Shoe Voting Update

Two more school days to vote for the AP Lit & Lang shoes! In disappointing news, two of three leading pairs are no longer in my size as of April 29. With that in mind, you may want to vote for additional pairs on Monday & Tuesday!

Tom Hiddleston is our new mascot

As Mr. Hiddleston put it so perfectly, "I try to convert pressure into excitement. Always. Because it's all...energy." While he may be talking about acting in high profile films, we are borrowing the idea of pressure metamorphosing into excitement and energy for AP prompt writing and testing! We are 5 days from the big day, the completion of this course, the end of your high school English career! It may feel like the doldrums with odd scheduling and duties to fulfill, but you should view this week as the ultimate apex of your English education.

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And, if his words do not provide enough motivation, you can always watch him dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GaO0oMniMQ

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Testing Day Part II

Eight days until the AP Lit Exam, and we spent today completing the last MC test for this course. I scored 48/55, which is admirable but not as technically proficient as my prior tests. For the last 35 minutes of class, we looked at a free response prompt on texts that feature two settings. (I don't know what novel we just read could fit this prompt!).

If you have missed any parts of the test, you will need to schedule make up time this week either via study hall or after school.

Friday will feature 2 prompts -- prose & free response.

Don't forget the extra prep sessions before and after school and other hours during the school day. Check your handout for specific information.

Prep Sessions

Just a reminder that you can come before school, after school, and during some classes to prep for the AP exam. Check your handout for times and dates.

Prep sessions will include one multiple choice passage, one close reading passage (afternoon only), and tally sheets.

As you  may recall, there are 76 points of extra credit up for grabs this semester, and the AP student with most tally marks will earn those points.

5 Prompts to Go

Today's class featured the first prompt of your AP full test/final. Afterwards, we graded the take home MC test and reviewed commonly missed answers. Next up, we looked at 2 prose prompts -- both detailing character and setting -- to prep for the upcoming prose essay prompt. Last, we had a free from discussion of WH.

For tomorrow's class, you will need to finish WH. We will discuss this and use the novel to review free response writing after the MC test.

AP Lit & Lang Shoe Voting

On each AP testing day, I have a little celebratory tradition: I scour my shoe sites and purchase a pair of shoes as a treat for teaching each course. Par example...

2014 AP Lang & Lit (Charlotte Olympia Ice Cream), 2015 AP Lit (Sophia Webster Amanda Banana), 2015 AP Lang (Sophia Webster T-Bar Flamingo)

To make this decision more interactive, you will have the opportunity to vote for your favorite pair during the next week. You may vote once per day on the tally sheet, and you are welcome to stop by on non-class days. Given availability and cost considerations, the top two vote-getters will be favored.

Yes, I know this is goofy! However, it is something fun that will balance all of the AP reviews and test work.

April 20

According to the schedule, I will not see you until Monday. In the interim, you will complete a full MC test. Exact timing is optional. However, you will need to note if you did time the exam. In addition, you will need to read through Chapter 28 of WH.

Loose plan for next week:

Monday = AP Exam Prompt (40 minutes), Review MC Test Answers, Prose Prompts, Discuss Chs. 23-28
Tuesday = Multiple Choice Exam (60 minutes), Free Response Prompts, Discuss WH
Friday = AP Exam 2 Prompts (80 minute), WH

That Cathy

Our class could have been subtitled "Cathy Bashing" today! Mrs. Catherine Earnshaw Linton is a frustrating character exhibiting immature, naive behavior to all the men in her life. No wonder Linton and Heathcliff seem continually perplexed by her behavior and her lack of true commitment to one man over the other.

For homework, use a highlighter to close read the given passage. For each character, you will use a different highlighter. Then, write a paragraph analyzing the three starred items at the top of the handout.

Read chapters 14-16 for Monday's class.

Board Close Reading/MC

After wrapping up our board close reads, we started reviewing the MC portion of the exam.

For tomorrow's class, we will finish the MC portion and, hopefully, analyze the three writing prompts and your overall score. With one essay left to add into the total, all students have at least a 2 on the exam and several are flirting with a 5. In addition, we will present your last book card, have small group analysis of chapters 8-11, and then individual close reading assignments for chapters 12-13.

If you are ordering a tee for this class, I will need you color and funds ($15) preferably by tomorrow. Friday will be the last possible day so that we can start a purchase order. E-mail size and color to me -- I e-mailed the color chart to you last week.

Prose Prompt Results

Normally after this prompt, I break out the highlighters and review dual characterization and conflicts through close reading. However, every AP Lit writer reached Goal 2 or better, so I have a feeling that a little less review will be involved.

Reminders:

• Utilize upper level literary devices (juxtaposition, epithet, anaphora, rhetorical questions, dialogue) and literary criticism terms (patriarchy, gender roles)
• Bring in evidence from multiple points in the passage
• Underline a book's title 
• Spell dialogue correctly

Goals:

1: 5 = 0 students

2: 6/7 = 4 students

3: 8 = 2 students

4: 9 = 4 students (AC, BK, HL, SP)

One more essay left to evaluate! Well, technically, three with AP Lang in the mix.

Chapters 6 & 7

After a fairly quick analysis of Hindley and his new bride, we spent the rest of the hour utilizing close reading strategies for page-by-page analysis of chapter 7. Each student was assigned one page and then close read the page on the board. We will finish this tomorrow and review the AP Lit test.

Make sure you have chapters 8-13 ready for Wednesday!

Poetry Prompt Results

Since I will not pass the entire test back at one time -- sorry, Wuthering Heights does have a role in each class period as well -- I thought to preview the results as they are ready. Currently, I am rotating back and forth between the AP Lit test and the AP Lang test to keep it interesting for me. 

Goals for the Poetry Prompt:

Goal 1: 5 (2 students)

Goal 2: 6 or 7 (4 students)

Goal 3: 8 (2 students)

Goals 4: 9 (2 students with initials CP & LS)

Overall impressions:

• utilize upper level tone words to convey and analyze attitude
• focus on structure including rhyme scheme, Shakespearian sonnet structure (volta, ending couplet), iambic pentameter, enjambment, alliteration, forced rhyme
• bring in upper level literary and poetical elements (analogy instead of personification or symbolism)
• do not forget theme (s) of a poem and how it connects to all the above
• POEM TITLES ARE IN QUOTATION MARKS!!!!!!!!!! I took off one level if you underlined the title since it is a distraction from the first paragraph. 

All students reached Goal 1 or higher on this prompt, so we are where we need to be for the poetry component. That does not mean we will leave poetry behind, for there are several areas to tweak for the test in a few weeks. 

MC Results

Just finished evaluating the MC portion of the AP Lit exam, and the highest student score came from SP :)

With four goals on each exam, we had varying levels of success. The four goals (in case it has been awhile) are 50% (28) correct, 60% (33) correct, 70% (39) correct, and a 2 score on the exam prior to the writing portion (43). Out of 10 students, 3 reached the 50% goal, 1 reached the 60% goal, 2 reached the 70% goal, and 2 reached the 2 goal.

Remember, if you reach the first goal for all parts of the exam (50% MC and 5 essays), you will have a 3.

We will be reviewing the test during next week's classes and reiterating the importance of close reading strategies, test taking skills, and accuracy of literary elements and understanding.

Our Class of 4

While small in number, our analysis of chapters 3-5 was stellar, concentrating on Heathcliff's origins (or lack thereof), our two narrators, the Earnshaw family, the ghost, and all the social difficulties inherent under Wuthering Heights' roof.

For Monday's class, you will need to read chapters 6 & 7!

T-shirts are $15. I will be e-mailing you this weekend with the color chart. Please select your color and bring payment next week so that we may start the ordering process a.s.a.p.

MC

In happy news, I scored 51/55 on the multiple choice test today. Yes, I am quite proud of myself, and I can't wait to see if any of you beat me this time around!

For the remainder of the hour, we shared out  2 book cards and recapped WH chapters 1 & 2. For Friday's class, read through Chapter 5 and prepared to expand on characterization, motifs, and Marxist analysis.

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Wuthering Along

In class today, we looked at Marxist criticism -- or the analysis of class, finance, and power in texts and character development. Key terms to recall are the bourgeoisie, the proletariat, commodities, classicism, consumerism, and religion.

And to what I have been waiting all year to read - again - Wuthering Heights! After learning about Emily Bronte's background, we started close reading the first chapter of the novel.

For homework, read chapters 1-2, finish your 2 book cards, and prepare for the MC portion of the AP test.

Just realized I have the excuse to bring Ralph Fiennes into my daily conversations and my blog posts! I first saw Heathcliff, I mean Ralph, in Wuthering Heights when I was 16 and immediately checked out the novel from the library. While some have an apparent distaste to a gypsy boy full of vengeance and cruelty, my Italian side sure understands the passion and the need for retribution.

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Prompt 3

At this point, we have completed the writing portion of the AP Lit exam. We will resume testing on Wednesday with the hour long multiple choice. In the meanwhile, we will be looking at Marxist criticism and starting Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. To prep for tomorrow, do some background biographical work regarding Emily Bronte and, if you want to add to your ethos, Marxist criticism terms.

Part II

Today was the prose prompt of the AP Lit exam. Monday will be the free response portion, so you may want to look over your book cards for authors, titles, characters, and whatnot that may help your ethos on the exam.