :
Environment
Courses
Teachers
Fellow Students
Study

Pamphlet Grading Sheet
The pamphlet is graded during the
student’s presentation , and it will be
graded according to the following
categories:

Category
Creativity:
Usage of pictures or tables
Presentation way of the contents
Appearance and originality
Comprehensiveness:
Abundant supply of information
Clear explanations
Accuracy:
Correct usage of words and grammar
True facts
Group participation:
Workload share and participation
Points
Possible
30
30
30
10
Actual Points

IV. Application
4.2 Application essay
Directions:
Usually, colleges require applicant
students to hand in study plans,
which discuss their learning
interests, research goals, and their
plans for the following four years.

The teacher can ask students to write
essays to express their ideas about
college life. Students can choose one
of the following two topics to write a
120-word essay to persuade the
entrance committee that he should be
admitted to the school. Students also
have to use graphic organizers to
display their persuasions.

Topic 1: What Do I Expect to
Learn From University
Topic 2: How Will I Spend My
College Life

Examples:

*Student’s work sample one : 307 林 冠 霖
What Do I Expect to Learn From University
How long have we stayed at school! The teachers
give what they know to cultivate our mind from general
knowledge to what they expect us to behave in our daily
life. Maybe living in Taiwan is a kind of happiness. We
follow the principles the previous learners set and get the
basic information passively without spending much time
trying to get what we want to know. Everything seems to
be prepared for you. What are we lack of All we have to
do is take seemingly simple things for granted

Facing the unknown future, what do we expect to
learn from the university Could it be said that we learn
the profound knowledge blindly The answer I think is
no. I think the most important thing is how we deal with
every difficulty independently and how we get along well
with others as well as get the capacity to take defeat well.
After graduating from college, what teachers teach us
may largely be forgotten. However, to keep updated in
this society is inevitable. So attitude determines everything
even though we have little learning. This is what I expect
to “learn”.

*Student’s work sample two : 307 李 予 彤
How Will I Spend My College Life
When entering the college, there will be a lot of
differences from high school. In high schools, we are
supposed to learn all the subjects from Math to Geography
and waste lots of time studying something that we don't
prefer. However, after I begin to attend college, I will
concentrate on a few subjects areas in which I am really
interested in.

First, I will try to be independent, making important
decisions by myself. I can't always rely on my parents
when encountering the adversities. Second, I hate to
study randomly and aspire to reach my undergraduate
program in my department. By means of the library, I can
acquire lots of knowledge which improves my abilities.
The last but not least, I will be acquainted with my
classmates and establish great friendships. We can discuss
a difficult question together which will contribute to the
advancement of our thinking and expression. I wish to
have a good four years, and enjoy a rich and colorful
college life.

Effective Persuasion