Homework for Wednesday, May 4 to Friday, May 6

For Wednesday, May 4, complete pp. 260-264 in your CliffsAP book. Since there are 25 questions, give yourself 25 minutes to complete these passages.

For Thursday and Friday, write outlines for the FRQs distributed in class and temporarily posted to the right (under Syllabus and Assignments). Make sure you clearly label your thesis. In addition, be sure to have a topic sentence for each paragraph you would write, and at least one supporting idea for each topic sentence.

Homework for Monday, 5/2 (Day 2), and Tuesday, 5/3 (Day 3)

In your CliffsAP book, complete the multiple-choice questions on pp. 298-303. In addition, write outlines for an essay on the following topic in response to each passage: What rhetorical strategies does the author use to achieve his or her purpose?

Rhetorical Terms to Review

You should become familiar with the following rhetorical terms. Your CliffsAP book defines them, starting on p. 65. Some of them will already be familiar to you:

ad hominem argument
antithesis
conceit
loose sentence
parallelism
periodic sentence
rhetorical appeal
rhetorical mode
syllogism
understatement

The following terms (which are also listed in your CliffsAP book) should already be familiar to you. If that is not the case, you should become familiar with them.

allegory  
alliteration
allusion
analogy
atmosphere
caricature
clause
diction
euphemism
figure of speech
genre
hyperbole
imagery
irony
juxtaposition
metaphor
mood
narrative
oxymoron
paradox
parody
personification
point of view
prose
repetition
rhetorical question
satire
simile
subordinate (dependent) clause
syntax
theme
thesis
time
transition

Assignments for April 4-April 15

Monday, April 4 (Day 6): In Advanced Composition Skills, complete Lesson 17 (pp. 117-122). For the Focus on Writing exercise (pp. 120 and 122), just write an outline; do not write an essay unless you really want to.

Tuesday, April 5 (Day 1), and Wednesday, April 6 (Day 2): In Advanced Composition Skills, read Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" (pp. 146-151), write the outline for an essay in response to the following prompt: Explain the rhetorical strategies Swift employs to achieve the satirical effect of this essay.

Thursday, April 7 (Day 3), and Friday, April 8 (Day 4): In Advanced Composition Skills, complete Lesson 15 (pp. 102-106). Give yourself forty minutes to handwrite an essay in response to the Focus on Writing on p. 104. Also, be sure to read Whitman's profile of Lincoln on p. 105. In class, you will begin developing a response to the Focus on Writing on p. 106. Also, bring in any writing assignment for another class. We will give some time to work on writing for other subjects.

Monday, April 11 (Day 5), and Tuesday, April 12 (Day 6): In Advanced Composition Skills, complete the Focus on Writing on p. 106. This should be typed, double-spaced, and at least 2-3 pages in length. In class, we will review the previous multiple-choice practice exam in preparation for the one you will complete on Wednesday and Thursday.

Wednesday, April 13 (Day 1), and Thursday, April 14 (Day 2): In Advanced Composition Skills, complete pp. 79-85, as well as the additional multiple choice questions about this passage that were distributed in class. In class, you will complete a practice AP multiple-choice exam.

Friday, April 15 (Day 3), and Tuesday, April 26 (Day 4): Partager!

Assignments for March 28 to April 4.

Monday, March 28 (Day 1), and Tuesday, March 29 (Day 2): Write one sentence at least twenty words in length for three of the following categories: an historical event, a political development, a social fad or trend, a sporting performance, an artistic creation or performance, a natural phenomenon, or a personal habit. Keep in mind, as we discussed in class, that your sentence can aim to inform, persuade, criticize, evaluate, describe, narrate, analyze, or summarize, among other functions. Bring your copy of Status Anxiety to class as we prepare for the in-class essays on Wednesday and Thursday.

Wednesday, March 30 (Day 3), and Thursday, March 31 (Day 4): Score the AP sample essays distributed in class. Focus only on the strengths of each essay, and follow the scoring guidelines to give each a score out of 9. In class, you will write two essays in response to Status Anxiety; one essay will require a rhetorical analysis, the other an argument.

Friday, April 1 (Day 5), and Monday, April 4 (Day 6): In Advanced Composition Skills, complete Lesson 17 (pp. 117-122). For the Focus on Writing exercises (p. 120 and p. 122), just write an outline; do not write an essay unless you really want to.

Assignments for March 22-March 25

Tuesday, March 22 (Day 3): Read and annotate pp. 175-213 of de Botton's Status Anxiety.

Wednesday, March 23 (Day 4): Read and annotate pp. 192-213 of de Botton's Status Anxiety. Write a sentence about something that (following Steve Jobs) makes your heart sing.

Thursday, March 24 (Day 5), and Friday, March 25 (Day 6): Read and annotate pp. 217-293 of de Botton's Status Anxiety (it's not as much as it seems; this section is heavily illustrated).  Write a sentence that captures your reaction to this book. As we discussed in class, it might help to envision a particular context and audience for this sentence.

Snow Day Adjustment and a Short Blog Post on Status Anxiety and College

This applies to the even-day class only: We will go ahead with the multiple-choice practice AP exam on the morning of Wednesday, March 9. You will write the Huck Finn synthesis essay in class next Tuesday, March 15, when you return from the long weekend. You should stick to the schedule posted below for reading Alain de Botton's Status Anxiety.

The schedule for the odd-day class remains unchanged.

David Brooks has begun a new blog on human nature and one of his first posts is on college and status anxiety. Click here to read it; the post is short and worth your time.

Upcoming Assignments

Even-Day Classes:
Monday, March 7 (Day 6): Read and annotate up to p. 21 of Alain de Botton's Status Anxiety including the definitions that appear right after the table of contents. In class, you will write a synthesis essay on Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Wednesday, March 9 (Day 2): Read and annotate pp. 23-44 of Alain de Botton's Status Anxiety. In class, you will have sixty minutes to complete the multiple choice section of one AP Lang practice exam.
Tuesday, March 15 (Day 4): Read and annotate pp. 47-102 of de Botton's Status Anxiety.  In class, we will review the synthesis essay and the multiple choice questions.
Thursday, March 17 (Day 6): Read and annotate pp. 107-145 of de Botton's Status Anxiety.
Monday, March 21 (Day 2): Read and annotate pp. 145-192 of de Botton's Status Anxiety.

Odd-Day Classes:
Tuesday, March 8 (Day 1): Read and annotate up to p. 44 of Alain de Botton's Status Anxiety, including the definitions that appear right after the table of contents. In class, you will have sixty minutes to complete the multiple choice section of one AP Lang practice exam.
Thursday, March 10 (Day 3): Read and annotate pp. 47-71 of de Botton's Status Anxiety. In class, we will review the synthesis essay and the multiple choice questions, in addition to discussing Status Anxiety.
Wednesday, March 16 (Day 5): Read and annotate pp. 73-145 of de Botton's Status Anxiety.
Friday, March 18 (Day 1): Read and annotate pp. 147-172 of de Botton's Status Anxiety.
Tuesday. March 22 (Day 3): Read and annotate pp. 175-213 of de Botton's Status Anxiety.

Huckleberry Finn Delay

I'm not sure if I mentioned this in both classes: the Huckleberry Finn reading that was due Monday and Tuesday is delayed to Wednesday and Thursday. I would rather move forward with the writing workshops. So, for Monday and Tuesday, bring three revised pages of your essay. Those of you who are sharing your work should bring enough copies for me and your classmates (16 in the odd-day class; 13 in the even-day class).

On Wednesday and Thursday, we'll spend about thirty minutes checking in on your progress with Huckleberry Finn (you will have some questions to answer and to think about for the next check-in), and we'll spend the remainder of class workshopping two student essays and reviewing additional writing strategies.

Snow Day Revisions

For Thursday, Feb. 3 (Day 1), bring your revised essay. As we discussed in class, focus on the nouns and the sentences. Read the handout distributed in class.

For Friday, Feb. 4 (Day 2), bring 1-2 pages of the essay on the topic of your choice, as was scheduled for Wednesday.

Assignment for Tuesday, Feb. 1 (Day 5), and Wednesday, Feb. 2 (Day 6)

Bring two pages of your essay on the topic of your choice. It will be helpful to bring at least two copies of your writing.

Assignment for Friday, Jan. 28 (Day 3), and Monday, Jan. 29 (Day 4), and Huck Finn Check-In Dates

Read and annotate Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, from the "Notice" (which appears two pages before the start of Ch. 1) to p. 28. Also, decide on the topic for the essay you will write about anything you wish. (If you didn't finish the in-class readings, you will need to finish them sometime soon.)

As I've mentioned, you will be reading Huckleberry Finn mostly on your own. We will discuss the novel during the classes listed below. On those days, you will have questions to answer about the book, and you must bring your book because I will check your annotations. The first day in a pair is always a Day 3, the second a Day 4.

• February 7 & 8: Up to p. 141.
• February 15 & 16: Up to p. 260.
• March 2 & 3: Up to p. 362. 

Assignment for Wednesday, Jan. 26 (Day 1) and Thursday, Jan. 27 (Day 2)

Read Mark Twain's "The Late Benjamin Franklin" and write one typed page that explains the rhetoric of its humor. It runs from pages 211-215 of The Writings of Mark Twain, Vol. 19, which is linked below. After following the link, click on "preview this book," then enter "211" in the box to the right of "Contents."

The Writings of Mark Twain, Vol. 19