AP English Language Mock Trials

Shorecrest Upper School students in Ms. Dowling's AP English Language class performed mock trials this week. The Chargers researched people who were wrongly convicted and then exonerated through The Innocence Project, an organization that uses DNA evidence to free accused murderers and rapists who have often been behind bars for upwards of thirty years. 

Students had to research a specific court case and present opening arguments to a jury of their peers in a rhetorically effective way. They had to practice their arguments, use pacing and hand movements effectively, and adopt a forceful and compelling tone. The goal was to convince a jury of their peers that their client was innocent.