Defining a “good life” is the focus of a semester ending project in AP Language as juniors strive to create an inspirational video geared towards their classmates. 

“The skill for the project is finding out how to write an argument,” AP Lang teacher Swapna Gardner said. “For this project, the kids have to answer the question of what makes a good life. And so they can take it whatever direction they want to, but they have to form an argument out of it. We wanted to have something that was fun as well as argumentation related so that kids could practice the skill and answer a question that mattered to them.”

Unlike a timed writing given on the AP test that students will take in May, the juniors were given three weeks to write their argument via video and a rhetorical analysis. 

“I’ve never really thought about the question,” junior Connie Yang said. “This project helped me to reflect and think about what a good life means, and it is inspiring and motivating to watch other people’s videos.”

The project is based off of Kid President inspirational videos. From animated shorts to using a sibling to say your lines, students are encouraged to go out of their comfort zones when filming.

“I love watching the videos, some people go really creative and it is fun to watch the different positions taken,” Gardner said. “I also really like that junior year is a time for students to think about what really matters to them it’s a nice moment for them to zoom out and take a moment to think about that, especially at this time of the year. It is important that students slow down and take some time to think through their argument and think about what makes it complex.”

AP Lang classes are spending Dec. 16-20 watching their peers’ videos as inspiration for the rest of the school year.

“It’s really amazing that the kids have an opportunity to write an argument without actually writing an argument,” AP Lang teacher Kacie Smith said. “My favorite part is that they can take a risk and not give a standard answer, they tend to come out and take risks and they end up being hilarious or I’ve actually had one that made me cry.”