April 22 is the beginning of the fourth and last quarter of the year. 40 days remain. Let’s start with a review of the basic resources available to students and all stakeholders:
- Calendar: Daily Updated Lessons | http://tinyurl.com/210-19-Q4
- Instructional Posts: AP English Language & Composition | http://sisypheanhigh.com/malachite/?cat=362
- Guide for Stakeholders | http://tinyurl.com/210-stakeholders
- Frequently Asked Questions | http://sisypheanhigh.com/malachite/?p=2810
If you are a parent or guardian and haven’t already done so, bookmark the course website and sign up for Google Classroom email summaries.
Course Specifics: AP English Language & Composition
We’ve just finished all of our in-class exam prep, having workshopped Section I and written the three essays for Section II:
The AP Exam is on May 15. We won’t be doing only exam prep, of course; we’ll also finish our look at classification and division through this essay due on April 25, in addition to a study of George Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language.”
For the last quarter of the year, students will be given a choice of novel, with a push for The Catcher in the Rye or The Great Gatsby. In addition to the usual approach to literary analysis and discussion, we will learn to write a reader-response essay:
As an AP Language course with a prescribed limitation on canonical literature, we will discuss atypical possibilities for this final reader’s response. The focus, as always, will be a discussion of literary merit and the purpose reading in the Humanities.
We’ll write college essays after the AP Exam, and in June, we’ll share and present Pareto Projects, also known as 20-Time or 20% Projects. For a recap of what that entails:
- The Pareto Project: Complete Guide
- Pareto Project: FAQ
- Pareto Projects: Final Self-Assessment
- Example Projects and Testimonials
There is no final exam in class for juniors taking AP English Language. Seniors will be asked to complete a Senior Talk according to the requirements laid out by the high school. That information will be posted separately to Google Classroom for anyone it affects.
Finally, there is the New York State Regents Examination in English Language Arts. The single essay on this exam is nearly identical to the synthesis essay on the AP, and all of our multiple-choice practice will have prepared AP students well for Part 1 of the Regents Exam. We will practice all three parts through Castle Learning, using those data to put everyone in the best position to succeed.
Ask any questions about our scheduled work below, and pay careful attention to any changes announced through Google Classroom. As always, assignments will be formally posted there; this site will be used for instruction, general feedback, and planning purposes; and individual feedback will be given interstitially through our usual methods.