Climate Rhetoric

This persuasive reading worksheet is designed for students in Grades 9, 10, and 11 to develop advanced rhetorical analysis and critical reading skills using a real-world speech on climate change. Students closely read an excerpt to identify how the speaker uses ethos, pathos, and logos, evaluate the author’s purpose, and assess how rhetorical techniques strengthen the overall message and persuasiveness.

Learning Goals

• Author’s Purpose & Rhetorical Strategies (Grades 9-11)
  Students analyze why the speech was written and how rhetorical choices support that purpose.
• Ethos, Pathos & Logos Identification
  Learners identify examples of credibility, emotional appeal, and logical reasoning.
• Evaluating Persuasive Effectiveness
  Students assess how well rhetorical techniques influence the audience.
• Textual Evidence & Reasoning
  Responses require citing and explaining specific excerpts from the text.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource
  Designed by educators to align with secondary ELA rhetoric and college-prep standards.
• Relevant, High-Interest Topic
  Climate change provides meaningful context for persuasive analysis.
• Structured Close-Reading Prompts
  Questions guide students from identification to evaluation.
• Flexible Classroom Use
  Ideal for rhetoric units, argument analysis, discussion prep, or assessment.

This printable worksheet gives students meaningful practice with rhetorical analysis, author’s purpose, and evidence-based evaluation of persuasive texts. By examining how ethos, pathos, and logos are used in climate advocacy, learners strengthen critical thinking, analytical reading, and academic writing skills. Suitable for classroom instruction or homeschool use, this no-prep resource supports confident engagement with persuasive texts and prepares students for advanced English coursework.

This worksheet is part of our Grade 10 Reading Comprehension collection.