30 August - End of the Month and Week

AP Language

Not the most exciting day today as we begin our benchmark examination. Today we conquered the writing portion, next class we'll take care of the multiple choice. Remember, this is a simulated exam activity. We're already starting to take our exam and prepare for the final assessment; we actually do this all the time. I'm excited to read your first essays and begin our journey to improve as writers, readers, and thinkers.

Over the weekend, a great idea is to decide on your text for your first project - What's the Situation? Explore American Rhetoric, significant photographs, your history textbook could also be a good resource. Remember that it needs to be rich enough to undergo analysis and support a PEWCAM. We'll take more time to explore and begin this project later next week.

Enjoy the long weekend! See you for my birthday on Tuesday!

28 August - Assessments Begin!

AP Language

Our first assessment today in AP Language as we did a quick check on some vocabulary and reading skills to begin the year. Remember that if you are not satisfied with your score, there is a resubmission opportunity. We can discuss that next week when you get your results. If you had a difficult time, begin studying and learning your tone words sheet.

We focused on learning a major concept today, the rhetorical situation. We learned an acronym called PEWCAM and applied it to a famous photograph and a magazine cover from The New Yorker. Great analysis all around! Remember that we'll continue to use and practice and apply this strategy throughout the year.

At the very end of class I discussed your first major project - What's the Situation. You'll pick a "text" to analyze and research in order to show its rhetorical situation. We'll work through this in phases and steps. A great place to start is to check out American Rhetoric (link posted in Materials) and check out some speeches that you may be interested in. Speeches are especially great because of the focused exigence and ability to detect tone.

Next class we'll have our benchmark essay. Be ready with your computers, because we'll be writing! Also, you'll need to be in AP Classroom, so be sure that you've joined! Codes are in previous posts.

24 August - Happy Weekend!

AP Language

A lovely experience today in A132 as we explored tone and its importance for our class. Remember that tone is one of the most meaningful devices because of how connected it is to the author and their feelings. You got a great handout today, the Tone Word Bank. Be sure to keep this and reference it often as you work on analyzing and interpreting tone. We dipped our toes into some practice today related to opening passages and got to some great outcomes related to providing a claim about a text and using evidence to support the claim.

If you haven't yet joined AP Classroom or gotten your notebook, be sure that you do over the weekend! Next class we're going to focus on learning about the rhetorical situation and do a bit of a quiz on tone. Study and review. See the recording and the posted slides in the Materials Folder.

Welcome to AP Language with Mr. Miller

AP Language

Great day in AP Language land. It was so lovely to meet you and to start to get to know you. I'm so excited to be part of your reading and writing journey. Today we did some vocabulary (which you already knew a bit of) and discussed a bit about grading and the examination for this course. We'll spend more time next class learning about the rhetorical situation and understanding some ways to approach this important concept.

For tonight you should take care of a few business items:

1. Get your two-subject notebook. This can also be a binder, but you'll need a place for notes, returned work, and to track your progress in class. Remember, it'll stay in class.

2. Join AP Classroom. Go to AP Classroom, log in with your College Board account or make one, and use our code to join - it's posted on Schoology under Updates.

Be ready for Thursday. We'll start to do a bit of reading and thinking next class.

Exams - Nearly Complete!

We're all set, y'all. Thanks for a pretty solid year. If you have any questions about your standing at the end of the year, feel free to drop by and visit. SIS is locked for the final grade reporting, but I'm happy to let you know where you fall. Visit in the fall, I should be in the same classroom!

9 June - Happy LDOC Grey Day!

English 10

Happy LDOC Grey Day! I hope that you have found moments to enjoy in our year together. I know that I have. I'm looking forward to seeing your final tasks for the year come through in your portfolio reflections on the year. If you've already submitted the tasks, check any feedback and resubmit. Portfolios will continue to be accepted through until the final exam date next week.

Any last tasks for our Persepolis unit are due today. No extensions can be granted on this. I gave out a study guide for your final exam next week. Be sure that if you were not in class that you see the list posted in the folder. You'll want to know this information for next week's test!

8 June - Blue Day LDOC!

AP Language

Happy LDOC Everyone! Work to complete and submit your final examination items. We'll see each other on Monday for our final final. Some of you will present your stories, others will present them just to me, and we'll enjoy our final moments together for the year. Remember that I have to finalize your grades within 24 hours of the examination, so everything is due at the end of the examination block.

Thank you all for a great year! Enjoy the weekend. I look forward to hearing your stories of America!

2 June - Off to the Final

AP Language

Great times in AP Lang for our end of the year character party. It's always fun to have a good time. A special congratulations to our two winners of the costume competition - The Yellow Car and Jordan Baker from The Great Gatsby.

After the party, we took some time to submit key tasks for the final examination. Remember that I am now working for College Board as a Table Leader, so my time is very limited. Though I'll be in the classroom with you next week, I will be working and grading AP Examinations. Be sure that you are completing your tasks, submitting or resubmitting as needed, and moving forward. Your final task, the story, is due on the final examination day - June 12/13. Remember you have to have a recording or written version of the story submitted.

Reach out if you need anything. Let's finish the year well.

1 June

English 10

Pretty simple day today to end our unit on Persepolis. We took our time to finish writing our stories and to complete any final tasks left from our study of Persepolis. Keep in mind that no work for this unit will be scored if it's turned in after Friday.

If everything is complete, then it's time to move on to the portfolios. The Global Portfolio is pretty simple. I'd do that first. The Skills Portfolio is a bit of a beast. Review the instructions and start to look for artifacts. I'll be in the room with you more next week to help you put that together.

Have a great weekend! I'm looking forward to finishing my training and getting into my new job. I'm also looking forward to reading your comics when I get my breaks.

31 May - End of the Month / Bye Seniors!

AP Language

Today was our day to complete our final in-class writing assignment. In this assignment you have a prompt, because you always have a prompt - there's always exigence, but you're encouraged to answer the prompt in a more creative and risky way. It's our hope that part of this assignment finds its way to your future personal writing tasks. Note that you now have two tasks due, the writing and the reading.

Quarter 4 officially closes on Friday (Monday for Grey Day). If you have any final choice board items to review or anything else to submit, it needs to be in and done. After this week our work will focus only on the final final exam task, the story telling assignment. This has been posted for your review. You're only getting an oral communication grade for this assignment. 

If you have any questions about closing out the year, please be in touch. Remember that I start reading for College Board on June 1, so I will be less available than I have been.

AP Research

We're all set! Final exams are done and grades are in. Fun times to end the year and lots of lovely energy. I'm sad I won't be at graduation next week, but I'm happy we had our time to say good bye today. If you find yourself on campus, come and say hello. Drop me a line from time to time and let me know how your life is going. Wishing you nothing but the best to take you forward.

30 May - Closing out the Year!

English 10

Great day today in English 10 as we ended our unit on memoirs, the Middle East, and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. We took our test today, and I will have your results back to you as soon as I can. Check by the end of tomorrow to see your grades and feedback.

At the beginning of today's class, we went over the next few days - aka the end of the year. You have three things left to complete (and some of you have already completed one). First, finish your comic book. Make sure that you're telling your own story and conveying a lesson. Follow the steps in the rubric. If you didn't finish it today, be sure that it's in at the end of Thursday. Then, there are our portfolios. These are due by June 9. Follow the instructions and reach out if you have questions.

Your final exam is on June 15. This is also the day you'll return your laptops. Let's finish strong to end our year together!

26 May - Into the Weekend

AP Language

Really fantastic day today in AP Language. College essays are one of my favorite things to teach, read, and advise on, so today's lesson hit me in all of my happy places. I hope that you enjoyed. Please submit your Active Reading Task before we see each other next class. Next class we'll be writing about ourselves and taking a foray into personal statements and college essays. This is the second part of your final exam tasks. We'll also look at the instructions for the last part.

AP Research

Hooray for the last day of class. Make sure that any items that you need to submit for Wednesday's presentation are in on Schoology. Your presentation on Wednesday is a pitch of one of your item. Your goal in your presentation is to sell your item to me to be used in next year's class. Remember that you'll have a maximum of five minutes. Bring snacks! I'm excited to see what you do!

25 May - Ending the Year in English 10

English 10

Pretty great day in English 10 today, a few bumps in the road, but we got to where we needed to go. Today we finished reading Persepolis and understood some of the main lessons that this book is conveying to us. Lessons about life, growing up, trust, and change are all contained in this book. I loved seeing how engaged so many of you were. I think the test next class should be a breeze for a lot of you.

Over the weekend, prepare for that test. Review your notes and your study guide. Check today's recording. If you have any missing assignments, you should submit them this weekend. I will update grades as soon as you submit your work. Prioritize the writing assignments, as they are worth a lot of grades.

Next class we'll take our test, and then have time to finish up with vocabulary and comic book projects. Remember that all work for Quarter 4 and this unit is due on June 1.

24 May - AP Final Examination Tasks

AP Language

Another wonderful day working on our ART (Active Reading Task). We started our class by defining our needs, and then we moved forward to meet those needs. We collaborated with peers to discuss texts and uncover more meaning. I liked that I saw a lot of active engagement and collaboration. This is the key to being successful in these tasks. 

By this point, you should have most of your two texts read/processed. Please use your work from your group discussions to help you do this. Next class we'll be focused on personal writing and personal brainstorming - thus the right side of the document. It's due at the end of next class.

If you need anything else at this time, please make an appointment at Lion Time or After School. The door is closing on the AP Language skills part of the gradebook as we are now working on our final examination tasks.

AP Research

Remember to submit your Final Examination artifacts as well as any last items from Quarter 4 by Friday. I will be finalizing Q4 grades on Friday at the end of the day. Next week I'll see you on the 31st for your Final Exam day. Bring snacks! Each of you will have about five minutes to present your item. Do your presentation as a pitch. Pitch your item for me to use next year. 

Please submit all items on Schoology. I need to be sure to have a record of all final examination artifacts.

23 May

English 10

We had a conversation at the beginning of class that I hope you all will take with you moving forward to the last few classes of the year. Your quarter four gradebook is going to close on June 1. Everything will need to be submitted by that point. All major assignments will be due by that day. If you have missing assignments, they need to be submitted.

Today's class focused on reading the next to last group of chapters in Persepolis. We'll finish the book in class on Thursday and review for the test on the book. You'll have the test after the long weekend, so you should have plenty of time to study and prepare. We'll finish up the comic books next week as well. I'm excited to see your stories and your final work for English 10.

I'll start posting all of the instructions for the final portfolios soon. The classes on June 5, 7, and 9 are devoted to constructing these two assignments. 

Kicking off the Week - 22 May

AP Language

Great day starting our Final Examination working sessions today. Today was a reading day. I loved reading days at UNC Chapel Hill - they were days for studying and resting during final exams. For me, they were studying and preparing days - the joys of being an English and Russian double major. 

The reading assignment we began today will be completed through the week. Be active in your notes and reading. Answer the questions with evidence from the readings and your ideas on that evidence. Complete sentences aren't needed, but complete thoughts are. This will be scored for thoroughness and completion. It's due on Friday (Blue Day) / Tuesday (Grey Day). 

Next class we'll be working to collaborate and discuss these texts and groups. We'll share takeaways and ideas together to complete our own work. We'll really focus in on the reflection questions next class, but you can feel free to start those now. 

If you have any choice board item still to complete (letters or choice tasks) be sure to submit and meet with me as needed. I am still processing letters and other items. Reach out with any questions - the Quarter Gradebook will close on June 1 as that is the day I start grading for College Board.

AP Research

We are now firmly in our final push before Final Examinations for Seniors. Your examination for me is on May 31. We'll meet, have some snacks, and enjoy our final presentations for the year. You've come a long way, let's finish with style and grace.

19 May - Out Playing Nurse

I hope that all of you had a good and productive day in class with the substitute. Be sure that if you missed class that you review the resources on Schoology and get caught up for the time. Remember that we don't have many days left for the quarter. Soon we'll just be focused on Final Exams. 

Submit items on Schoology as needed and please reach out with any questions. Have a great weekend!

18 May - Final Exams Approaching!

AP Language

Today was the day for us to begin our Final Examination Unit in earnest. We took the majority of today's class to read, study, analyze, and understand the first chapter of WEB DuBois's The Souls of Black Folk. It's a great approach to ideas such as race and identity, the power of perception, and psychology. We'll use a lot of these understandings to guide us forward - especially ideas about the veil, double consciousness, and the power of society's expectations on us (even when we don't know about it). 

If you were absent, please access the recording and the collaborative slide decks. Today was an important class. We'll take these ideas to our next class when we read and study our choice texts. Remember that you're looking at the voices of others in order to better understand yourself. We'll have some great understandings ahead of us.

AP Research

Next week we have the final three classes to prepare for your Final Exam before the Final Exam. On May 31, you will present ONE of your Choice Board items. Note that you will only have about 3-5 minutes to present your item, so you won't be able to show the whole video or item, for example. Prepare yourself well. Be sure that all of your reflections are submitted, grades for seniors are now due. Any missing assignments will be marked as such next week.

17 May

English 10

Solid day in English 10 as we read two more chapters of Persepolis and continued to track Marji's development to adulthood. We ended our day by focusing on our memoir assignments and brainstorming key moments in our life that we can turn into a graphic novel. Remember that with this assignment the goal is to focus on ONE important moment. Think about the book we're reading, right? She's really telling us about major moments, not about everything. Try to do the same.

Next class we'll finish up with our movie tasks. Be ready to do a bit of writing. Remember that if you have any missing assignments (vocabulary, paragraphs, videos) that those assignments are due by May 30. No work will be accepted after May 30 except for the final examination and portfolio.

16 May - Happy Tuesday!

AP Language

Today was a great day! We started by looking at our Final Exam Unit and understanding the three tasks that we have ahead of us for our final exam. We're starting on this next class. For tonight, please read and annotate DuBois's article. Focus on ideas like race, identity, and perception of self. What affects how we view ourselves? DuBois was the first Black PhD from Harvard University; his words are going to give us a lot to consider in this final unit.

There is no more class time for Choice Board items. Please submit your letters to end the Choice Board. If you need to meet or complete other tasks, please make an appointment to do that outside of class. I'm looking forward to a great discussion next class on DuBois.

AP Research

We're continuing through our process of completing our final examination items. I've liked what I've seen turned in so far. Please submit a PDF if you can. Videos should be uploaded to YouTube and shared with my djmiller1 @ fcpsschools . net account. I'm looking forward to final presentations on 31 May. Our last day of class!