“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,” is something one would hear in a courtroom, not in AP English class. However, it was repeated throughout Adrien Alsobrook’s AP Language and Composition class on Tuesday, Nov. 20 as the students had a mock trial to decide whether or not the character Pearl from The Scarlet Letter should be in the custody of Hester Prynne.

Usually a student would argue in an essay, not in a mock trial, but Alsobrook wanted them to experience constructing ideas in a new way, which would help them on the end of year exam.

“It’s good to work with other students and see how they formulate their argument,” Alsobrook said. “I think it’s a different format and it gives them an opportunity to work and think in a different way.”

This assignment not only helped students’ rhetoric skill, but also helped some students get over stage fright as they spoke in front of the class.

“It was fun and I interacted with my classmates, and I feel like it’s outside of the norm for a regular English assignment,” Simone Brooks (11) said. “I was a bit nervous getting up to speak, but I really enjoyed it overall.”