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AP Students' "Moment of Voice"
What do human trafficking, national healthcare, gun control, and assisted suicide have in common? They were all topics Upper School students selected to research and discuss in a recent AP Language and Composition assignment, titled "Moment of Voice."
What do human trafficking, national healthcare, gun control, and assisted suicide have in common? They were all topics Upper School students selected to research and discuss in a recent AP Language and Composition assignment, titled "Moment of Voice."
Through this multi-step collaborative project, students were responsible for conducting research on the issue and then creating a website presenting the conflicting sides with an annotated bibliography reference, then writing and presenting a speech. Student speeches on the different viewpoints kicked off their class period presentation, followed by giving their classmates a quiz on the research compiled in the website and leading a Harkness discussion.
Leading a class gave students a unique perspective about teaching: "I've realized how difficult it is to teach a class; we have spent weeks preparing for one class period," said Andrea Schiro '19. "I never thought teaching was easy, but this project showed me that it is a lot harder than it seems to teach a class."
The takeaways from this project were profound. The overarching response students gave was that they learned the importance of respecting one another's opinions. In addition, they learned what it means to be informed citizens. "Throughout this process I have learned to question what I read and to always ask why?" said Caty Castro '19. "My opinions are no longer formed by what my friends or parents tell me, but rather by my own deductions and research."
"I gained a lot of perspective," Adelaide Mahler '19 shared. "Many arguments I had often overlooked because I hadn't taken the time to research, were actually quite compelling."
At Out-of-Door, our mission is to create responsible citizens of the world who are ready and capable to critically think about not just how our world works, but how to improve our world, as well as why and how they can do so. Giving students their own "Moment of Voice" allows them to not only do this themselves, but help guide their classmates in the same process.
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Through this multi-step collaborative project, students were responsible for conducting research on the issue and then creating a website presenting the conflicting sides with an annotated bibliography reference, then writing and presenting a speech. Student speeches on the different viewpoints kicked off their class period presentation, followed by giving their classmates a quiz on the research compiled in the website and leading a Harkness discussion.
Leading a class gave students a unique perspective about teaching: "I've realized how difficult it is to teach a class; we have spent weeks preparing for one class period," said Andrea Schiro '19. "I never thought teaching was easy, but this project showed me that it is a lot harder than it seems to teach a class."
The takeaways from this project were profound. The overarching response students gave was that they learned the importance of respecting one another's opinions. In addition, they learned what it means to be informed citizens. "Throughout this process I have learned to question what I read and to always ask why?" said Caty Castro '19. "My opinions are no longer formed by what my friends or parents tell me, but rather by my own deductions and research."
"I gained a lot of perspective," Adelaide Mahler '19 shared. "Many arguments I had often overlooked because I hadn't taken the time to research, were actually quite compelling."
At Out-of-Door, our mission is to create responsible citizens of the world who are ready and capable to critically think about not just how our world works, but how to improve our world, as well as why and how they can do so. Giving students their own "Moment of Voice" allows them to not only do this themselves, but help guide their classmates in the same process.
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LOWER SCHOOL | Lower School Campus on Clark Road | Pre-K – Grade 1
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444 Reid Street, Sarasota, FL 34242 | 941-349-3223 | Fax: 941-349-8133
LOWER SCHOOL | Lower School Campus on Clark Road | Pre-K – Grade 1
11011 Clark Rd, Sarasota, FL 34241 | 941-349-3223
MIDDLE & UPPER SCHOOLS | Uihlein Campus in Lakewood Ranch | Grades 6 – 8 | Grades 9 – 12
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© 2025 The Out-of-Door Academy