The Grand Finale

1. You received your kings & queens essay and completed the next row of the synthesis chart in your portfolios. Overall, the essays were sound in argumentation and evidence incorporation.

2. We graded your 6d & 6e passages, and these were collected by moi for later recording in the gradebook.

3. You trusted fate to give you the best passage to write a 3 paragraph partial essay in a 20 minute increment.

Don't forget - the full AP test will occur during next week.

CDE

If absent, you have a great deal to make up during class tomorrow, so I would advise you to come either today or early Friday morning to complete what work you can during class time.

1. You graded MC for 6a & 6b - for a grade. I believe 18 was the highest score.
2. You compared your rhetorical analysis charts for 6c.
3. You completed the MC for 6c - with a partner - not for a grade.
4. You read 6d and half of the class participated on an active close read.
5. You completed a chart for 6d.
6. You read 6e and half of the class participated on an active close read.
7. You completed a chart for 6e.
8. Either you finished (7th hour) or had for homework the MC for 6d & 6e.

As seventh hour and I figured out yesterday, the block scheduling next week will adjust our plans for our full AP Lang exam, which will count as your final. (F.Y.I. This is not the end of the class, and there will be grades still occurring after this point.)

Monday - 1, 3, 7 = MC Test
Tuesday - 1, 3, 7 = 2 of the writing prompts. Surprise - you will not know which ones!
Wednesday - 1, 3; Friday - 7: the last of the writing prompts (by then you will know which one).

Don't forget that after school sessions for AP Lang start Tuesday, May 2. This is available for all students - not just those taking the actual exam on May 10.

If you are not taking the AP exam, then you will have the alternative assessment to complete - date will be coming soon. Hence, any extra study or practice would benefit your score on any assessment related to AP Lang.

A & B

The continuation of close reading, rhetorical analysis, and multiple choice review...
1. Four minutes to compare and contrast 6a charts with a partner.
2. Close reading of 6b with remaining students offering their participation.
3. Complete chart 6 in a twelve minute period.
4. Take multiple choice 6a & 6b.

*Any absent students have 6b and the chart to complete at home. MC will need to be timed and will occur tomorrow during class.

Homework for the rest: read 6c and complete the chart.

The Score

After completing your charts for the rhetorical analysis and argumentative essays, you received your synthesis essays for evaluation. In order to expedite the review of this writing style, we worked in one leader-group rotation to give you a sense of what to improve upon in the upcoming weeks.

Then, most importantly, you have a score for the full AP exam. The classes ranged from 2-5, with 15 students reaching that enviable position of a 5 on this scoring sheet. (Do remember - sorry to damper your spirits - that the range required for a 5 may be different on the test this year.)

To wrap up class, we began our review of close reading, multiple choice, and rhetorical analysis by reading a text by Thomas Jefferson, having volunteers share details and strategies (very impressive showing by first hour), and completing a rhetorical analysis chart for the passage -- which is your homework for this evening. Make sure to bring the passage and chart back.

Don't forget to vote for your favorite shoes. The deadline for AP Lang is May 9!

Student Conferences

For the past two classes, you have been conferencing with student leaders who scored well on the rhetorical analysis and argumentative prompts. We may do another round for synthesis on Monday, but that will depend on our timing. Next week will reveal your overall score on the exam, and we will review close reading, multiple choice passages, and rhetorical analysis!

The Day Before the ACT

Reminders for tomorrow...

• Head to the 300 hallway, find your room, and check in with your photo ID. I would recommend arriving no later than 7:15 so that your room can start on time.
• Place any belongings in the room's designated areas (this includes your snack).
• Phones are not on your person, are turned off, are better not in the room, and are not checked at any point during testing. 
• Bring pencils, erasers, and calculator.
• Listen to the instructions and be patient with your proctors. 
• Do your best and make sure to bubble in every answer. 
• For the English section, do all the Bing questions first, use process of elimination, and KISS (keep it simple, silly -- the shortest answer is usually best).
• For Science, treat it as you would a reading passage.
• For the writing, consider the three perspectives in the following manner: one will be your position on the argument and the other two will be counterclaims. 
• Organization could look something like this:
• Introduction (hook - don't worry about a fancy analogy; set the context and move on; claim - stating your position on the topic and reflecting one of the perspectives given to you)
• Body paragraph 1 - example and explanation for your chosen perspective
• Body paragraph 2 - commence with a non-chosen perspective and make it a counterclaim. Then, immediately bring in your rebuttal with the second example for your claim.
• Body paragraph 3 - commence with the last perspective and make it a second counterclaim. Then, immediately bring in your rebuttal with the third example for your claim. 
• Conclusion

Best wishes on your ACT exam tomorrow! Have a healthy (non-sugary) breakfast, bring a snack, and sleep well.

Bubble, Bubble

In AP Lang land, we went over the final two passages of the MC test, and you had the opportunity to ask questions regarding grammar and punctuation. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me or ask on Tuesday. I would play around on the englishgrammar101 website to practice your skills. We will do a sample ACT English section on Tuesday and discuss argumentative writing for the ACT.

The rest of the hour was bubbling in your ACT information. If you were absent, you will probably be completing this task some time on Tuesday.

Active Reading

In order to emphasize how important it is to read your AP multiple choice passages, we went sentence by sentence through passages to summarize meaning and provide understanding prior to the questions. 

For homework, complete the last 2 passages of the test. I would recommend reading the whole passage carefully and then returning to revise your response. And, take your grammar packet and read through the rules and exercises. If you have any questions regarding grammar, punctuation, and mechanical issues, ask tomorrow during class. I highly recommend you go to the website notated on the last page of the packet. Whether you do one of the lessons or all, you will have a fast review of needed information to strengthen your ACT English score. 

The Prepositional Short Story

In order to have a better understanding of prepositions and their phrases, you created short stories with a partner, constructed a visualization, and placed these on my back wall underneath the allusion posters. Any absentees will need to make up the assignment during class tomorrow.

Don't forget to turn in t-shirt money if it applies to you!

Pronouns

To begin our grammar review week, we looked at pronouns and the rules in place to construct appropriate pronoun usage. At this point, you should be familiar with subjective, objective, and possessive pronouns; have a working understanding of who and whom; and be able to have antecedent and pronoun agreement in your sentences. Tomorrow will be prepositions and the multiple choice test -- I hope. Tomorrow is the last day for third hour t-shirts, so make sure to bring your payment if you would like one. Seventh hour, you have until Wednesday.

Test Day 2

Today was the argumentative portion of the AP Lang exam. If absent, you will need to schedule a make-up time during another AP Lang class (best option), after school (second best option), or study hall (if necessary).

Test Day 1

AP Lang Test Rhetorical Analysis Day. All make-ups need to be completed by the end of the week either during another AP Lang class (best option), after school (second best option), or study hall (if absolutely necessary).