TRANSCRIPT 			Reading

Student Sample: Stage S3 Standard Video 2  

Transcription:

Okay, so the task for today is based on techniques of persuasion.  We’ve worked on it for three to four periods.  What you’ve got in front of you is a brief newspaper article, okay?  And then over the page you’ve got the actual task.  So what you’re required to do could, Esselle actually read the task for us?  Could you read it?

Low pay as teenagers silenced.  One:  identify three techniques of persuasion that the writer has used; two for each technique write out the example from the article; three, explain the intended effect of each technique on the reader.

Okay, so I’ll give you time to read the article by yourselves, 10 to 15 minutes, okay?  Underline any key words that you don’t understand and we’ll discuss it, and then you’ll need to only find three techniques.  So on page three, if you turn to page three, yeah, you’ve got a list of techniques of persuasions, okay?  So you’ve got one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight techniques.  You’ll need to find three of these techniques in the article; you’ll need to write down the example as a quote from the article, and then the intended effect on the reader, okay?  So why has the writer used this particular technique?  How is a reader going to respond to that particular technique?

Okay Esselle, so you’ve had time to read the article and identify the techniques of persuasion.  Before we get to that could you give me a brief summary of what the article is about in a few sentences?

Yeah, the article is trying to say that the teenagers that have part-time job at fast food restaurant are being paid lower, lower than expectation.

Okay, okay.  So you think that’s the main point of the article?

Yes, ah…

Low pay for the teenagers?

Yeah, it’s unfair.

Sure, so does the article tell you, does the article talk about any specific group of teenagers?  

Ah yes, those, those who work at, at the restaurant.

Sure, sure.

The students.

Students.

Yeah.

Very good.  Moving to your techniques of persuasion…

Yeah, the answer.

…now the task asks you to identify three techniques, so what have you come up with in terms of techniques?

Statistic, pers-, expert opinion, emotive language.

So could you, for each one could read a, the example out for me?

Okay, statistic: The example is that the second paragraph?  “More than 37% said they were victims.”

So you’ve given the example of, for technique of persuasion for statistics?

Yeah.

Which part of that quote shows you that it’s statistics?

Thirty-seven per cent.

Okay, very good, and what about the intended effect on the reader?  How is it meant to make the reader feel or think?

Well, it indicate to the reader how many people are suffering from this unfairness, and it is an useful evidence for the readers as well.

Okay, very good.  Very good.  Your second technique that you identified? 

Expert opinion, yeah.

Okay, your example and then the intended effect.

“Youth Rights executive director Joe Bloggs,” that’s his name.

Okay.

And the intended effect on the reader is that it is one of the important evidence that helps to support the article to persuade the reader to believe in this article.

Okay, so using an expert gives weight to the writer’s argument?

Yeah, to persuade the reader to believe.

Okay, and why would a reader believe if it’s an expert?  Why exactly?  What’s special about an expert?

Expert is someone that have more knowledge, yeah, and this is one of the most important evidence.

Okay, very good.  Excellent.

Support, it can support.

Excellent, and you’ve picked up on another technique as well, the third one?

Emotive language.

Okay.

The example is, “They are being pushed, bullied and forced to work really hard.”  The intended effect on the reader, it makes the reader feel sympathy for the poor low-paid teenagers.

Okay, very good.  So overall in terms of persuasiveness, how persuasive the article is, or how persuasive it’s not, what would you give it for persuasiveness, what would you give it out of 10 if you’re going to judge how persuasive it is?  What would you give out of 10 and why?

Eight.

Eight out of 10, you think?

Yeah.

So fairly persuasive? 

Very good.

Okay, and for what particular reason?  Anything specific or is it just the list of techniques and…?

Well, what do you mean?  

So why do you think it’s very persuasive?  What does it tell you, what is it about it that’s very persuasive?  

Oh, the fact that the teenager paying lower than they expected.  The, just the way that they talk and the expert opinion is really important.

Okay, sure, sure.  So a number of techniques of persuasion being used?

Yeah.

Sure, okay.

And the emotive language.

Sure.  Thank you very much, yeah?

Yeah.