4 Principles to Help Writing Across the Curriculum in High Schools

     How can you weave writing across the curriculum (WAC) into your high school? Conduct a workshop for teachers about using non-discipline specific tools for helping students write effectively. In doing so, high schools can follow the lead of many first-year college writing courses that teach composition based on basic principles of rhetoric.

     I will introduce you to four principles adapted from “rhetoric”—the art of persuasion. To illustrate these principles we do not have to look further than one of the best designed packages on the market, one which has shaped a nation’s breakfast: the cereal box.

     Principle #1) Logos. An appeal to logos in writing is the appeal to the logical reasoning and the common sense of your audience. The presence of facts and evidence that back up your claims and support your main argument is a logical appeal. Use evidence in your writing that is difficult to refute, such as statistics, data, examples, passages from primary or secondary sources, and current research in the field.

     For an example of a logical appeal, locate the nutritional facts and the ingredients usually depicted on a cereal box’s side panel. Check for phrases, words, and numbers that would capture the attention of a health-conscious audience. High in fiber? Check. No artificial flavors? Check. Produced from Non-GMO ingredients? Check. Low in sugar? Check.

Principle #2) Ethos. In writing, ethos is the voice you cultivate by stylistic choices, the logical appeals you bring to the table, and the writing conventions you follow that depend on a particular field of study. In other words, what makes you someone your audience should trust as a source of knowledge? Why should your audience believe you care about your subject?

      For an example of ethos, analyze a cereal box. How does it use words and/or images to gain your trust? Is there a memorable character, such as a bee, a tiger, or a leprechaun? Is there a narrative that talks about the number of years the company has been making products for you? Is there a guarantee of your satisfaction? Is there a narrative about the importance of eating a healthy breakfast and this cereal is part of that healthy breakfast? Check all of the above.

     Principle #3) Pathos. An appeal to pathos is an appeal to the emotions of your audience. Why should your audience care about what you have written? An appeal to pathos can be one of the most effective writing techniques for persuading an audience to act. Do you think pathos does not have a place in the sciences? Think for a moment about grants and let us return to the cereal box. Are there games, fun facts, riddles, graphics that include smiling people or cute animals? (This cereal is fun and brings joy!) Check. Are there adjectives that have positive connotations, such as “delicious,” “delectable,” or “delightful”? Check. Is there a narrative about how the company gives back to the community? Check. Prize inside? Check.

     Principle #4) Audience. Let us take one last look at the cereal box in light of its audience. Are there cartoon characters on the box? A picture of a celebrity? An image of an adult jogging? A family smiling and laughing together? Who are the potential audiences we would guess from these observations: parents, kids, teenagers, those who exercise regularly, health-conscious individuals, those on a diet, or a combination of these audiences? Check.

     Describing their potential audience (an audience outside of their teacher) is an important skill for students to develop. Students will need to meet the expectations of their audiences in order to write effectively and to publish their work confidently. Truthfully, I believe students would like to write for an audience beyond their teacher, and teachers want students to feel empowered as writers—to have their work read and to join the dialogue with those in a particular field.

     Show teachers how students can shape their appeals to logos, ethos, and pathos in their writing in every discipline and you have begun to incorporate WAC into your high school. Part of that vision means teachers and students will be able to discuss writing with a shared vocabulary that these four principles can help bring to the table.

     To learn more about how teaching principles of rhetoric can help high school students write effectively, read Everything is an Argument by Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/Catalog/Product.aspx?isbn=1457606062.
--
Shannon Mullally has a doctorate in Creative Writing and loves food studies. Find Shannon on twitter @SMMullally