16 March - After the Ides of March

AP Language

A bit of a blah start in AP Lang today with our Integrated Reading and Writing Field Test. I think that the best thing about this is now you've seen what the SOL is kinda like, so you're ready for that at the end of April. Remember that there are plenty of online released tests to practice for the SOL Reading.

After that, we played Russian Roulette - AP Language Style. This is a game designed for fast thinking and fast planning. We also had the chance to see multiple types of synthesis prompt across the years. What did you notice about them? Did you see a lot of the key similarities? Remember - the task is always the same, it's just the evidence and question that changes.

Next week is our week for writing conferences. You'll be writing on Monday. Be ready! Have a complete SourcePack. Review your feedback on the AB. If you haven't turned in the AB and gotten feedback, you'll really want that before you write next week. Make a plan to come in after school or at Lion Time. I'm here to help!

AP Research

We finished Manzanar today! Hooray! It's kinda funny how the work that we do is so front loaded, the conclusion for this paper was just two paragraphs. I hope that you see how each paragraph and each sentence within has a clear purpose. We did a lot of discussing and reflecting today in class and it was all pretty fantastic. You should start finishing your papers as soon as you can. Finalize your data. Work through your analysis. Write what you can now. Don't forget about your POD.

Next week we'll have a string of independent working days. Some of you will also conference with me to complete that from before. We also have our reflection question posted for this week. Be sure that these are all complete for your final check. That final check will happen AFTER Spring Break.

The ending time has come everyone. We will begin our POD presentations in mid-April. That's only about seven classes from now. Be sure that you are filling your time with productivity. Papers are due April 28.

Homework for B-Day Students - 16 September

AP Literature

Today we began really getting into the weeds as it applies to writing about literature. It's important to make sure that our thesis is always Debatable, Analytical, Defensible and Specific (it needs to have DADS). This gives us a lot of the tasks that we have to do in our explanation. Be sure to review our writing notes in the context of your outlines and the comments you were given. Begin to revise - but realize that we are using the outlines as the start of our major project work.

Additionally, for tonight you should be sure to continue working on college essays if these were not submitted today in class, reading the next section of "Bartleby" (to paragraph 166), and work on vocabulary cards. You have five cards from Melville due by the end of the week.

AP Research

Today we had a big class as we understood the elements needed to move from little r to BIG R research. It's a good day in the neighborhood. At this time you should be actively reviewing your work to include all of the elements of an effective research question. Be sure to use the template to reform and refocus your problem statement. The BoK is essential in this - you need it for a lot of the revised problem statement.

Don't forget the second reflection in your PREP as well as the preparation for this week. We have a CRAAP quiz next class and speed dating for research questions on Friday!

Homework for 11/28 and 11/29

Apologies for not posting your assignments last night.  Here are your reminders to prepare for Friday/Monday.

Freshman Focus

Your presentations will be next class.  We will begin presentations right when class begins so if there is any preparation that needs to be done in advance it needs to happen over the weekend.  Remember that there will be two grades here, your shared group grade for the powerpoint and then your individual grade for the presentation.  Your individual grade will also include your question and answer session in which I test your knowledge of your content.  Make sure that you are fully prepared.

AP English III

There are a few things going on over the next few days, here we go.  First, you need to give me your gmail account using the form in the previous post if you haven't already done that.  I need this information soon because we will begin our website project and that project will require the use of a gmail account for ease of creation.  Second, we will have a timed writing on Tuesday/Wednesday.  The timed writing will be a rhetorical analysis.  We've spent several classes preparing for this new task; I look forward to seeing what you all produce for me.  Remember that timed writings do count as a test grade.

Third, you need to stay on your grind, and by grind I mean reading schedule.  Remember that your next checkin is to be to the end of chapter sixteen, there was a misprint (my mistake) on your bookmarks.  Fourth, I will be checking your vocabulary bookmarks for completion on Friday/Monday.  I expect to see words from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Great Gatsby on these bookmarks.  Fifth, and very lastly, make sure that you've reviewed the reading by Sojorner Truth for a brief discussion and review on Friday/Monday.  There are a few important ideas that I want to go over with you all related to how Truth uses rhetoric to persuade her audience.

English IV

Today in class we had a great conversation related to the next to last chapter as well as some of the big ideas in this text:  power, humanity, authority, and truth or reality.  These ideas are all some that you can incorporate into your papers if you wish.  Tonight, you need to begin your first portion of your paper - your thesis statement.  On Friday/Monday I will conference with each of you about your thesis statement and we will make sure that you're starting off on a good point - then we'll move to the next phase of the essay which is collecting evidence and organizing it.

Essays are challenging because of all of the pieces that must be done in order for the essay to be successful.  This will be a very major test grade for you this quarter, please make sure that you meet your goals and are working hard to accomplish this.

English III Homework

Tomorrow we will be going to the library to begin researching for the term paper. I would recommend that you spend some time tonight reviewing your thesis and other information from your first go round. If you have any questions about what to do with the thesis come and see me, or we can conference in the library.

That's where we'll meet in the morning.