AP Language and Composition (Period 4) Assignments

Instructor
Ms. Michelle Rose
Term
2012 - 2013 School Year
Department
English Language Arts
Location
Room 204
Description
AP Language and Composition is an opportunity to receive a college experience in high school. In this course you will read a variety of textual forms, with an emphasis on nonfiction, and write in response to these pieces in an in-depth, thoughtful manner. Rhetorical analysis, research synthesis and evaluation of authors’ arguments are important components of this course. Class discussion and group collaboration will be used to share ideas and, therefore, your individual participation is imperative to making this class work. We will consistently practice critical reading and thinking as well as analytical writing. The course culminates with the May AP test, which gives you the opportunity to earn college credits or to be placed out of college classes.

Assignment Calendar

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Past Assignments

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Find the Book Review directions and the data sheets attached.

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Annotate the poem:  
 
Highlight figurative language
Underline repetition
Circle images of bodies/body parts
? - Anything you don't understand/ have questions about
 
Then, choose a stanza and illustrate it. Be sure to include the stanza on the illustration. On the back of your illustration, answer the following question:
What does this stanza reveal about Prufrock's character?
See examples below, but DO NOT COPY!!!!

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The Tipping Point PowerPoint Project and rubric attached.

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The following link is a list of books that have appeared on the AP Literature exam free response question. Take a look at the list and determine a few books you would be interested in reading in your book clubs. The books I have some copies of are:
 
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The Scarlet Letter
1984
Wuthering Heights
The Great Gatsby
Jane Eyre
The Catcher in the Rye
Frankenstein
 
Your group will select a book, read and discuss it, and complete an end of the year project on it.

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AP Language and Composition Exam Study Guide/ Review sheet attached.

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Argumentative Essay Tips attached.

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Read DCRS chapter 8 pages 316-344 and complete practice exercises 6, 8, 9.

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Find Hit parade words attached. Quiz next Friday.

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DCRS Test on chapters 6 & 7 tomorrow. Answers to chapter 7 excercises attached.

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Take the online practice test for chapters 6 and 7 of DCRS and email the results to [email protected] by Monday morning at 8:00 am. Click on link below.

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Reading Response #20: Answer the prompt for Question 2 from the 2005 AP exam. Link below.

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Read and annotate The Tipping Point through page 192. Complete the study guide through chapter 5. The material on the study guide can inform your annotations and will also be the material you wll be tested on.

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Hit Parade words attached. Complete practice exercises 5-7 in DCRS chapter 7.

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Please find the synthesis paragraph prompt attached along with a sample and a paragraph template. Rough draft is due Tuesday 3/26.

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Reading Response #19 - DUE MONDAY (GO TO ROADMAP TO COLLEGE TONIGHT!!)
 
Reread/recall all of the sources you read/viewed on nonviolent protest (Thoreau, King, Gandhi, "Pray the Devil Back to Hell"). Then, in a reading response that synthesizes at least three of the sources for support, evaluate the most important factors that a person or a group should consider before engaging in a nonviolent campaign.
 
NOTE: This question requires you to synthesize a variety of sources into a coherent, well-written reading response. When you synthesize sources, you refer to them to develop your position and cite them accurately. Your argument should be central; the sources should support your argument. Avoid merely summarizing the sources. Use the last name of the author in parentheses to cite each source. For the movie, provide the title in parentheses. Cite the source whether you quote, paraphrase or reference an example from the source. You must use three out of the four sources to support your position!!!

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Print, Read, and annotate the excerpt from Robespierre's "Speech on Terror" (attached).

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Read DCRS chapter 6 pages 200-229. Do practice exercises 5-9 by Monday.
 
FYI: Friday Class discussion questions on "Letter from Birmingham Jail" attached.

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You should have all Practice exercises (1-9) for chapter 6 in DCRS done by Monday!!
 
Excerpt from Gandi's On Nonviolent Resistance is attached. Print, read, and annotate for rhetorical devices and common philosophies with Thoreau and King.

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Print, read, and annotate "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (link below). Then complete Reading Response #17.
 
Reading Response 17: Explain how Martin Luther King Jr. justifies his presence and his actions in Birmingham, Alabama. What are his most persuasive arguments in favor of his cause?

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Reading response # 17: Choose a passage from "Civil Disobedience" (at least 2 paragraphs) and answer the following prompt. Write an essay analyzing how Thoreau uses rhetorical strategies to convey his message in the passage.
 
Sample rhetorical analysis essay is attached. In-class, timed rhetorical analysis essay on Monday.

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Study for allusions quiz tomorrow.
 
Print, read, and annotate Part 2 of "Civil Disobedience" - see link below.
 
Frederick Douglass passages for the Rhetorical Analysis essay are attached.

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Print, read, and annotate ONLY part one of "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau. Make sure you click on part one on the homepage of the link below.

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Print, read, and annotate "The Crisis" by Thomas Paine. Next, complete the attached rhetorical analysis activity to help you plan your reading response (the questions in part III are there for you to consider, you do not necessarily need to answer them and the tree map is optional). Then respond to reading response # 16:
 
Write an essay that analyzes how Paine uses rhetorical strategies to convince his audience to oppose the British.

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Print, read, and annotate "Speech to the Virginia Convention." Consider the questions at the end of the speech as you read or after you read. Then, respond to the following prompt to complete Reading Response #15:
 
Write an essay that analyzes how Patrick Henry uses rhetorical strategies to convince his audience to fight against the British. 

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Reading Response #14 is attached.
 
Bring $1.25 for The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.

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Create a Smoop account by going to www.shmoop.com/signup/la-quinta and entering the magic word which is AZTECSRULE. Once you register and go to your homepage, click on "Test Prep Passes" on the lefthand side of the page. Then, take the diagnostic test. I also encourage you to explore the other AP Language resources available after you take the diagnostic test. Student Guide to Getting Your Shmoop On is attached.

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Hit Parade Lists: "Overkill" and "It's Getting Better". Test Friday.

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Read Selection #4 "Connectivity and Its Discontents" pages 475-480 and do the exercises that follow (sections A-E) pages 480-483.

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Go to the link below. Click on the picture of our DCRS book. Then click on Student edition on the left-hand side of the page. Then click on Practice Test Chapters 1-2 on the left-hand side of the page. Take the Practice test and email the results to [email protected].

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1. Aphorism project: see attached for assignment and rubric. Work hard on this! It is summative! THIS IS AN INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT DUE YOUR FIRST DAY BACK JANUARY 7th!!!
 
2. In DCRS, complete the following:
        A. Read chapter 2 and complete practice exercise 1 (page 47-48), practice exercise 2 (page 52-55), practice exercise 3 (page 58-59), practice exercise 4 (page 65-68).
        B. Complete chapter 2 practice exercises, ALL SELECTIONS 1-3. You do not have to do the practice essay because it is "Among the Thugs" and you have already read it!
        C. Read chapter 3 and complete practice exercise 1 (page 82-84), practice exercise 2 (just read over it, no need to write anything down), practice exercise 3 (page 88-91), practice exercise 4 (page 92-94), practice exercise 5 (94-97), practice exercise 6 (page 97-100), practice exercise 7 (page103), practice exercise 8 (page104-106).
        D. Complete chapter 3 practice exercises, ALL SELECTIONS 1-3. You DO NOT have to do the practice essay for chapter 3....yet.

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Hit parade lists: "I'm a Loser, Baby," "Revolution" & "You Are so Beautiful" are attached. Study for Friday's quiz. 15 words total.

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Read the DCRS chapter 1 Practice Essay "How Jockeys Controlled Their Weight". Answer Questions for Sections A, B, C, & D in section D of your notebook.

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Read pages 10-23 in Developing Critical Reading Skills. Do Practice exercise 1 on page 14. There is another Practice exercise 1 on page 18-19; don't do that one. Also complete practice exercise 2 on page 23. You can use dictionary.com or the online etymology dictionary (see below for link) to complete practice exercise 1.

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Reading Response #13
 
In "Self-Reliance," Emerson asserts "Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist." Do you believe that nonconformity is always a positive course of action? Support your position with evidence from your reading, observation, and/or experience.

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Print, read and annotate the excerpts from "Self-Reliance".
 
Complete Reading Response 12:
 
What can humans do to create more fulfilling, balanced, and spiritual lives? Use quotes and examples from at least three of the texts you have read in class so far this year to support your assertions.

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Hit Parade vocabulary words attached: "You're so Vain" & "When the Going Gets Tough." Quiz Tuesday.

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1. Read the Biography of Henry David Thoreau (link below).
 
2. Print, read, and annotate "Where I Lived and What I lived For" (link below). The website also has notes if you click on the blue numbers. Write the main idea of each paragraph as part of your annotation. You can also identify and analyze rhetorical devices and define new vocabulary.
 
3. Reading Response # 11:
To what extent do you agree or disagree with Thoreau’s assertion that we should, “…as long as possible live free and uncommitted”? Use evidence from your reading, observation, and/or experience to support your position.

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Here is a link to an interactive version of "Where I Lived and What I Lived For".

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Electronic copy of Shell Description due to Turnitin.com by Thursday 11/29 at 8:00am. Illustrated copy due Thursday 11/29 in class.
 
Peer Edit Sheet attached.

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Complete Reading Response 10 (attached)
 
Reading Response 10
Paraphrase at least three of Emerson’s specific philosophies from his essay “Nature” (i.e. In order to truly be in solitude, one must go into nature.). Then discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with each philosophy. Support your position with evidence from your reading, observation, and/or experience.

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Complete your Day of Solitude an Reading Response 9 by the Monday when you return from Thanksgiving Break. Parent letter and directions are attached.

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Thanksgiving Break Assignments:
1. Day of Solitude and Reading Response 9 (see attached)
2. Shell Description (see rubric and samples attached)
3. Print, Read and annotate excerpts from "Nature" (I have included a link to an interactive website to help you understand Emerson's writing) You will be reading only the sections entitled "Introduction", "Nature", and "Beauty". The first Link is the interactive website. The second link is an easily printable version of the three sections you need to print, read, and annotate.

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Read the biography of Ralph Waldo Emerson before reading the excerpts from "Nature."

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Study the attached "Hit Parade" words from the list "Are you talkin' to me?". Quiz Friday.

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Hit Parade words - "I'll Be the Judge of That" are attached. Quiz Friday.

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Be ready to write the argumentative essay tomorrow. See link to transitional words below, as well as tips for writing attached.

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Reading Response # 8
In GFTS Anne Morrow Lindbergh asserts that “Only when one is connected to one’s own core is one connected to others, I am beginning to discover. And, for me, the core, the inner spring, can best be refound through solitude" (38). To what extent do you agree or disagree with her assertion that solitude can actually allow us to connect with others? Use examples from your reading, observation, or experience to support your position.

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Reading Response #7:
 
How do the themes expressed in these selections relate to society and to you, personally? Essentially, what lessons did you learn from this unit that you might apply to your life or your understanding of the world around you? Explain using specific examples from personal experience, media, current events, movies, books, etc.

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Choral Reading Performance scripts due tomorrow. Include a Works Cited page. Citations for some reading selections are attached. Note: They are not in alphabetical order.

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Reading Response #6: What type of argument does "Free Will" present? Explain. What were Sam Harris’s most convincing arguments in support of his thesis that free will is an allusion? What evidence was most convincing? How does he attempt to appeal to his audience throughout the book? What questions do you have after reading the book? What could Harris have added to make his argument more convincing?

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If you did not finish the questions from "Everything's an Argument", here they are:
 
1. Can an argument really be any text that expresses a point of view? What kinds of arguments - if any - might be made by the following items?
 
the embossed leather cover of a prayer book
a Boston Red Sox Cap
a Livestrong bracelet
the "explicit lyrics" label on a best-selling rock CD
the health warning on a package of cigarettes
a belated birthday card
the nutrition lable on a can of soup
the cover of a science fiction novel
a colored ribbon pinned to a shirt lapel
a Rolex watch
 
2. Write six short paragraphs describing times in the recent past when you've used language to inform, to convince, to persuade, to explore, to make decisions, and to meditate or pray. Be sure to write at least one paragraph for each of these six purposes. We will trade tomorrow...

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Finish reading and annotating "Free Will." Then, perform the same experiment that Harris performs...write a full page about whatever you want as your Reading Response #5. ;)

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Print, read, and annotate the attached passage from Owen Wister's "The Virginian". Then respond to the following question:
 
Reading Response # 4:
 
Wister makes the point that one must look at the context and circumstances of an act before deeming it good or evil. He cites trespassing on a neighbor's property and a couple's wedding vows as examples of dubious moral situations. Think of other examples in which good and evil are not clearly defined. Explain the examples and their moral ambiguity. What does this tell us about the distinction between good and evil?

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Re-read chapter 34 of East of Eden. Use the attached questions to add to your annotations of this chapter and be ready to discuss your findings tomorrow.

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Final draft of argumentative paragraph due tomorrow. Peer revise activity is attached for reference.

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Complete a rough draft of your argumentative paragraph. Prompt and help sheet are attached.

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Complete Reading Response 3:
 
 Analyze the way in which Jonathan Edwards uses rhetorical devices such figurative language, parallel structure, and connotative diction to inspire fear in his audience. Explain how invoking this fear enables him to achieve his purpose.

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Take the online integrity and workplace ethics quiz by Wednesday. One test of your integrity is whether or not you do this because I am not requiring proof. Link below.

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Print, read and annotate "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", which is attached below.

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We will begin rhetorical device presentations on 9/24. Please print the attached assignment sheet and rubric. Also attached, find a student notetaking page for the device presentations.

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Rhetorical terms presentations start Monday with "alliteration" and "allusion".
 
Reading Response #2: A well-known saying states "Honesty is the best policy." Do you agree with this saying? Why or why not? Use evidence from your reading, experience and observation to support your position. (DUE MONDAY)
 
Reading Responses should be at least one page long (1 1/2 for wide ruled) and be written in section A of your notebook.
 
"The Insufficiency of Honesty" is attached for reference.

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Find discussion questions for E of E attached.

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Bring East of Eden tomorrow (Friday). Print and complete the attached Data Sheets by Tuesday. These can be used on your in-class essay on Wednesday.

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You are NOT required to work on your character body map over the weekend. You will have the bulk of the period on Monday to complete the project. Some groups requested that I put the assignment online...so here it is. 

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Print, read, and annotate "Other Men's Flowers". Answer at the bottom: Why is it important to understand the principles of rhetoric?

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Complete the attached Reading Response #1 in section A of your notebook. You should write one page minimum if your notebook is college-ruled and 1 1/2 page minimum if it is wide-ruled. Rewriting the reading response prompt does not count as part of the minimum length. Due Wednesday 9/12. I suggest rereading and proof-reading.

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Print the attached class syllabus. Read the syllabus carefully, and share it with your parents. Then, sign and have your parents sign the AP contract that was given out on the first day of school. Bring all summer reading assignments tomorrow in order to get them stamped. Please get all class materials by Monday 9/10.