Ideas From Readers Submit your story about how you've taught with The Times. Here is another in our Great Ideas From Readers series. If you've used The Times for teaching and learning and would like to see your idea featured on our blog, write in and tell us what you've done. Teacher: Randy Fair Institution: Milton High School, Milton, Ga. Grade or Level of Students: Secondary (ages 14-18) Idea: Using The New York Times's Opinion section to teach columnists" devices in their art of persuasive language, and to create debate on their topics - in and out of class. Why We Chose It: Classroom conversations, inspired by Times articles, that are so lively that students are still debating the issues long into the night? How could we not publish that? What Mr. Fair Did and Why, in His Own Words: In my Advanced Placement Language class, I use an editorial each week in an activity we call "Rhetoric Friday." The students look forward to this activity all week. Just teaching rhetorical strategies might normally bore most students, but because they know they will get to express their opinions about the topic, students are motivated to follow along closely. More important, this makes the study of the use of rhetorical strategies and devices more authentic for the students since they can see that important writers actually use these strategies and devices. We read the editorial together, annotating it for its style, strategies and devices. After reading the article, we debate the topic. By the end of the year, we have covered the most important issues of the day. I have found over the years that most students do not discuss current issues without some prompting. Many times they are surprised to find that their friends do not share the same opinions as they do on a given topic. The discussion often continues during their lunch time or in conversations on Facebook. As the year goes on, I find that students are better prepared to write persuasive essays because they have become more accustomed to arguing their point of view. The Most Successful "Rhetoric Friday" I used a column by Buzz Bissinger, "Nick Saban's Fine Print," about compensation for college football coaches. Mr. Bissinger uses a plethora of rhetorical devices, like his repeated use of anaphora. The students enjoyed pointing out different examples of his use of vernacular diction. They found they were familiar with, and could relate to, the topic. It was the following Monday when I realized just how successful the day's topic had been: Three football players in the class told me that after the game on Friday night, they stayed in the field house until 1 in the morning debating the topic all over again. Randy Fair When we were done reading the article and annotating for these and other devices, the students said they were impressed by Mr. Bissinger's use of a variety of rhetorical devices. The fact that he is known for writing about sports (Mr. Bissinger wrote the book "Friday Night Lights," which inspired both a film and a television series) helped overcome stereotypes about "writers" that some of the students might have had and allowed them to see that all good writers, no matter the genre, make use of rhetorical devices. When it came time to debate the topic, students were very divided in their opinions as to whether the discrepancy between the pay of a coach and the pay of professor should be allowed in our society. The debate in each class became very lively, and, in both, it still was going on when the bell rang. However, it was the following Monday when I realized just how successful the day's topic had been: Three football players in the class told me that after the game on Friday night, they stayed in the field house until 1 in the morning debating the topic all over again. Maureen Dowd and Parody Although our discussion of Mr. Bissinger's piece was probably the most effective of all of our Friday sessions, I have had similar experiences with columns by virtually all of the regular columnists in The New York Times. Another column that got a great response from the students was Maureen Dowd's "Forgive Me Father for I Have Linked," about an iPhone app to guide Catholics through confession. The students loved her parody of "The Lord's Prayer." Ms. Dowd is a great columnist to turn to when teaching verbal irony. David Brooks and Gail Collins have also been great sources and have incredible insight, and I have frequently used their columns over the last few years. The students were spurred to think of the many ways that we are using technology in our personal lives, even for the most personal and private aspects, and the discussion was a lively one. Some students felt that technology should be used for these personal things because it is so accessible and easy. Other students were appalled and felt that it was sacrilegious to use technology for something as personal as a confession. Related: Opinion Through the Ages: Exploring 40 Years of New York Times Op-Eds: In this 2010 lesson, students consider the purpose and history of Op-Eds by exploring the Times feature celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Op-Ed page. They then do one of several multidisciplinary activities designed to make Op-Eds relevant to their experience, perspective and learning. "Oh, Say Can You Say?": In this 2008 lesson, students analyze the use of four stylistic devices - tone, diction, figures of speech and figurative language, and sentence structure, in editorials by The Times's columnists Maureen Dowd and Gail Collins. Constructing Arguments: "Room for Debate" and the Common Core Standards: In this 2012 blog post, we suggest ways to use a Times Opinion blog called Room for Debate to help students hone skills in a fundamental area of emphasis in the new writing standards: argument. Great Debate: Developing Argumentation Skills: In this 2010 lesson, students consider the characteristics of effective debate and learn about various formats. They then engage in debates about controversial issues in the news and/or curriculum and conclude by writing evaluations.