Historical documents such as Common Sense, the Declaration of Independence and Patrick Henry's "liberty or death" speech are considered foundational documents because they introduced or promoted the ideas on which the United States was founded, and they were written or spoken by the men we still consider the "founding fathers" of the nation. These texts were rhetorical in nature—that is, their authors used language in very precise and deliberate ways to evoke a strong emotional response while also making a logical argument in support of a position.

This mixture of rhetoric and argument is essential not only to establish a democracy but also to maintain it over time. To participate in our democratic system and to keep it growing and changing in wise and relevant ways, each generation of Americans must be able to recognize and make sense of rhetoric, and to craft their own rhetorical messages when the need arises. Local and national organizations devoted to strengthening democracy at home are always looking for ways to get our youngest citizens prepared to lead their own generation in democratic ways.

After completing this module, you should be something of an expert on rhetoric, especially its use in promoting democratic ideals. You're now well qualified to help other members of your own generation understand how to speak and write rhetorically. For this project, you'll create an instructional tool that helps middle and high school students understand how rhetoric works. Your instruction can take the form of a handbook, a multimedia presentation, or a set of classroom posters. Regardless of the form you choose, your instruction should help high school students accomplish these objectives:

As you work on this project, review the assignment requirements frequently so that you don't leave anything out. Study these steps carefully—they are based on the objectives above and contain more information about each of the requirements of the project.

Step 1: Choose three rhetorical devices to teach. Look back at the lessons in this module to review these rhetorical devices and strategies. Then select three that interest you. rhetorical question allusion analogy the nuances of words parallelism Step 2: Select example passages from foundational documents. For each rhetorical device you chose, identify a passage from a foundational document that illustrates that device "in action." Copy and paste these passages into a word processing document, and note the rhetorical device as well as the source of each excerpt. Step 3: Create a contemporary example of the rhetorical device. To help other high school students understand each rhetorical device—and relate it to their own responsibilities as citizens in a democracy, provide at least one example of each device used in a 21st century context. Step 4: Write instruction that explains or defines the device and includes the two examples you selected or created. Use an informal, conversational tone to explain how each rhetorical device works. Plan to use visual aids and text formatting to make your instruction more appealing and effective for students your age or a little younger. (Assume that your audience has had no or very little previous instruction in the uses of rhetoric.) Step 5: Integrate your examples, instruction, and visual elements into a final product. The exact way in which you pull everything together will depend on the form you chose—handbook, multimedia presentation, or set of posters. For each page, screen, or poster, think about how much information your readers or viewers can absorb in one "chunk" of instruction. Also, in designing each chunk of content, think about how to show that the various pieces are related.

Your instruction will be evaluated according to the following rubric.