HW

Bring a well-written thesis that addresses the prompt in Q3 (the one you got today in class).

Read In Cold Blood Part 3, "Answer" by Monday 5/7.

Buy a copy of Working - due May 17.

Extra Credit: Please bring in a bag or at least 10 individually wrapped snacks (fruit treats, chips, granola bars, etc.) by Thursday May 10.

Source Work

Insight from an AP Reader: Synthesis

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Synthesis Essay Reflections from the 2017 AP Language Reading

By Roy F. Smith

The 2017 AP Language synthesis essay invites students to weigh in on the future viability of public libraries. The question asks students to consider the Internet’s impact on public libraries and their continuing relevance in the digital age.  The specific task reads as follows: “Then synthesize material from at least three of the sources and incorporate it into a coherent, well-written essay in which you develop a position on the role, if any, that public libraries should serve in the future.”  Six sources are provided for students to consider when developing their position. I read approximately 1200 essays over the course of the seven-day reading.  I am always amazed by the hard work and dedication AP students and their teachers commit to during their school-year preparation, and it is with their collective commitment to excellence that I offer my reflections from this year’s reading.

Celebrations

1. As a whole students wrote between 3-6 pages. A vast majority incorporated the required minimum of three sources. Structurally, most essays followed clear formats and were easy to read.
2. Successful students not only incorporated the required sources, but they used said sources to either support their position or challenge a source’s claims in relation to their position.
3. Many successful students incorporated personal anecdotes from their experiences with public libraries both as children and high school students. These personal experiences added voice and authenticity to their essays.

Reflections      

AP students are a hard-working bunch. They do the best they can on exam day to put into practice the skills and strategies their teachers have worked on throughout the year.  Our kids are active learners.  We have much to celebrate as we review and consider the path forward. We need to build on the strong foundations listed above.  I believe I have two distinct goals each year – my primary goal is to help each student achieve advanced placement at the college of his or her choice, and secondly, I want all students to grow as readers, writers, and critical thinkers. Some of my proudest moments are opening my students’ scores in July and seeing a hard-fought two.  Many students earning two’s are those who work diligently to improve throughout the year, and I respect and admire these students every bit as much as any other score point.

Areas for improvement

1. Many students didn’t directly answer the big question the prompt is asking: “. . . you develop a position on the role, if any, that public libraries should serve in the future.” They wrote about the virtues of libraries. They wrote about the virtues of the Internet. They wrote about the sources. They wrote about doing research on the Internet. They wrote about the antiquated nature of “paperback” books as opposed to e-books. What many students didn’t write about was “the role, if any, that public libraries should serve in the future.” I am sure there are many reason students didn’t directly develop a clear position that answered the prompt, but the lack of a clear thesis driven essay hurt students.
2. Students who lacked a clear position had trouble using sources effectively. Their source usage tended to shine a light on the source’s position as opposed to supporting or challenging the writer’s position. Some student’s used long sections from a source without linking it to their position. In other words, sources dominated many lower half essays.
3. Gross generalizations dominated many lower scoring essays:
4. “Lower income people will not be able to learn about political issues if public libraries close.”
5. “The Internet and e-books have made it so that nobody will use public libraries again.”
6. “Nobody reads real books anymore because they are too heavy.”

Students who qualified their claims, or who avoided the extremes fared better.

4. The upper half essays I encountered had authentic student voices and they used diction that was consistent and appropriate to their overall work. Many used personal anecdotes in their openings to establish personal connections (positive or negative) with public libraries.  These essays combined a passionate voice with a mature writing style to argue for a clear position. Lower scoring essays forced elevated language into otherwise pedestrian essays.  The result is often a tortured essay lacking an authentic student voice.  Students who trusted their voices and stayed consistent were more successful. Using “plethora” in an essay didn’t have the intended result students hoped for!

Reflections

As an AP reader, I want students to answer the task of the prompt with a clear and specific position. I don’t care what their position is, or if I agree with it, but I do want to engage with a student’s position.  I don’t need a summary of each source. I have read and internalized each source.  I want students to use the sources to support their position, and I want them to challenge positions presented in the sources. As the prompt says “Your argument should be the focus of your essay.”  I want students to use language they are comfortable with.  I want to “hear” each student’s unique voice.  As an AP teacher I want my students to consider the prompt before them and to argue for their positions.  I want them to think before they write.  I want them to use evidence from a source, the passage, the poem, or the prose piece to support their considered position.  I want them to write with their authentic voices.  It’s far more important for an AP reader to see the student behind each essay than to only see the teacher.

HW Due Fri. 4/27

Journals will be collected tomorrow AT THE START OF PERIOD 2. Please make sure you have at least 2 full pages for each book, 1 and 2 (min. 4 pages total).
Your journal should demonstrate:
1. That you have read and understood the first two books of ICB.
2. That you identified and analyzed Capote's mix of nonfiction and fiction elements to craft a nonfiction novel.
3. Insight that goes way beyond summary and basic stuff.
4. Original thought.

Beat Report #4 due Monday. No late papers accepted. If you scored below a 6 last time, you must turn this in. If you scored above a 6, it's not necessarily to complete this assignment.

Saturday, 8-11: AP Exam Prep.
1st Hour: Synthesis Essay
2nd & 3rd Hour: Exam Review (readings/prompts, then MC)

HW Due Thurs.

Evaluate a peer's Synth Q1 essay using the AP Synthesis Scoring Rubric.
make comments ON THEIR PAPERS with a colored pen other than the one they used. Write the score at the top of the paper. Make sure the score matches the criteria on the rubric.
Bring their essay back to class tomorrow.

In Cold Blood reading due Fri. 4/27: to p. 155.

Beat Report #4 due Mon. 4/30 (only have to do it if you got below a 6 on the last one).

AP Practice/Review Session SATURDAY 8-11. We are writing the Synthesis Essay first. We are starting immediately at 8. Please be on time and ready to write!

HW/Reminder

TO CLEAR UP THE MASSIVE CONFUSION I CAUSED WITH THE MYRIAD DUE DATES I POSTED AND ANNOUNCED> (Sorry, old people sometimes get confused)...
We are sticking with the date I originally put on the blog: 

DUE FRIDAY 4/27 (wrote wrong date on HW board - sorry):
Read In Cold Blood to page 155. Write 1-2 pages in response journal (any response you'd like, literary and rhetorical mix, emerging themes, etc.).

Beat Report #4 DUE 4/30 (optional for those who scored a 6 or higher on Beat #3).

Reminder: SAT DAY April 24 - Tuesday.
Sat. 4/28 AP Lang Test Prep #2:
Hour #1: Write Q1 Synthesis Essay
Hours #2 & #3: Review Multiple Choice, Q2 RA Essay Prompt and text, Q3 Argument Prompt.

Even if you did not attend the first session, you will benefit from this one.

Due Thursday

Read In Cold Blood until the end of page 74 ("The Last To See Them Alive"). Write minimum of 2 pages in your journal: Comment, in a chart, on the use of fiction (literary) and nonfiction (rhetorical) strategies in Capote's writing. Make sure you use explicit evidence with page # and don't summarize, but analyze the effect the technique has on the reader.

Reminder: Edna Tweets due tomorrow. You can leave your project on my desk.

Trip to BAM tomorrow. Stay in the auditorium after the assembly and wait with our group for the bus. Bring a snack and/or lunch.

UPDATE!

Edna Tweets now due Wed. 4/18.
(you can thank Andrew for asking me)

Wed. 4/18 is also the BAM Spoken Word Poetry trip. For all of those who paid, please make sure you have also turned in a permission slip. If you aren't sure, see me.

SATURDAY 8-11 AP LANG SIMULATED TEST
Please be on time. We are starting at 8 AM sharp. Bring a highlighter and a pen. You must stay with me the entire 3-hour prep period so as not to disrupt students who will be taking the timed test.

NOTE: If you are not able to come to this practice test, I will give you a copy of the test and you can time yourself at home. Then you can come to the review session on Sat. 4/28 - 8:00-11:00.

HW Due Wed. 3/11

Review your timed rhetorical analysis with teacher commentary.
Use the AP Rubric to score yourself. 
Explain your score with logical reasoning and include evidence from your own work.
1. PRAISE: What you did well.
2. RAISE: What you need to improve/add/expand upon next time.

Be prepared to turn in your essay, your self-assessment/reflection on Wednesday. You will be able to compare it to the "AP Reader" (aka Mrs. Marks) score.

NOTE:
For those of you who did not take the second timed writing, you must make it up during period 5 with a pass from your teacher or during period 6 lunch tomorrow in room 355. If you cannot make it, I need to grade the celery piece. I can't give back the rest of the class' essays until you write yours. 

***Edna Tweets Project will be reviewed in class. Project due: Monday April 16. Late projects (after period 2 Monday April 16) will lose one AP grade level).