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.

Assignment for Wednesday, April 13

Finish preparing your presentation. Bring to class both the text and the images you will use in the presentation. The H block class (it met first block on Monday) will practice the presentation in small groups and get feedback on it from peers.The B block class (which met second block on Monday) will not have as much time to practice because there will be two presentations, but everyone should be prepared to practice in pairs.

Click here for the form that will be used to evaluate your presentation. (It is also posted to the right.) Use it and the presentation guidelines (also posted to the right) to prepare your presentation.

Assignment for Monday, April 11

Work on your presentation. It would be great if you could bring to class a version of your presentation. This version should include your main point, your three take-aways, and an attempt at concluding your presentation in an inspiring way. You should also bring to class the images you have selected so you can begin or continue to make sure that they suit the points you  are making.

Assignment for Thursday, April 7

Work on your presentation. Review the guidelines for the presentation that are posted to the right. Go over your paper and think about your project (if you performed community service, worked at an internship, conducted an experiment, or completed a visual or performing arts STP). Make sure that you follow the guidelines as you prepare the presentation. You might find that you'll need to adjust the images you've selected as you clarify your main point, three takeaways, and conclusion.

You will have time during class to work on the presentation, but don't rely just on class time to do so. We still have a few speeches to hear, and we will spend some time reviewing for the AP exam.

Assignment for Tuesday, April 5

If you were absent on Wednesday, March 30, view this TED talk, which we watched during class. Pay attention to the ways the speaker connects with the audience, the strategies she uses to communicate her message, and the ways the images reinforce and enhance her points.

If you have turned in the complete draft of your research paper, you have no homework for Friday, April 1. If you have not turned in the complete draft, you need to turn it in by Friday. For Tuesday, April 5, complete the speech assignment that was handed out in class and is posted to the right. If you can't locate the handout with the rhetorical devices, it is also posted to the right.

Assignment for Thursday, March 24

Read and annotate Chinua Achebe's essay "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness" (which is on pp. 336-349 in your volume of Heart of Darkness).

In class, you will give extemporaneous speeches in preparation for your STP presentations.