Intro
This is the lesson that seemed to be most memorable to my students. TWEP is an acronym my mom taught her high school AP students for 35+ years. It’s an acronym that stands for To What Effect and Purpose
Lesson Plan: From Observation to Analysis with "TWEP"
Time Allotted: 50 minutes
Learning Objective: Students will be able to move beyond simple observation and into detailed rhetorical analysis by applying the "TWEP" acronym to their writing.
Part 1: Introduction & Setting the Stage (5 minutes)
- Reviewing Mini-Analysis: Students have made great observations, but they aren’t answering the “So what” for those observations. They aren’t hooking readers, and they aren’t getting us invested in their writing. Show examples of observations.
- Introduce TWEP: Write the acronym "TWEP" on the board and reveal the meaning: "To What Effect and Purpose." Explain that this is the missing piece in their analysis.
Part 2: The Three Levels of Analysis (10 minutes)
- Level 1: Observation (What is it?) - Write: "Iggy, the school mascot was included on the flyer"
- Level 2: Connection (What rhetorical strategy is it?) - Write: "Including Iggy on the flyer is a use of ethos"
- Level 3: Analysis (TWEP - Why it matters?) - Write: "The creator of the flyer chose to include Iggy, the school mascot, as an appeal to ethos that was intended to give students confidence that Iggy’s Adventure Games is an official school event."
- Discussion: Point out how Level 3 answers two critical questions:
- To what effect? (It boosts the viewer's emotional connection.)
- To what purpose? (To make them want to go to the event.)
- Emphasize that the purpose is the author's intent.
Use examples of flyers used and practice taking observations to analysis land.
Part 3: Guided Activity - The "So What?" Method (15 minutes)
- We look at media examples, make observations, and ask so what 3-5 times.
Part 4: The "Be Specific" Principle (10 minutes)
- Look at impersonal pronoun usage
Part 5: Wrap-Up & Homework (10 minutes)
- Review: Briefly recap the four key ideas: Observation, Connection, Analysis (TWEP), and Specificity.
- Homework: Assign students the following task:
- "Go back to your campus flyer essay. Find one body paragraph that is descriptive or only makes a connection.
- "Rewrite that paragraph, making sure to apply the TWEP acronym. Ask yourself, 'To what effect and purpose did the rhetor make this choice?'
- "Make sure your revised paragraph is as specific as possible, using our discussion from today to guide you."
Next Steps:
"Bring your revised paragraph to our next class. We'll use them to see how much we've improved, and we can discuss any questions you have."