Writing & Rhetoric Book 11: Thesis Part 2 (Student Edition)

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

Think of the progymnasmata as a step-by-step apprenticeship in the art of writing and rhetoric. In the award-winning Writing & Rhetoric series, author Paul Kortepeter has recovered this proven method of teaching writing in conjunction with critical thinking and speaking. This is the eleventh in a series of 12 books that will train students over 6 years.

In <I>Writing & Rhetoric Book 11: Thesis Part 2</I>, students will implement what they learned about writing well-crafted persuasive thesis essays in <I>Writing & Rhetoric Book 10: Thesis Part 1</I> 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.

<p>Paul Kortepeter currently serves as curriculum director and 8th-grade teacher at The Oaks Academy, a private K–12 classical school in Indianapolis. His passion for helping students write effectively and speak persuasively led him to write the Writing & Rhetoric series, a step-by-step program for young writers based on the classical<i> progymnasmata</i>. Paul has a bachelor’s degree in English literature from Earlham College and a master of fine arts degree in cinema production from the University of Southern California. While a student at USC, he edited a documentary film on the homeless that was nominated for an Academy Award. He spent the next 6 years in Los Angeles developing made-for-TV movies for popular performers such as Jane Seymour, Pierce Brosnan, Walter Matthau, and Isabella Rossellini. More recently, he worked as senior editor for Sunrise Publications, now a division of Hallmark Cards. While at Sunrise, he met artist Susan Wheeler and the two collaborated in creating picture books for Dutton Children’s Books and gift books for Harvest House Publishers.</p>