Back to the Strategy Hunt

Meetings are complete, and hopefully inspired you to incorporate stronger strategies, bring in essay structure, and commit to the author from the beginning to the end of your analysis.

For the weekend, close read the Julie section of The Overachievers, noting how the author introduces Julie to us, the ordering of her presentation, and what strategies occur through the reading. This will give you ethos for our Tuesday's class. If absent, go to this link on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Overachievers-Secret-Lives-Driven-Kids/dp/140130902X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535739356&sr=8-1&keywords=the+overachievers, look at the book cover on the far left side, and click on "Look Inside." Then, scroll down to Chapter 1 and the first section of Julie.

On a side note, at this point, you should have a working knowledge of the basic rhetorical strategies, advanced rhetorical strategies, and modes of discourse. If you are not adding rhetorical strategies to your knowledge base on a daily basis, you will not have the recall to identify patterns when you do close read.

Meetings Continue

At this point, you have your new vocab word ready to begin the second round of vocab experts tomorrow, you should have completed or made a solid dent in highlighting all the verbs on your prompt (yep, it's amazing a highlighter can reveal the redundancy and simplicity of verb choices), and continued working on or studying your toolbox.

Since meetings took up the majority of the hour and are not completed in any of the classes, we will finish those tomorrow and then return to some i.d. of devices, close reading for purpose and strategies, and eventually go into a group close read next week.

P.S  If you need additional close reading and strategy identification, the best practice is to take an article a day from online (serious articles, goofy articles) and look for patterns of diction, syntax, and other strategies. As you merge more into a Langer, you will start noticing strategies in everything your read, so you might as well start with something you enjoy or have interest in before all the more serious prompts arrive.

Tips, Tricks, Time-Saving Ways

In all classes today, the featured focus was on writing prompts, namely the Gladwell prompt and all the future rhetorical analysis prompts that will be coming in our late summer and fall. Overall, these tips and tricks are to help you improve your score, your writing abilities, and your presentation of college-level analysis. Following all of these elements - yes, there is a plethora of parts in writing - you received your prompts back with your added paper notes to peruse, plan your future goals, and formulate questions for our prompt meetings, which will continue on Thursday. Meanwhile, for those of you finished with the prompt, you are copying down Unit 12 vocab (which will be assigned Thursday), highlighting the verbs in your essay and revising them, and working on your toolbox. We shall (in theory) finish all of the latter stages on Thursday, and then resume all of our identification of strategies and structure in various texts.

The Feedback

At this point, I have 5 prompts left to go, so it is very promising that I will not have to be up late tonight evaluating them. In all classes today, we shifted into AP-level rhetorical analysis writing, whether it be close reading that picks out patterns of development and not just content (1, 5), discussing the AP scoring system and the expected level of your first writing (1, 3, 5), or looking at the necessary needs of a writing prompt (1, 3, 5).

First & third hours, you need to have your re-close readings of "The Roseto Mystery" ready to go, so be on the lookout for patterns and strategies. Even if you don't know the name, you can recognize what the author is trying to do.

Fifth hour, you finished the close reading in class -- and brought a lot to the table -- so we will resume with essay structure and tips tomorrow.

All of this is leading up to our paper meetings, which will help guide you to improving your score and moving towards the collegiate writing expectations.

For those of you absent, we had vocab quiz 1 today, which means you have 48 hours to either make up the quiz or schedule an appropriate time to do so.

P.S. So far, the highest score on the prompts happens to be a 6, but there have been several prompts that would receive higher scores with appropriate structure, evidence incorporation, and citations. Before the reader can appreciate your thoughts, you have to give them the expected organization and features.

The Paragraph & Its Parts

1 & 5: We started off with the vocab review, which means a quiz is in the near future, or Monday. This will be the shortest vocab quiz you have all year, so make sure you know those 15 words! After word play, we reviewed paragraph structure, which means topics sentences that feature the what (strategy) and the why (purpose) so as not to hide your main idea from the audience, combining evidence and analysis in the supporting details with transitions, citations, and multiple examples, and concluding with a sentence that ties back to the author and what he/she is up to in the text. With common terminology to break down a paragraph, we then used the time to provide feedback from classmates and teacher to give you tips on how to improve and how to save time (an element we always want to consider). For homework, you have your portfolio to decorate - if you feel the creative spirit upon you! Next week will be about writing essays - I hope you are ready for a lot of tips (I'm not going to save anything for later).

3: Vocab review was first on our docket, which means your quiz is Monday. This will be redundant if you read the other synopsis, but this will be the shortest vocab quiz in this class, so know the 15 words! Returning back to "The Story of the Hour," your groups identified 3 different rhetorical strategies, highlighting these throughout the text to gather all of your evidence. Then, each group  member has been assigned one of those rhetorical strategies to write an analysis paragraph. We talked about paragraph structure today (and it is reviewed in the 1 & 5 hour notes), so make sure that you are considering organization and citations just as much as the strategy and purpose. If absent, you will need to select 1 rhetorical strategy from the text and write your analysis paragraph.

Chopin's Purpose

We are almost all at the same point in AP Lang currently, which means we have finished our 15 vocab words and await the review tomorrow. If you are a habitual passer, you may want to study the words and gather more ethos on the subject.

For the remainder of class, we practiced our "what" and "why," or the two components of rhetorical analysis, via Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour."

In first and fifth hours, you have read it, purposed it, color marked it, and will paragraph it for tomorrow's class. Remember, specific adjective for your selected strategies ("hopeful imagery" vs. imagery bespeaks a clarity for your reader), evidence is mandatory, and, as first hour recalled, if you have evidence from a text, you sure need to cite its location.

In third hour, you have read it and purposed it, which means the other 2 parts (sneak peek above) will be tomorrow.

Rhetoric 101

After previews and diagnostic prompts, time to remind you of rhetorical analysis and how it works. To start class, we looked at strategies, modes of discourse, and fallacies, working with our cards to learn definitions and starting your suggested toolbox to help you with these terms. Congratulations to fifth hour for their 5/5 rounds, the only class today to accomplish 100% accuracy! Following further vocabulary - we are 12 words through (although 5th hour somehow has 13) - we looked at rhetoric, the art of argument, the methods to create a position on a topic, and its companion analysis that  centers on the "what" or the strategies and the "why" or the purpose. At its minimal level, those three Musketeers of persuasive appeals - logos, ethos, pathos - are central to argument formation. If in trouble in an analysis, we have the familiar and broad categories of diction, syntax, and tone. Now as we continue forward, you want to start noting "big kid" strategies too, which become more noticeable with more term knowledge, more practice, and more texts. Due to block scheduling variables today, the classes are in different spots. First hour has read out the next test for comprehension and any initial patterns or devices. Third hour was in the middle of our geometry work. Fifth hour has finished our review of rhetorical analysis and will start the new text on Thursday. 

More of The Roseto Mystery

Some of you have mentioned how engaged you were with that little town of "Roseto" and how Malcolm Gladwell introduces his book. Why do we use this text for your diagnostic? Simply, The Outliers, in which "The Roseto Mystery" acts as an introduction, was once part of AP Lang's summer reading options. And since a great deal of our former summer reading books are non-fiction, sociological observations of our world and behavior, I will be pulling excerpts from these books to practice identifying purpose & strategies. If you liked this intro and want to learn more random outliers, I highly recommend checking out this book. Some other chapters are entitled "The 10,000 Hour Rule," " The Trouble with Geniuses," "The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes," and "Rice Paddies & Math Tests."

The First Writing Prompt!

I don't know why I am so excited by a first writing prompt - is it the chance to see what each of you bring to the AP Lang table? is it the means to starting timed writing prompts and focusing you on the best pathway to communicate your ideas? is it just sitting her watching you all write all day? Actually, to answer the last question, that part is really boring! Overall, I think my scintillating spirit today stems from having something to do now! While evaluating (not grading - notice the diction choice there) does take time and focus, it is one of my favorite parts of AP Lang & AP Lit.

A lot of you have mastered, semi-mastered, or attempted high school level writing. Now, you have the opportunity to learn how to become a college-level writer, inviting all the individual talents to each prompt. I have witnessed students without any prior practice of rhetorical analysis go on to score nines on those essays as the class progresses. It's really up to you how you progress. I am fortunate to have taught and taken this class 7 times, which means this is my 8th go-around. At this point, I have a plethora of tips and tricks that are available for your improvement. You just need to take feedback and use it for the best!

I was reading an essay by actress Ellen Barkin this weekend, and she mentioned her favorite quote, a Native American one: "It's not the climb up the ladder that defines who you are, but the climb down." At some point - or multiple points - you will not be perfect, you will have flaws, you will have to humble yourself in the face of a reading or a prompt. Then, you figure out a way to climb back up that ladder with more balance, understanding, and determination.

Tuesday will be our first block classes of the year. Craziness! We will be spending time with your toolbox and its terms (bring your index cards if that applies to you), looking at what rhetorical analysis is from scratch, and working with a short story to apply elements. For some of you, this may be an eye-roll "I know this already"; for some of you, this may be a reminding review to finalize your understanding; for some of you, this may be a significant introduction to rhetorical analysis. Whatever the case, you are all in it together and striving to improve with each day.

English B

Every hour approached "Theme for English B" differently, which emphasizes the multiple pathways to finding, analyzing, and writing about rhetorical devices. As with any rhetorical analysis, you first have to read the passage and understand its plot/content/ideas. While this seems like an obvious idea, oftentimes the overachieving student will skip to finding strategies and neglect to understand the passage! After reading (this may involve close reading too - steps may be combined), the determination of the purpose comes into play. The "why" is the connective tissue of the whole passage, and you want to have a specific purpose with mature diction to clarify the author's intent. Then, you select your 3 rhetorical devices. The best way to do so? Look for patterns, look for shifts, look for placement first. Then, figure out what device it is - particularly challenging yourself to use the AP terms and not general terms. The last stage, appropriately, is analyzing - with the added evidence - in paragraph form. Sounds like you have 3/5 of an essay there.

First hour finished "Theme" work while third & fifth hours are writing their final paragraphs for Tuesday's class.

For Monday, you have your diagnostic prompt on "The Roseto Mystery," which you will close read for strategies and be prepared for your mystery prompt. As noted in class, this is a bell to bell prompt, which means the prompt will be on your desk and the bell will signify the starting point.

Card Games

We had a bit of a hodgepodge today as we acquaint ourselves with the terminology and the process of rhetorical analysis. First up, we started our vocab experts with four words, which means tomorrow will have the next four words. Next, we played card games, matching terms and definitions to each other. To end the day, we worked (in some fashion) with "Theme for English B." First hour, you created a strong purpose statement and helped me write an analytical paragraph on a repetitive element. Third hour, we have a purpose statement ready to go for tomorrow's close reading and analysis. Fifth hour, we have the text read, so that means purpose will be first tomorrow.

All of the above is in preparation for the diagnostic prompt on "The Roseto Mystery," which will be Monday. Third and fifth hour, you have the text for close reading. First hour, you will have the text tomorrow morning.

AP Lang Land

Day 1 is in the books, and it is not the most exciting day with the plethora of handouts, syllabi, and information coming at you from seven sources. However, day two is when the real fun begins when you read, analyze, share, and become an official AP Lang student.

As I mentioned to some of my classes, the goal of AP Lang is to make you college writers, thinkers, and speakers. I will provide you with all the tips, strategies, hints, and ideas to help you attain this goal. Apply the suggestions and consider the feedback, and you will see improvement in your English abilities.

For those absent, you will need to pick up the class syllabus and the rhetorical toolbox term list. To better succeed at rhetorical analysis in AP Lang, you will be creating a toolbox of terms and definitions. The toolbox can be flashcard-based with an index card holder or can be list-based with a Steno notebook (provided).

While those terms may seem daunting, these are the terms that will anchor our analysis for first semester and beyond. As mentioned in class, this toolbox is for YOU, which means your flashcards and/or lists are to help you learn and use rhetorical terms during class. You are not expected to have all these terms defined tomorrow or next week. Instead, you will continue to add to your toolbox as the class progresses. The toolbox is not for a grade and will not be spot-checked, which means when we have open toolbox quizzes or opportunities to use the toolbox on assignments, you will have all this information at your fingertips. I highly recommend you create this toolbox to help you with this class.

To wrap up class, you copied down the first unit of vocabulary words, which will be part of vocab expert work that starts tomorrow.

In addition, the first participation grade occurred, which means absentees will need to see me before or after school to make up this assignment.

Tomorrow, we will commence vocab experts, we will play with the cards, which will give you the opportunity to learn at least three or four terms for your toolbox. Then, we will be close reading a text via color marking. If you like highlighters, you will have a fun day tomorrow!

And, here is a link to a blog I wrote last year prior to the school year commencing. It features links to common writing problems and mechanical errors that work as reminders, flags for improvement, or areas of individual study.

http://fznaplang.blogspot.com/2017/08/ap-lang-round-7.html