Writing and Rhetoric Book 11: Thesis, Part 2 – Student Edition

Product Description

Sample

A 1-semester course for grades 8 or 9 and up

Thesis Part 2

In this book, students will implement what they learned about writing well-crafted persuasive thesis essays in Writing & Rhetoric Book 10: Thesis Part 1 and advance those skills by creating dynamic and powerful speeches. A vital part of rhetoric, oratory connects thinking and writing to the indispensable art of public speaking. Students will learn from masters of oratory, past and present, by studying the great speeches of Cicero, Thurgood Marshall, Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, and Malala Yousafzai, among others. When preparing and delivering their speeches, students will utilize the 5 canons of rhetoric and the common topics of invention to help them discover and refine their theses.

Thesis Part 2 is designed to build students’ confidence in public speaking, teaching them the habits of excellent delivery and proper breathing. Incorporating the skills learned throughout the series, students will research, write, and then deliver 3 practice speeches (or declamations) of their own creation in the manner of the traditional branches of rhetoric: judicial, ceremonial, and political. As students gain skill, they will learn to delight in discourse as a way “to enlighten the understanding, please the imagination, move the passion, and influence the will” (George Campbell).

In this 1-semester book, students will learn to:

• write persuasive speeches in the style of a closing argument in a courtroom, a eulogy at a funeral, and the proposal of a law in a legislative body
• refine their writing of theses, topic sentences, and antitheses
• improve their conclusions to extend and enhance their original theses
• strengthen their ability to derive information from texts, organizing and summarizing it in expository paragraphs
• develop an awareness of transitions, tone, and writing style
• practice fluent reading using diverse speech texts
• identify a variety of genres, particularly judicial, ceremonial, and political oration
• interact with well-written texts through discussions and exercises in evaluation and critical thinking
• draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research
• strengthen their oratory skills through opportunities for public speaking
• see the relationship between writing and speaking
• use oration as an aid to the process of revision

Suggested Schedule
Speech Content Rubric
Speech-Writing Instructions
Resources for Select Audio Recordings

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Companion Products

Writing & Rhetoric Book 11: Thesis, Part 2 – Student Edition
Writing & Rhetoric Book 11: Thesis, Part 2 – Teacher Guide