17 April - Practice Exam, Day 1

AP Language and Composition

Today we started our final practice examination. Today and over the next three classes, we'll complete an examination task. At the end of that, you'll reflect on your performance, your process, and determine any strategies that you think will be effective for you on the Mock Exam and ultimately, the real AP Examination. This is a process you should complete with all of your AP Examinations. I'd also suggest checking out BlueBook on your computers - there are practice examinations loaded, and you can explore the interface and tools for testing. It's very similar to the PSAT.

The other major task to chip away at right now is your Argument Bank. Keep reading. This mitigates some of the vocabulary issues because you're experiencing and encountering more high-level vocabulary. The final goal is that you process fifteen texts and consider their use for your eventual writing tasks, but they help with reading tasks too. AP Classroom unlocked practices can also be helpful during this time.

Use Lion Time and After School during this unit. Let's review and process and make a plan for success. I should have all of your essays scored and feedback to you by next week. All the best! Let's slay this beast!

18 March - Sorry for the Delay

AP Language

I guess that FCPS updated the filtering software, so Blogger is blocked again at school. Here's yesterday's update. 

Good day in AP Language as we worked on reading skills and demonstrated those reading skills through a quick MCQ Progress Check. If you did not have time to finish, be sure to submit before the end of the day today when the assessment will lock at 9:00 PM. Everything not submitted will automatically submit at that time.

We had a great discussion today in class around TIM and his quest for identity. It was great to see the way that TIM is finally figuring out the way in which identity can, and should, be fluid. In fluidity there is power. There have been so many characters up to this point who have done this, TIM just didn't see it very clearly. Take this forward with you into Chapter 24. Read and annotate this important chapter to see the way in which TIM starts to act on his newfound knowledge and attempt to destroy the Brotherhood. It's a great conclusion, I hope you enjoy. 

Other significant tasks include submitting any missing essays, writing your Annotated Bibliographies for your sources, and beginning to plan your paper/presentation. Consider what your argument is and then begin to outline that - How will you put sources in conversation to convey your argument? Remember that you have to use three sources in your final "paper" (whatever form that paper takes).

Enjoy the afternoon and the last week of the quarter. I know it's a tough week - but Spring Break is on the horizon! 

14 February - Happy Valentine's Day!

AP Language and Composition

Today we spent some time with Brent Staples and his article "Just Walk On By: Black Men and the Public Space". I appreciated the connections that you all were making between this text, Ellison, and all the way back to DuBois. I really like the way that Staples acknowledges alternative perspectives, confronts his audience, and crafts a message for them. Consider this as you write your own arguments.

From there, we looked at our Research Questions and refined them through the lens of the problem statement. Remember that you don't need to be looking at a "problem" per se - you could be looking at the problem of not knowing something and its effect on you or society. No matter what, be sure that you are focusing on being specific in your scope and focus. Use today's slides and assignment to refine and then post in the discussion board. Be sure to get and give feedback in the discussion board.

Next class we're headed back to New York and TIM's adventures. We've got more of the city in Chapter 8 and then a few key conversations in Chapter 9. Enjoy your reading! Try to make sense of what you can. Be sure to refer to your motif charts. See you Friday!

7 December - Midterm is Halfway Done!

AP Language

Not the most exciting day in AP Language land today, but it was a day we had to do. Today we engaged in demonstrating our skills via the MCQ portion of the examination. These were always my biggest challenges when I was in your shoes as a student. Remember that there is a ton of feedback baked in to AP Classroom. Review your responses. Look at your skills. We'll review and reflect next class on our demonstrations of skills before we move into our final essays of the year.

If you haven't completed tasks from Unit 3 - those need to be completed ASAP. Be sure that you've submitted your reflection letter and your project/questions on The Great Gatsby. If you missed the in-class Gatsby analysis essay, make an appointment to get that settled before you go out on break. 

We will be having our end of the year celebration and potluck on December 15 - that's Friday before we go out. Think about what you'd like to bring! I'll start doing signups next week. You may also want to start reading Invisible Man - the next unit's major text. I've got a link to an audio version here which you may find helpful!

5 December - Let's Get Ready to MIDTERRRRRRRRRM

AP Language

Welcome to the midterm examination my lovelies. Today's class is your reading day it's a day for you to prepare for the examination ahead of you and reflect on where you are in the skills and competencies necessary in this class. So, what are you going to do today to study and prepare? Here's your to do list:

1. Be sure that you've submitted your Gatsby visual and artistic explanation questions. You completed your analysis in-class last time. Apologies for the lack of clarity in the instructions document. If you have a paper visual, give it to the substitute and make sure that it goes in the folder. Remember that I'm grading the visual and your explanation questions as your demonstration of reading skills.

2. Organize and use your notebook as a reflection tool. Look over your rubrics, your skill descriptors, and the feedback that you've received. Use the assignment in Schoology to write me a reflective letter about where you are in your reading and writing skills. Be sure to cite evidence as you write. At the bottom, do a quick PEWCAM analysis (bullet points are fine).

3. Feel free to use the unlocked AP Classroom Progress Checks to prepare for your MCQ. You'll be doing this on Thursday. You'll also be getting feedback on your most recent writing assignment before you write again!

I'll see you on Thursday as we begin our midterm exam!

1 December - Gatsby Assessment Day

AP Language

Today was our assessment day on The Great Gatsby. In today's assessment you curated your own passage from the novel and explained the way in which Fitzgerald creates meaning through language and motifs. I'm excited to read your essays and see the way in which your skills as a reader and writer have progressed. Remember that in this class, everything is practice for our eventual final exam - the AP Examination. On that test, you'll be asked to write an analysis as well, but it'll be cold. So you need to develop the process now in order to do that. 

Over the weekend, spend your time completing your visual representations of the motif and the connected questions explaining your art. Remember that you're just talking to me as you answer these questions, so feel free to be colloquial in style. You may also want to spend some time on AP Classroom preparing for the MidTerm. I've unlocked a few more MCQ Progress Checks to help you.

I'll see you next week - not on Tuesday since I'm at a conference - but Thursday to begin our MidTerm Exam! Tuesday is a preparation and reflection day for you. I'll look forward to reading your thoughts, but more on that later.

12 April - Out of the Building

AP Language

Good morning all. I very much regret that I had to be away today during your MCQ. I hope that it went well and that you navigated the challenge. I should have everything scored and back to you next week to take us to our final unit of the year to prepare for the AP Examination. 

If you have part of the exam to finish, please email me or see me to schedule a time to get that settled. It is very important that you have your scores and feedback next week as soon as possible. You'll need it to make your plan for the unit and review for the exam.

Please work to submit your vocabulary assignment as soon as you can. It's the final grade of the third quarter. The main thing that I'm looking for is your analysis of the passage and your analysis of the synonyms and the word itself. In your analysis of the grammar in the passage and in the words you should focus on why this word/this structure is appropriate for the style and purpose of the text. That should be your line of reasoning for this assignment - go back to the example and notice how I focused on criminal language throughout all of my analysis.

AP Research

Sorry to be away from you this morning, but a family emergency has called my attention. I should be back with you all next week and am available over email if you need me. Today should be a day for you to be finalizing some of your key tasks and planning for your presentations, which begin next week.

I will schedule presentations with you on Monday in class. Note that we will begin presenting on Wednesday, so I will need a few people to go first. We'll try to run three presentations on Wednesday during class. Remember that while people present, you will have time to finalize your paper, your own presentation, or other tasks as needed.

In the last week of April we will have our final peer review of the paper and review the process for submitting it and checking it on TurnItIn for plagiarism and AI writing. 

If there's anything I can do for you, please let me know.

Off to the New Year!

AP Language

Solid day in AP Language land today. We looked at Act IV in some segments in order to understand the major changes at play from Act I to Act IV and the way in which these changes communicate meaning to us as readers. From there we worked into our final conversation on The Crucible to understand the main arguments that Miller is presenting and the connections that this text has to the overall line of reasoning that we're creating in this classroom through the texts that we read.

Over Winter Break there is no work assigned. If you have tasks to complete, it's recommended that you complete them. I've also opened up AP Classroom so that you can review your MCQ skills before our second AP Exam. This exam will happen soon after we return from break and gives you a chance to reset on all of your grades before we move into the second semester.

Enjoy your break! Check out the Weekly Exigence for some ideas on how to spend your time!

AP Research

Fun times in Research land today as we flexed our creative muscles. I'm excited to see the end result. If you're going to be doing anything for class over the break, work on writing your paper. This is the best thing to do to be ready for the return and the beginning of data collection.

End of April and Beginning of May - Hooray!

AP Language

Great day today as we reviewed our most recent and last MCQ of the year and took a look at the synthesis prompt. We'll have a few other reviews related to the AP Examination, but at this point, we've seen it all. Keep in mind your wellness strategies as you work through the next few weeks - it's a slog and a half, but it will end!

The next few weeks are time to work through our projects related to our novel and other finishing tasks. You'll have ample time in class to work through projects. The MCQ Bonus will lock soon. If you want to complete that, be sure to do so quickly. You must complete the full thing for the bonus. See you in May!

English 10

Great day today in English 10 as we began our unit on Japan. We took time to understand the unit as a whole, our goals for the unit, and our essential questions. From there, we went into our beginning investigation of Japanese culture. I was happy to see your collaboration and sharing today as you learned from each other. Keep these notes! They may be helpful to you as you move through the unit and get to your final project.

Next class we're going to be looking at sacred texts key to Japanese religion. Your projects are due on Sunday. Be sure to get your work in and avoid the late penalty! Enjoy the weekend!

30 and 31 March

We made it to the end of the quarter! Yay! Enjoy your break! I'll be finding myself with some good books and my feet in the sand and hopefully some WARMTH!!!

AP Language

Good end to the quarter today, everyone! We did a lot of work to reflect on MCQs and strategies as we broke down and worked through our first full-length MCQ work. The session is recorded below. We applied our strategies and skills for our first Matchbox MCQ - and I was happy to see the results!

From there, we took time with our novel groups. Remember that each time you meet with a group you should use the document to record your conversation. These will be key as you read and work through the novel. They'll also serve as a record of your participation, so be sure to keep up with the document. 

All work is due to me by Friday morning to be scored. Be sure to turn in your rubric if you're resubmitting your paper - and no, I won't take a photo of it. If you would like to complete the linked reflection below to improve an MCQ score from this quarter, feel free to do so. The form will lock on Friday morning.

English 10

Good times today working through Luisa Valenzuela and "The Censors". Itr's a pretty short and fantastic story about how quickly a person can be changed by their devotion to a task. A good example of irony, foreshadowing, and suspense at play. I hope you enjoyed it. We only have one story left in the unit, and we'll read that after Spring Break. 

Today I handed out your final project instructions. We'll work on that in earnest after we return. Remember that you'll have a final test AND a final project in this unit. Review the options and select one of the options there. If you have any missing assignments from the quarter, be sure that it's in by Friday morning. I will not accept any work to be scored beyond this.  

Enjoy your break! It is definitely well-earned!

April's Finished - On to May (April 29, 2021)

AP Language

Today in class we spent time discussing symbols and characters who function symbolically. We then took time for a brief close reading to see the way in which multiple levels of meaning are woven in to the text. Ellison really is a master at this, and sometimes it hits pretty fast. If you see a big passage with lots of moving parts, try to always grab on to the parts that make the most sense to you. Remember that there are always multiple meanings in a text, your job is to always focus on constructing and developing one.

Over the weekend, focus on finishing your MCQs and reading in Invisible Man. MCQ 8 is due on Monday as is the most recent round of vocabulary cards. Remember that your cards should come from MCQs and Ellison's novel. Next week we'll finish our focus on the AP Examination - and begin preparing more individually and with some choice. MCQ 9 is available for extra credit/extra practice/replacement of a previous MCQ. 

As always, let me know if there's anything I can do to help. It's gonna be May next week - off to the last full month of school!

English 10

Today's class focused on reading in order to understand pages 126 to 135 in our novel. We met a new character called "The Limper" who embodies one of our clear conflicts in the novel as well as a type of brutal power. Also, we discussed more about Tzesar Markovich and Shukhov. Especially their character traits.

Over the weekend be focused on any missing work and updating your notes from the reading so far. Next week will be our last week with this novel. I look forward to hearing your final thoughts and reflections on the book. From there we'll be working on a lot of end of the year assignments. Be ready for the year to end fast!

AP Research

Remember that next week you have two assessments due. You'll need to meet with me to complete your EOC Conference, and you'll need to meet with a peer to complete your Mock POD. I'll be available all next week during class time as well as on Monday. If you haven't yet scheduled your POD for the week of May 10, be sure to do so ASAP. Reply to the email in your inbox to set your date and time.

Beginning the Week - Tuesday the 27th

English 10

Today in class we focused on reading to cover pages 117 to 126. This section of the novel is important because it highlights some important conflicts and examples of irony in the text so far. Next class we'll look at another section of the novel to prepare us for the end.

Use your homework time right now to catch up on any missed assignments. Remember that if you're missing an assignment from last week, there are recordings to help you with your submission. If you want to use a freebie or extra credit, please say so in a comment.

Next week we'll be finishing the book. Be sure that you're keeping up with your annotations and vocabulary. We'll have a final assessment at the end of the unit and then our end of the year work. Be sure to stay focused and use class time effectively to not have a lot to do at the end of the year.

AP English Language

Today was our day to work through a full length exam MCQ as a team. Since we were working as a team, you likely worked a bit more slowly than normal. Those of us in class took time at the end of the section to compare and discuss answer choices - especially some questions that were a bit challenging.

Be sure that your group has submitted answers via AP Classroom or a Google Doc on the assignment. All group names should be on the document if submitted there. I would also recommend submitting your answers on AP Classroom to get feedback on your choices. Grades will be posted for the groups soon and we'll review once all the data is in.

Tonight, be sure to work on vocabulary cards and your reading for next class. Today was a bit of a bore because of our focus on MCQs - so next class we'll have some time for arts and crafts, of a sort. Chapters 16, 17, and 18 are a great section of the novel. I'm looking forward to your thoughts.

Ending Week 30 - Thursday the 22nd

AP Language

Today in class we focused on understanding some of the major ideas at play in Chapters 13-15. These chapters provide TIM a chance to break away from some of the cycles plaguing him in the text, but unfortunately he leans right back into them. We did some close reading, focus on motifs, and great thinking as a team today.

Over the weekend, be sure to complete MCQ 7 - it will lock on Monday night. You should also finish your vocabulary cards - they'll be collected on May 3rd. Reading for next week is Chapters 16-19. I'll have videos posted on YouTube shortly.

English 10

Today was a reading day. We took time to read as a whole group or in small independent groups to focus on pages 100 to 107. This section told us a lot about Shukhov as a person - so be sure to update those character notes. We answered some comprehension questions and then did some writing focused on some of the major ideas in this novel so far.

Over the weekend, take time to finish any of you missing assignments so far. If you need to review today's work, use the recording posted to finish your questions and writing. You've had two major assignments so far - the Illustrated Quotation and Grammar Exam - so if these are missing it's important to get them in. Be sure to read to page 117 in the novel as well.

Beginning Week 30 - 20 April 2021

AP Language

Today was our day to focus on reading quickly and addressing our required task - reading and writing. There was a secondary focus today on teamwork and building stamina as we had two things to complete - an MCQ and FRQ. We'll have a lot of extra credit built in to today's Matchbox. Scores will be uploaded later this week - it'll take time for me to read over the FRQs.

For this afternoon, be sure to complete your reading and annotating in Invisible Man - Chapters 13, 14, and 15. We'll work through the chapters as a team on Thursday. I've unlocked your next MCQ for your independent work. Remember it will lock at 11:45 on Monday. We'll have vocabulary turned in soon - you should hopefully be finding your tenth word soon. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you!

English 10

Today in class we spent our time reading and understanding a key component to the novel - Tiurin's Story. Remember that you can complete the reading questions via the Google Document or the PearDeck slides. I'll be checking them tomorrow for your answers and work. From our reading, you should also be able to find a few vocabulary words.

For tonight, be sure to keep reading. Make it through to page 100 to finish the scene of the men working. Also be sure to take time to check in on any missing assignments like your Illustrated Quotation or the Grammar Test on No Red Ink. These are both major assignments and worth a lot of points. I look forward to seeing you all next class for some more time in the prison and a closer look at some of our themes.

End of the Week - Thursday the 15th

AP Language

It's the end of another week here in Room A132. We focused today on the idea of allusions in Chapters 11 and 12 and how they're being used by Ellison to add a lot of meaning to TIM's process of creating and understanding his identity and role in the world. Today we focused on musical allusions, The Odyssey, and the Bible in these chapters.

Over the weekend, be sure to focus on reading in Invisible Man as well as your MCQ 5. Keep in mind that the MCQ is for accuracy, so failure to complete it will result in a missing score. If you have any missing assignments, get those turned in over the weekend so that I can update your grades.

English 10

Today in class we had a bit of a chill day - it was a day to take our End of Year Grammar Diagnostic on No Red Ink and then have some independent time for working as needed. Over the weekend, you should find time to complete and submit your Interpretive Reading assignment (paragraph and recording) as well as reading in your novel to page 80. In this section of the novel you'll want to pay attention to food and the way that Shukhov works and uses his time.

Next week we'll spend more time in the camp with our prisoners as well as discuss some other End of Year assessments. Keep pushing, we've just got 12 more classes left!

Beginning Week 29 - Tuesday the 13th

English 10

Today was a day to get our hands dirty working with One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. As we were reading and working today, it was all about emotion. It's important to notice the way in which authors use small details in order to create real emotion in a text. These emotional clues can help us better understand a character, a setting, symbol, or idea in a novel. Our assignments right now are all about close reading. Focusing in on the details to understand their purpose.

Remember to submit your assignments by the end of the week. For this week you have a recording to complete as well as a small writing assignment. Next class we'll have our End of Year Grammar Test. Be ready!

AP Language

Today in class we had time for our Matchbox for MCQ 4 as well as a quick review. We also had time to discuss the end of the year and to get ahead on some of our upcoming assignments. On Thursday/Friday we'll be discussing Chapters 11 and 12 - see the videos on YouTube for guidance in your reading. Additionally, MCQ 5 has been unlocked. It'll be for accuracy this time, so don't miss it. Use your strategies and don't forget to reflect when complete. See you next time for our Invisible Man class.

End of the Week - 8 April

AP Language

Chapter 10 and 11 of Invisible Man are some of the hardest chapters to read in this portion of the novel. Chapter 11, especially, is a doozy. It'll take you on a bit of a journey through postmodernism and throw some different modes of story telling at you. Focus on what you can get out of it and bring questions to me next week as we work.

This weekend you should find time to finish your Veil Self Reflection, MCQ 3 and a bit of reading in Invisible Man. Next week, we'll be focused on reviewing Chapters 11 and 12 as well as completing our first team MCQ for an accuracy score. If you need anything, please visit on Monday during Office Hours. I hope that we will keep moving in a good direction this quarter - remember we only have 16 meetings left.

English 10

Today was all about characters and characterization. We spent a lot of time working through pages twenty six to thirty six and focusing on the characters we meet in the squad of prisoners and in the camp. We'll keep learning more about some of them as we go. We worked through some Russian words which tell us more about our characters and understood some of their key elements. Be sure that you're updating your annotations as we work.

Over the weekend, be sure that you finish your Illustrated Quotation assignment as well as any missing work from last class - the poetry notes. You should also read to page forty six. This will take you to the work site the prisoners have and their job for the day.