Research Papers

Hey everyone.  The research papers turned out pretty well.  The average was higher than any other paper we've done this semester.  :)  Nice work over all.

Vocab Results and Reading

Just FYI on the vocab audit results:  No one went down, but most went up.  Yea!  Crazy Scantron!!!!

Remember to read chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby and we'll talk about 6 and 7 on Monday.

Have a great weekend!

Vocab Final Today!!!

Cloudy and gray

Looks like today is a GREAT day to work on those papers!!  :)

Paper and the weekend

As you finish your papers this weekend, remember the resources linked from this post.  There are links to formatting notes at OWL and on the blog.  There is a sample paper and a veritable plethora of resources!

Hopefully you all got enough done this week that you can get out in the sun this weekend too.

Please, though, do both of us a favor and don't leave your paper until Sunday night --I'm as little interested in reading poor papers as you are in getting a poor grade on that poor paper!  :)

Enjoy your 3-day weekend!

The Great Gatsby

We will be starting The Great Gatsby tomorrow in class.  That means you will begin to have almost nightly readings from now until early June.  Some of you may be catching on to the fact that these readings and your big synthesis/research paper will overlap.  "Oops," you're saying.  "I guess I won't read the book."

Wrong.

You will be doing textual analysis on the book as well as having graded discussions.  A section of your final will be a test over Gatsby.  Work on your papers.

For those who like to plan, here is the likely schedule:

• 5/20 Study Hall Writing Day


• 5/22 Vocab 11 Test


• 5/26 Synthesis Paper Due


• 5/29 Vocabulary Final


• 6/4 Gatsby Final Pt 1 -- Discussion based


• 6/9 DGP Test


• 6/10 This I Believe presentations


• 6/12 The End of School Party / Class Photo


• 6/15 THE FINAL (Bwuhahahahaha!!!!)

The Great Gatsby Reading Schedule

Full text of The Great Gatsby online

Party! Whoop! Whoop!

Before we begin, PLEASE read the post directly below.  DO NOT put your paper off.  It's worth a lot.

Okay, now it's party time.  We have completed the AP test and that is no small thing.  Congratuations!

As best I can remember, here is what we put on the board:

• Bagels and cream cheese - Caleb


• Egg Rolls - Maverick


• Pancakes - Hayley O


• Pop - Jordan


• Milk - Janae


• Cheezits - Jeff


• Chips - Spencer


• Doughnuts - Kyle McCrossin

I know I'm forgetting something.  I will bring plates and cups and cutlery.

If you wish to bring a gaming system, come a bit early so we can set it up.  I have a locking cabinet in my room we can store it in during the day if you wish.  If that doesn't pan out, we'll finish the movie.  Read below for an extra credit opportunity!!!!  :)

Next Week:

• We'll pick back up on DGP - the Mark Twain sentence


• We'll pick up vocabulary with vocab 11 (gosh, we dropped a fair bit during the run-up to the AP test!)


• We'll start reading The Great Gatsby (dang, things just keep getting better and better!)


• Extra Credit Opportunity: Someone from the Washington Association of School Curriculum Directors asked our class to participate in making a video podcast that will be shown at their annual conference next fall.  They need 6-7 students who would be willing to respond on camera to the question, "What do you believe makes you successful?"  (I think they mean in school).  If you are interested, I will offer some extra credit. You will need to have your parents sign a permission slip (I have 9 of them).  The first 7 to both ask me for a permission slip and bring it back signed by Tuesday get extra credit.  They will be filming in Mrs. Brown's classroom at 11:00 on Tuesday and filming should be done with everyone by 11:30 or so.  Did I mention you will get extra credit for doing this?

Synthesis Papers

This is a blatent republishing of an April 24th post.  We have Wednesday as a writing day in the computer lab next week, but let's get working on it BEFORE then.  You should have been reading articles in the conversation section of the question you chose and possibly in the broader section as well.

Format and assignment information below:

Remember that Easybib and MLA at OWL are your friends.  Scroll down to the bottom of the MLA at OWL site for various topics concerning formatting your paper.  See especially In-Text Citations: The Basics and In-Text Citations: Author-Page Style.

Follow this link for further resources for writing and formatting your paper:

• Research Paper Resources (Nice collection including a research paper format example and the assignment sheet -- follow this link)

Cramming Test Prep

If you have a difficult time reading the older texts, go through the released prompts and read the old ones.  They don't release the actual student responses (sorry), but they do have all the prompts.  I wouldn't write them, but read them and think through the prompt a bit.  If you were in 1st semester, this will help get your head back in the game.  Best of luck!  Stay positive!

The Ten Commandments of the Advanced Placement Language Examination

1. I am the Prompt, thy Prompt; thou shalt have no other Prompt before me. Thou shalt read the Prompt with rapt attention; the Prompt is thy friend. Thou shalt address the Prompt. Thou shalt not just get the general idea of the Prompt, nor shalt thou fight the Prompt or substitute thine own ideas for the Prompt.
2. Thou shalt not postpone, omit, or bury thy Thesis Statement.
3. Thou shalt not dwell with Summary, nor shalt thou cohabit with Padding of Writing, for it is an abomination in my sight. Neither shalt thou be satisfied with mere Reading Comprehension for thy Prompt is an analytic and interpretive Prompt.
4. Thou shalt not commit Free-Floating Generalization, but shall support and develop thine every assertion with Concrete Details and Evidence.
5. Thou shalt not mistake complexity for confusion, or subtlety for indecisiveness; thou shalt not attribute thine own insensitivity or ignorance to authorial ineptitude. The fact that thou gettest not the point doesn't mean that the passage hath no point: thou hast missed the point and thus must reread more carefully.
6. Thou shalt read every Multiple-Choice question with the same exquisite care that thou devotest to the Essay Prompt: thou shalt not "get the drift." By the same token, shalt thou strive to read what the writer actually wrote, not what thou expectest him or her to have written.
7. Thou shalt not finish early. Thou shalt spend an abundance of thy time planning thine essay responses and any time left over editing them.
8. Honor thy percentages by guessing thoughtfully when thou art not sure of the answers. Thou shalt guess when thou knowest not the answers and can eliminateth two of the four answers.
9. Thou shalt not merely identify stylistic and rhetorical devices, but shalt show how they function and provide examples.
10. Thou shalt never permit thyself to become discouraged: I am the prompt, thy Prompt. Thou shalt maintain thy focus, attention, and confidence. Yea, though thou hast totally mutilated thy last essay, the next essay maketh a fresh start.

—adapted from Martin Beller, AP Language & Literature teacher

Hey, haven't I seen you before?

Do the "yes/no, but" form for On Cloning a Human Being in our books on page 678.

Thundercat, in answer to your witty comment, yes go ahead and blog it. You can do so in list form if that is easier than pasting a table from Word.  If you do that, please use the Word paste button in the second row of your formatting buttons (your blog will thank you).  If you don't see a second row, hit the button on the far right on the first row to open it up.

Please also bring your "yes / no, but" charts to class as well.  We will use them in an activity.