Persuasion in Historical Context: The Gettysburg Address

The Gettysburg Address is a powerful text. Use it to teach persuasion and the importance of word choice. The instructional activity detailed here includes a scaffolded background knowledge activity that includes image analysis of photos from the Civil War era. After your pupils have a strong understanding of the time period, lead them in a class reading and send them off to practice a group reading. The instructional activity includes a vocabulary list and a series of activities that focus on literary devices, repetition in particular. This Common Core designed resource will help your learners understand both the text and the power of language.