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AP ® Lang teachers: looking to help your students improve their rhetorical analysis essays?

Coach Hall Writes

clear, concise rhetorical analysis instruction.

5 Rhetorical Analysis Activities for AP® Lang

October 2, 2022 by Beth Hall

Let’s face it. Sometimes teaching rhetorical analysis can become monotonous. That’s why I’ve put together a list of 5 rhetorical analysis activities that will help reinforce important AP ® Lang skills without adding a ton of grading to your plate.

Rhetorical Analysis Activity 1: Thesis Statements and Topic Sentences

In one of our recent teacher chats, Timm Freitas from the Garden of English and I were discussing our progression of writing assignments. We both focus on thesis statements and topic sentences before moving on to full body paragraphs and essays.

(Teachers, if you are interested in being notified about upcoming teacher chats, please sign up for my email list here. When you do, you’ll receive my 5 Tips for Teaching Rhetorical Analysis.)

Focusing on thesis statements and topic sentences helps students create a line of reasoning.

How it Works

One way I like to incorporate this skill is to give students sentence frames and have them write the thesis and topic sentences, essentially the skeleton of their essay.

When scoring the assignment, if I see a thesis or topic sentence I think is particularly strong, I will paper clip an index card to the paper and ask the student to rewrite the sentence on the index card. Then, I’ll display the sentences on my bulletin board. (Teacher tip: the Better than Paper bulletin board rolls are incredibly durable for those of us who like to/have to display student work and switch it out regularly.)

When attaching index cards to student work, I use a different color for the thesis, 1st body paragraph, and 2nd body paragraph. The color coordination helps me quickly assess which skills the class is excelling in and which skills we need to revisit. It also helps me look at the responses that don’t merit an index card so that I can determine common mistakes I want to address in the next class.

I’ve also done this activity where each student writes the sentences on one or multiple index cards. Sometimes this is to display or to do a gallery walk so students can learn from each other. Other times, it serves as a “cheat sheet” for their timed essay. (Anyone else have a teacher who let them have an index cards to use during tests? I’d rewrite my card 5 times trying to get all the info organized, and then I wouldn’t end up needed the card. Pretty sure that was my teacher’s goal.)

Having students write a defensible thesis and topic sentences is a great way to quickly assess their understanding of the text and introduce the concept of line of reasoning.

Thesis Statement and Topic Sentence Frames

When having students write a thesis statement and topic sentences, I’ve found it is helpful to provide them with sentence frames.

I generally start by giving students a few options. Doing so helps students find their voice and articulate their ideas.

Thesis statement sentence frame: In his/her TONE speech to AUDIENCE, SPEAKER, credentials, CHOICE 1 and CHOICE 2 in order to PURPOSE.

Students can modify the same sentence above in multiple ways. For example, they can move the credentials to go before the speaker’s name. They can also omit the tone and the speaker’s credentials if desired.

If the prompt asks about the message or argument, students can include that instead of purpose.

The key is to try to include rhetorically accurate verbs, even though students are allowed to include rhetorical devices on the AP Lang exam.

Here are two sentence frame options for the first topic sentence: SPEAKER begins his/her speech by -ing verb in order to… OR In order to…, SPEAKER begins his/her speech by…

For the second body paragraph, have students try to connect their main idea or acknowledge a shift.

Here are two sentence frames for the second topic sentence: Having already (refer to main idea 1,) SPEAKER (main idea 2) in order to… OR SPEAKER shifts from (main idea 1) to (main idea 2) in order to…

Looking for more rhetorical analysis sentence frames? Then check out this resource.

Rhetorical Analysis Activity 2: Line of Reasoning Chains

This rhetorical analysis activity is relatively easy, but it requires a bit more prep than the index card activity. However, it is a great way to reinforce the concept of a line of reasoning and is more interactive than a regular outline. (There’s nothing wrong with a normal outline. I assign those too.)

For this rhetorical analysis activity, you’ll need colored paper. Construction paper works fine. I happen to have an abundance of the astro brights paper , so that’s what I use.

You can adjust the instructions for the line of reasoning paper chains to make it easier or more complex. If you’re limited in paper color options, or if you want to keep the activity relatively simple, you’ll need 4 colors: thesis, topic sentences, evidence, and commentary.

I tend to encourage my students to have “layers of evidence and commentary” and more commentary than evidence, so their chain might be something like this: thesis, topic sentence 1, evidence, commentary (2), evidence, commentary (2), topic sentence 2, evidence, commentary (2), evidence, commentary (2.)

Alternate Line of Reasoning Activities

If you don’t have access to construction paper, or perhaps if you’ve already had students write an essay, another similar option would be to have students use highlighter to track their line of reasoning. Have then highlight the choices in their thesis using a different color for each choice. For example, choice 1 could be yellow, and choice 2 could be blue. Then have them use the same colors to highlight evidence and commentary that effectively proves the thesis. Encourage students to highlight phrases, not whole sentences, and have them look for synonyms or similar words, as they should not repeat their exactly phrasing from their thesis too many times throughout the essay.

You can also have students use three different colors to highlight claims, evidence, and commentary to prove their line of reasoning. This activity is better for students who are just learning the components of an essay, whereas the activity above is more for refining a line of reasoning.

For more line of reasoning activities, check out this post.

Rhetorical analysis activity 3: is it defensible.

I love using this activity for bell-work when I’m introducing (or wanting to reinforce thesis statements.)

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about this activity, as I’ve mentioned it in a couple videos and have included it in many of my rhetorical analysis lessons plans and my 9-week rhetorical analysis unit .

Here’s what I love about the Is it Defensible Thesis Statement Activity:

• I can customize it to the prompt we’re talking about it class, but it can also be done even if students haven’t read the passage.
• It can be done for all 3 FRQs; it’s not just a rhetorical analysis activity.
• It reinforces that there is a range of what makes a thesis defensible.
• It reinforces what a defensible thesis is.
• It demonstrates different styles of writing a thesis, which some students may use as a model.

Want to add this activity to your instruction? Then check out these thesis statement activities.

Rhetorical analysis activity 4: one-pagers.

There is more than one way to express learning, and one-pagers are a great way to have students focus on various elements of the text. Plus, teachers can adapt the instructions in so many ways.

When I’ve had students make one-pagers, I’ve given them colored pencils, but crayons or markers can work too.

This rhetorical analysis activity is great if your students need a “brain break.” It’s a way for them to be creative and decompress while still engaging with the text.

Have students who dislike drawing? Consider allowing them to make a digital one-pager on Canva.

Rhetorical Analysis Activity 5: Rhetorically Accurate Verb Sort

When writing a rhetorical analysis essay, students should try to incorporate rhetorically accurate verbs.

There are many good rhetorically accurate verb lists out there. Admittedly, though, they can be a bit overwhelming. There are too many words to choose from, and students are not readily familiar with some of the meanings, making it more difficult to use the words correctly.

The premise of the rhetorically accurate verb sort is simple: students work in pairs or small groups to sort the verbs into groups.

Within the groups, students should then organize the words based on their connotation.

For example, “states” is less ‘severe’ than “claims,” which is less severe than “asserts” or “contests.”

Grouping and arranging the rhetorically accurate verbs helps reinforce the meaning of these terms, so students are more inclined to vary their word choice–and use the verbs correctly–when writing an essay.

After grouping and arranging the verbs, students can them make their own rhetorically accurate verb list. You can have students indicate 5 verbs they’d like to start incorporating into essays.

For added engagement, have groups share how they arranged the verbs and why. Justifying their arrangement will continue to reinforce the verbs’ meanings.

Click here for a free rhetorically accurate verbs sorting activity resource.

Bonus tip: hexagonal thinking.

While hexagonal thinking is more commonly used for argument and synthesis, it can be used as a rhetorical analysis activity too. My students loved getting to write on these dry erase hexagons.

Check out this blog post for more info!

These 5 quick-and-easy rhetorical analysis activities are a great addition to your existing curriculum.

If you try any of these activities, let me know how it goes!

And, for more rhetorical analysis activities sent straight to your inbox, be sure to sign up for my email list! When you do, you’ll get my 5 Tips for Teaching Rhetorical Analysis.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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