Straw Man Fallacy: That’s Not the Point! - Logic Series | Academy 4 Social
Change
Straw Man Fallacy: Lesson Plan
Topic
The straw man fallacy occurs when one person distorts or disregards elements of
an opponent’s argument and responds to the distorted point. Therefore, they are
not responding to the original argument, but rather an unrelated, extreme, or
less relevant point. This is known as attacking a straw man since the false
argument merely resembles the original contention.
Possible subjects/classes
Time needed
Philosophy
Rhetoric
45-60 mins
Video link:
https://academy4sc.org/topic/straw-man-fallacy-thats-not-the-point/
Objective: What will students know/be able to do at the end of class?
Students will be able to...
●Define straw man fallacy.
●Recognize uses of the straw man fallacy in their own lives.
Key Concepts & Vocabulary
Fallacy, informal fallacy
Materials Needed
Worksheet
Before you watch
The teacher asks the class a debate question, then intentionally uses a straw man
argument in their discussion with the class, without having told the students what
the straw man fallacy is. Then they have a small debriefing about the discussion,
asking students whether or not they recognized the fallacious argument and how
they reacted to it.
For example, the teacher may ask the class “Who is the better NBA franchise, the
