We are going to start looking more closely at the writing part of the Literature AP Exam as the second semester unfolds. The writing techniques we have been attempting to master in the first semester - which are the foundations of all good analytic writing - will be applied more directly to the exam itself.
The link below gives brief, official analysis of the overall results of the test taken by students in 2012, focusing on the line of analysis the question intended students to pursue, where students were successful, and where they missed the mark. We will review this document as we begin practicing the three different types of questions this semester, beginning with the open style question, #3.
Follow this LINK to view the guide.
1.22.2015
ATE Paragraph and Claim Assignment
Authors often use major plot events to represent larger ideas and issues. What happens exactly, and how the characters react, and the events that result often help to illustrate the theme and point of a work as a whole. With this in mind, discuss the significance of “The Airborne Toxic Event” as an example of a plot event that serves the purpose of communicating Delillo's message in White Noise. (15 minutes)
Claims:
- The supermarket remains a source of comfort and reassurance for Jack, but Delillo suggests that the security he feels there may be illusory and that Jack, at times, has a sense of that superficiality (159-162).
- The post-ATE sunsets function as a symbol of the paradoxical nature of Jack and Babette’s life in the postmodern consumerist society they inhabit (162).
- Knowledge, especially if validated by authority - whether trivial, forecasted, scientific, or hypothetical - is a source of controversy, confidence and anxiety (163, 166-169).
- Devise and define your own claim about Babette and Dylar.
Reading Schedule and Final
Final: AP Practice Multiple Choice
Finish Reading White Noise for First Day of Semester 2
1.20.2015
1.12.2015
The Airborne Toxic Event
1.09.2015
Next Class White Noise
Have at least one episode in mind that we have not previously discussed that can be used to illustrate the ideas of white noise as a concept and its application to the thematic concerns the novel.
12.17.2014
Short Story Essay Checklist
Proper MLA Format
- name class teacher date
- header with page numbering
- centered title
- 2x space, 12 point font
- in-text citations
- Works Cited page with hanging indents
Intro/Thesis
- intro discusses story or subject in general terms and flows into thesis
- subject assertion how shown/why/how
Body Paragraphs
- introduce idea (I) of paragraph which demonstrates an aspect of the thesis
- provide relevant details (D) with explanations of their meanings and significance (E)
- quote critical details (D) that are relevant to the idea being developed
- finish with analytic conclusion (AC) that directly ties point of paragraph to thesis: use key words
- effectively use set-up phrases and transitions between and within paragraphs
Quotations
- mostly integrated quotes
- direct quotes utilize explanatory set-up phrase with a colon or comma before the sentence long quote
- provide key words and phrases which help explain
- do not merely repeat what has already been summarized or paraphrased
- citations at end of sentence only
Conclusion
- returns to thesis (not a mere repeat)
- feels like a resolution to essay
- consider using resolution of story or other critical moment to illustrate thesis
12.12.2014
Rough Draft for Essay
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| Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette |
Due 12/15-16SOLID rough draft for an essay with the focus of your choice on either "The Rocking-Horse Winner", "The Lottery" or "The Hand" and "The Story of an Hour".
Focus of grading will be on thesis quality, effective use of AC, and proper quotation flow and format.
I would suggest that "The Hand" and "The Story of an Hour" are the most straight-forward in their message; the other two are more subtle.
12.10.2014
Homework Due 12/11 and 12/12
Thesis should include subject, assertion, and how shown.
Body paragraph should include ISDE>AC. Be sure AC ties back to thesis.