As practice for a style analysis essay (a section of the AP English Language and Composition Test), our class took an advertisement and analyzed its use of rhetoric. We did this in small groups and used power point. Our group chose an acne advertisement to analyze. The company's rhetoric helped us to understand who the company was trying to sell the product to, what image the company was trying to create, and how we, as buyers, pick up on advertising schemes. This activity helped us fulfill the "contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems" standard under the Communication and Collaboration catagory. As we presented the presentation in front of the class, we fulfilled the Speaking standard of the Oral & Visual Communications catagory by demonstrating effective oral communication skills to express ideas and present information.

In order to fulfill the Media Literacy standard within the Oral and Visual Communications catagory, I had to "demonstrate my knowledge and understanding of media as a mode of communication." I wrote my first term research paper on the effect of the media on American morals and ideas. I grasped a full understanding of the hold the media has on American people and their actions and their thoughts.

To fulfill the Listening standard of the Oral & Visual Communications catagory, our class conducted "fish bowl" discussions, where some students created a "fish bowl" by putting their chairs in a circle and others acted as the "fish" by sitting in the middle, and then broke into small groups. We demonstrated "effective listening skills in both formal and informal settings to facilitate communications." This task helped us learn to be respectful in one setting and informal and collaborative in another setting. The picture above shows one of these discussions.