AGENDA 5/14

CONGRATULATIONS! You survived the AP Lang test. :-)

Introduction to Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses:
setting: West Texas, 1953
protagonist: John Grady Cole, 16, who has lost just about everything he cares for--so he and his best friend, Lacey Rawlins head out for Mexico
stylistic choices to consider: Why does McCarthy use untranslated Spanish? Why does he not use quotation marks, and seldom uses attributes (he said, she inquired, etc.)? Why does he only use apostrophes in contractions when absolutely necessary (i.e., not in "dont" or "cant" but in "we'll" and "I'll")? What is the purpose of these unconventional choices?

Fun & Games: watch Dr. Horrible's Incredible Sing-a-Long Blog and play board games to celebrate our one day of freedom :-)

HW: Please complete the AP Language Post-Mortem for Tuesday. Read and be prepared to talk about pages 1-30 of All the Pretty Horses for Tuesday's class.

AGENDA 5/13

Take the AP English Language & Composition Exam! Good luck! :-)

GOOD LUCK ON THE AP EXAM!!!

Final Review materials:

Rhetorical Terms half-sheet - a review of all of the most important rhetorical terms, grouped by categories

Jeopardy! Review game (you need PowerPoint to play)

Good luck tomorrow--remember to arrive at the cafeteria by 7:15am! Bring lots of #2 pencils and blue/black ink pens, a sweater in case it's cold, and a snack. Please leave your cell phones, iPods, and other personal electronic devices at home--you won't need any of these during the test and you don't want to get into an altercation with one of the proctors right before the exam. So follow Thoreau's advice and SIMPLIFY! :-) If you bring a snack to enjoy on the 10-minute break, make sure to keep the snack with you and do not put it in your backpack--you won't have access to your backpack during the exam. PLEASE GO TO BED EARLY TONIGHT AND HAVE A GOOD BREAKFAST TOMORROW MORNING.

Best wishes for a great testing experience! I know you'll do well!