Recommended Websites for RH Paper

Friday, May 6, 2016

What Happened on 5/6/16: by Everyone Who ISN'T in APUSH

May 6th, 2016

*PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE POST*

Hey fun friends!
It's Hanaa and Cathy here! We hope you did awesome on your APUSH Exam! Also, during class today, we went over our Author's Intent "Essays" and looked up a bunch of stuff that should/could help with the AP Lang. Exam this Wednesday. Here's what we got...

What up buds? Hope that exam was pretty chillin'. Yeah...
                                                                     -Hanaa
Salutations.
                                                                     -Naomi
I have great faith in this class. 
                                                                     -Mrs. Cales



Important resources to help you this weekend:

First, we looked at words that we utilize too frequently in our writing. Below are some synonyms for these "fun" words.
*I think Cales gave us a hand out similar to this but it never hurts to go over them again*

really/very:
-extremely
-exceedingly
-exceptionally
-immensely
-hugely
-acutely
-singularly
-particularly
-truly
-intensely
-uncommonly

to be, "is":
-arise
-transpire
-fall
-materialize
-ensue
-take place
-come about

to use:
-utilize
-employ
-actuate
-apply
-implement
-exploit
-exert
-operate
-account
-wield
-exhorts

And some more rhetoric on words to "seek and destroy in your writing":
CLICK HERE FRIENDS!

Also, Mrs. Cales wants us all to review the AP Lang Terms we were given in class. Again, we have a hand out for this but below is a set of cards on Quizlit that has the vast majority, if not all of the terms.
AP Lang Terms on Quizlit

And well, its not a physical copy but if you're feelin' some extra practice or would like to see more "AP Exam style" questions, this website has four online practice exams for our test.
More practice...


 Homework due Tuesday, May 10th:

1. Print out and complete this practice set of Multiple Choice for Tuesday. We will correct it and discuss the answers in class. The link is below.
AP Lang: Practice MC

2. Come up with 1 good tip or trick for the AP Lang Exam on Wednesday.
For Example: "Relax.", "Eat carbs the night before.", "Study the AP Lang terms.", etc.

Have an Awesome Weekend Guys!
                                                                                       -The Non-APUSH Girls








Sunday, April 17, 2016

Sunday April 17, 2016

Thank you to those of you that awoke early and came to room 119 to take the AP Lang simulation exam. I will have your multiple choice section graded by Tuesday and your two essays by Friday.
This week we will go over those sections and incorporate the rest of the class into the discussions.

For those of you that had prior commitments, remember there is an alternative date on Sunday, May 1st at 12;30 p.m.

The following is an assignment for those who could not attend (our lesson plans this week consist of  examining  and discussing our answers) Please turn in at the beginning of class on Tues, 4/19:

 Question(Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts for one-third of the total essay section score.)

Consider the distinct perspectives expressed in the following statements:

 If you develop the absolute sense of certainty that powerful beliefs provide, then you can get yourself to accomplish virtually anything, including those things that other people are certain are impossible.

William Lyon Phelps, American educator, journalist, and professor (1865–1943)

I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn’t wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine. 

Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, and philosopher (1872–1970)

In a well-organized (four to five par)  essay, take a position on the relationship between certainty and doubt. Support your argument with appropriate evidence and examples.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016


Wednesday, April 13

Welcome back to the AP Lang Blog!

We have a total of 11 classes left before you take the AP exam and three of those classes or only 45 minutes (Wednesdays).

Please read the following excerpt from the book A Crash Course in AP Lang and come prepared to take a quiz and then apply this information it to a practice essay on Friday, April 15.


Synthesis Essay
Scoring Guidelines
Remember this, because this is the first place where students trip up on the Synthesis essay: the College Board wants you to state your opinion. Don’t make the mistake of simply summarizing everything you know about the topic, and don’t try to stay detached from the topic at hand. Give your opinion -- whether you agree fully or conditionally, whether you disagree completely or partially. The College Board does not care what your opinion actually is -- you don’t lose points for challenging the central assumption of the prompt -- but the graders DO care if you can justify that opinion intelligently, coherently, and cohesively. In other words, the College Board wants to see you write effectively.
This is the #1 buzzword in all College Board documents; students who score an 8 or a 9 are rated as “effective,” whereas students who score a 6 or a 7 are considered “adequate.” (5s are generally “limited,” “uneven,” or “inconsistent,” according to the College Board. 3s and 4s are “inadequate,” 1s and 2s have “little success,” and 0s are completely off-topic. The question then becomes, what makes an “effective” piece of writing?
The answer is simple: In your answer, you must demonstrate that you know what to do. This means:
1. Responding to every part of the question in a well-developed thesis statement.
2. Forming an opinion of your own based in evidence and textual support.
3. Synthesizing at least three of the six attached sources.
4. Writing clearly, grammatically, and adeptly. That’s it.
Those are the four elements that go into effective writing -- and into scoring an 8 or a 9. It sounds simple, but there’s a lot that goes into this kind of writing, so keep reading for a better understanding of how to accomplish these four goals.
Understanding the Prompt In order to achieve both #1 -- responding to every part of the question in a well developed thesis statement -- and #2 -- forming an opinion of your own based in evidence and textual support -- you must actually understand what the question is asking. Just as importantly, you must be able to demonstrate that you understand how the attached sources are relevant to the prompt. You will have fifteen minutes to read the prompt and the attached sources. Use this time wisely. Pick apart the sources carefully to ensure that you understand their meaning. Annotate them in whatever way is most meaningful to you. Summarize their main points in a sentence or two so that you can quickly refer back to your notes when constructing your well-supported thesis.
Reading the sources carefully is a crucial part of understanding the prompt and constructing the thesis, and performing an in-depth analysis of the sources before you actually start writing will save you time in the long run. With that work done, you’ll have much of the support for your argument in place even before you begin writing
Constructing the Thesis
Perhaps you were lucky enough to have a familiarity with the prompt. If this is the case, you may have already had a thesis in mind after reading the question -- perhaps a knee-jerk response to the question that you felt instinctively was correct. But now that you have read the sources and considered carefully where every single one can fit in, you’ll want to revisit that original thesis. Remember, a thesis is a central claim or argument that you spend the rest of the essay developing and supporting. Remember, you have to respond to the prompt in some way. Do you agree? Disagree? Partially agree? Want to challenge? Defend? Modify the question in some way? This is where you state that opinion. And remember, you need a thesis that you can argue for convincingly and support using the attached sources.
When crafting the thesis, remember always that you should be doing something, whether it’s agreeing, disagreeing, challenging, defending, modifying, or anything else. In order to ensure that you have constructed the most effective thesis possible, think about the following questions:
1. What do these sources DO for the thesis? Meaning, how can I use these sources to help provide evidence for the thesis I have come up with?
 2. Which of these sources wholeheartedly supports my position?
3. Which of these sources is only partially helpful?
4. Which of these sources is not helpful at all but can be used as a straw man / counterargument? In essence, you must use the sources you are given to carefully build an argument, considering where every source will fit in. It is perfectly fine -- in fact, it is encouraged -- to pick sources apart, demonstrating a clear understanding of every part of the argument that each source is making.
Synthesizing Sources
For example, if half the argument fits perfectly with the thesis that you have constructed, but the other half doesn’t, feel free to make note of this. One of the main skills that the College Board emphasizes is the ability to “bring sources into  conversation with one another.” (Also known as “synthesis.”) This means that you must understand, on a deep level, every part of every source, so that you can decide what works for your thesis, what doesn’t, and how the sources fit together and work with each other. You may end up with a thought that looks like this: “Source B begins promisingly, but the latter half of the article devolves; to maintain the integrity of my argument, I would jettison the latter half of this source for the following reason…” Or “Source A is a clever but misleading analysis that gets away from the larger point at hand…” Or “Source D does an excellent job of laying out the following principles, which makes it an excellent proof for the argument that…”
Any and all of those thoughts are not only valid but encouraged; the College Board is explicitly testing your ability to understand and engage with sources on a deeper level. Using qualifying statements demonstrates not only that you understand every source well, but that you have a thorough understanding of how to USE the source -- which parts of it can be retained and which parts should be discarded, and why. This is a prime example of analysis -- breaking something down to its component parts and ensuring that you not only understand those component parts but that you can use all of them effectively. Without first understanding those component parts -- those bits and pieces that make up an argument -- you will not be able to fuse them effectively, and will end up with jagged edges or with an incomplete or unconvincing argument. Therefore it is crucial to analyze before you synthesize. “But aren’t analysis and synthesis opposites?” you may be asking. Technically, yes -- analysis means “taking something apart” while synthesis means “putting something together.” But think of it this way -- you are taking apart sources in order to make something new.
Synthesis is the art of fusing and melding disparate parts to create a unified and coherent whole. This is the skill that the College Board is assessing by giving you this essay prompt.
Arguing Your Point
More important than the position you take is the method by which you strengthen your argument. You must cite convincing evidence, utilizing at least three of the given sources. Since you have already come up with a thesis and conducted a thorough analysis of the necessary sources, this is where you will figure out how they all fit together -- how you will use the sources that you have annotated to provide evidence for every part of your thesis statement. Some how-to guides will suggest that you first create an outline once you have come up with your thesis and analyzed your sources, but before you begin writing. This is a strategy that works well for some people and works less well for others. You know yourself best, so if you know that you will spend too much time on the outline and not enough on actually crafting the essay, skip this step. (This is why it helps to practice repeatedly before you actually take the AP -- simulating test conditions will give you a much better idea of how you write under pressure.) However, whether you create an outline or just spend some time annotating how you will use each source, make sure you have a clear understanding of how each source fits into your thesis. This, after all, is one of the four important skills that the College Board is looking to assess.
Crafting Your Essay
You have read the prompt and you understand it. You have analyzed sources, crafted a thesis, and determined where each source will fit into your thesis. Now you are able to begin writing. Though the AP graders will assess your mastery of standard written conventions, they also understand that you have an hour to craft this well-structured and well considered essay, They are not expecting a masterpiece, so don’t worry too much about polishing every single word. Instead, focus on how you will fit every part of your argument together so it’s like a well-oiled machine, each part of the argument interlocking with the other to create something unified and cohesive.
The first thing to consider is structure. Every well-written and effective synthesis essay begins with a contextualization of the prompt -- you must introduce the ideas and give them a background, a context, locate them within a larger understanding of the issue. This would be an appropriate place to draw upon your own personal knowledge (providing, of course, that it is accurate).
introduction is crucial as it will help locate the issue for your reader, providing a smooth and easy to understand introduction to the issue at hand. In middle and high school, your English teacher may have referred to this contextualization as the “hook” -- the catchy opening that ensnares the reader from the very beginning. But don’t worry too much about making this opening “snazzy;” this is a surefire way to waste time. It’s much more important to present a complete and well-argued essay than a partially finished work with a great opening. At this point, you can insert your thesis. You’ve already spent time crafting it and ensuring that it performs some kind of action -- a defense, a challenge, a modification, etc. Now is the time to insert it into your essay and tackle the evidence. Unlike traditional five-paragraph-essays of the past, synthesis essays do not need to follow a specific, pre-ordained order. Since the goal is to bring all sources “in conversation” with one another and incorporate multiple sources, you can think conceptually and involve multiple sources in one paragraph. Think conceptually, not in terms of sources; you don’t need to give each source one paragraph because it seems more “organized;” instead, think about the concept that each source aims to tackle or deconstruct.

When you think conceptually and dedicate a paragraph (or several) to each part of a concept, rather than each discrete source, you will have a much easier time integrating and synthesizing your sources. This is where you annotations will have come in handy -- if you’ve annotated your sources, then you will have a good idea of what concept each source relates to. Since multiple sources can all touch on the same topic in different ways, this is a perfect way to synthesize the various sources and bring them in conversation with one another. You can comment on how Source B and Source C focus on the same issue, but point out that Source B takes a negative approach while Source C is more moderate. Or you can take note of the fact that Source D and Source F take radically different approaches to the same idea, and comment on which you find more convincing, and why. It isn’t disorganized to integrate multiple sources into one paragraph based on similar concepts; it’s conversation. It’s synthesis


































































































Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Wednesday, March 9


Homework:Read Jane Eyre Chapters 14-16
                   Write out note cards for second set of AP Lang Terms


Sunday, March 6, 2016

Sunday, March 5

A friendly reminder to read chapters 10-12 of Jane Eyre before Tuesday.
You must also have a hard copy in class.

Thursday, March 3, 2016

March 3, 2016

Just a friendly reminder to read Jane Eyre Chapters 7, 8, and 9.

See you tomorrow.

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Tuesday, March 1

Good Morning Beautiful Woman of America!

After your timed test from the AP workbook please answer the following questions from your Jane Eyre reading making sure your answers are complete and well written.

Jane Eyre Questions                                                               

       1. Compare Jane to the Reed children. In what ways do her appearance and personality differ from those of her                  cousins? What other factors set her apart from them?

       2.   How does Mrs. Reed treat Jane? What happens in the red-room? 
           
       3. After she learns that she will be leaving for Lowood, Jane engages Mrs. Reed in a “battle.” Why do Jane and                Mrs. Reed “battle”? Why do you suppose Jane is able to win a victory for the first time over Mrs. Reed?

       4. Novelists often use details of setting to create atmosphere and establish particular moods. What is the dominant              atmosphere or mood at Gateshead? At Lowood? Cite details (direct quotes) from the novel to support your       
           answer.

        5. Jane admires both Miss Temple and Helen Burns. Explain how each of them feels about how to treat one’s    
             enemies.

        6. How are Jane and Helen Burns different in their attitude toward injustice? How would you explain this difference?

        7.  In chapter 6, Jane receives another lesson in strength, this time from Helen Burns. What do you think of Burns'              diction and speech? What do you think of her philosophy?

        

You can turn in these answers at the end of class or the beginning of the period tomorrow.











Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Wed. Feb 24, 2016

Class,

Great job at solving multiple choice questions as teams!!!

Please read the following info on Victorian Governesses and be prepared to take a reading quiz/or write applicable journal entry.

http://www.bl.uk/romantics-and-victorians/articles/the-figure-of-the-governess


Also read this short bio on Charlotte Bronte:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/charlotte-bronte-born

Please bring a version of Jane Eyre to class on Friday. :)

Sunday, February 21, 2016


Sun. Feb 21, 2016 9 a.m.

Summarize and Evaluate  (Section IV from Friday's hand out) the following two of the following political cartoons.
Make sure to include steps A., B., and C in your response. Your answer must be typed, or it will not be accepted.

1. http://images.sodahead.com/polls/003872073/5735905689_Government_Is_Watching_xlarge.jpeg

2. http://news.hofstra.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Upward_mobilityhighres-resized-704x400.jpg

3. http://www.post-gazette.com/image/2015/08/09/ca0,0,2040,1456/20150809nextpage2-1.jpg

4 .http://thecomicnews.com/images/edtoons/2013/1211/economy/01.jpg

5. http://www.stpeterslist.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/US-PC-1-640x522.jpg

6. http://www.tinmanic.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/pic.jpeg




For your  enjoyment
Kahn Academy SAT Prep Videos:
https://www.khanacademy.org/search?page_search_query=sat%20prep

Friday, February 12, 2016

Friday Feb 12,

Homework due Feb 17: Please answer and type the following three questions regarding the short essay "Guys vs Men".

Discussion Questions • Clarification:
1. How do men and women tackle the same problem differently? •

Application:
2, How do gender stereotypes affect the way we interact with each other? •

Style:
3, Does Barry’s humorous portrayal of gender stereotypes help or hurt relations between men and women?

In addition, I will be emailing you to four to five questions/revisions regarding your paper.

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Sunday, Feb 7

Remember to finish reading A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift and study for vocab quiz 14/15
for Tues., Feb 9.

Also be prepared to discuss the following questions:

Modest Proposal – AP Questions

Go to this link:

http://english-b.hyde.wikispaces.net/file/view/Multi+Choice+Notes+-+Modest+Proposal.pdf













Thursday, February 4, 2016

Thursday, Feb 4

Macbeth analytical papers due tomorrow by 8 a.m. on Turnitin.

Turnitin Information:

Ap Lang

Class ID:12053593
Enrollment Password: Juniors (Capital J)
If you have trouble signing in, email Mr. Merchant.



Friday, January 29, 2016

Friday, Jan 29, 2016

Writing the Literary Analysis Essay

One pattern to follow for writing any kind of school essay is the five-paragraph essay model – introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. As your essay-writing skills mature, you can certainly move beyond this model, but it’s a good basic model to start with.

An analytical essay is a particular type of expository essay, the purpose of which is to explain or give information about a work of literature.  In this type of essay, each of the three body paragraphs will contain one main example from the text to support the essay’s thesis.

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH: This paragraph should tell the reader what your paper is going to be about.  The following information (not necessarily in this order) needs to be included in an introductory paragraph:

1.    a way to draw the reader in, create interest
2.    author of the text
3.    title of the text ( italicized for novels and plays; in quotation marks for short stories and poems)
4.    general statement about the literary work
5.    necessary background information about the story (very little or optional)
6.    thesis statement (your main idea – this should be closely linked to the essay question you are answering.

For example, you might be assigned the following question about Macbeth:
 Explore the idea of “manhood” in Macbeth.  What does it mean to “be a man” in this play?
Your opening paragraph might read something like this.  The numbers in brackets show where the items from the list above have been included in the paragraph:
Real men don’t cry … or watch soap operas … or wear pink.  Or do they? Every society has certain ideas attached to what it means to be “manly” or “womanly.” (1) Shakespeare’s great tragedy Macbeth, the story of a Scottish lord who kills the king in order to become king himself, is no exception. (2, 3, 4, 5).  Throughout this play, characters constantly make reference to manhood and the idea of “being a man.”  In Macbeth, manhood is always associated with physical courage and sometimes even with cruelty. (6)
BODY PARAGRAPHS: These should answer the question “why?” by giving more information about your topic.  Each paragraph should be roughly between seven and eleven sentences long and each should have one single, clear main idea.

 Each paragraph needs to include specific examples and direct quotes from the work of literature you’re discussing.  A body paragraph should include:

Saturday, January 23, 2016



Saturday, Jan 23

A little extra help for the AP Lang term test on Tues:
Allusion- http://study.com/academy/lesson/allusion-in-literature-definition-examples.html
Aphorism-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEjd5So71EU
Apostrophe-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg7Zs7psuU4
Conceit-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA9d-VynVqA
Didactic-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qolLzXyKCZI
Euphemism-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUq9CBGIwUc  (George Carlin-some bad lang.)
Genre-http://study.com/academy/lesson/literary-genres-definition-types-characteristics-examples.html

Nice review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_pxfifB6Co  (some we haven't covered)

Note: Only some of the words from your note cards are listed above. You are responsible for all 28 terms. :)



This coming week at a glance:

Tues. 1/26 AP LANG Term Test
Finish Macbeth
Lecture: Analytical Paper
Homework: First paragraph of Macbeth Paper due Fri 1/29

Wed. 1/27 Lecture on Satire

Fri. 1/29 Journal 10 min
Vocab Quiz 12/13
Peer editing first paragraph Macbeth Paper
Homework: Rough draft of paper Double spaced 12 font (1000-1500 words). Due Tues. Feb 2nd.
Bring Hard Copy to class. 


Sunday, January 10, 2016

Sunday, Jan 10th, 2016

This week in brief:

Tues. 1/12 Vocab Quiz 10/11/ Read Macbeth Act II
Assignment:  Finish Act II/ One pager POA due Fri. 1/15

Wed. 1/13 Workbook Wednesday

Fri. 1/ 15 SAT Journal 10 min
Review Workbook
Macbeth Act III

Distribute AP LANG TERMS