Ethos Appeals
Level 8
~7 years, 3 mo old
Dec 3 - 9, 2018
🚧 Content Planning
Initial research phase. Tools and protocols are being defined.
Rationale & Protocol
At 7 years old (approx. 375 weeks), children are in Piaget's concrete operational stage, beginning to think logically about concrete events and understand cause-and-effect. Directly teaching the abstract concept of 'ethos' is premature. Therefore, the approach must focus on its foundational precursors: understanding trust, reliability, honesty, and expertise in tangible social and narrative contexts. Our selection principle is the 'Narrative Credibility Bridge,' leveraging carefully chosen children's literature to illustrate these concepts.
These books, combined with a structured discussion guide, act as 'tools' by providing concrete examples of characters building or losing credibility. A 7-year-old can identify with characters, understand their motivations, and analyze the consequences of their actions on how others perceive them. This fosters critical thinking, perspective-taking, and the ability to articulate reasons for trust or distrust, which are direct precursors to understanding 'ethos appeals.' We prioritize books that offer diverse scenarios: consistent effort and reliability, specialized skill and recognized expertise, and the crucial distinction between perceived and true credibility (e.g., questioning false authority).
Implementation Protocol for a 7-year-old:
- Preparation: Before reading, briefly introduce the idea that we'll be looking at how characters show themselves to be trustworthy, good at something, or honest.
- Engaged Reading: Read one of the selected books aloud with the child. Encourage active listening by asking simple predictive questions during the story (e.g., 'What do you think will happen next?', 'How do you think [character] feels?').
- Post-Reading Discussion (using the 'Ethos Discussion Guide'): After completing the story, use the guide (either printed or adapted orally) to prompt a conversation focused on credibility aspects. Example questions:
- 'Do you think [Character A] is someone others can count on? Why or why not? What did they do in the story that makes you think that?' (Focus on reliability/trustworthiness).
- 'What makes [Character B] so good at [their skill/hobby]? How did others learn that [Character B] was an expert?' (Focus on expertise/authority).
- 'In the story, did everyone believe [Character C] right away? What happened that made people change their minds, or realize the truth?' (Focus on honesty/integrity/false ethos).
- 'If you were [another character], would you trust [main character]? What would make you trust them more or less?' (Focus on perspective-taking and the impact of actions).
- Reinforcement: Connect the story's lessons to real-world (age-appropriate) examples, such as 'Mommy is a good chef because she practices a lot, just like Iggy Peck practiced architecture.' or 'When you tell me the truth even if it's hard, it makes me trust you more, like the little boy in The Emperor's New Clothes.' This helps generalize the concept. Repeat this process with each book, allowing the child to build a cumulative understanding of these foundational elements.
Primary Tools Tier 1 Selection
Book cover of A Chair for My Mother
This book beautifully illustrates themes of perseverance, consistent effort, and community support, which are crucial for a 7-year-old to understand how trust and reliability are built over time. The main character's family consistently works towards a shared goal, demonstrating trustworthiness through their actions and commitment. This provides a concrete example of 'ethos' through reliability and shared values, making it highly accessible for discussion about who is dependable and why.
Also Includes:
Book cover of Iggy Peck, Architect
This story is excellent for introducing the concept of expertise and passion as foundations of 'ethos.' Iggy Peck demonstrates unwavering dedication and natural talent for architecture, which ultimately earns him respect and recognition from his peers and even his initially skeptical teacher. For a 7-year-old, it clearly illustrates how competence, skill, and genuine passion contribute to one's credibility and authority in a specific domain, providing a concrete example of merit-based ethos.
Also Includes:
Book cover of The Emperor's New Clothes
This classic tale is invaluable for a 7-year-old learning about 'ethos' because it powerfully demonstrates the difference between perceived and actual credibility. It challenges the idea of authority based on fear or societal pressure rather than genuine merit or truth. The story of the child who speaks the truth, exposing the emperor's folly, highlights the importance of honesty and critical observation over blindly accepting false authority. This directly addresses the concept of how ethos can be manipulated and the courage required to see through it, an advanced but crucial precursor to understanding rhetorical appeals.
Also Includes:
DIY / No-Tool Project (Tier 0)
A "No-Tool" project for this week is currently being designed.
Alternative Candidates (Tiers 2-4)
Social Skills Scenario Cards for Kids
A deck of cards presenting various social situations and asking children how they would react or what the characters should do. Often includes questions about honesty, trust, and making good choices.
Analysis:
While useful for prompting discussions on social skills and character, these cards often lack the rich narrative context that full storybooks provide. The scenarios can be too brief or generalized, making it harder for a 7-year-old to deeply analyze character motivations, the gradual building of trust, or the long-term consequences of actions that impact credibility. The lack of detailed plot and character development limits the depth of discussion on 'ethos' precursors compared to a well-crafted story.
Character Education Board Games
Board games designed to teach virtues like honesty, kindness, and responsibility through gameplay, often involving dice rolls, moving pieces, and answering questions or performing actions related to character traits.
Analysis:
These games can be engaging and reinforce positive character traits. However, they tend to focus on 'good behavior' rather than the nuanced *perception* of credibility, trustworthiness, or expertise from an audience's perspective – which is central to ethos. The game mechanics often prioritize simple rewards/punishments for choices rather than a deeper exploration of *why* someone's actions build or diminish their influence or believability over time. They are more about internalizing values than analyzing how those values manifest as external credibility.
What's Next? (Child Topics)
"Ethos Appeals" evolves into:
This dichotomy distinguishes between the credibility a speaker possesses due to their pre-existing reputation, status, or established expertise (Reputational Ethos) and the credibility they actively build or reinforce through their conduct, sincerity, knowledge, and demeanor during the communication act itself (Demonstrated Ethos). Together, these two aspects comprehensively cover the sources of a speaker's ethical appeal.