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Studies have shown that lack of sleep can affect the health of young people which in turn 2
affects their academic performance. Because it is the charge of every school to support
students’ best education, the factors that contribute to a healthy and foundational
environment for learning must be a priority. While a student’s health is certainly
comprised of many elements — nutrition, environment, and exercise — a foundational
piece of human health is sleep. Scientific and medical research supports the integral
connection between sleep and learning. Students learn about the importance of sleep Section 3 / Culminating Activity
starting in their elementary school health lessons, and they grow up with parents, teachers,
and doctors repeating over and over again the importance of getting a good night’s sleep.
Whether the information is delivered in class or at home, young people are led to view
sleep as important to their health as eating vegetables, drinking water, and exercising. So
while we don’t expect a student deprived of food, water, or air to do well on a test, it makes
no sense for schools to continue to set start times that deprive them of sleep. The most
common teenage sleep pattern makes it difficult for students to fall asleep early even when
they try, which defeats most attempts at going to bed early and makes it nearly impossible
for students to get the healthy amount of sleep their bodies need. Schools should work to
create the best possible environment for students to learn and that environment must take
students’ health into consideration as well. If we trust that the majority of leaders making
decisions in education prioritize students’ learning, we know they will agree that schools
should work to create the best possible environment for that learning to occur, which
means starting school when teenagers’ brains and bodies are often at their best.
The commentary in this paragraph exposes the underlying assumptions and con-
nects the claims to the evidence in a clear line of reasoning. Notice how modifiers such as
“most,” “the majority,” and “often” allow for the reality that some people may have differ-
ent priorities, perspectives, and preferences. Stating that “all” schools have start times
that work against sleep patterns would be patently untrue; some schools in our country
begin later. Similarly, claiming that students’ brains are “always” at their best later in the
morning would also oversimplify the issue and raise doubts as to the validity of the entire
claim. Because the modifiers allow for exceptions to the rule, the argument rests on a
realistic and nuanced foundation, solid enough to support firm claims and evidence.

section 3 / culminating activity

®
Developing Sophistication in an AP Argument Essay
Revise the essay that you wrote for Section 2’s Culminating Activity on the role of con-
sumerism in the United States (p. 106) to develop a more sophisticated line of reasoning
in your argument. As you revise, focus on qualifying your argument and providing more
commentary and/or evidence to address assumptions that you identify as weak links
between your claims and evidence.
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