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E10 E - Charity communication and persuasive language

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Einleitung

E10 E - Charity communication and persuasive language

Mini-Beschreibung: Du untersuchst, wie charity communication stories, statistics, images und calls to action kombiniert. Du prüfst Wirkung und Transparenz an authentischen Quellen und entwickelst anschließend eine eigene, fiktive Kampagnenbotschaft. Der Kurs ist für Englisch als erste Fremdsprache, Klasse 10, E-Niveau, Baden-Württemberg angelegt und folgt dem Lernweg: English first → understand → respond → analyse → communicate → feedback → revise → transfer.

English first: The core input and the main tasks are in English. German is used only when it helps you reflect, mediate or check a difficult concept. There is no full translation.

E10-E language mode: Work independently with authentic sources, compare perspectives and support your analysis with evidence. Use clear, precise English. Difficult or rare words are not a goal by themselves.

Privacy and AI: No external AI service, upload or public recording is required. Keep recordings private unless you actively choose to share them in your class setting. Use only fictional profiles in your own campaign work. If you use AI support voluntarily, verify factual claims and sources yourself and keep your own wording, reasoning and revision decisions.

Media start – look before you read: What makes a donation message persuasive? What information would you need before you trusted it?

First response: Watch the 15-second WaterAid film once without pausing. Write three notes: What is the story? What contrast is used? What action is suggested? Then watch again and add one question about evidence or transparency.

I-can goals

I can …	Evidence of learning
understand the main message of an authentic charity video	I can summarise purpose, audience and call to action.
analyse persuasive choices	I can explain how story, statistics, image and wording work together.
check a source	I can identify publisher, date, evidence, context and missing information.
discuss ethically	I can refer to dignity, consent, agency, accuracy and transparency.
communicate clearly	I can speak and write a supported analysis using suitable E10-E language.
revise my own text	I can improve cohesion, evidence, tone and language after feedback.

Vorwissen

Quick think – pair – share: Where do you meet persuasive messages: videos, posters, websites, social media, school campaigns or shops? Name two techniques you already know. Do not share personal donation histories or private data.

Context clue: Charity communication can happen online and offline. A shop front, a poster, a short film, a donation page and an annual report can all communicate different parts of the same organisation.

Input: How charity communication works

A charity message is persuasive when it tries to influence what an audience thinks, feels or does. Persuasion is not automatically manipulation. The key questions are: Is the message accurate? Is important context missing? Are people represented with dignity and agency? Is the requested action clear?

A strong analysis does not say only “This is emotional.” It explains how a choice works, what evidence supports the claim, who the audience is and what ethical questions remain.

Four building blocks

Building block	What it can do	Critical question
Story	makes an issue concrete through a person, place or sequence of events	Whose voice is heard, and is the case representative?
Statistic	gives scale, comparison or measurable evidence	Who collected the data, when, and what exactly was measured?
Image	directs attention and creates a frame	What is shown, cropped out or implied, and is the context clear?
Call to action	tells the audience what to do next	Is the action specific, realistic and based on accurate information?

Agency check: Images of charity work do not have to show people only as passive recipients. Look for action, cooperation, skills and decision-making.

Story: concrete, but not complete

Stories can help an audience understand a large issue through one experience. However, one story cannot stand for every person or community. Ask who selected the story, whose words are used, what context is included and whether changed details are made clear.

Analysis stem: “The story makes the issue concrete by … . However, it does not by itself prove that … .”

Statistics: scale needs a source

Numbers can add scale and precision, but a number without a source, date, unit or method can mislead. Before repeating a statistic, check:

Source: Who published or collected it?
Date: Is it recent enough for the claim?
Measure: What exactly is counted?
Context: Is there a baseline, comparison or denominator?
Limits: What does the number not tell us?

E10-E move: Do not write “The statistic proves the charity is effective” unless the evidence really supports that conclusion. Prefer precise wording such as “The statistic suggests …” or “The report states …”.

Images: analyse the frame

Describe first, interpret second. Do not infer nationality, poverty, need, character or feelings from appearance alone. Use the caption and source information.

Image analysis: camera distance – angle – gaze – action – setting – caption – missing context – dignity – agency – consent.

Ethics question: Would the image still feel fair if the person shown saw the campaign? This is not a complete consent test, but it is a useful first check.

Calls to action: clear, not coercive

A call to action may ask people to learn more, donate, volunteer, share, attend or support a project. Persuasive language often uses imperatives, direct address and inclusive pronouns.

Compare: “Learn how the project works.” and “Act now or you do not care.” The first is a clear invitation. The second uses moral pressure. In your own work, aim for clarity without shaming the audience.

Listening and Viewing

Viewing 1: WaterAid – story, contrast, CTA

Task A – understand: Write a one-sentence summary.

Task B – analyse: Explain how the film contrasts space exploration with access to clean water. Identify one visual choice, one language choice and the call to action.

Task C – source check: The film is published by WaterAid, so it is a primary source for WaterAid’s own campaign message. It is not an independent evaluation of WaterAid’s impact. What second source would you need for a fuller judgement?

Viewing 2: UNICEF – repeated message and scale

Listen for repetition and inclusive language. Then answer in English: How does the repeated phrase “for every child” create a broad frame? Which statements describe mission, and which statements would need current data if you used them today?

Optional viewing 3: Save the Children – emotional narrative

Content note: This older campaign film uses an emotionally intense narrative connected with war and displacement. Teacher preview is recommended. You can complete the course without watching it.

If you watch: analyse the narrative structure, identification with the central child, sound, pace and final message. Then discuss: When can emotional intensity clarify an issue, and when can it become unfair or manipulative? Support your answer with the ethical-source section below.

Reading: authentic source set

Read selectively. You do not need to translate every word. Use headings, key terms, numbers, captions and source information.

Source	Focus	Your reading question
WaterAid – annual reports	impact claims, stories, audited financial documents	How are narrative and evidence placed next to each other?
UNICEF – Take action	calls to action, annual report, transparency portal	How does the page connect action with transparency?
Dóchas – Guide to Ethical Communications	truth, context, dignity, agency, feedback	What makes representation authentic rather than stereotypical?
Fundraising Regulator – communications and advertising	responsibility, suitability, accuracy, shocking content	Which standards protect the audience and the people represented?
Bond – Putting the people in the pictures first	ethical production and use of images and stories	What should happen before, during and after content creation?
DZI – Transparenzstandard	German perspective on reporting, structures and finances	Which transparency points can you mediate for a German audience?

Reading strategy: P-E-C-M

Use this four-step routine:

P – Publisher: Who created the text and for what purpose?
E – Evidence: What data, report, case, link or method supports the claim?
C – Context: What date, place, audience and limitation matter?
M – Missing: What information would you still need?

Current standards: what trustworthy communication should show

As of 2026, the current UK Code of Fundraising Practice requires fundraising communication to be responsible and suitable for its audience, accurate about the organisation and its fundraising, and not to use shocking claims or images merely to attract attention. Current rules also require case studies to be representative of real situations and clear, informed permission for identifiable people used in case studies.

The Dóchas ethical-communications guidance adds a wider representation lens: provide truth and context, show dignity and agency, avoid reinforcing stereotypes, and think about consent, accountability and feedback.

Important: These sources set standards and guidance; they do not prove that every charity message follows them. Your task is to check the actual communication.

Context vocabulary

Word or phrase	Meaning in this topic	Useful collocation
appeal	a message asking for support	launch an appeal
beneficiary	a person or group receiving a benefit; use carefully because it can sound passive	people supported by a project
call to action	the requested next step	include a clear call to action
claim	a statement that may need evidence	support a claim
consent	informed permission	obtain informed consent
dignity	respectful representation of a person’s worth	protect dignity
evidence	information used to support a claim	cite reliable evidence
impact	a change linked to an action or programme	report impact
representative	typical enough to stand for a wider situation	a representative case study
transparency	openness about methods, money, decisions and results	improve transparency

Aussprache: intelligibility first

Aim for clear stress and understandable speech, not for imitating a particular accent.

Word	Helpful pronunciation cue	Focus
charity	/ˈtʃærəti/	stress the first syllable
donate	/dəʊˈneɪt/	stress the second syllable
reliable	/rɪˈlaɪəbəl/	keep the syllables clear
evidence	/ˈevɪdəns/	stress the first syllable
transparency	/trænˈspærənsi/	stress the second syllable

Private practice: Read one analysis sentence aloud. Recording is optional and should stay private unless you actively choose to share it in your class setting.

Functional grammar for analysis and persuasion

Function	Useful grammar	Example
describe effect carefully	modal verbs	“This image can create a sense of urgency.”
qualify a claim	hedging	“The figure may suggest progress, but the method is not shown.”
explain consequence	if-clause	“If the source is missing, readers cannot verify the claim.”
focus on process	passive voice	“The data were collected in 2025.”
make a responsible CTA	imperative + reason	“Read the report before you decide.”

Accuracy note: In formal analysis, write “The statistics show …” but “The information shows …”. Write “persuade someone to do something” and “donate to a charity”.

Speaking

Evidence-based discussion

In groups of three, take these roles: analyst, source checker, ethics checker. Choose one campaign source from this course. Prepare a two-minute discussion using at least two concrete details from the source.

Sentence support:

“The message targets … by using …”
“A specific example is …”
“This is persuasive because …”
“However, the source does not show …”
“From an ethical perspective, …”
“A more transparent version would …”

Change roles after each round.

Writing

Main task: write, receive feedback, revise

Create a 140–180 word campaign analysis of one source from this course. Your text should:

identify purpose and audience;
analyse at least two techniques;
refer to concrete evidence from the source;
evaluate one transparency or ethics point;
end with a balanced conclusion.

Then revise your text after feedback. Keep your own wording and ideas. If you use AI support, check every factual claim and source yourself; do not replace your draft with an unverified generated text.

Creative transfer: fictional campaign only

Design a short campaign post for the fictional school project ClearSteps.

Fictional classroom brief: ClearSteps wants to fund twelve refill stations at partner schools. The class simulation gives you this fictional planning figure: one station costs €450. Treat this number as fictional classroom data, not as a real-world fact.

Write 80–120 words and include one story element, one clearly labelled fictional statistic, one image idea and one respectful call to action. Do not use a real student, beneficiary or family profile. Do not upload photos, recordings or personal data without explicit permission.

Mediation

A German-speaking parent asks why your class does not judge a charity only by an emotional video. Using the English Dóchas and Fundraising Regulator sources, write an 80–100 word German explanation for the school newsletter. Select information for the reader’s purpose; do not translate the source line by line.

Hilfen für die Analyse

Need	Useful language
describe	“The image shows …”; “The page places … next to …”
explain effect	“This may encourage the audience to … because …”
use evidence	“According to the source …”; “The report states …”
compare	“Both texts use …, whereas …”
qualify	“This suggests …, but it does not prove …”
evaluate transparency	“The claim is easier to verify because …”
discuss ethics	“The representation gives / limits agency by …”

Feedback and revision

Use Two strengths + one next step. Feedback should focus on the text, not the writer.

Check	Feedback question
evidence	Is every important claim linked to a concrete source detail?
analysis	Does the text explain how a technique works, not only name it?
ethics	Does the text consider dignity, context, consent or agency where relevant?
cohesion	Do linking words make the argument easy to follow?
language	Are verbs, articles, prepositions and sentence structures accurate enough for clear meaning?

Revision rule: Accept, adapt or reject feedback for a reason. The final text should still sound like you.

Fehleranalyse

Repair the sentences. Explain the error briefly.

Sentence to repair	Focus
“The informations are very convincing.”	uncountable noun + verb agreement
“The statistic prove that the campaign works.”	subject–verb agreement + overclaiming
“The charity persuades people donate.”	verb pattern
“The image shows that the family is poor.”	unsupported inference
“According to the video, this is definitely the best solution.”	source type + unjustified certainty
“If a source will be missing, we cannot check it.”	first conditional

Transfer

Choose a non-charity message from school life, for example a library campaign, sports-club poster or recycling notice. Identify story, evidence, image and call to action. Then explain which ethical checks transfer and which do not.

Can-do check

I can …	secure	almost	need practice
identify audience, purpose and CTA	☐	☐	☐
analyse story, statistics, image and wording	☐	☐	☐
distinguish a primary campaign source from independent evidence	☐	☐	☐
discuss dignity, agency, consent and transparency	☐	☐	☐
support a spoken or written interpretation with evidence	☐	☐	☐
revise my own text after feedback	☐	☐	☐

Next step: Folgekurs: Ethical storytelling and source credibility

Quellen und Medienhinweise

The course uses authentic charity communication as material for analysis, not as a recommendation to donate. Current figures and campaign claims can change, so date every source you use and verify it at the original site.

Source	Why it matters
Baden-Württemberg Bildungsplan – Englisch als erste Fremdsprache	Kompetenzrahmen: Hör-/Hörsehverstehen, Lesen, Sprechen, Schreiben, Sprachmittlung, Wortschatz, Grammatik, Aussprache und Text-/Medienkompetenz
Fundraising Regulator – Code of Fundraising Practice	current UK standards for fundraising practice
Dóchas – Guide to Ethical Communications	ethical representation, context, dignity, agency and accountability
Bond – ethical storytelling guidance	responsible production and use of images and stories
WaterAid – annual reports	example of stories, impact reporting and financial documents
UNICEF – Take action and transparency links	example of calls to action connected with reports and transparency information
DZI – Spenden-Siegel standards	German reference point for transparency

Commons media licences: “Donation Box.jpg” is CC BY 2.0; “Volunteers packaging food.jpg” is CC BY-SA 4.0; “A group of children collecting water at a pipe well.jpg” and “Red Box Project donation box.jpg” are CC0; “PICOL icon Statistics.svg” is CC BY 3.0; “Oxfam Shop 17 Broad Street Oxford 2026-06-17.jpg” is CC0. Open each Commons file page for author and licence details. YouTube videos remain hosted by their original publishers.

Interaktive Aufgaben

Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen

Which question best checks a statistic in charity communication? (Who published the number, when, and what exactly was measured?) (!Does the number look impressive?) (!Is the number written in a large font?) (!Does the number appear next to a photograph?)

What is a call to action? (A clear request telling the audience what to do next) (!A list of all employees in an organisation) (!A neutral description with no purpose) (!A camera angle used in a photograph)

Why should one personal story not be treated as proof of a general trend? (A single case may not represent the wider situation) (!Stories cannot contain factual information) (!Personal stories are always fictional) (!Statistics are always more emotional than stories)

Which sentence is the most careful analytical claim? (The figure suggests progress, but the method should also be checked.) (!The figure proves that every project works.) (!The figure is true because it is large.) (!The figure makes all other evidence unnecessary.)

What does agency mean in ethical representation? (People are shown as actors with choices, skills and perspectives) (!People are shown only as silent recipients of help) (!People are removed from all campaign material) (!People are described without any context)

Which source is a primary source for analysing WaterAid’s own campaign message? (A video published by WaterAid) (!An unrelated anonymous comment) (!A random repost without source information) (!A dictionary entry about the word water)

What is a useful first step in image analysis? (Describe what is visible before making an interpretation) (!Guess the people’s feelings from their faces) (!Assume the caption is unnecessary) (!Decide the image is truthful without checking its source)

Why is transparency important in charity communication? (It helps audiences check claims, methods, finances and results) (!It guarantees that every campaign will be successful) (!It removes the need for source criticism) (!It means a message should contain only statistics)

Which wording is a respectful call to action? (Read the project report and decide whether you want to support it.) (!Donate now or you do not care.) (!Only bad people ignore this campaign.) (!Share this without checking the source.)

What is the main goal of mediation in this course? (Select and communicate relevant information for a specific reader and purpose) (!Translate every source word for word) (!Replace the source with personal opinion) (!Copy complete English sentences into German)

Memory

Story	concrete human perspective
Statistic	numerical evidence
Image	visual framing
CTA	requested next step
Consent	informed permission
Transparency	openness about methods and results
Agency	capacity to act and decide

Drag and Drop

Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu.	Thema
Primary source	Organisation’s own campaign video
Independent check	External evidence used for comparison
Hedging	Careful wording that limits certainty
Context	Information about time, place and situation
Revision	Improving a text after feedback

Kreuzworträtsel

Narrative	What term means a structured story used to communicate an experience?
Evidence	What supports a claim and can be checked?
Consent	What informed permission is needed before identifiable people are used?
Context	What helps an audience understand the situation around a claim or image?
Agency	What term describes a person’s ability to act and make choices?
Transparency	What means openness about methods, finances, decisions and results?

LearningApps

Lückentext

Offene Aufgaben

Leicht

Vocabulary snapshot: Create a one-page visual glossary with eight key terms and one original example sentence for each.
CTA hunt: Find three calls to action on charity websites and classify them as learn, donate, volunteer, share or another category. Do not donate or enter personal data.
Image description: Choose one Commons image from this course and write five factual observations before adding two careful interpretations.
Source card: Make a source card for one campaign page: publisher, date, purpose, evidence and one open question.

Standard

Video analysis: Analyse one embedded campaign video in 180–220 words, using at least three concrete details.
Source comparison: Compare a campaign page with an annual report or transparency page from the same organisation. Explain what each source can and cannot show.
Language redesign: Rewrite five overly emotional or vague campaign sentences so that they remain persuasive but become more precise and respectful.
Mediation task: Explain the Dóchas or Fundraising Regulator guidance for a German school audience in 100–120 words, selected for purpose rather than translated line by line.

Schwer

Ethics review: Develop a six-point ethical review checklist for a fictional school charity campaign and justify every criterion.
Data verification: Trace one statistic from a campaign page to its original report or dataset and document each step, including limits.
Evidence-based discussion: Prepare a three-minute discussion on the statement “A powerful story is not enough.” Use at least two sources and include a counterargument.
Fictional campaign: Create a complete fictional campaign package with a 120-word post, image plan, labelled classroom data, CTA and transparency note. Use no real profiles or private data.

Lernkontrolle

Campaign analysis: Explain how one campaign combines story, evidence, image and CTA. Show how the elements reinforce or limit each other.
Source judgement: Given a charity claim and two sources, decide what can be concluded securely and what remains uncertain. Justify your reasoning.
Ethics and impact: Discuss a case in which a highly emotional image may increase attention but create ethical problems. Develop a more responsible alternative.
Compare texts: Compare a campaign page and an annual report. Explain how purpose changes language, evidence and layout.
Revision task: Improve a weak campaign analysis so that it becomes more coherent, precise and evidence-based. Explain your three most important changes.
Transfer task: Apply the same source-check and persuasion framework to a school or community message outside charity communication. Explain what transfers and what changes.

Lernnachweis

For a successful learning record, show that you can:

understand an authentic English charity text or video without full translation;
identify audience, purpose, message and call to action;
analyse persuasive language and visual choices with concrete evidence;
distinguish campaign communication from independent evaluation;
check source, date, method, context and missing information;
discuss dignity, agency, consent, accuracy and transparency;
communicate a supported interpretation in speaking or writing;
mediate key information for a specific German-speaking audience;
use feedback to revise your own work;
document sources and label fictional classroom data clearly.

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