Publishing to Peers

A number of you have arguments you'd like to publish to your peers.  The Indian does not have room in the senior edition for any other articles so you have two possibilities:

1. Send it to Ms. Stone specifically requesting that it be used in the freshmen survival edition of the Indian next year (if appropriate).

2. Make sure your piece is on Google, publish it to the web--to anyone who has the link, and then post a link to Twitter INCLUDING @IHSaplang so Ms. Darrah and Ms. Grissom can see it and give you credit.

Portfolio Logistics

Once your pieces are completed, edited and polished, and totally ready to be turned in:

1. Create a new document called 2nd Semester Portfolio or something like it.
2. Begin the document with a list of all of the pieces you have written for AP Lang.  For each, list title, description of the argument, audience, purpose, and a quick description of how well you think you did on it.  You DO NOT need to include the full documents--the list will show us the variety of writing you've accomplished.
3. Copy and paste all of your NEW pieces into the file.
4. You MUST have your final draft of your research persuasion argument.
5. You MUST have your rhetorical analysis of your nonfiction independent reading book.
6. You MUST have at least one NEW argument you wrote this quarter.
7. You MUST include one piece from earlier in the year that demonstrates your growth as a writer. Choose something from the very beginning that shows where you started as a writer in this class. Your Fast Food Nation paper or first draft of your definition argument might be ideal choices for this requirement.  Make sure you choose something that IS NOT as good as what you're turning in now as your final drafts.  The point is to show that you HAVE improved!
8. To show your revisions based on feedback:  pick one piece that has undergone multiple drafts with significant change.  Put those drafts (properly labeled and in order) in your portfolio document to show the change.  You might also consider a screenshot of feedback that prompted those changes, though this part is not required.  If you don't know how to take a screenshot on your particular type of computer, google it.  It is different depending on what type of system you're using (Mac, Vista, Windows XP).
9. You do not have to put anything in your portfolio to show the helpful feedback you provided your peers.  Your teacher will assess that based on your completion and appropriate participation in the peer reviews this semester.
10. Once everything is in your portfolio document, add page numbers to the document.
11. Save.
12. Upload to Turnitin

Porfolio Polishing

AP Lang

Proofreading & Polishing Checklist

Before you submit your final portfolio, you MUST edit and polish your pieces!!! The feedback you've received from your peers and teacher has been on content only, but the final draft is the time to be sure your mechanics, presentation, and details are clean and correct.  Below are some last revision considerations and a polishing checklist.  Begin at the top, go through EACH step with EACH piece of writing.  Doing so carefully and thoroughly should ensure a reasonably clean final draft.

Add:

1.    Opening sentences that grab your reader’s attention—not in cheesy English 9 ways, but in authentic, thought-provoking ways that get them reading your argument

2.   Sensory detail that creates pathos, ethos, and logos.  Make your readers care about your argument with emotion, trust you because you’ve done your homework and include pertinent details, and understand your logic with solid facts, reasoning, and explanation.

Subtract (Only your rhetorical analysis can be more than 750 words):

1.    The junk—In each sentence experiment with pulling out words you don’t need.  Start with words like “which” and “that” and “started to . . .”  Make your writing FAR more concise than you though you could.

2.   Repetition—read each sentence one at a time out loud.  Get rid of words, phrases, ideas.

3.    Combine and condense sentences so you say the same thing in fewer words and space.  See how tight you can make your argument. 

Substitute and Rearrange:

1.    Use the Find feature.  Find “you”—Do you mean “I”

2.   Find “I” – Do you need third person or impersonal text?

3.   Word choice—Don’t substitute simply using the thesaurus.  Rewrite sentences.  Replace unspecific, or overused words with precise fresh language—but don’t use words you don’t really know or that will sound awkward given your tone and style.

4th Qtr Exam

It's your last one!  And you don't have to study for it!  Happy holiday weekend. =)

Your last quarter exam has two parts:

Part I--AP passages and multiple choice questions
This is a chance to demonstrate your critical reading skills in the moment.  It's not critically reading something you get to spend lots of time on or have discussion opportunities to learn from.  It's just straight-up critical reading skills.  Do you understand the purpose, audience, structure, tone, rhetorical devices and appeals of what you read?  Can you dig into the details of a text and answer rhetorical questions about a short passage?

Part II--Long answer question about Beloved
This is the other side of critical reading.  First of all, Beloved is a long text, a full-length novel, rather than a short text.  Second, you DO get more depth in your understanding if you not only critically read it yourself, but you also have time to study and discuss that text.  So this section asks you to write about your understanding of the last major text of the year.

Beloved Lit Circles

Split into groups of 4 (or 5 when necessary for class numbers).  

Your Journal:

1. All group members will pay attention to symbols in the novel and make note of ideas regarding their significance.
2. Each group member will be in charge of tracking ONE motif in their journal.

Motifs:  

• Repressing the Past & Rememory
• Dehumanization/Slavery vs. Freedom
• Love/Family/Motherhood
• Use of Magical Realism
• Community vs. Alienation (only for groups of 5)

What You Should Note:

• When you notice the motif or symbol--page number
• How the author seems to be using that motif or symbol
• What point does the author seem to be making at that point?

As a Group:

1. Determine your reading schedule.  You have designated reading days and discussion days in class, but you can decide how you will “chunk” the novel for those discussion days.  
2. Determine who will track each of the motifs.  Everyone is responsible for reading the whole book; you’re just focusing on your own motif rather than all of them.
3. You should have a page in your journal for each of the motifs (even those you are not tracking).  This will give you a place to jot down your own thoughts on those subjects as you read and make note of your group discussions.

Discussion Items as a Large Group:

• Each member will share out what is going on with the motifs--open up discussion to see what other members think or have noticed.  Also discuss the ways some of these motifs overlap.
• Symbols and their Significance
• Significance of the 3-Part Structure
• Significance of the Title
• Your ultimate goal is two-fold:  What is the theme of the novel?  How does Morrison’s writing help her achieve that argument?  You won’t know the answers to these questions until the end, but your discussion while you’re still reading should be leading toward answers to these questions.

Dates:

April 4 Hand out books; assign groups

April 7 Reading day

April 8 or 10 Group discussion day (odd periods on 8th, even periods on 10th)

April 11 Reading day

April 15 Group discussion day

April 17 Reading day

April 18 Book completed.  Group discussion

April 21 Quarter Exam. Journals due beginning of class

Portfolio and Rhetorical Analysis

Portfolio Details

Second Semester

Your portfolio will include at least 3 additional final drafts (including your researched persuasion argument and rhetorical analysis essay) to show evidence of your continued use of first semester skills and new learning of the following criteria:

• Successful understanding and use of claims, reasons, and qualifiers
• Various modes to include research, persuasion, cause/effect, and rhetorical analysis
• Use of evidence to convince, including well-used and documented secondary AND primary research
• Effective and correct use of a visual in a written argument
• Variety of purpose and audience throughout the year
• Correct MLA works cited page—at 100%
• Multiple drafts with revision based on feedback
• Stylistic maturity
• Growth as a writer over the course of the year
• Growth as a reader over the course of the year

To receive an A, you must also show evidence of your own helpful feedback as a peer responder and publish one piece of writing for the appropriate audience.

So here are some more details to help you achieve that:

1. Your research paper likely covers many of these.  If your "final draft" didn't successfully achieve all of these research components (i.e. perfect works cited page), revise it so it does.  There are comments on your final draft in Turnitin that tell you where you have problems.  Revise it and include a better copy of it in your final portfolio.
2. Your rhetorical analysis will also help meet several of the criteria above.  For instance, comparing it with your Nabokov paper from first semester or even your Fast Food paper from first quarter may be a good way to show your growth as a reader (and potentially as a writer).
3. To get credit for publishing a piece, you need to get something you wrote this year to its intended audience.  Your research paper works well for this because you spent a lot of time on it and have a clear audience--and probably an argument you actually want people to hear.  To get credit for it, your teacher needs to "see" your submission.  If you're going to email it to your audience (i.e. Mrs. Stone for The Indian, the Record Herald, a legislator, etc.), just copy your teacher on the email.  If you're going to mail it in paper form, bring it in with an addressed envelope (open, please) and your teacher will even mail it for you.  If there is some other way you need to submit or publish your argument that doesn't fit one of these options, see your teacher for how to do it in a way you can get credit for.
4. You currently have TWO more pieces to write.  The Google Calendar is updated to show what we are doing for the rest of year, including lab days.  There are a few of them BUT you will ALL need to be doing work OUTSIDE of class.  This is a college class and your credit will go on your college transcript FOREVER.  This is not a time to lazy.  You have basically ONE MONTH to complete your portfolio.  Here are your deadlines:

• Start your rhetorical analysis NOW--we're giving you reading/planning days this week so USE them.
• Lab time during class:  All Wednesdays PLUS April 14 and April 28
• Optional draft due April 11 by midnight.  If you want INDIVIDUAL feedback from your teacher, you need to submit a draft to Turnitin on this day.  It can be whatever piece you like and you don't HAVE to turn one in.  We will read and give feedback on anyone's paper that is turned in BY April 12.  NO LATE SUBMISSIONS!
• Silent reading table on April 22--bring a PRINT COPY of both new pieces to class with you.
• Completed portfolio due April 28 by midnight.

Rhetorical Analysis Details

One of your 2nd semester portfolio pieces is a rhetorical analysis of your non-fiction independent reading book.  Hopefully you have completed (or at least made significant progress in) a book that you found a clear argument in.  Your job now is to write an essay in which you achieve TWO objectives.

Objectives:

• Demonstrate effective critical reading skills
• Demonstrate college-ready writing

Grading:

A   Successfully achieves all objectives
A-  Successfully achieves all objectives but some minor errors
B   Successfully achieves one objective but has some major problems with the other
C   Does not achieve the objectives; unsuccessful, unacceptable attempt

So how do you make sure you achieve both of those objectives? 

Evidence of your Critical Reading:
Identify argument, purpose, and audience
Analyze rhetorical devices and major modes used
Analyze appeals
Pinpoint BOTH strengths and weaknesses in the argument
Explain an "educated" conclusion of the argument--your opinion of whether the strengths outweigh the weaknesses or vice versa

Evidence of College-Ready Writing:
Lots of detail and evidence to back up your claims (all of them)
Correct MLA parenthetical citations
Clear organization that is easy to follow
Academic purpose and tone BUT with some appropriate personality, voice, and engaging writing
Clean mechanics

March 26 Journal Prompts

1.  Consider the answer to one (or several) of the following “Why?” questions.  (Or answer a “burning question” of your own.)

• Why do we still hear about Lindsay Lohan?
• Why do girls like to show off their underwear?
• Why do people listen to Dr. Phil?
• Why the interest in vampires and zombies?
• Why is Instagram/SnapChat/Twitter so popular?
• Why can’t we live without our cell phones?
• Why are guys so obsessed with body humor and video games?

2.  Consider what the future holds.  What will the world be like when you are old?  Consider what these various aspects of life might be like:

• Sports
• Pollution
• Food/Clothing
• Military
• Drugs/Medicine
• Housing
• Entertainment
• Technology
• Education
• Government
• Careers/Jobs
• Economy/Money
• Crime
• Hobbies
• Transportation
• Population
• Relationships/Dating
• Religion