The Syndetons in Action

For 1st, 2nd, and 7th hours, we completed syntax quiz number two today. If you were absent, you will need to make up this quiz by the end of the week.

In 2nd hour, we started diction week by reading Christina Rossetti's "A Birthday" and noting repetitive diction, similar diction, and contrasting diction. Without giving everything away, we noted several patterns in the first stanza -- involving other rhetorical strategies -- that reflect the theme of the text.

For all classes, we read a passage to analyze the usage of polysyndeton and asyndeton and how authors can utilize both to create tone, mood, characterization, selection of detail, and organization.

Meet the Syndetons

Today's class began with the copying of Unit 14 vocabulary and the assignment of expert words. We will start this unit tomorrow, so make sure you have your synonyms and  memory tricks handy.

Then, the first of many syntax quizzes composed by your classmates. Today's version was brought to you by first hour. Tomorrow will be the second half of first hour's creative syntactical styles.

Next, a quick review of sentence types, which most likely created nostalgia for elementary school syntax. We have declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory. It never hurts to use these terms for indicating sentence structures and adding to your syntactical understanding.

And last, but definitely not least, our syndetons, the neighbors we know as polysyndeton and asyndeton. Polysyndeton is the purposeful use of multiple conjunctions; asyndeton is the lack of conjunctions. Tomorrow's class will feature a text with both of these rhetorical devices.

Cindy Prompt Day

Yep, it's a prompt writing day and a 40 minute time limit to see how you have improved from the Banneker rhetorical analysis. I am looking forward to reading these essays -- and to see whether I will cry in joy as Lyle promised me.

Every class next week will feature syntax quizzes from your own original examples. While we will start to move into diction week, you should maintain your syntax knowledge and be able to differentiate between varying sentence styles.

If you were absent during the prompt time, you have three options for making up the prompt. You may take the prompt during a study hall period, after school, or during class time. All prompts need to be completed by Tuesday, September 29.

Cindy's Syntax

As we continue with syntax week, today's lesson revolved around syntactical analysis of a text. First, we read and identified the purposes of Cinderella Ate My Daughter's first chapter. Then, we highlighted various forms of syntax. Last, we discussed patterns of syntax existing in the text. While in a real prompt you will not have the time to highlight every sentence and analyze its placement in the overall purpose, you may still recognize sentence patterns. For example, where does the author place simple sentences? How does the author use hypophora to communicate with the audience? In which sections does the author use more complex syntax?

Bring back your Cindy text for Friday's class. You all know that you are having a timed prompt, and you will want to have your annotated copy ready for the writing experience. This prompt will be 40 minutes -- no extra time -- since you have had ample opportunity to close read the text and discuss ideas with your classmates.

Best wishes to the "band kids" on their Ohio journey!

Mr. Malaprop

While many of the late Yogi Berra's comments were puns, he still used malapropism to create humor. So in honor of the legendary Yogi Berra, "He hits from both sides of the plate. He's amphibious."

Syntax Week Continues

Let's enumerate...
1. Vocab Quiz 13 featured a higher level of difficulty than previous quizzes.
2. Cumulative, periodic, and inverted sentence examples, identification, and purposes from the textbook.
3. Syntax homework reviewed and collected. You will see these sentences again in our future identification practices and syntax quizzes.
4. Syntax handout (last year's second hour samples) identified 9-14.
5. Homework assigned to finish handout 15 - end.

For our block days, we will be moving from identifying individual sentences to analyzing a text and its usage of syntax. Make sure you bring your highlighters the next couple of classes.

Six Degrees of Syntax

While it is worthwhile to note that a sentence is short or long, the AP graders do like to see you use your terminology to describe syntax. For sentence analysis, it is all about the clauses and differentiating between independent and dependent clauses. Hence, we grabbed our highlighters today for clause identification before delving into the syntactical terms. Here are the 6 terms we will study in the upcoming days, and which you will include in your future syntactical analysis: simple, compound, complex, compound-complex, cumulative, and periodic.

For homework this evening, you are to create 2 original examples for each type of syntax. I will be using these to create quizzes and practices in the future.

And, I almost forgot to remind you of Vocab Quiz 13 tomorrow. Make sure you study your words since you know I will be throwing in past terms from units 11 & 12.

Dill's Intro

Since we had shortened classes today, this synopsis will use brevity.
1. We finished the last three words of Vocab Unit 13, which means review & quiz next week.
2. We read 5 classmate introductions, scored the writing 1-9, and averaged the scores. I will evaluate the body paragraph.
3. For second and fourth hour, we started our syntax instruction by reviewing independent clauses, dependent clauses, FANBOYS, simple sentences, and compound sentences. Homework for second and fourth hour is to know the FANBOYS for Monday's class. Although your class may not be included in this homework assignment, you should also know what this acronym means for syntax week.

Happy Homecoming!

Superstar Introductions

After close reading the Capote passage, your mission, which you have chosen to accept as there is no other option, is to construct an original, engaging, superstar introduction for the prompt. Whether it be analogy, imagery, setting, background, or some other technique, consider what would encourage your audience to read more. In addition, do not forget the three elements necessary in the introduction to garner a 5: the author and title, the purpose, and the rhetorical strategies. Your thesis is just as important as your hook in composing a well-constructed introduction.

Then, you will compose one body paragraph -- pick one of the strategies -- to convey your paragraph organization, voice, and evidence usage. And -- thank you to Emma for pointing this out -- there are no line numbers in your given passage. Therefore, for this prompt only, you may forgo using citations or you can use paragraph numbers in parenthetical citations such as (paragraph 3). Overall, I want to see that your organization, diction, and transitions are improving from the Banneker prompt.

The Meetings Continue...

Every AP Lang hour is in a different spot with meetings, which was the focus of today's class. In order to better our prompt writing, we will spend the next class session close reading a prompt and then using the passage to practice hooks, introductions, and body paragraphs.

While you may not have a new homework assignment in AP Lang every evening, you still have longstanding tasks to complete: the rhetorical toolbox. At this point, you should have definitions and examples of several strategies. If you continue to review your toolbox, you will improve your scores on quizzes and on prompts.

The Results

Banneker Prompt Numbers
AP Lang Mean = 3.48
First Hour Mean = 3.26
Second Hour Mean = 2.81
Fourth Hour Mean = 4.33
Seventh Hour Mean = 4.00
AP Lang Mode = 3
AP Lang Range = 1-7

While the first prompt did not have an ideal average, we have discussed multiple ways in which to create a more mature diction, analysis, and evidence incorporation. And like my ambitious young ladies in second hour, you should look at this as a challenge to improve.

During Tuesday's class, we will continue with vocabulary and prompt meetings. I hope we will start our next passage and begin to work on improving introductory paragraphs.

The Answer

The magic number is 343 -- at least until I order all the new GX shoes this season! In the meanwhile, here is one of my favorites, Charlotte Olympia's Goodness Gracious Reef heels.

https://is4.revolveassets.com/images/p/fw/z/COLY-WZ86_V2.jpg

Judging the Range

Now that you have become official AP graders, you are starting to notice the subtle differences of an average AP Lang writer and the mature AP Lang writer. What can one do to create that shift? According to my students, there are plenty of avenues to amend: engaging hooks, formal diction (including using the author's last name), specific, original thesis statements, paragraph structure, evidence from various parts of the passage, transitions of evidence, full analysis including purpose, different rhetorical strategies, and lack of distractions.

We will finish the Rangefinders on Monday and then it is time for prompt meetings and class averages.

All quizzes (rhetorical toolbox and vocab) need to be made up by Monday. I can't tell you the answer to the extra credit question until then!

Rangefinders

Hello, AP Graders! Welcome to the world of evaluating essays on a 1 to 9 basis! During today's class, we paid close attention to grading instructions and the differentiation among effective, adequate, average, inadequate, and little success essays. When you are holistically reading each essay, you will still consider organization (intro, body, conclusion), rhetorical strategy selection, analytical depth, evidence usage, voice, and mechanics.

I do want to call attention to how evidence is incorporated into the writing. At this level, you want to avoid long, full sentence quotes that takeover the paragraph and waste precious time to write. Instead, you want to transition phrases and significant words into your writing to create a flow from your analysis into the evidence itself. A strong, mature writer sees evidence as a supporting feature and not as the centerpiece of writing.

Tomorrow, the essay scores will be revealed, and we shall see if you can be professional graders next summer.

Close Read

Revised blog or the less cryptic version.

First, we reviewed our vocabulary today and crowned new vocabulary champions: Joe, Gia, Anna, and Noah. The quiz, which I must say is quite a hodgepodge of styles, is tomorrow. I highly recommend studying your vocabulary tonight.

Second, a surprise rhetorical toolbox quiz testing your identification of rhetorical devices and persuasive appeals. If you were absent, you will need to make this up before or after school. The quiz's duration is under 10 minutes.

Third, we talked about close reading, why we are doing this technique, and how this can help clarify texts. Every time you receive a passage, whether for rhetorical analysis or multiple choice, you should have a pen in hand for close reading. Start with the prompt and break down its elements: the essay's requirements, authorial or audience background, and milieu. Then, dive into the text. As we close read the passage today, patterns began to emerge in paragraphs one and two - juxtaposition of diction, repetition of address, analogies, pathos, and ethos. If you close read from the start of the passage, you will notice these patterns more quickly and prepare yourself for the actual writing of the essay.

Make sure you finish the close read of the passage this evening and bring the packet, or what we will call rangefinders, back for further usage tomorrow. Prompt meetings on Friday! I'm not sure why the majority of the class groaned at the thought of individual meetings...

The First Prompt

Now that Mr. Banneker's purpose and strategies have been analyzed, it is my turn to evaluate your writing in a timed prompt scenario. For this prompt, I will be giving you notes over everything I notice in your writing --- yes, everything. Then, we will have meetings to discuss any questions you may have from the notes.

During tomorrow's class, we have a hodgepodge of items to cover: vocabulary review, rhetorical toolbox activity -- quiz may be the more accurate term, and close reading.

Audience

All of Vocab Unit 12 is complete. That means review and quiz will be next week.

In more creative endeavors, we spent the day precipitating in a purpose/audience exercise involving our school's cell phone policy. Plus, we had the extra Project Runway twist of incorporating malapropisms, zeugma, and anadiplosis. The best ways to write for an audience, especially one as specific as a peer, a teacher, Mr. Sutton, or a parent, reflect attention to diction, syntax, and selection of examples. Example selection requires an engagement of the audience.

Tuesday will be the "big surprise" reveal. Make sure you have paper and a pen/pencil. I recommend you bring a pencil and your intensity for our first post-Labor Day class.

*Notice the examples of rhetorical strategies above? The malapropism was borrowed from Justin!

Fourth Hour Presenations

Impressions from your presentations:
1. You are definitely a class of voice -- each partnership's diction, examples, and analysis exhibited a personal yet analytical connection with the text.
2. Use your terms to describe strategy. If you are noticing repetition of beginning phrases, use anaphora instead of repetition. Those little details add to your presentation. As we learn more rhetorical strategies, start looking for the less obvious ones in a text. While it is beneficial to find logos, ethos, pathos, it is just as important to set yourself apart from the pack by acknowledging diverse strategies.
3. This was the only class in which I could not choose "best presentation." All pairs did a remarkable job for your first major assessment, and I see great potential with all of you!

Second Hour Presenations

Impressions from the presentations today:
1. Speed is not your friend when it comes to analysis. One sentence may explain the surface purpose and usage of a device, but it does not go into the upper-level analysis required by AP.
2. Hooks and conclusions are so important to establishing your voice and creating a memorable presentation or essay. A joke or a connection to the color symbolism of pink ingratiates the audience into your text and the eventual strategies.
3. Reference back to the purpose and other sections of the text. Saying "purpose" throughout the presentation without indicating the specific one or referencing the specific one causes a lack of continuity. M & E did this very well throughout their presentation today.
4. Utilize those "mature" rhetorical strategies. While the persuasive appeals, diction, syntax, and tone are excellent sources for analysis, there are more specific strategies that add to your analytical maturity.

Seventh Hour Presentations

Impressions from 7th hour:
1. It never hurts to take a motif in the text and build it into your own presentation. Namely, that magic mirror utilized by K & T during their detailed, organized verbal analysis today.
2. AP Langers are grasping the more recognizable and familiar strategies in texts. However, there are the "big kid" strategies that authors use for their purpose. I recommend working on your rhetorical toolbox -- soon -- and start studying these terms.
3. And, I now know that HYPOPHORA means PARENTS and not a series of rhetorical questions.

I hope you liked your "surprise" today!

First Hour Presentations

A few quick impressions from first hour:

• The presentations exhibit how much all of you are learning about rhetorical analysis. You are starting to use upper level strategy terms, analyze beyond the surface, and incorporating specific evidence.
• Impressive work by C & A in first hour -- their presentation was full of so many strategies and they gave thorough analysis for each one. Plus, all of those citations and examples! Overall, they brought a strong voice, a focused development of purpose and strategy, and an original perspective to the text.
• The best presenters may have had notes with their main points, but they did not read the information verbatim. The additional thoughts and observations that naturally arise during a presentation reveal so much ethos and comprehension on your part!

A Chapter at a Time

Not much to report from the AP Lang trenches today. Tuesday was designated as preparation day as AP Langers readied their verbal rhetorical analysis presentation.

A few reminders/hints/suggestions for tomorrow =
1. Purpose unifies every part of a rhetorical analysis. Find the purpose of the chapter and how it connects to the text as a whole.
2. Select a variety of rhetorical strategies. Authors do have the rhetorical triangle at the heart of a text; however, there are many more complicated strategies that subtly connect the reader to the purpose of the text. Begin to challenge yourself to find anaphora, hypophora, forms of irony, allusions, syntactical structures, enumeration, and the long list of available rhetorical strategies.
3. Give each strategy its time in the sun. While enumeration is a rhetorical technique in some of the summer reading texts, it should not be a technique for your presentation. Analyze each strategy thoroughly with examples and citations to validate your observations.
4. This is a verbal essay, which should have some type of hook and conclusion. Think about how you would engage the audience about the given chapter.

If you have any questions about the direction of your presentation, you know how to contact me. I can't wait to learn from all of you tomorrow!