ELA.8.R.2.3

In this lesson, students will read Elizabeth Cady Stanton's "Declaration of Sentiments," delivered at America's first women's rights convention in the United States, the Seneca Falls Convention. Students will identify the rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, and logos) Stanton uses throughout her speech. Students will explain how Stanton's varied purposes are achieved through those appeals.

Students will also complete text-dependent questions to further analyze the speech. As part of this analysis, they will make connections between Stanton's speech and the foundational principles established in the Declaration of Independence.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will read Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech, delivered in 1851 to men and women attending the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. Students will analyze how the use of rhetorical appeals, specifically ethos, helps Truth establish and achieve her purpose. Students will describe how this use of ethos supports Truth’s purpose to persuade Americans to support equal voting rights, especially for women, citing text evidence when appropriate.

Students will complete text-dependent questions to clarify their comprehension of the speech. In addition, they will make connections between Truth’s speech and the foundational principles expressed in an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence.

Type: Lesson Plan

This teaching resource provides the tools to help students analyze the use of figurative language in an 1853 speech by Sojourner Truth. Students will specifically examine her skillful use of imagery throughout the speech. Students will analyze how Truth uses imagery at key points in her speech to express her message and achieve her purpose (below). Students will also gain a deeper understanding of this speech and why it was a significant act of civic participation.

Type: Text Resource