Mrs. Kenyon's Blog

AP Language

Important upcoming dates:  Georgia High School Writing Test on Tuesday, 9/27.  Bring both pens and pencils for the test.  Have vocabulary cards done by Friday 9/30.  The three reading tasks for ELIC will be due on Monday 10/3.

Today students received their peer reviewed persuasive papers on Sharkwater back.  Students also took their second reading quiz for ELIC and turned in their progress on the first two reading tasks (previously announced).  We also looked at some dialectical journal samples.

Tuesday all juniors will take the GHSWT.  In class we will have our multiple choice practice using the iRespond units.  

On Wednesday we will discuss the answers to the reading comprehension practice from Tuesday.  

For the balance of the week we will consider the argument set forth in Jonathan Edwards's "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."  In addition, on Friday we will go over the vocabulary.  The card check will be in the form of participation in class.  

Honors American Lit

Important Upcoming Dates:  The Georgia High School Writing Test takes place on Tuesday, September 27th.  Students should make sure they are on time for school (plan to be early, just in case there is an unexpected delay).  The test will take place first, so students should report to their advisement at the beginning of school.  Some advisements have been moved to a testing room, so students should either check with their advisement teacher or look at the chart on my classroom door for their testing location.  Puritan/Rationalism Test on Friday.

I continue to underestimate the time needed to review for the GHSWT and beg your patience with postponing the test on Puritanism and Rationalism once more to Friday, the 30th of September. 

This Monday we will continue to review for the writing test.

For the rest of the week students will watch "The Great Debaters" and we will review for the test on Friday.  We will do a little of both on each day.

The readings students should be familiar with include:  introductory (historical context) information on the Puritans and the Rationalists, Anne Bradstreet's "On the Burning of Our House," Jonathan Edwards's "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," Patrick Henry's "Speech to the Virginia Convention,"  the excerpt from Thomas Paine's "The Crisis," the excerpt from Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography, examples of Benjamin Franklin's aphorisms and information about "Poor Richard's Almanac."  Students may also be asked to identify rhetorical appeals (ethos, pathos, logos) in a piece of literature, as well as specific rhetorical strategies, including rhetorical questions, anaphora, asyndeton, repetition, parallel structure, and restatement.  Literary elements students need to know include:  inversion, allusion, metaphor, simile, symbol, aphorism, alliteration, assonance, consonance and theme.  It is highly recommended that the question/discussion sheets completed in class be used to study.

AP Language

Important due date/test date changes:  The second reading quiz and reading task check has been postponed from Friday to Monday.  We will not have a vocabulary quiz next week, but students should have their cards ready by Friday (30th).  PLEASE REMEMBER THE WRITING TEST IS TUESDAY, THE 27TH.

Honors American Literature

Important note:  Several upcoming due dates/test dates have been pushed back.  The Puritan/Rationalism test has been postponed to Monday.   We will skip vocabulary this week and have a quiz next Friday (30th).  PLEASE REMEMBER THE WRITING EXAM IS TUESDAY, THE 27TH.  Students will need to bring pens to the exam.

AP Language

Important Upcoming Dates:  Monday (9/19) - vocab quiz 4; Friday - reading quiz 2 and task check; Monday 9/26 vocab quiz 5; Tuesday 9/27 Georgia High School Writing Test

Monday (9/19) - Multiple Choice Monday!  We'll talk a little about how I am going to grade these as the semester progresses.  Once we have completed the writing exam, we will start doing more work with these practice tests.  We also have our vocabulary quiz on unit 4 -- remember two words from unit 4 and one word from any of the three previous units.

Tuesday and Wednesday (9/20, 9/21) - We will talk a little about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and I will show you some samples of the first two tasks, just to make sure you are on the right track.  We will then take a look at the writing rubric for the Georgia High School Writing Test, as well as some sample papers and previous test prompts. 

Thursday (9/22)- We will take a stab at an in class practice write based on a previous writing test prompt.

Friday (9/23) - We will have our second reading test on ELIC and I will check progress on your tasks.  Please make an effort to have them typed.  We will also go over your vocabulary words for unit 5.  Please be ready!

Honors American Literature

Important Upcoming Dates:  Debates due Monday (including written opening argument); test on Friday over Puritan and Rationalist literature (vocab quiz postponed until next week); Georgia High School Writing Test on 9/27.

On Monday and Tuesday (as necessary) students will conduct their debates.  They will be required to turn in a written copy of their opening arguments.  On Wednesday and Thursday we will review the framework for a persuasive essay, review the rubrics that will be used on the Georgia High School Writing Test (GHSWT), and work in groups looking at previous test prompts and responses.  On Friday students will have a test on the readings from the Puritan and Rationalist literature.  As time allows during the week, we will review aspects of both periods and characteristics of their literature.

AP Language

We will complete the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close in a three week time period.  Your pacing will be as follows: 

Friday, September 16th, through page 107 (after completion of chapter "The Only Animal") -- I will check progress of first two reading tasks on that day. 

Friday, September 23rd, through page 216 (after completion of chapter entitled "Why I'm Not Where You Are 4/12/78") -- I will check progress of first two reading tasks on that day.

Friday, September 30, finish book.  You will turn in your typewritten tasks, including the third task which asks for questions for our discussion.  Keep a copy of your questions for yourself too!

All three Fridays we will have a reading quiz.

AP Language

Important upcoming dates:  First reading quiz on EL and IC on Friday, September 16th (and two more successive Fridays).  I will also check reading task progress that day.  Vocabulary quiz 4 on Monday, September 19th after their multiple choice practice.  Note-cards are also due on that day.  The Georgia High School Writing Test will take place on September 27th.

We are beginning "Multiple Choice Mondays" on Monday (woo-hoo!).  This is an opportunity for students to practice for the multiple choice section of the AP Language exam.  After completing this assignment, students will be given time to read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and work on the tasks they are required to complete as they read.  On Tuesday we will discuss Brian Doyle's essays "Leap" and "Osama bin Laden's Wasted Life."  Students have been asked to review the information in their AP Language handbook to help facilitate a discussion that is more rhetorically focused.  On Wednesday through Friday we will review the parameters and rubric for the Georgia High School Writing Test, and use the documentary "Sharkwater" as a basis to discuss persuasive argument.  On Friday students will also take their first reading test on Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.  I will spot check their progress on the tasks assigned to them while reading the book.  (That assignment is posted on the left side of this blog).

 

Honors American Literature

Important Upcoming Dates:  Debates will begin September 19th in preparation for the Georgia High School Writing Test taking place on September 27th.  Vocabulary quiz on 9/23.

On Monday, I will be out, so have left the new vocabulary exercises (for unit 3).  On Tuesday, we will discuss "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," which most students read on Friday.  We will take a closer look at Edwards's rhetorical purpose and style.  Time allowing, we will transition from the Puritans to the Revolutionaries.  On Wednesday, we will read an excerpt from Thomas Paine's "The Crisis" and talk about his style and use of rhetorical techniques for persuasion.  On Thursday we will do the same with Patrick Henry's "Speech to the Viriginia Convention."  On Friday we will talk about how students can apply the same rhetorical strategies during their debates.  We will do some practice exercises in class.  The debates will begin Monday, the 19th.  Students are required to bring a typed version of their opening statements to turn in, with appropriate citations, Works Cited pages and copies of the annotated  research they actually used in their paper.  The debate project has been posted under the "pages" section (left-hand side) of this blog.  It will generate two major grades (one for the written speech and one for the debate itself).  Students who do not show for class the day of the debate will be required to write a more in-depth research paper to make up the grade and turn it in within the appropriate makeup period to achieve full credit. 

AP Language

We will continue our lively panel discussions on Tuesday and Wednesday.  Please remember that you want to give your discussions a rhetorical focus.  Think about how the essay is structured, what the author's purpose is, and how he achieves his purpose.  Use the DIDLS acronym outlined in your AP Handbook to help you remember what to consider (D - diction; I - images; D - details; L - language; S - sentence structure).

On Thursday we will go over your vocab 3 words (please be ready to by then).  We will also be talking about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and looking at some essays to get us ready for the reading.

On Friday I will give you your "while you are reading work" for EL & IC.  You will do this after completing the vocabulary quiz for week 3.  Remember for this quiz you will have two words from the current unit and one from either of the first two units.

Also starting on Monday -  Multiple Choice Mondays!  Yes, it is going to be a weekly exercise.  My goal is to use the iRespond remotes so that you can get used to them before you have to take a "real" test with them.