®
THE LANGUAGE ARTS MAGAZINE
Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: ______________
nonfiction: “Head Trauma” • Skill: Persuasive Strategies
Directions: Read the description of each common persuasive strategy listed in the chart below. For each, provide
an example or examples of where author Lauren Tarshis used that strategy in her article “Head Trauma.” If you do
not find an example of a strategy, write “none found.”
Persuasive technique
Examples in “Head Trauma”
Authority: Citing experts or
famous people who support your
point of view
PAthos: Appealing to your
audience’s emotions
LOGOS: Using logic, numbers,
facts, and data to support your
argument
Ethos: Convincing the reader that
you are honest and intelligent so
they trust and believe you
Urgency: Building a sense of
urgency so your reader feels that
something must be done now
Scholastic sCOPE activity • october 10, 2011
Uses: Copy machine, opaque projector, or transparency master for overhead projector. Scholastic Inc. grants subscribers of Scholastic Scope permission to reproduce this page for use in their classrooms. Copyright ©2011 by Scholastic Inc. All rights reserved.
Identifying Persuasive Strategies