Time for a little essay introspection...

Your task this weekend is to determine where your first timed write falls on the AP rubric.  It is important that you not inflate your position on that rubric; be as honest as possible.  If you know where you are now, you can more easily figure out what you need to do in order to get where you want to be by the time it counts.

In addition to assigning your essay a number, write up an explanation like the ones from the question leader we read in class.  The basic pattern to those explanations are: what did the student (in this case you) do well (kind of summarize your argument and main points); where was the essay lacking; and finally what is the verdict.  Another way these are often written is as an evaluative walk through the essay, such as this example we discussed in class:

The opening two sentences of this essay, although attention-getting, have little to offer in terms of evaluating or advocating arguments about corporate sponsorship of schools. The second half of the opening paragraph asserts the student’s main claim: students should not be limited in their consumer choices. The following two paragraphs do the work of evaluation, weighing arguments for and against corporate involvement in schools, but the evaluation is fairly simplistic, particularly when considering the drawbacks of corporate sponsorships: the company’s products might be undesirable, and students who excel without corporate support are not given enough credit. The language problems, which are most conspicuous in paragraph 3, impede a reader’s understanding of the student’s intended meaning. Thin content development, failing to go beyond assertions without support, and pervasive language problems earned this essay a score of 3.

For those of you concerned with length, the example above is a good length.

Have a good weekend!

PS If you have LOST YOUR BOOK and it is the one with the blue/black stain along the bottom cover (Bunker left it in his backpack in the back of his truck in the rain once), then I have it in my room.

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