The ability to research ideas and present them well benefits students beyond their school days into adulthood. These skills are introduced and reinforced in Introduction to Rhetoric, also known as Fundamentals of Research & Presentation (FORP). It uses each student’s state history as the subject matter, developing age-appropriate research and presentation skills which students can practice in other courses as well. In that sense it is both a “history course” (fulfilling state requirements for a School of Logic level state history course) and also a “pre-rhetoric” course. Students gain experience with varied presentation tools as they develop clear, engaging and well-organized presentations. This course offers a fun way for students to learn about their own states as well as the states their classmates call home, since students use the history of their own home area (state, province or country) as the research content. This class helps students prepare for rhetoric-level courses, including Senior Thesis, which require the ability to communicate what they are learning in clear and concise ways. For US students, this class fulfills typical requirements for a state history class in 7th or 8th grade.

This course does not depend upon Introduction to Logic in any way, and the two courses can be taken together or in either order.

Topics include: Public speaking and class presentations, oral and visual presentation skills; research skills, emphasizing how to identify and use high quality internet sources; historic saints and scoundrels, heroes and history-makers, American Indians, explorers, early settlements, borders and statehood; U.S. states and capitals; major geographical landforms and regions; natural resources and industries.

Homework Habits: 3-4 hours/week

Introduction to Rhetoric: Fundamentals of Research & Presentation Book List

Suggested Grade Level: 8, or mature 7th grade students who are 12 by September 1 of the current year