1. Lesson 38

2. Today’s Agenda “Abolish High School Football”
Short Story Mini-Assessment
OBJECTIVE: Students will identify different examples of slanters used in Schroth’s article and explain the effect of such devices.

3. Which Slanter is it anyway?
One whiteboard
One marker
One eraser
GROUP

4. “Abolish High School Football”
Which slanter is being used?
“concussion is a blow to the head that smashes the brain against the skull”
rhetorical definition
“The victim feels weird”
downplayer
“has splotchy vision, falls to the ground, vomits, goes into a coma, dies”
hyperbole
so-called educational institution”
. Schroth implies that anyone who gets a concussion will inevitably die. He goes on to imply that, if you are lucky enough to survive a concussion, you will suffer depression, be unable to concentrate in school, and drop out. While all of these things are possible consequences of a concussion, they are not the norm and not every single person to suffer a bump on the head will end up dead or a high school dropout. Schroth is exaggerating the dangers of concussions in order to further his viewpoint that high school football is dangerous and should be abolished.
themselves. He describes their physiques as “grotesque” and “fat” and designed to do “damage” to other players. Schroth is clearly attempting to portray not just the sport but the players in a negative light as well.

5. “Abolish High School Football”
Which slanter is being used?
boys as “bedazzled heroes,” “grotesque,” “fat,” and designed to do “damage”
labeling
“some football players are very bright”
innuendo
“small Texas town with nothing going for it but its high school football team”
ridicule
Ridicule – mocks the town that values football too much

6. Analysis Write a short response addressing the following prompt:
Raymond Schroth’s argument that high school football should be abolished is not very effective. What makes his argument fall short? Provide at least two specific quotes from the article in your response.
Don’t forget the QUOTE-EXPLAIN-RELATE formula!