Assignment for Tuesday, Sept. 27

Watch the presidential general election debate on Monday night from 9:00-10:30 on C-SPAN, the major broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC), the major cable news networks (CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC), and other television channels. You can also listen to it on your local NPR station. While watching, use the Debate Scorecard handed out in class and posted to the right to keep a tally of each candidate's progress, and look over the discussion questions on the reverse side of the scorecard. Here's the video we watched in class.

If you missed class, you will not have an in-class essay on Tuesday. Instead, we'll go back to the original plan and write an essay that will be due Thursday, October 6. You will receive the essay topics on Tuesday.

Reminder: The STP Mentor Commitment Letter is due Tuesday, September 27. Also, give the Mentor Guidelines to your mentor. Both documents are posted to the right. Keep in mind, if you don't turn in this letter on time, you will lose five points from your quarter grade.

Assignment for Friday, Sept. 23

Set up your New York Times account through your MPH email address. Go here for further instructions.

Then, read the following articles on the New York Times website in anticipation of Monday night's presidential debate:

What We Are Hearing About Clinton and Trump
Donald Trump Hits Familiar Chords Before First General Election Debate
Hillary Clinton Tells College Students, "I Need You"
Anticipating Debate, Trump Says He Thinks System Rigged
Donald Trump, the Unsinkable Candidate
When a Crackpot Runs for President (by Nicholas Kristof)
15 Questions for Clinton and Trump. You Choose.

In addition, start becoming familiar with the candidates' positions:

Hillary Clinton
Donald Trump

Assignment for Wednesday, Sept. 21

In Approaching Great Ideas, read Fareed Zakaria, "Illiberal Democracy" (pp. 120-125).

Go over the handout on extemporaneous speeches. In class, we will begin delivering extemporaneous speeches.

Print and complete the AP Lang contract posted to the right if you have not already done so.

Reminder: The STP Mentor Commitment Letter is due Tuesday, September 27. Also, give the Mentor Guidelines to your mentor. Both documents are posted to the right.

A correction: The presidential debate is Monday night at 9:00, not Tuesday night. I had the right date, September 26, but the wrong day. So, plan on setting aside a couple of hours for that on Monday night; you'll have an assignment related to it, and we'll talk about it in class the next day.

Assignment for Monday, Sept. 19

In Approaching Great Ideas, read West, “The Deep Democratic Tradition in America” (pp. 111-117), and view one of the following TED talks:

Dan Pink
Susan Cain
Kelly McGonigal
Keith Barry
Dan Gilbert

While watching the TED talk, take notes on what works and doesn't work in the presentation.

Also, print, complete, and return the AP Lang contract that is posted to the right.

Assignment for Monday, Sept. 19

In Approaching Great Ideas, read West, “The Deep Democratic Tradition in America” (pp. 111-117), and view one of the following TED talks:

Dan Pink
Susan Cain
Kelly McGonigal
Keith Barry
Dan Gilbert

While watching the TED talk, take notes on what works and doesn't work in the presentation.

Also, print, complete, and return the AP Lang contract that is posted to the right.

Assignment for Thursday, September 15

In Approaching Great Ideas, read the excerpt from Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, pp. 77-81.

Assignment for Tuesday, September 13

In Approaching Great Ideas (AGI), read James Madison, The Bill of Rights (pp. 65-68) and Marquis de Lafayette, Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (pp. 71-74). Pay attention to the following while reading each document: What is the document's exigence? Who is its audience? What is its purpose? Which rhetorical appeals help the document achieve its purpose? Respond to these questions in the margins of the reading.

Welcome to AP Lang!

Welcome to AP Lang! I look forward to working with you this year as you learn about the art of rhetoric. For Friday's class, you will need to turn in the Word Hero summer assignment, and you will write an essay about the book you chose to read. Be sure to bring the book with you; you will need to use quotes in the essay.