Georgia 11.T.SS.2.b
The Standard
Use literary devices, figurative language, rhetorical language, and/or rhetorical appeals to create a variety of effects, as appropriate to intended purpose and target audience. (C)
Georgia's K-12 English Language Arts Standards · Texts (T) · Structure & Style
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students select literary and rhetorical techniques that fit a specific purpose and audience. They use those choices to shape tone, emphasis, emotion, credibility, or logic.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can write two versions of the same message for different audiences and make clear, purposeful changes. They can identify each technique and explain how it supports the intended response.
Common Misconceptions
- Students often add metaphors or rhetorical questions because they sound impressive, even when they distract from the purpose. They may confuse ethos, pathos, and logos, or assume one technique affects every audience the same way.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Rewrite “Our school should start later” for the school board using one rhetorical appeal and one literary device, then label each intended effect.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs device cards and audience cards, then have them revise a plain school announcement using the combination they draw.
Ask students to compare two versions of a speech opening and write which one better fits a skeptical audience and why.
Play Rhetorical Remix, where teams rewrite one claim using metaphor, repetition, rhetorical questions, ethos, pathos, and logos.
Analyze a charity advertisement, then rewrite its central message for teenagers, parents, or local business owners using two purposeful techniques.
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Printable 11.T.SS.2.b Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 11.T.SS.2.b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- 9.T.SS.2.b
The 9th Grade version of this standard.
- 6.T.SS.2.b
Use figurative language or literary devices for intentional effects when creating texts to achieve specific purposes or appeal to the target audience. (C)
- 10.T.SS.2.b
The 10th Grade version of this standard.
- 12.T.SS.2.b
The 12th Grade version of this standard.
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