AGENDA 5/15

Review: Jeopardy! Game

GOOD LUCK TOMORROW!  Check the links at the right if you want to do any other review, and then promise me you'll get to bed early tonight.  You'll do great!!!! :-)

AP Testing Information

The big day is almost here!!!!

The following are some reminders to help you get ready for Wednesday’s exam.

TIME:  Arrive no later than 7:15am!  Proctors MUST begin the actual exam as close to 8am as possible.  Students will need to be at their testing rooms with electronics turned in and ready to go.  Once a proctor has handed out the actual test, no students will be permitted to enter the room to test.  (There were 3 such students this morning for AP Bio)  PLEASE remind them that being late will not work on Wednesday.

WHERE TO GO**:  Louria, Pust, Stevens (period 4) and students without a teacher= CAFETERIA

WHAT TO BRING: At LEAST TWO #2 pencils and TWO blue or black ink pens.  If you bring 4 of each, you can help out a friend.  Also, dress in layers (cafeteria starts out cold, then warms up quickly), and bring a snack (on your person!).  Leave any electronics in a locker, at home, or perhaps with a trusted friend.  Bring an analog watch so you can time yourself.  Some people advocated bringing a few small candies that can fit in your pocket for a quick sugar boost between essays. Also, bring your review sheet so you can do your "test day anxiety" journaling (or do that at home or on the way to school).

OTHER REMINDERS:  GO TO BED EARLY Tuesday night.  There's no studying you could do that would benefit you more than a good night's sleep at this point.  Eat a healthy breakfast with protein Wednesday morning.  Avoid extra caffeine and sugar--you'll just crash after the multiple-choice.  Save the sugary treats for afterward!

AND REMEMBER, the AP test is just the "icing" on the cake.  This is an opportunity to show how much you've learned.  It in no way determines your worth as a person or how much I've enjoyed having you as a student.  If you pass, awesome!  If you don't, no biggie.  And if you really, really want the college credit opportunity, you can always take the test again next year.  In the end, the VERY worst that happens to you is you get to take another fabulous English class.  (That's what I call a win-win situation.)  GOOD LUCK!!!!

AGENDA 5/4

Review: 5 Things You NEED to do in a Synthesis Essay
Examine the sample "9" essay for the "Museums" prompt
If time permits, examine the "6" and "3" essays for the "Museums" prompt
Reread your own essay

HW: Write a synthesis essay on education: individuality vs. conformity prompt:
In the first 15 minutes:
1) Read the prompt carefully, note exactly what it is asking, and craft your own position.

2) As you read each source, mine the source's bibliographic citation for information and note whether the source supports or opposes your position (+/-) and underline two potential quotations

In the next 35 minutes:
3) Draft the essay, making sure to use three sources for support.  Cite sources appropriately (Source A).  Introduce all direct quotations by using the author's name or name of source provided in the citation, an argument verb, and what to notice in the quotation that follows.  Don't call the source "Source A" before your quotation; save (Source A) for after the quotation.

4) Then, after 35 minutes, STOP and reread your essay.  Spend an additional 10 minutes revising your essay, keeping in mind the tips above distilled from the PowerPoint and what you remember of the "9" essay we read.  Remember, you'll typically only have 40 minutes, but we're taking 45 on this to make sure that you've written an essay you can be proud of and that you can use to study from prior to the test.  So go through, make sure you have cited appropriately and used three different sources, that you have discussed ideas thoroughly, that you have substituted in better vocabulary where appropriate, etc.

Also, remember that you can use outside knowledge (you should have plenty from our discussions the past two weeks!).  If you intend to use any of our sources, review them prior to reading the prompt and sources. Once you begin work on the essay, do it in a continuous hour.

Please submit Gatsby essays at your earliest convenience to http://turnitin.com for grading.  Contact me by email at jpust@smmusd.org if you need help with Turnitin login information.

Seminar on Monday over Francine Prose's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read."  This essay initially made me so angry I wanted to throw it across the room.  I look forward to our discussion!

AGENDA 4/20

Begin watching Waiting for Superman and take notes on Viewing Guide

HW: Finish revising Gatsby papers and begin reading/annotating/preparing Education essays.

AGENDA 4/19

Get into groups and make decisions regarding Education Presentations

Begin reading each piece - for each one, select two quotations worth discussing and generate two discussion questions (Level II and III)

For your assigned reading, decide with your group members how you will lead us through this text using the Education Presentation handout

Gatsby paper revision activity - work on this independently

Gatsby drafts due Monday/Tuesday if you want comments; final drafts due Thursday or Friday of next week!

HW: Finish revising Gatsby papers and begin reading/annotating/preparing Education essays.

AGENDA 4/18

Assign dates for Education Presentations

Education Readings:

4/26 Excerpt from Jonathan Kozol's Savage Inequalities

4/30 Frederick Douglass, "Learning to Read and Write" and Malcolm X, "Learning to Read"

5/1 James Baldwin, "A Talk to Teachers"

5/3 Margaret Talbot, "Best in Class"

5/7 Francine Prose, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read"

5/9 Diane Ravitch, "American Schools in Crisis"

5/10 Benjamin Barber, "America Skips School"

For each day's readings, prepare by reading the piece, noting two quotations worth discussing, and generating two discussion questions (Level II and Level III questions). In addition, for your assigned day, meet with your group members and use the Education Presentation handout to guide how you will structure your lesson.

PERIOD 2: Discussion of why CSTs matter

REMINDER: Monday is the CST for English/Language Arts and the second half of the EAP English assessment (remember that essay you wrote in mid-March?). PLEASE go to bed early Sunday night and eat a decent breakfast Monday morning. This matters!!!!

Introduction to Waiting for Superman: analyze film poster

HW: Print out all education articles from list above (you received Malcolm X in class today, and remember that the Barber piece and the Douglass piece are both in the McGraw-Hill Reader, but you will need to print out the others.) Note that the Prose, Talbot, and Baldwin pieces are all together in one link--clicking on any one of those titles above will give you a file containing all three essays as they appeared in the same anthology. Please see me or contact me via email if this is a hardship for you--I have a limited number of additional copies made, and you may print out the essays in my classroom provided you do so outside of class time. Begin reading and annotating your assigned article and/or the Kozol piece. Continue to draft Gatsby paper - bring draft to class tomorrow for style revision activity. FINAL DRAFT DUE NEXT WEEK!

AGENDA 4/16

Welcome Back! Hope everyone had a fantastic Spring Break!

Quick check: fundamentals for Gatsby papers

Introduction to Education Unit

RSA Animate of TED Talk by Sir Ken Robinson on Changing Education Paradigms

Brainstorm reactions to RSA Animate of Sir Ken Robinson's talk--

Period 2's Responses

Period 5's Responses

Examine and discuss popular education-themed bumper stickers and posters

HW: Continue to draft Gatsby papers. Full draft due Wednesday, 4/18.