AP Exam Registration

Message from Ms. Coghlan:

If you are planning on taking an AP TEST in the spring, please stop by the main office to pick up a registration form from Dawn.   The cost for each test is $89. If you change your mind and do not choose to take the test, you will still be charged a $15 fee.  All registrations and fees must be turned into Dawn Fitzgerald in the main office by Thursday, March 13  If you have any questions about the AP TEST please see Mrs. Coghlan.

Should I take the AP Exam?

1.  Are you a senior?  Do you know exactly where you're going to school next year?  Then check the list below, get on your institution's website, or call up your admissions counselor and ask them!  You will automatically, FOR FREE get DMACC Eng 105 Composition I credit (3 of them) just for successfully completing this semester of AP Lang.  Ask your institution if they will transfer those credits AS COMPOSITION CREDIT.  If yes, don't pay $89 to take the AP exam.  Take your free credit and run.  If they say it'll transfer as ELECTIVE credit but you'll still have to take the composition class at that college, ask what you would have to earn on the AP exam to exempt you from that course.  The $89 is definitely worth an entire semester course of college.  (It's also cheaper than even one credit at any institution.)

2.  Are you a junior?  Do you think you might apply to out-of-state schools or some upper-tier schools (Grinnell, University of Chicago, Stanford, Rice, etc.)?  If so, you should probably take the AP exam because many of those institutions will require decent AP scores to get the composition credit.  If you're planning to go to an in-state school, check out the list below to get an idea of the benefits.

The Big 4

U of I:  Neither DMACC credit OR AP credit will get you out of your required Advanced Rhetoric class, but taking the AP exam and getting a 4 or 5 will earn you 4 elective credits (rather than 3 credits).

ISU:  DMACC credit takes the place of ENG 150 at Iowa State which is the same thing you get for AP credit.  Therefore, DO NOT take the AP exam.

UNI:  DMACC credit will transfer but will not get you out of the required course.  However, earning a score of 3, 4, or 5 on the AP exam WILL get you out of the required course.  Therefore, TAKE the AP exam.

Simpson:  DMACC credit will transfer as elective English credit but will not take the place of the course.  Earning a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP exam will give you 4 elective English credits (rather than 3).

What Will I Score?

Good question.  =)  We will be doing another practice exam and some more test prep before the actual test.  For now, consider how you're doing in the class and what kinds of scores you get on in-class essays.  If you are becoming a good critical reader and can consistently score at least a 5 on your essays, you should be able to score at least a 3.  If your institution requires a 4 or a 5, you would want your essays to score a bit higher and you'll want to feel pretty confident about your critical reading.  Talk to your teacher if you're unsure, or go ahead and register, see how the practice exam and test prep goes as we get closer to May, and pay only the $15 if you decide not to do it in the end.

Web Source Assessment

This is an in-class journal activity.  If you're absent today, you'll need to do the following on your own:

1. Grab an iPad from the cart OR use your personal device if you have one/prefer it.
2. Open your textbook to p. 415--it lays out in detail all of the items of consideration for electronic sources.  (You used it first semester to complete the web assessment activity so it probably looks familiar.)
3. By this point, your first draft is submitted so you should have all of your secondary research completed.  Take this time in class today to pull up each of your web sources and complete this source evaluation in your journal for each source in your essay.
4. Title each evaluation with the name of the source--something that will identify it--title of article, name of author, or name of website.  Then answer the questions from p. 415.  End each evaluation with a concluding comment from you regarding whether this seems like a credible source that will offer you good ethos.  If not, take some time between now and your D2 to find a better, more credible source to use in your argument.

Non-Fiction Ind Rdg

Lots of people have asked about this semester's independent reading book. Here is the information you need if you'd like to get started:

This semester, your independent reading book should be non-fiction. You can choose anything that is a full-length, high quality non-fiction book; it can be on any subject you like. However, keep in mind that you will write a rhetorical analysis of the book's argument so you want to choose something that has a clear argument (memoirs are tougher for this than other kinds of non-fiction).

1. Choose a book (from this list or your own choice):

Non-Fiction Recommendations

(These have been read and recommended by Ms. Grissom, Ms. Southall, or former AP students)

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Born On A Blue Day: Inside the Extraordinary Mind of an Autistic Savant by Daniel Tammet

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich

Stiff by Mary Roach

The Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

No Impact Man:  The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process by Colin Beaven 

Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr 

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Born to Run by Christopher McDougall

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Safe Area Gorazde by Joe Sacco

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Riding with Rilke: Reflections on Motorcycles and Books by Ted Bishop

Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner by Dean Karnazes

Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck

Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster OR Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

Woman: An Intimate Geography by Natalie Angier

Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto by Chuck Klosterman

The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, A Jew--Three Women Search for Understanding by Ranya Idliby

Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead by Frank Meeink




2. Read and take notes. "Over what?" you might ask. All of the things you should pay attention to in an argument (purpose, audience, appeals, rhetorical devices, tone, fallacies, holes in the argument, strengths in the argument) AND evidence of these things you can use to back up the claims you make about each of those things. (That means jot down page numbers with your notes so you can find that evidence later.)

3. How you accomplish this reading is up to you. You'll write this paper for your portfolio which is due the end of April. Options: Wednesday workday is always a time you could read if reading isn't something you do well at home. Reading days in class that are set aside for class texts can obviously be used for independent reading if you get done early. At home/study hall/during opens is a good option for those of you who need quiet, no distractions, etc. Spring break is a good option for those of you who have no other time and/or plan to read something anyway. You should not have any other AP Lang homework over spring break so this might be the ideal time for those of you who are overwhelmed by too much to do.

Young Men & Fire

AP Language
Young Men and Fire
Journal Questions


PART ONE

1. Maclean reveals that all the men died in the fire right away. How does this affect the way you will read the story?
2. Who is Icarus? What is an Icarus Complex (p.21)?
3. What is hubris (p.61-62)? Look it up and then look at how it applies to this passage.
4. What is historiography (p. 101)?
5. Maclean makes it clear that this is his story of the fire, not THE story. What does that mean?
6. What is the difference between a storyteller and a historian, according to Maclean?
7. How does religion figure in the story?
8. Look up the Stations of the Cross (or talk to a good Catholic). What significance do they have in this book?
9. At the end of Part One, Maclean calls Gisborne’s death the ideal way for a scientist to die? What do you make of that?
10. Identify the pace of Part One and the function of Part One.

 


PART TWO

1. This section is clearly different. How? What is its purpose? How does it connect to Part 1?
2. How does the pace compare to Part 1?
3. On page 201, Maclean alludes to a poem. Google it and then consider how it fits this part of the book.
4. Clearly, Maclean doesn’t believe that the personal and the scientific can be separated (p. 258). Why is he writing this story?
5. What can you say about tragedy on pages 270-277?

PART THREE

1. How does this section connect to Part Two?
2. Why is it so short in comparison to the other parts?
3. Why doesn’t Maclean want us to be detached observers?

This is a huge assignment—acknowledge that it will take you time and then DO A GOOD JOB! Answer EVERY single question in your journal before you come to class the day it’s due. You can (and should) add to it during our discussion days, but your responsibility is to critically read ON YOUR OWN and these questions will help you focus on what's important.

AoW Jan 22

Today's AoW deals with Iowa, farming, and Breaking Bad.  Do the normal AoW assignment (see Jan 9's AoW for details) BUT for #2, ALSO complete and submit your answers regarding the logic of the piece on this form. (Be sure to make note in your journal for your own records as well.)

We will discuss the logic of the article tomorrow.

Persuasive Research Argument

This piece is first and foremost an argument.  Choose something that means something to you, something you don’t mind delving into for the next month or so.  Choose something that you can conduct research on and has an action purpose.  Your job is to persuade your audience to do what you want them to do (change a law, implement a program, get rid of a problem, quit doing something that annoys you, whatever).  You’ll use your research, structure, organization, style, and voice to convince them.

Objectives:

• Apply knowledge of appeals and fallacies to write a persuasive argument
• Evaluate the credibility of various sources of information and use them effectively to add merit to an argument
• Expand knowledge and experience with primary and secondary research
• Correctly use MLA citations (parenthetical and works cited)
• Fit a mass of information into a tightly-written essay

Requirements for the Argument:

1. Use at least one strong primary source in addition to several secondary sources.  Your primary sources must be conducted and included in a way that is as reliable as possible for our situation.  
2. Your secondary sources must be evaluated so that you know what kind of source you are using and you make conscious decisions about whether to include them or not.  You should always consider how each source will affect your ethos as well as your overall argument.
3. In addition to the normal secondary sources (book, website, EBSCO), you must also include an out-of-the-ordinary secondary source such as media, charts/graphs, pictures, etc.  This is a good way to fulfill the portfolio requirement of a correctly used and cited picture.
4. Cite everything according to MLA style and include a works cited page.
5. Your final draft must be 500-750 words; therefore, be concise!

Requirements for the Process:

1. Submit a detailed research proposal and get it okayed by me.
2. DO NOT begin ANY primary research without submission AND approval from me first.
3. Complete and submit a web assessment using the questions on p. 415 of your textbook for each website you use.  (This will be a journal assignment one day in class after your D1 has been turned in).
4. Submit a first draft of your argument to Turnitin for peer review.
5. Submit a second draft of your argument to Turnitin for teacher feedback.
6. Attend an optional MLA workshop with your works cited page if you need it.
7. Submit your revised, polished final draft on time.

Getting Ready:

Solidify your topic, purpose, and audience by the end of the day tomorrow.  You need the next few days to conduct your preliminary research before writing your research proposal.  Check out the EBSCO database, other IHS subscriptions, Dunn Library at Simpson, and credible websites.  Don’t dismiss print sources--they have a certain level of credibility that many web sources do not.  Also consider “alternative sources” such as media, visuals, or local sources (i.e. student handbook).  Find some sources of info to start with--get an idea of what is available AND where you might go with your argument.  Be sure to evaluate these sources—I’m not just grading you on having research, but also on the quality of sources you choose as support for your argument.  Your textbook clearly spells out what to look for in quality sources and you’ll eventually need to conduct a web assessment using the guidelines on p. 415 of your textbook.

Research Proposal:

This is a detailed, organized plan of what you intend your argument to be and what kind of research it will include.  Your proposal should include detailed answers to ALL of the questions below:

1. What is your argument?  In other words, what are you going to write about, who is your audience, and what is your purpose? (This must be an action you want your audience to take.)
2. What are the reasons your audience should do said action? You should have a minimum of two but no more than four.
3. What are the warrants for those reasons?
4. What support will you use for those claims and warrants?  Explain your own reasoning and also tell me about the sources of information you’ve already gathered and how they will help you.
5. What will you do for your primary research?  What kind of information do you want to gain from that source?  IN ADDITION:  Either now or later you will need to submit the following based on the type(s) of primary research you conduct.  Be sure to read the section of your textbook that addresses the type of research you plan to conduct.  You CANNOT begin your primary research until these items have been submitted AND approved by me:

Process and Deadlines

• All deadlines are listed in both Turnitn and the Google calendar.  We will also let you know of upcoming MLA days.
• Here is what the schedule of deadlines looks like:
• Proposals due Monday, January 27 by midnight
• D1 due Wednesday, February 5 by midnight
• Peer reviews must be completed by Monday, February 10 by midnight
• D2 due Monday, February 17 by midnight
• Final draft with reflection due Wednesday, March 5 by midnight
• MLA Days are optional and will mostly occur on lab days.  Sometimes these days will have a theme (i.e. citing EBSCO sources or citing visuals).  Some days will be “open” days where you should bring a copy of your works cited page either on paper or on a digital device that allows you to work with it.  These workshops will be student-driven--Ms. Darrah and I will simply answer questions you have.  This is your opportunity for help so use them when you need them.
• Some MLA instruction will not be optional.  Based on your fake works cited pages, we may have some teacher-planned sessions that deal with specific problems we saw.

Wednesday Workday: Practice Works Cited

A better name for this might be Fake Works Cited as you're not actually using any of these sources.  All we really want you to do is find and cite some sources and put it all in your best works cited page.  Keep that in mind.  Do a search, find the right kind of source, cite it, and move on.  No reading, taking notes, or using the information in any way. =)

Objectives:

• Use the MLA works cited skills you have so far
• Use the Purdue OWL as a resource to follow MLA guidelines for new types of sources

We expect that there will be some problems with MLA even though you learned it and should have been using it since your freshman year.  Consider this a sort of pre-test.  We're purposefully asking you to cite an easy source, a trickier source you may have cited before, and a source you likely haven't cited correctly before.  Use the Purdue OWL--rules change and no one will ever expect you to memorize this stuff.  The skill we're after is knowing how to look up the correct citation information, finding what you need, and following directions carefully.

The better you do on this pretest, the less practice and listening to us you have to do later.  =)  We will use this as a guide to see who needs additional instruction and what type of instruction they need.  As we move into this research paper, these skills will be a major part of the quarter.  And don't forget:  you need a 100% perfect WC page in your portfolio by the end of the semester!

Directions:

1. Open up a Word or Google Doc
2. Open up an internet browser window to the MLA guide on Purdue OWL
3. In a separate browser window, search for and find the following types of sources:
• One website article
• One EBSCO article--username:  3114indhs   password:  haea11
• One online picture
4. Look up how to cite each type of source on the Purdue OWL, follow the directions, and cite each source correctly in your document
5. Look up the correct formatting guidelines for a MLA works cited page on the Purdue OWL and make sure your finished document follows those rules exactly.
6. Save your document and upload it to Turnitin by midnight tonight.