Today we annotated and discussed the notes you made on a scene from Galileo.
Instead of having you (1) write a sample thesis, (2) take notes on timed writing strategies, and (3) take notes on multiple choice strategies, I am posting them below.
Briefly here's an overview of the exam again: multiple choice questions on the longer texts we have studied (Hamlet, Lord of the Flies, Galileo); multiple choice questions on the rhetorical and literary terms; multiple choice questions on style and conventions; multiple choice questions from an AP exam; and a passage analysis and evaluation essay.
(1) Sample analysis and evaluation essay thesis
First here's an example of a rhetorical analysis and evaluation thesis that is bold and nuanced:
In his transcribed lecture "Here is a Lesson in Creative Writing" Kurt Vonnegut uses deadpan, ironic humor; conversational diction and syntax; simple, yet evocative diagrams; familiar allusions; and an ironic shift at the end to argue that the best creative writing explores mysteries, uncertainties, and doubts without providing clear and comforting answers to life's problems. Although Vonnegut's allusions are not particularly nuanced and although some of his humor falls flat, his lecture is effective as a whole because he establishes a connection with audience (ethos) through references to familiar stories, appeals to emotion (pathos) with humor, and uses reason (logos) to develop his unusual interpretation of Hamlet.
The first sentences offers a typical rhetorical analysis thesis. The second sentence builds on the first sentence but adds an evaluation of the rhetoric. (Remember that the exam prompt could use an excerpt from Galileo or from "Here is a Lesson in Creative Writing". I haven't decided yet.)
(2) AP English Language Exam Timed Writing Reminders
concept by Elizabeth
Johnson Tsang, adapted for AP EngLang by Mr. James Cook
I have crossed out all the notes that do not apply to the midyear exam
prompt: rhetorical analysis and evaluation of a passage. I have highlighted material that
applies particularly to the midyear exam prompt.
Pre-Writing
Underline the key
directions words in the question: what exactly are you to do and how are you to
do it. (If the question says “such rhetorical elements as tone, etc.” then you
may choose. If it says “tone,” then you must discuss tone.)
Remember the heart of rhetorical
analysis (usually Question 2) is “what is the argument and how does the author
use rhetorical strategies and techniques to achieve that purpose?” Use SOAPSTone to annotate. The
mnemonic device will help you think of elements to analyze and help you
avoid merely summarizing and paraphrasing. On the midyear exam you will also need
to evaluate how well the author uses the strategies to achieve the purpose.
Jot down a plan! Don’t
start writing until:
·
you have
something to say (bold, insightful assertion that addresses the prompt)
·
& you know
how you’re going to develop your assertion with specific support
Writing
Be bold and insightful in
the introduction.
- The intro must contain a clear statement of your main insight.
- If necessary, leave a space of several lines, then go back and fill with a clear statement of your main insight or a precise word for that insight. (Some of you are better able to write a strong thesis statement after writing the body paragraphs of a rhetorical analysis. Know yourself.)
Remember that the AP Exam is
asking students to recognize and create rhetorical complexity and nuance.
(Don’t describe a technique
or summarize a passage unless you analyze how it contributes to your main
insight about the meaning.)
- Avoid leaving quotations dangling on their own.
- If possible cite the line number of the quotations.
- Remember “quote like this” (line 12). (Notice the period after the parenthetical citation.) Or: in line 12 the speaker says “quote like this.” (The period goes inside the last quotation mark if you’re citing the line within the text instead of within parentheses.)
The conclusion is of lesser
importance if you have a strong, insightful introduction and have developed
supporting evidence from the poem. But if
you have time to offer a strong, insightful, unifying conclusion then do it;
leave the reader with a good impression. [Avoid repeating the introduction. For
closure, ask yourself “so what?” – “what’s the big idea I’m asserting in this
essay and why does it matter? – and conclude something.]
Try to write to the third
page. This means front,
back, and onto a second piece of paper.
Understand the holistic
grading rubric:
·
Does the
student’s response show an understanding of the prompt’s purpose?
o Q2 Did the student develop an understanding of how the
rhetorical techniques and features contribute to the argument in the passage?
- Did the student answer (all the parts of) the question asked?
- How well-written and well-organized is the essay?
Miscellaneous
Reminders
Put the
titles of shorter pieces, like poems, speeches, articles, political cartoons, chapter
titles, and essays within quotation marks: “Politics and the English Language,”
“Old Father, Old Artificer,” “Why Bother?,” etc. Underline the title of longer
works like novels, plays, documentaries, book-length memoirs, book-length
arguments: Fun Home, All Souls, Hamlet, Grendel, Polis
is This, The Ad and the Ego, etc.
Errors:
strike out neatly with one lime line.
Write with
a black pen. You don’t
have to do this on the midyear but you will have to do this on the AP exam.
(3) AP English Language and Composition Multiple-Choice Strategies
Overall
* Be positive. Try to use what you do understand and do know to puzzle out what is less clear. Remember that even getting just 60% of the answers right can result in an overall score that earns you college credit.
* Do not panic. Be aware of the time but focus on the passage and the questions. Remember that no single question will determine your level of success, so don't let a single question monopolize your time.
Particular strategies
What to do first...
* Some students quickly read the questions (but not the choices) before reading the passage. This allows students to focus their annotation of the passage on details that will help them answer the questions.
What to do with the passage...
* ANNOTATE THE PASSAGES! This makes you a more active reader. (In other words, it turns your critical mind on.) If read the questions ahead of time your annotating might be more efficient. I WANT TO SEE THAT YOU HAVE ANNOTATED.
* Eliminate--that means actually cross out--obviously wrong answers. Select the best answer from the remaining options. I WANT TO SEE THAT YOU HAVE CROSSED OUT WRONG ANSWERS.
* Some students benefit from thinking of an answer before looking at the options. This will prevent you from getting seduced by cleverly worded decoy answers.
* Some students benefit from answering detail questions first, because they can then use those details to answer more general (passage-as-a-whole or main idea/purpose/argument) questions.
* Within a particular section of the test it's okay to skip a question temporarily and then return to it. In fact, answers to later questions might help you answer the questions you are struggling with. However, make sure you've answered all of the questions within a section before moving on to another section.
* Targeted rereading of specific parts of the passage will help you choose the best answer from among possible answers. Avoiding target rereading leads to sloppy mistakes.
* Another way to choose from among two or three remaining options is to do what Mr. Gunnar suggests on his webpage for AP English Language students: "If you have a difficult time deciding between two close answers, try using the true/false technique. Read the stem using both answer choices and try to determine which one makes a more true [sic] statement."
* Go over the test when you have finished to make sure you've answered all of the questions and that you have answered them in the proper place.
