How to Ace the AP Language Argument Essay

Summary

In this video, Ms. Peer Editor provides a detailed guide on how to excel in the AP Language and Composition argument essay using the updated rubric. She walks through a past exam question, emphasizing the importance of crafting a defensible thesis, supporting claims with concrete evidence and nuanced commentary, and demonstrating a sophisticated understanding of the rhetorical situation. The video gives practical tips for structuring the essay, developing general knowledge, and leveraging personal insights to strengthen arguments. Whether focusing on scientific, artistic, or policy topics, the key is to explore the unknown creatively. Ms. Peer Editor also shares advice on building an information bank to prep for the exam.

Highlights

• Discover the joy of exploring the unknown - it's worth taking risks! 🚀
• Incorporate a variety of evidence such as historical examples or personal anecdotes! 🕵️
• Challenge your own arguments to reveal depth and sophistication! 🎭
• Make use of past exams and current events to build a solid argument foundation! 🌎
• Develop a structured plan for your essay with clear paragraphs and transitions! 📄

Key Takeaways

• Always start with a clear, defensible thesis to set up your essay for success! 📝
• Use a wide range of sources from books to music to back up your arguments! 📚💿
• Show insight by presenting counterarguments and recognizing biases! 🤔
• Maintain a vivid and engaging writing style to captivate your readers! ✍️
• Create an info bank with all your knowledge to tackle any prompt with ease! 📊

Overview

The AP Language argument essay might seem daunting, but with the right preparation and mindset, it can be a breeze! In this lively tutorial, Ms. Peer Editor outlines the essential steps to nail this essay. She explains how to carve out a compelling thesis and back it up with well-rounded evidence while exploring counterarguments for a robust discussion.

You’ll learn the art of crafting eloquent introductory and concluding paragraphs that succinctly convey your stance. Ms. Peer Editor also delves into the body structure, emphasizing that each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence, supported by evidence and incisive commentary. The magic lies in exploring the unknown and connecting different fields of knowledge creatively.

Lastly, Ms. Peer Editor equips viewers with invaluable tips for expanding general knowledge. From daily news habits to revisiting nonfiction gems, she encourages creating a personal info bank full of anecdotes and facts to support any argument. The key is to stay curious and prepared, ready to tackle any argument essay challenge that comes your way.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Essay Overview The chapter titled 'Introduction and Essay Overview' provides guidance on excelling in the AP Language and Composition argument essay. The focus is on utilizing an updated rubric and analyzing a past exam question step by step. The task involves developing an evidence-based argument in response to a specific prompt provided by the College Board, relying on the prompt and general knowledge.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Rubric Focus Areas The chapter discusses various sources of information that can be utilized, including news, books, movies, academic subjects, and music. It emphasizes the importance of focusing on three specific areas in an essay according to the rubric. Firstly, crafting a defensible thesis that takes a position on a specific topic is crucial. Secondly, including specific evidence to support all claims made in the essay is necessary.
• 01:00 - 02:00: Evidence and Commentary The chapter discusses the importance of supporting claims with evidence and commentary. It emphasizes the need to back up claims with facts, statistics, and evidence and to analyze this evidence to show how it aligns with the overall reasoning. The chapter also highlights the need to demonstrate sophisticated thought and a complex understanding of the rhetorical situation, although this concept is acknowledged as somewhat confusing in its wording.
• 02:00 - 03:00: Sophistication of Thought This chapter emphasizes the importance of exploring the nuances of arguments. It stresses the need to acknowledge counterarguments, potential biases, and flaws within one's own argument. The chapter also highlights the significance of placing arguments into a broader context to understand their implications or limitations. Additionally, it underscores the value of having a vivid, persuasive style and effectively utilizing rhetorical choices.
• 03:00 - 04:00: Introductory Paragraph The chapter opens with a focus on enhancing the persuasiveness of an argument. It makes reference to an AP exam prompt from 2018, encouraging the reader to pause and consider the prompt independently before offering guidance on task approach. The discussion centers around a quote from Anne Morrow Lindbergh, an author and aviator, emphasizing the virtues of exploration and risk-taking.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Body Paragraph Structure The chapter discusses how the unknown is often linked to sacrifice due to disappointments and surprises that come with it. The central topic of focus is the value of exploring the unknown, and determining this value is crucial for the thesis statement of an essay. Emphasis is placed on establishing the thesis in the introductory paragraph, as it lays the groundwork for the entire essay.
• 04:30 - 06:00: Scientific Innovations Example The chapter begins with a sample thesis emphasizing the exploration of the unknown leading to scientific innovations, new artistic genres, and public policy solutions. The main focus is on presenting a structured approach to writing about these topics. The structure is outlined as a three-point thesis, with each point forming the basis of a body paragraph. The first body paragraph is dedicated to scientific innovations. The chapter illustrates how designing innovations often stems from discoveries made by those who venture into unknown territories. The upcoming sections are hinted at, which will focus on artistic genres and public policy solutions, completing the three-part exploration as proposed in the thesis.
• 06:00 - 09:00: Artistic Genres and Public Policy Examples The chapter 'Artistic Genres and Public Policy Examples' begins by discussing the importance of taking risks in exploring the unknown. This exploration often involves stepping beyond traditional boundaries, whether they are related to academic fields, physical locations, or interpersonal networks.
• 09:00 - 11:30: Gaining General Knowledge In this chapter, the focus is on the idea of gaining knowledge by stepping out of one's comfort zone. It discusses how venturing into new areas leads to discoveries, which allows for the combination of new and existing knowledge, fostering innovation. The chapter suggests that this process can be likened to or supported by quotes from historical figures like Lindbergh. The importance of linking the introduction to the conclusion is also highlighted as a structural aspect of writing.
• 11:30 - 12:30: Conclusion and Final Tips The chapter emphasizes the importance of crafting a strong conclusion in an essay, particularly by connecting back to key quotes or themes, such as Lindbergh's. It advises against merely repeating the essay's points and instead encourages the establishment of an overarching theme about the value of exploring the unknown. This approach demonstrates a clear understanding of the essay prompt and solidifies the writer's position in their argument.

How to Ace the AP Language Argument Essay Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 What's up guys, today I'm showing you how to ace the AP Language and Composition argument essay using the updated rubric. And we're going to go through a past exam question step by step. So let's get started. For this essay, your task is to develop an evidence-based argument that responds to a specific topic which will be given to you by the College Board. So the great thing about this essay is that all you'll need is the prompt itself and your own general knowledge.
• 00:30 - 01:00 And that can come from anything from news sources, books, movies you've watched, any academic subjects, music, you name it! So there's a couple of different areas that the rubric focuses on - 3 specifically. So the first area you have to make sure to pinpoint in your essay is a defensible thesis, which means that your thesis statement must take a position on a specific topic. Next, you have to include specific evidence that supports all claims
• 01:00 - 01:30 and commentary that shows how the evidence supports a line of reasoning. So whenever you make a claim, you have to make sure to back it up with facts, statistics, evidence, whatever you can remember. And also make sure to analyze that evidence to show how it fits into your overall reasoning. Next, you'll need to demonstrate sophistication of thoughts, or a complex understanding of the rhetorical situation. This seems a little bit confusing, the way it's worded, but what this means is a couple of things.
• 01:30 - 02:00 You want to explore the nuances of your argument. You want to show the implications or limitations of your argument by putting it into a broader context. So what that means is you should be able to point out counterarguments or potential biases or flaws within your own argument. Next, you want to show that you have a vivid and persuasive style, as well as demonstrating an effective use of rhetorical choices
• 02:00 - 02:30 to strengthen the impact of your argument. Here is the actual prompt from the AP exam for 2018. So you can pause this video and read over the prompt, but I'm just going to dive in to see what our task is here. So you can see that the quote in this prompt is written by author and aviator Anne Morrow Lindbergh. And what she's really suggesting here is that she values exploring the unknown and taking risks.
• 02:30 - 03:00 And she also suggests that the unknown is associated with sacrifice because the unknown often comes along with disappointments and surprises. And we can see that the central topic that we're going to have to focus on in our essay is the value of exploring the unknown, so we have to take a position on what that value is in our thesis statement. For our introductory paragraph, it's important that we first figure out our thesis because this sets up the foundation for the rest of the essay.
• 03:00 - 03:30 So here's a sample thesis that I wrote: Individuals who explore the unknown often use their discoveries to design scientific innovations, new artistic genres, and public policy solutions. This is a simple, three-point thesis. You don't necessarily have to do it this way, but I find that it works really well for this specific prompt. So our first body paragraph will focus on scientific innovations, our second body paragraph will zoom in on artistic genres, and our third body paragraph will be about public policy solutions.
• 03:30 - 04:00 So the introductory paragraph should be really short, 2 to 3 sentences, and just talk about the prompt in general and lead right into your thesis. So the line of reasoning I might include in my introduction is to say that "To explore the unknown is to take a risk," and taking a risk often means that you're going to venture beyond the boundaries of a field of study, your physical location, or your personal network of friends, family, individuals that you know.
• 04:00 - 04:30 And when you kind of venture out of your comfort zone, that means that you're going to make new discoveries. And when you do that, that often means that you'll combine your new knowledge with existing knowledge in order to innovate. And from this last point, I could go straight into my thesis. And along with this line of reasoning, I could also include references to Lindbergh's quote if I wanted to. Now, for the concluding paragraph (I'm just going to go over that really quickly because it kind of mirrors the introduction),
• 04:30 - 05:00 that should also be 2 to 3 sentences. Make sure to, if you want to, connect back to Lindbergh's quote and its potential implications. And also it's important that you don't simply repeat the points in your essay. You should instead end with an overarching theme about the importance or value of exploring the unknown to just really reinforce that you know what the prompt is about and that you've taken a specific position in your argument.
• 05:00 - 05:30 Now, let's look at the framework of our body paragraphs. So, as you can tell from the thesis, I'll be writing 3 body paragraphs. And like a lot of other essays, your body paragraphs are going to have a layered structure. So you're going to start out with a topic sentence, have a claim, then evidence to support that claim, and then commentary. And then repeat that pattern. So you'll again have claim, evidence, commentary, as many times as you want until you kind of finish your line of reasoning.
• 05:30 - 06:00 And then you'll transition into the next paragraph. And in there, you can also integrate counterarguments, or any other additional material that you feel is necessary. So for our first body paragraph, which focuses on scientific innovations, our first claim will be that scientists often make accidental discoveries and pursue them, leading to new products and inventions.
• 06:00 - 06:30 And the evidence I would use to support this claim is that once mold contaminated Alexander Fleming's petri dishes, he discovered penicillin, and that led to the development of other antibiotics as well as a lot of scientific research. And you can see here that I've integrated my commentary right after my evidence, just talking about the impact of the discovery of penicillin,
• 06:30 - 07:00 And to add a little bit more depth to this argument, I could include a counterargument, which states that innovations can actually be harmful, or exploring the unknown can actually be harmful, if scientific research is not used judiciously. So for example, if we use animal testing for penicillin, which could potentially have harmful impacts on animals themselves. And my next claim would be that humans' desire to explore the unknown has motivated us to engineer solutions and plan for the future.
• 07:00 - 07:30 And evidence to support that would be that our Curiosity rover has actually helped us determine if Mars is habitable, which has allowed us to envision life beyond Earth. So I'm no scientist, but based on my own general knowledge, I can kind of deduce these things and draw from my own personal perspective to talk about what's going in the news,
• 07:30 - 08:00 and use that to support the prompt. Now I'm just going to list some examples of sample evidence that could be used for the other body paragraphs. So for my body paragraph about new artistic genres, I could talk about how Lil Nas X has explored the unknown to by combining country and rap to create a new, unknown genre with his song, "Old Town Road,"
• 08:00 - 08:30 and how Maya Angelou originally defined herself only as a poet and a playwright, but she kind of took a leap of faith by writing her autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and this helped her to develop the genre of creative nonfiction. In both of these cases, both of these artists used their exploration of the unknown to create something new. And for my third body paragraph, because I'm a bit of a history buff, I could talk about - to support the idea of public policy solutions -
• 08:30 - 09:00 I could talk about how FDR's New Deal used government agencies and the bureaucracy to stimulate demand, employ American workers, and address the Great Depression. So he explored the unknown because he was kind of trying out different solutions without knowing if they would work or not. And I could also point to other examples of legislation that explored the unknown, such as the Clean Air Act, and also talk potentially about how the Constitution itself was an experiment of exploring the unknown of democracy.
• 09:00 - 09:30 And I know it's a little bit of a stretch, but hey, whatever knowledge you can think of would really be applicable to this prompt. Many students ask, "How do I gain general knowledge?" Because this is really the basis of the argument essay, and I don't feel like I have enough knowledge to support my arguments. Well, I really want to ease your concerns with a couple of tips.
• 09:30 - 10:00 So first off, I suggest making an info bank before the exam to prep with all of the knowledge that you have, so this will usually take the form of a chart, and you can list out different categories. For example, I could talk about literature, movies, music, or podcasts that I know, current events that I'm familiar with, any academic subjects I know well such as history or politics, or science subjects, and also list out personal experiences or anecdotes from my own life.
• 10:00 - 10:30 And what I would do in this chart is include the title of the work or source of information, include a brief description of that information, any potential analysis, and if I'm feeling particularly ambitious, maybe include some quotes or statistics that could be used to support a potential prompt that I could think of. And it's really important to make an info bank that is customized based on your interests. So don't try to waste time learning about a bunch of different, new things that you're not super interested in;
• 10:30 - 11:00 rather, focus on what you already know and try to draw from that for this essay. But if you do want to gain a little bit more knowledge before the exam, I have a couple of tips. First off, read The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, or any other credible news source daily. This really helped me, especially in college, and it's just a good habit to have in general. If you find that this is a little bit difficult for you, or it's kind of hard to get a subscription, then maybe even sign up for a daily newsletter
• 11:00 - 11:30 such as theSkimm or Morning Brew, which tend to be free. And reading that every day might just give you an overview of the news and get you acclimated to current events that you could potentially use in your essay. Also, review relevant material from other classes because you never know what might come in handy for the exam. Brush up on any books, especially nonfiction, that you've read in the past. So I highly suggest that you do refer to books in the argument
• 11:30 - 12:00 essay. Refer to nonfiction books because those usually have hard facts, as opposed to fiction, which kind of relies on fabricated, fictional scenarios. And also, find examples of media you love the most, and ask why they interest you. That's it for this video guys. If you liked this video, please give it a thumbs up, subscribe, and tap the bell to receive notifications whenever I make a new video,
• 12:00 - 12:30 And comment down below with any questions you have about the argument essay or the AP Lang exam in general. I will see you next time.