Establish clear guidelines of what you expect out of each lesson. While this may seem to be understood, it is important to model good rhetoric for your students to follow when giving instructions.
Read aloud documents or articles that display clearly distinct rhetorical features such as Dr. Seuss books that deliberately teach children about rhetoric by revealing the power of spoken and written language and teaches students how to internalize dialogue.
Inform your students what style of rhetoric you are using when delivering instructions or reading a memoir in class to familiarize students with rhetorical terms and concepts as they become a part of daily class exercises.
Practice Socratic methods of dialogue with question and answer sessions by standing in front of the classroom with a box of familiar toys and asking students to answer questions about the object such as what it is, what it does or where the object comes from.
Assign text such as age-appropriate plays and fables to act out different arrangements and styles of rhetoric and to introduce forms of delivery such as dialogue or personal narrative.
Ask students to write, memorize and recite a poem in class to teach children the five cannons of rhetoric from invention to delivery.
Discuss and define visual forms of rhetoric such as advertisements and picture books with the class to teach students about the information that is gained through silent rhetoric.
Discuss what faulty logic is and the dangers and confusion brought about by flawed logic. Students are less likely to fall into poor rhetorical habits if they understand what faulty logic is and why it doesn’t work.