Persuasive Appeals

This persuasive reading worksheet is designed for students in Grades 8, 9, and 10 to strengthen rhetorical literacy and critical reading skills through analysis of an environmental advocacy speech. Students examine a passage arguing for banning plastic bags and identify examples of logos, ethos, and pathos, explaining how scientific evidence, ethical responsibility, and emotional appeal work together to influence public opinion.

Learning Goals

• Rhetorical Appeals Identification (Grades 8-10)
  Students classify examples of ethos, pathos, and logos within a persuasive text.
• Evaluating Persuasive Techniques
  Learners analyze how different appeals strengthen the author’s argument.
• Critical Reading of Arguments
  Students examine how evidence, credibility, and emotion interact to persuade readers.
• Evidence-Based Explanation
  Responses require justification using specific excerpts from the text.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource
  Designed by educators to align with secondary ELA rhetoric and argument standards.
• Real-World Environmental Context
  The plastic bag ban topic increases relevance and engagement.
• Structured Analytical Practice
  Classification and justification tasks build clear, logical reasoning.
• Flexible Classroom Use
  Ideal for rhetoric units, persuasive writing prep, discussion starters, or assessment.

This printable worksheet gives students meaningful practice with analyzing rhetorical appeals and evaluating persuasive strategies in advocacy texts. By identifying and justifying examples of ethos, pathos, and logos, learners strengthen critical thinking, argument analysis, and evidence-based explanation skills. Suitable for classroom instruction or homeschool use, this no-prep resource supports confident analysis of persuasive language and deeper understanding of how rhetoric shapes public discourse.

This worksheet is part of our Grade 9 Reading Comprehension collection.