Language and Composition Reading and Writing Workshop
Rhetoric, Argument, and Synthesis through Classic Voices
Workshop Overview
This workshop prepares students for the AP Language and Composition Exam through close reading of major public-domain texts emphasizing rhetorical style, argument structure, and evidence-based reasoning. Each session features analytical reading, group activities, and AP-style Free Response Question (FRQ) practice.
Session 1: Understanding Rhetoric — The Power of Persuasion
Primary Source
Edmund Burke – “Speech to the Electors of Bristol” (1774)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15198
Excerpt
“Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.”
Group Activity: “Principle vs. Popularity”
Analyze how Burke’s rhetorical choices convey his views on leadership and public service. Support your analysis with evidence from the text.
Reflection
Why does Burke claim moral independence is more democratic than mere popularity?
Session 2: Argumentation and Persuasion — The Ethics of Reform
Primary Source
Ida B. Wells – “Lynch Law in All Its Phases” (1893)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14975
Excerpt
“The appeal to the white man’s pocket has ever been more effectual than all the appeals ever made to his conscience.”
Group Activity: “Exposing Injustice through Logic”
Evaluate the effectiveness of logic versus emotional appeal in calls for social reform. Use Wells and at least one other example to support your position.
Reflection
How does Wells use rhetorical restraint to make her outrage more persuasive?
Session 3: Synthesis and Evidence-Based Writing — Science and Society
Primary Sources
Darwin:
“The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.”
Nightingale:
“Why have women passion, intellect, moral activity—these three—and a place in society where no one of the three can be exercised?”
Group Activity: “Reason and Revolution”
Using at least three sources (including Darwin and Nightingale), develop an argument about how reasoned discourse can advance social change.
Reflection
How do writers reconcile empirical thought with moral passion to persuade their readers?
Session 4: The Modern Voice — Power and Responsibility
Primary Sources
Orwell:
“Political language… is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable.”
White:
“Liberty is never out of date. It endures because men must breathe, and breathing is done freely or not at all.”
Group Activity: “Rhetoric of Responsibility”
To what extent does language define moral responsibility? Use Orwell, White, and your own examples to support your position.
Reflection
Why might precision in language be the first step toward justice?
Session 5: Exam Review and Rhetorical Mastery
Objectives
It moves chronologically from 18th–20th centuries, exposing students to varied rhetorical traditions while reinforcing AP Language outcomes:
Workshop Overview
This workshop prepares students for the AP Language and Composition Exam through close reading of major public-domain texts emphasizing rhetorical style, argument structure, and evidence-based reasoning. Each session features analytical reading, group activities, and AP-style Free Response Question (FRQ) practice.
Session 1: Understanding Rhetoric — The Power of Persuasion
Primary Source
Edmund Burke – “Speech to the Electors of Bristol” (1774)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15198
Excerpt
“Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.”
Group Activity: “Principle vs. Popularity”
- Divide into four groups, each analyzing a rhetorical strategy:
- Group A: Tone and diction — identify how Burke balances formality with conviction.
- Group B: Appeals — locate ethos, pathos, and logos in his defense of representative government.
- Group C: Syntax and pacing — how structure conveys reasoned authority.
- Group D: Audience — how Burke addresses both constituents and posterity.
- Groups annotate and perform a mini-speech reconstruction, rewriting one paragraph for a modern context.
Analyze how Burke’s rhetorical choices convey his views on leadership and public service. Support your analysis with evidence from the text.
Reflection
Why does Burke claim moral independence is more democratic than mere popularity?
Session 2: Argumentation and Persuasion — The Ethics of Reform
Primary Source
Ida B. Wells – “Lynch Law in All Its Phases” (1893)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14975
Excerpt
“The appeal to the white man’s pocket has ever been more effectual than all the appeals ever made to his conscience.”
Group Activity: “Exposing Injustice through Logic”
- Students form five working groups, each focusing on rhetorical and moral techniques:
- Statistical appeals — how Wells uses data to expose systemic violence.
- Irony — identifying moments where tone amplifies outrage.
- Audience awareness — who is she really trying to persuade?
- Syntax and structure — how her rhythm builds intensity.
- Tone and moral reasoning — how emotion complements logic.
- Groups present findings as “Rhetoric in Action” case briefs, connecting Wells’ structure to modern advocacy writing.
Evaluate the effectiveness of logic versus emotional appeal in calls for social reform. Use Wells and at least one other example to support your position.
Reflection
How does Wells use rhetorical restraint to make her outrage more persuasive?
Session 3: Synthesis and Evidence-Based Writing — Science and Society
Primary Sources
- Charles Darwin – The Descent of Man (1871)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2300 - Florence Nightingale – Cassandra (1852)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12419
Darwin:
“The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts.”
Nightingale:
“Why have women passion, intellect, moral activity—these three—and a place in society where no one of the three can be exercised?”
Group Activity: “Reason and Revolution”
- Divide into three synthesis clusters:
- Cluster 1: Ethos of Science and Reform — What gives authority to each writer?
- Cluster 2: Moral Appeal and Human Nature — How do they balance fact and feeling?
- Cluster 3: Style and Syntax — Compare tone and sentence rhythm.
- Each cluster composes a Synthesis Chart linking both writers’ rhetorical approaches to how logic can challenge social norms.
Using at least three sources (including Darwin and Nightingale), develop an argument about how reasoned discourse can advance social change.
Reflection
How do writers reconcile empirical thought with moral passion to persuade their readers?
Session 4: The Modern Voice — Power and Responsibility
Primary Sources
- George Orwell – “Politics and the English Language” (1946)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7370 - E.B. White – “Freedom” (1940)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30535
Orwell:
“Political language… is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable.”
White:
“Liberty is never out of date. It endures because men must breathe, and breathing is done freely or not at all.”
Group Activity: “Rhetoric of Responsibility”
- Divide into four thematic circles:
- Circle A: Orwell’s stylistic clarity and moral urgency.
- Circle B: White’s tone of simplicity and patriotism.
- Circle C: Rhetorical irony — when brevity becomes power.
- Circle D: Application — How do these lessons inform contemporary writing?
- Students conduct a language clinic: editing examples of vague or manipulative writing using Orwell and White’s principles.
To what extent does language define moral responsibility? Use Orwell, White, and your own examples to support your position.
Reflection
Why might precision in language be the first step toward justice?
Session 5: Exam Review and Rhetorical Mastery
Objectives
- Reinforce mastery of rhetorical strategies and argument structures.
- Practice AP-style timed writing.
- Collaborate through peer review and reflection.
- Timed Rhetorical Analysis — Students write a 40-minute essay analyzing a short unfamiliar passage.
- Peer Scoring Workshop — Groups evaluate essays using the AP rubric, focusing on thesis clarity and sophistication.
- Collaborative Debrief — Identify trends in strong essays (transitions, commentary, syntax).
- Final Reflection Essay — Students describe how their rhetorical awareness has evolved.
It moves chronologically from 18th–20th centuries, exposing students to varied rhetorical traditions while reinforcing AP Language outcomes:
- Session 1: Classical and political rhetoric (Burke)
- Session 2: Advocacy and social justice (Wells)
- Session 3: Reason and moral inquiry (Darwin, Nightingale)
- Session 4: Modern rhetoric and linguistic ethics (Orwell, White)