Friday, December 6, 2013

The Inheritance of Tools

Blog for Monday. Have a great weekend!!
  1. What is Sander's most engaging example of powerful diction? Explain why you think so. (I'm looking at you, Kiana.)
  2. Note 2 examples of Sander's use of parallel structures.
  3. Consider the organization of the essay, noting particularly the section about the gerbils (paragraphs 17-25). How does that section contribute to the overall effect?
  4. Discuss the significance of the gerbil section to the conclusion, which immediately follows.
  5. Read paragraph 20. Explain the purpose of Sander's reference to the grand events included there.
  6. Explain the rhetorical effect of the allusions that Sanders includes in paragraph 25.
  7. Read carefully the final sentence of the essay. Discuss the effectiveness of concluding with this selection of details.

Go Hawks!

Monday, December 2, 2013

Once More to the Lake

For many of us, E.B. White is in our imaginations through Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. He excelled at creating worlds for his readers, and in this piece we begin to see why.
We're going to get to know this essay pretty well over the next week along with Inheritance of Tools. Reading it and briefly discussing it in class today was a first salvo into that knowledge. The next step is to blog your answers to the following questions by Thursday:
  1. Characterize White’s attitude in the opening paragraphs.
  2. Note White’s use of such original and creative expressions as “had never had any fresh water up his nose.” Find and cite a few others.
  3. Note White’s selection of details in paragraphs 1-6. Indicate a specific example and explain its effect.
  4. Indicate three or four examples of figurative language and discuss their purpose. 
  5. Identify at least one appeal to each of the five senses and explain the effect on each.
  6. Discuss the rhetorical purpose served by paragraph 10.
  7. Discuss the effect of the specificity of the details in paragraph 11. 
  8. The concluding sentence of the penultimate paragraph begins with “And.” What is the effect of beginning that way?
  9. Discuss the nature of the final image of the essay. What rhetorical purpose does it serve?
  10. Read the essay a second time and count the “and”s in it. Discuss the effect of their use.
If you were absent or need another copy of the essay, here it is: Once More to the Lake.

Secondly, there is a wistful cadence to this piece that makes it rather endearing and a bit haunting. Exploring that a bit, 

Note/Mark your favorite passage. This could be one you find especially well written, or it could be one that interests you for some reason (feature, subject, etc.). You don't have to put this on the blog, but be prepared to talk about it.
Be prepared to explain your favorite passage to the class on Thursday and to be asked to explain more if your comments stay on the surface.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Moth Blog


Moths exist that are bigger than your head!
Choose ONE of the following questions to work on in your group. Everyone will be blogging a response, so please take notes on your discussion. Due by Monday.
  • Compare and contrast the levels of language used by Woolf and Dillard. Cite examples of their use of figurative language to enhance their narratives and advance their theses. Who is their intended audience, and how do they adjust style to this primary set of readers?
  • The Hercules moth might be able to carry this kid away.
  • Compare and contrast the writers' perspective on the central event -- the death of the (a) moth. Does the fact that Woolf personifies the moth and attempts to rescue it reveal anything about her purpose? Does Dillard's reaction to the moth indicate a lack of compassion or philosophical depth? You might want to consider these questions in your response.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Thursday, November 21, 2013

A Modest Proposal

Someone missed an awesome combover opportunity.
Though a disturbing piece, A Modest Proposal is a brilliant argument — in part because it is so disturbing. Let’s take a closer look at how Jonathan Swift crafts his argument.

To that end, blog your responses to the following questions found on pages 920-921 in TLC: Questions on Rhetoric and Style #s 1-5, 7-9 for Monday.

Additionally, write a short reflection (try to keep it between 150 and 200 words) on how Swift uses satire coupled with his true ideals, hinted at throughout the piece and especially in paragraph 29, to drive home his argument to his audience.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

DGP is dead! Long live Grammar!

As mentioned in class, this year we will not be doing DGP in AP. Instead, we will be working through the Grammar as Rhetoric and Style activities in our TLC book. If you browse through the table of contents, you'll notice that each thematic chapter contains a grammar section that focuses on a particular grammatical element. The first one appears at the end of Chapter 4 and explores the appositive.

By Friday, please complete all of the exercises in the Chapter 4 grammar section beginning on page 167 (there are 5 exercises with 5-10 questions a piece).

This may be done on paper or the blog. Since we'll be going over it in class, it may be better to have it on paper. Students last year preferred paper for the grammar assignments.

If you want one of those grammar shirts, you can get one here. WARNING: they are overpriced. Really? $25 for a grey t-shirt?

For 1st period: SAT Vocabulary Week 11

Thursday, October 31, 2013

JFK Paper


Please do questions 1-4 and 1-9 on pages 55-6 of the TLC book. Due Monday November 4th.

If you feel like you've been cornobbled by this JFK assignment and are lost in a collieshangie with rhetorical devices, remember to step back, take a breath, and reacquaint yourself with the purpose you are dealing with in each paragraph/section. Focus on how he attempts to fulfill each purpose using rhetorical strategies. Remember that rhetorical strategies can include such things as diction and syntax, appeals (both classical and various, i.e. patriotism, pride, compassion, etc.), choice of detail, figurative language, imagery, organization, etc.

Remember the rhetorical situation: speaker, occasion, audience, purpose(s) as well.

We're in the lab Tuesday (11/5) and Wednesday (11/6) at least. Remember the prompt is on page 57 of the book.

Here's the speech file if you need a clean copy.

Hmmm, wouldn't cornobbled and collieshangie be great words to add to a vocabulary test?
Cornobble: An example for a study break.

Friday, October 25, 2013

Hunger of Memory

Blog a personal response to one or more of the implied claims made in the preface to Hunger of Memory. Explain the implied claim and how he makes it, and then engage with that claim on a personal level (what you think) and relate it or contrast it with your own life and situation.

Have a wonderful Homecoming!!

Friday, October 18, 2013

Education: The Emerson Way

Ralph Waldo Emerson
Finish reading Emerson's On Education on page 102 of The Language of Composition (TLC). In order to get a solid understanding of what he is on about, do Questions for Discussion on page 108 numbers 1, 3, and 5 on your blog. Once you're done with that, it'll be time for some analysis of how he does what he does. To that end, thoughtfully respond on your blog to Questions on Rhetoric and Style 1-3, 5-6, and 8-12 on pages 108-109.

And as you do this and your other homework, remember that:
"Not less delightful is the mutual pleasure of teaching and learning the secret of algebra, or of chemistry, or of good reading and good recitation of poetry or of prose, or of chosen facts in history or in biography." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Take delightful pleasure in this learning activity up through Tuesday evening (due Wednesday October 23). We'll discuss this in class on Wednesday, unless I'm miraculously somehow able to find time to grade your timed writes before class on Wednesday.

For some all-important context, please see this transcendentalism article from the Stanford website, quoted in part below.
Transcendentalism is an American literary, political, and philosophical movement of the early nineteenth century, centered around Ralph Waldo Emerson. Other important transcendentalists were Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Amos Bronson Alcott, Frederic Henry Hedge, and Theodore Parker. Stimulated by English and German Romanticism, the Biblical criticism of Herder and Schleiermacher, and the skepticism of Hume, the transcendentalists operated with the sense that a new era was at hand. They were critics of their contemporary society for its unthinking conformity, and urged that each person find, in Emerson's words, “an original relation to the universe” (O, 3). Emerson and Thoreau sought this relation in solitude amidst nature, and in their writing. By the 1840s they, along with other transcendentalists, were engaged in the social experiments of Brook Farm, Fruitlands, and Walden; and, by the 1850s in an increasingly urgent critique of American slavery. 
Goodman, Russell, "Transcendentalism", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Spring 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = .

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Superman and Me

Today in class we read Superman and Me by Sherman Alexie. Reread this short piece paying special attention to the syntax and the rhythm of the language. Also pay attention to his use of metaphor. These are related and work together to convey his overall meaning. Please blog your analysis of this little essay in the terms discussed above.

In addition, please blog your answers to questions 1-4;7-8 in the same blog post as your thoughts above. Hint: questions 5 and 6 will help you answer the slightly more vague directions above. (Hopefully we started these in class -- I'm not sure because it's before school at the moment.)

This is a short piece. Read it again. Remember as you analyze to focus first on the details and use them to reveal the big picture, then when you write, start with the big picture and explain it using the small details.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

I know why the caged bird cannot read...uh, it's a bird.

Who says I can't read?
Finish reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Can't Read that we began in class today. Please read it with a dictionary handy (experiment: can a high school student use dictionary.com without also stopping to use facebook/spotify/tumblr/twitter/
snapchat/instagram/etc?); Prose's prose is rich and varied and can be either a delight or a difficulty depending on your reading vocabulary and fluency. Do your best to understand her argument and the moves she makes in that argument.

Tomorrow we have Dayna Childs from UW Tacoma to talk about their new early entrance program for high performing high school students. We will also have our SAT vocab test on week 5 words, and we will discuss the essay and work in groups on the questions. Whatever isn't finished in class, will be homework. For Monday, please have blogged all assigned questions (the Questions on Rhetoric and Style only on page 100).

Friday, September 27, 2013

Autumn of the Multitaskers


Make sure to look at the previous two blog posts as well.

Take another look at (and finish) the multitasking article and identify the overall claim/assertion (the glossary of The Language of Composition has a good definition if you need one). Then, identify the claim/assertion in each section of the article (handily, sections are indicated by a drop cap). Blog your results for Monday.

By the way, here's a good NPR story on this subject. You can read it or listen to it here. Aside from looking at assertions, this topic goes well with our metacognition papers as we continue to learn how to use our brains most effectively.

Side note: Here is a really graphic blog on texting while driving that I found while looking for a picture of someone running off a road in Wyoming. ONLY for those with strong stomachs. It is the result of an accident. Seriously only for those with strong stomachs. If you have a hard time getting horrible images out of your mind, DO NOT LOOK!

Oh, and I thought all of these cartoons were funny and I couldn't decide which one to use.
 

We will be in the Library Lab to get started on our papers on Monday. Career Cruising will be Tuesday and Wednesday in the Library Lab. It looks like we might live there some next week.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Thinking about how you think

Start thinking about the process you use in your thinking this weekend. I'll give you an assignment sheet tomorrow, but here it is for you impatient types. The text of the assignment sheet is also included below. :)

Metacognition Paper

Using the Golding essay Thinking as a Hobby as a starting point, write an essay examining your own thinking at the current time. Unlike Golding, do not seek to trace your thinking over time, but deeply examine the state of your thinking now. Analyze how you deal with pressure, stress, difficult intellectual problems, writing, etc. in order to get at how you think. You do not need to use Golding’s classifications, though you may if you find them helpful.

Word Limit: 900 words +/- 10%

Due: October 7, 2013

Before you begin to write, consider the following:
  • Your rhetorical situation: Speaker, Subject, Audience relationships; context; and purpose 
  • A proposed overall arrangement (of course you can use multiple arrangements if needed) 
Points: 40
Grading will focus holistically on the following elements:
  • Depth of analysis 
  • Organization 
  • Sentence structure 
  • Diction/Voice 
  • Conventions
The General AP Rubric provides more detailed information.

ever procrastinate?

This is the most interesting thing I've ever read about procrastination. I am most definitely an incubator, and I've worked hard to increase the time I start before something is due. Anyway, you might find this interesting. And it might help some of you with your Metacognition papers (more on those later).

Monday, September 23, 2013

What was he thinking?

rodin_thinkerHaving read Thinking as a Hobby, consider the different ways that the statuettes are positioned.  Golding is pretty clear that their positioning indicates a philosophy of life held by he or the headmaster at various points in time.  Think about the elements symbolized by these three statuettes: the thinker, the leopard, and the Venus de Milo.  I know you can probably come up with other symbols for aspects of life; His choices help indicate his own philosophy.

venus-de-milo
Your task is to first explain what the second two arrangements mean (the one he created during the dance and the one that closes the piece). Then, considering Golding's symbols, propose one additional symbol and come up with an arrangement that works with your philosophy of life.  Blog the results of your musings.  Make sure to explain their placement and what it all means.   There is no wrong answer -- there are thoughtful answers and answers that are dashed off without much thought.

leopardThis is due Thursday.  Read through the article again.  Feel free to mark it up.  Think about this a bit before you begin typing.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Toxophilus Unleashed!

Read pages 38-48 in the TLC book (or rather review them since we went over them in class) and apply one of the techniques enumerated therein to the Toxophilus excerpt from this book written by Roger Ascham in 1545 and dedicated to King Henry VIII (the assignment is on page 48).

I've linked the Toxophilus excerpt in a Google Docs version so you can copy the text into your Google Docs or Word if you wish. Using tables, you can do the dialectical journal or graphic organizer on Google Docs and you can annotate using comments. You may wish to bring something in done by hand, though. Not sure if you can circle and draw arrows in the way you may wish to in a Google Doc. I do encourage you to try your hand at the dialectical journal or the graphic organizer.

Since a number of people will wish to turn this in as a physical document, please print out your electronic efforts if that's the direction you take so that I receive all of the assignments in the same medium. Thank you!

Enjoy your trip back into the scientific observations and practical concerns of the mid-Sixteenth Century England!

Due Monday 9/23 in class.

Remember we have a vocabulary test tomorrow!

Friday, September 13, 2013

Arrangement

Not this kind of arrangement... :)
This weekend, read pages 13-26(top). Pay attention to the classical model; it's also on the green poster in the classroom, but the book has an annotated example. This is a more useful alternative to the 5-paragraph essay as you seek to become more sophisticated writers. Additionally, this section walks through different patterns of development. The assignment at the end is practice recognizing those patterns in a piece we've already read earlier in the chapter. Please blog your responses to that assignment on page 26.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Rhetorical Einstein

Everybody likes riding bikes!
In the Language of Composition book (the  TLC book), read pages 1-10 and do the assignment on page 9-10 (I know we read the part about Lou Gehrig, but read the part after as there is a bit about assertions I forgot to talk about in 1st period). 

You should do this assignment on the blog. That means you create a new post titled with the assignment title and with your response in the blog body. If you have given me your blog address, I will get your assignment. If you haven't, I won't. Remember to hit "Publish" or it won't get to me.
Remember there is a vocabulary test tomorrow. See the Quizlet post below for studying resources.

Also, if you haven't sent me your blog address yet, see the Setting Up Your Blog, Part II post below.

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Quizlet and Vocab

If you're looking for ways to study the vocabulary words for the quiz Friday, go to Quizlet.com and create an account (or log in if you have one), then type "mrgiddings" into the search box. From there, you can join my class, or just access the lists in that class. This week's list is up.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Setting up your blog, Part II

I still don't have addresses for all your blogs. If you haven't sent me your address, please do so. Here are some instructions if you've had difficulty. If you've already logged into your Fife Google Apps account, ignore the password section at the beginning.

  1. Go to: http://mail.fifeschools.com
  2. login using your school username and "password" as your password
  3. Go through the rigamarole to change it if you never set it up last year. If you are completely new to the school, you may not have a login yet if you didn't turn in an AUP form when you registered.
  4. Check out your new email account. If you go into settings, you can change the theme, and labs allows you to customize your tools quite a bit. That's your school email account. Yea!

Now go to More then Blogger
  1. login using your FULL fifeschools email address if not already logged in
  2. create a blog (you'll need your cell phone, or one of someone next to you)
  3. email the link to your blog to agiddings@fifeschools.com .
  4. play with it and learn how to use it. Make it pretty if you want to. :)

Some tips regarding the blog:

Pay Attention

Read each noodleblog post in its entirety.  I will do my best to give you clear instructions.  Do your part by reading them.

Hit Publish

When you publish your posts, hitting “save” only saves them.  You must hit Publish for your post to make it on your blog in such a way that others can read it (or give you credit for it).

Learn how to use the site

Poke around and see what there is to see. Play with it a bit.

Make Sure You’re Up To Date

Go back and make sure you've done all the assignments and all the parts of the assignments on this blog.

In the future, check this blog every day for announcements and assignments.  You are responsible for doing the work posted here.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Reminder

Remember we have the rhetorical vocab test tomorrow. For the class that asked about format (3rd period if I remember correctly), I pulled it up and it is matching, but it's matching in the sense that you have a word bank and you match the words to a blank in a sentence. So it's essentially fill in the blank, but you have a word bank. Capisce

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Set up your blog!

This year, you will turn in your daily type home work assignments on your blog and your larger process papers on Google Docs. In order to get going, you need to set up a blog. We will set these up in class on Wednesday. If you are technically adept or adventurous and like being a tad ahead of the curve, you can try and set your blog up early.

To do so, log into your Fife Schools account and from the top bar, choose More and then Blogger. Follow the prompts to set up your blog from there. It can be called whatever you want and you can play with the design to your heart's content, but remember that this is a school class blog you will use for AP English Lang this year and AP English Lit next year (maybe -- he might not use them). 

Setting your blog up early is not required. We will take time as a class to do this. Please do take some time to familiarize yourself with my blog. It has a lot of resources available for you in the links on the left and in Class Documents.

Also, please do not be alarmed or feel disoriented if my blog design changes. That will happen every so often. 

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Ahhhhhh Summer!

Please remember there will be a quiz on the rhetorical vocab this Friday!

Welcome to AP English Language and Composition!

We have a summer assignment. Don't worry; it's not too onerous. It's a little reading, a little thinking, and a little writing. Follow the link above for instructions and materials. Have a wonderful summer and I'll see you on September 3rd!

If you have questions, please feel free to email me!


NOTE: The summer assignment link sends you to a folder with pdf files hosted by Google Drive. You can view them in your browser, but I strongly suggest downloading the Huck Finn articles to your computer and either printing them or opening them from your computer. The browser interface won't allow you to rotate the articles (they are scanned from a book and are flipped on their side). One student told me she had a hard time reading them as it was uncomfortable to turn her head. ;) You have other options!

Isn't that bridge in the picture below in London? Why yes it is!

Some of you are signed up to travel to Europe in the summer of 2014. We are going to England (London, Stratford, Oxford, Bath, Stonehenge)...and Paris. If you are interested in joining us, check out the trip at http://www.explorica.com/Giddings-3875.


Sunday, June 9, 2013

AP Grading

Have a good week everyone.  My second folder of essay packets I thought might have been yours.  The first one seemed a lot like Michael and the second one seemed like Courtney.  Crazy. Who knows if it was or not,  but it was kinda weird.

Enjoy Gatsby and your late arrivals!

Friday, May 31, 2013

Gatsby Visual Project

Boss Flapper
So, here is the assignment sheet for the Gatsby Visual Project we discussed in class today. It is due June 6th, meaning it needs to be on the Apps drive in the correct period's folder by the time class begins (I'll show you where that is) or uploaded to Google Docs and shared with me.

We have Monday - Wednesday next week in the lab to work on these. If you want to work on it at home, I'd strongly recommend bringing a laptop to school as Windows Media Player files don't transfer between versions. Also, the files to play need to be exported in to MP4 or AVI files.

Have a great weekend!

Sample Video
Another one

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Postponed!

Feeling a little bit like the woman on the right? Well, this post is for you, then. The presentation has been moved from Thursday to Tuesday when we get back from Memorial Day. Hopefully that makes you feel like the woman below. :)












If you're doing a Google Doc presentation, please remember to share it with me so that I can collect them and we don't have to log in and out of accounts on Tuesday.

Read Gatsby Chapter 4 tonight. (I'm going to see the movie on Friday!)

Oh yes, and here are the rubrics. You don't need to print them out, I just wanted you to see them even though we've talked about them and they are very straight forward. Remember, the evaluation is based primarily on the concerns of the AP synthesis rubric, so #1 on the presentation rubric is the most important and weighted the heaviest.

Friday, May 17, 2013

The Great Gatsby


Here is the schedule and instructions for our Gatsby readings and bookblogs!

Here's an abbreviated study guide for those who find them useful. It is NOT required that you complete this.

We are going through this pretty fast -- essentially 9 chapters in 2 weeks. Don't fall behind and feel free to read ahead if you'd like, though out of respect for those who don't appreciate spoilers, please confine discussions to the schedule.

I'm about 90% sure the field trip to see the movie is going to pan out -- I'm waiting to hear back from the movie theater at the moment. It looks like it will be in the neighborhood of 12-15 dollars a piece for transportation and tickets (assuming a Fandango fee).

For those who have had trouble with the pdf, here is the handout:


The Great Gatsby Bookblog[1]

For each chapter, you need to create a bookblog entry that includes the following features:
  • 1 textual observation[2] on a theme in the novel, either how it is functioning for a particular character/situation or how it figures into Fitzgerald’s argument in the novel. Possible themes include: the corrupting influence of wealth, the hollowness of the upper class and of the American Dream. Also interesting to explore would be the question of the character of love and its worth, for example what is worth doing or giving up for love? 
  • 1 textual observation on character development 
  • 1 textual observation about the use of symbol, metaphor, or color (color in terms of symbolism, meaning, etc) 
You may find that a dialectical journal format works well for this, though I leave form up to you as long as it contains the elements listed above.

20 points a piece

The Great Gatsby Reading Schedule
Chapter
Page Range
# of Pgs
Read by
Chapter I
5-26
21
5/20
Chapter II
27-42
15
5/21
Chapter III
43-64
21
5/22
Chapter IV
65-85
20
5/23
Chapter V
86-102
16
5/28
Chapter VI
103-118
15
5/28
Chapter VII
119-153
34
5/28
Chapter VIII
154-170
16
5/29
Chapter IX
171-189
18
5/30
Don’t fall behind! There will be a test (Gatsby Stuff will be on the final)


[1] A bookblog is a booklog done on your blog.  I have no idea if it’s a real word; I made it up one morning several years ago.  I do not claim originality though.  I imagine it’s been coined before.  J
[2] For the purpose of this assignment, textual observation refers to an analytical comment rooted in a specific text. Please provide the page number and include the actual text if possible (sometimes it is too long).  There are a number of sites that contain the full text of The Great Gatsby.


Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Notes on the Practice Test

On Friday, don't forget that we will not be going to 1st period. I will leave my room about 7:30 to head over to the district office. We will meet in the boardroom. If you'd like, you're more than welcome to head over there with me. We will finish sometime during 4th period, but after 1st lunch. We will head over to Dairy Queen after the test for some lunch. You are welcome to bring money or your own lunch. We will not have field trip transportation, so I am sorry that we will not be able to drive anywhere else. We will be back in class for 5th period.

Remember that you need to bring:

  • pencil(s)
  • blue or black pen(s)
  • notebook paper

Monday, April 29, 2013

Super Toys Last All Summer Long!

Teddy, "Why not do it again in crayon?"
Having read Super-Toys Last All Summer Long, blog your answers to questions 2-7.

This story was made into a fairly haunting movie with Haley Joel Osment and Jude Law in 2001 called A.I. (directed by Steven Speilberg) if you're interested.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Sweat, sweat, sweat! Work and sweat, cry and sweat, pray and sweat!

Take another look at Zora Neale Hurston's short story Sweat. There's really a lot going on in this piece. The questions in our book will help you get at things. Blog 1-3, 5-8 (we talked briefly about 4 in class).

For number 9, write a bit about what she is saying about how men should be. Pay special attention to her "Greek Chorus" on the porch of Joe Clarke's shop.

Enjoy the sunshine, but be glad it isn't so hot that "The heat streamed down like a million hot arrows, smiting all things living upon the earth. Grass withered, leaves browned, snakes went blind in shedding and men and dogs went mad." :)

On a completely unrelated note, they were just able to scan and reproduce the wax record that has Alexander Graham Bell's voice on it. So, for the first time outside his century, we know what he sounded like.

Monday, April 22, 2013

No Unmarked Woman

Charge of the jumpsuits!
So, this idea of marked and unmarked gender styles is interesting. The more I think about it, the more I think it is true. But Deborah Tannen's article is constructed in an interesting manner as well. To examine that structure and the techniques she used to get her point across, blog the questions 1-8 on page 393. Due Wednesday.

Tomorrow is a Timed Write Tuesday.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Women's Brains

Brains....brains....braaaaaiiiiiiinnnnnssss
As we wrestle with the unpleasant, but important to understand Women's Brains by Stephen Jay Gould, work on the Rhetoric and Style questions 1-12 on pages 354-55 of the TLC book. They are due Monday. 

As you work with this essay, think about the implications of the ideas in the essay -- both those of Gould and of those he quoted. Are there echoes of those ideas alive and kicking today? How? When? Where? To what extent? ;) Append a brief reflection on those questions at the end of questions 1-12.

Next week we'll look at some more gender themed stuff while also hitting the test prep with another timed write and more multiple choice.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Works Cited, Easybib, and Plagiarism

Remember that citing sources is just a convention to point your reader back to where you got ideas, facts, and quotes for your essay. It also gives credit to your sources for the help they provided in you writing your paper.

A sample MLA Works Cited page is here. That will also get you to the Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University which has a great deal of citation information as you will see by the links on the left of their site if you click through to them from here. Their site does not appear to be optimized for mobile, but it can be extremely useful from a computer or tablet.

For those of you interested, Easybib has a free mobile app. I tried it out briefly last night. It allows you to email your bibliography or upload it directly to Google Docs, even choosing what folder you want to put it in.   It's pretty basic at this point, but by the time you're in college, it should have a pretty awesome feature set.

Android app
iPhone app

Plagiarism
If you're concerned about plagiarism, you can find resources to help you both understand and avoid it here and here.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Weekend Homework

Friday we are in the lab to work on our papers.

1st period: Eng/SS Lab
6th Period: Library Lab

Monday we are also in the lab to work on our papers, but that time both periods are in the Eng/SS Lab.

For those in Canada, have a great trip and see you Monday.

Speaking of travel, if there is anyone still on the fence about going to Europe (who wouldn't want to go to Europe?), we still have spaces available for you. Don't miss out!

Monday, April 8, 2013

Pop Culture Paper

TV Bad! TV Good? Orwell, Huxley, Postman Oh My!!!

Anyway.

Write to prompt 3 on page 787 of your book. Keep it to 1000 words +/- 10%.

Remember that a synthesis paper is essentially a research paper in that you are using sources. Those sources need to be cited. So, remember to look over the research paper resources for how to do that. Also, Easybib.com is your friend and he loves to help out with works cited pages.

It is due on Thursday April 18th.

Friday, March 29, 2013

Prompt Analysis

For those of you who were gone or had to leave early, this is the prompt analysis from 6th period (p. 787 #3).  Have a great spring break! 
When we come back,  we will have one month until the AP test.  Time to sprint!

Thursday, March 28, 2013

TV Turnoff Week Poster

Blog the questions for the TV Turnoff Week poster for tomorrow. Then read Is Media Violence Free Speech? on page 783. We will be blogging the questions on page 787 as well. Those aren't due until later, but if you have the time and would like to get it finished, go ahead.

Please bring your books on Friday.

Grammar Extra Credit

Due to the sequester and budget wrangling, the College Board has extended the AP test deposit deadline until April 10, when the legislature has promised they will have the fee reduction funding figured out.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Comma Splices

I'm seeing a number of comma splices in the essays I've been grading. It might not hurt to review quickly what they are and how to avoid them. This is a good source: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/comma-splice.aspx

TV-B-Gone!

Tonight blog the questions on page 781 for the interview with Kalle Lasn. Those of you dead set on buying a TV-B-Gone and causing havoc, behave yourselves.

We'll discuss the group work tomorrow and we'll add another source to the mix.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Grammar EC

These are the remaining grammar sections in the book that would be the most beneficial to you on the AP test (the ones that I think you'd likely need the most practice with). Those grammar sections are the ones in chapters 10 and 12-13. See the table of contents for page numbers. Look them over before the AP test and make sure you get it. I will take those grammar sections for extra credit up until May 10th.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Wait, Now TV is bad for you!


Blog questions 1-6 on page 779 in response to the essay The Argument Against TV.

Also, in keeping with embracing TV the other night while reading the pro-TV essay, tonight try NOT watching TV (Tivo it and watch it tomorrow).

Since the grammar is due tomorrow, this will be due on Wednesday.

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Watching TV Makes Us Smarter? Sign me up!!


Finish reading Watching TV Makes You Smarter on page 766 and do the questions on page 776 (there are 5 of them). In addition to blogging the questions, take a look at the classical model of organization on pages 13-17 of your book. Does Johnson follow that in this essay? If so, explain. If not, describe his structure and explain how he uses it to effectively make his argument.

Maybe watch some TV. After all, the AP test is coming up. ;)

For those of you who will be gone and are taking pictures of the book, snap photos of pages 339-345 so you can do the Grammar as Rhetoric and Style section on parallel structure. That will be due on Tuesday.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Lunch at Jerry's -- I bet they don't serve corned beef and cabbage...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

If you haven't already, please read "From Serving in Florida" by Barbara Ehrenreich on page 179 in the TLC book. Then blog the questions on rhetoric and style numbers 1-12 on page 187.

If you have questions, we can talk about them on Monday. Bring your books. We'll be introducing Synthesis on Monday and we'll need them for some of that. Also, Tuesday is our first synthesis timed write. It's  practice one and we'll use it to help understand what they are looking for on Wednesday.

Have a great weekend!
Hmmm, Ireland is awfully close to England. Let's go!