Webb’s DOK (Webb, et al, 2005)

Webb’s Level Key Verbs Helpful Stems Potential Prompts/Questions/Tasks

Arrange, Calculate, Define, What rhetorical term means the juxtaposition of

Identify, List, Measure
contrasting ideas?
Recognize, Recall, Repeat,
State, Use
Level One:
List and define the three different appeals to rhetoric.
Recall The majority of “Recall” questions begin
with the words, “Who?” “What?” What are ways in which rhetorical appeals can influence
Who, What, When, “When?” or “Where?” an argument?
Where, Why

Why do critical consumers of texts evaluate arguments

before making a decision?

Categorize, Estimate, What rhetorical terms are present in this text?

Identify Patterns, If/Then,
Organize, Predict,
Separate, Summarize What rhetorical appeals did the author use when
o If _______, then ______? presenting their argument?
o How would you organize ______ to
Level Two: Skill/
show _____?
Concept
o Illustrate how _____ works. What do you think would happen if the author re-wrote the
o What do you think would happen if text to make a stronger appeal to logos? Explain your
Beyond recall; requires
_____? Why?
processing
o Use ____ to solve this problem:
reasoning.
_____.
Categorize the following statements based on the appeal to
rhetoric that is being made.
 Based on your understanding of rhetoric, rhetorical
o How are ____ and _____ alike? How terms, and rhetorical appeals, analyze and evaluate an
are they different? article of your choosing from the opinion section of a
o Based on the data you’ve collected, newspaper.
what is your hypothesis about
Level Three:
Apprise, Assess, Compare, ______?
Strategic Thinking Assess the author’s ability to effectively use rhetoric as
Critique, Formulate, o Use what you’ve learned about
Hypothesize, Investigate, ______ to revise your thinking about a persuasive technique.
Requires mental processing
Revise ______.
at a higher level
o How would you rate the _____ of
____? Compare and contrast the effects of rhetoric between
o Evaluate _______ based on the the written speech delivered by (insert name here) and
following criteria: ____________. the spoken form of the speech. Which do you believe is
more effective and why?
Produce an essay applying what you have learned about
rhetoric to persuade your readers of something you
think/believe.
o Apply the concepts of ____ to
creating a _____. Apply the concepts of rhetoric and persuasion to create a
Level Four:
o Plan and conduct an investigation to personal action plan of how you intend to become (or
Extended Thinking Apply Concepts to,
determine ______. continue being) a critical consumer of information.
Connect, Create, Critique
o Critique this _____ in terms of _____,
Requires planning and (more factors), Design,
_____, and ______.
developing; therefore, Prove, Synthesize
o Design an original application of Plan and conduct an investigation to determine which
extended time is necessary
_____. rhetorical appeals are most persuasive to your peers at
o Use ____ to prove ______.
school. Then, design a print ad (poster) informed by
knowledge gained from your investigation to persuade your
peers of a school-level change you wish to see happen that
they should support.
 The Six Facets of Understanding (Wiggins & McTighe, 2006)
Nature of
Facet Helpful Stems Potential Prompts/Questions/Tasks
Question/Prompt
Explain/ Explanation Put information, o What is the key idea in ________? Select an example of antithesis in the following passage.
ideas, principles, o What caused ________? What are the effects Then, explain why it is an example of this rhetorical term.
and processes into of________?
own words and o What are examples of________?
explaining o How did _________ come about? Describe an example of a text (remember, a text does not
thinking; o What might happen if _________? have to be written) that used the rhetorical appeal pathos
o What are some common misconceptions to appeal to an audience.
about _______?
o What are some examples of _________? Describe differences between an informational text and a
o How might we literary text.
confirm/prove/justify________?
o How is ________ connected to _________?
Explain how rhetoric might be used to one’s advantage as
a persuasive technique.
Interpret/ Make sense of Explain rhetoric to an audience of fifth-graders.
Interpretation ideas, principles, o How is _______ like a ________?
processes by o What is the meaning of _______? What can rhetorical appeals reveal about an author’s
creating o How does _______ relate to ________?
comparisons, stance/purpose regarding a certain topic?
o What are the implications of _______ for
analogies, stories; ______?
o What does ________ reveal about What does shopping have to do with being a critical
________? consumer of information?
o What does ________ have to do with
_________?
o Explain _______ to an audience of
_________?
Apply/ Application Use information, How could someone use an appeal to logos to persuade
ideas, principles, o How and could someone use ________to someone to buy a Honda for their next vehicle purchase.
and processes in ______?
new contexts and o How is _______ applied in the larger
situations; List two examples of rhetoric being used as a persuasive
world?
o Where do we see ______ in the world tool that you have encountered in your daily life. Explain
today? how each example is an appeal to rhetoric.
o How could ______ help/benefit ______?
o Solve _______. Name a real-life situation How could someone use rhetorical strategies to evaluate
in which you might use _______. a text?
o Use _______ to create a ________ that
shows ________.
Use the rhetorical appeal hyperbole to write an appeal to
rhetoric that is an example of persuasion.
Demonstrate/ Have Recognize and o What are different points of view about Describe your reaction after reading the following text.
Perspective articulate the ________? Then, consider at least one other possible reaction.
many possible o How might _____ look from ______’s point Describe it and explain how it is different from your
different of view?
viewpoints o What are the benefits and limitations of this reaction.
regarding a ____?
situation o How is _____ similar to/different from How is (insert author’s name here) belief as expressed in
_______? the text similar to or different from your own? Explain.
o What are other possible reactions to
________? How might a cigarette advertisement in a magazine look
o What are the strengths and weaknesses of
from the point of view of someone with lung cancer?
____?
o What are the limits of_______?
o What’s the evidence for______? Is the How might a commercial for a gym look from the point of
evidence reliable? Sufficient? view of someone who considers themselves to be very
o Is it ever okay for _______? Why or why healthy? How about from the perspective of someone
not? whose goal is to be healthier?
Display Empathy/ Take on the What was the author of the text trying to make me
Empathize viewpoint, o What would it be like to walk in the believe about volunteering?
concerns, opinions shoes of ____?
of another and o How might ________ feel/have felt
argue from this In your own words, how would you explain the difference
about________?
perspective o How can I reach a better understanding between being a critical consumer of information and
about________? being a passive recipient of information to someone who
o What was ________ trying to make has never heard the terms before?
______ feel or see [about ______]?
o One misunderstanding someone might Create a rebuttal to the text by (insert author name),
have about _______ is ________. explaining why you have a different perspective on the
topic of the text. Use appeals to rhetoric to support your
perspective.
Self-Reflect Reflect on one’s o How do I know _______? How can I best show my ability to analyze, synthesize, and
own connection o What are the limits of my knowledge evaluate rhetoric within a text?
to, use of, about_____?
strengths and o How are my views about ______shaped by
weaknesses with my (experiences, habits, prejudices, styles)? What do I still have to learn to effectively use rhetorical
the ideas and o What are my “blind spots” about_______? strategies to analyze a text?
processes (What don’t I know?)
o How can I best show ______? Which rhetorical terms can I identify within a text and
o What are my strengths and weaknesses which are still challenging for me to accurately identify?
in_____?
o What’s one question someone should ask
themselves when they ____?
o What’s a mistake that someone might make
in trying to______? Why might they make
that mistake?