Summer Reading: Wuthering Heights
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 - 16:31 PM
Emily Bronte's only novel, Wuthering Heights remains one of literature's most disturbing explorations into the dark side of romantic passion. Heathcliff and Cathy believe they're destined to love each other forever, but when cruelty and snobbery separate them, their untamed emotions literally consume them.
Set amid the wild and stormy Yorkshire moors, Wuthering Heights, an unpolished and devastating epic of childhood playmates who grow into soul mates, is widely regarded as the most original tale of thwarted desire and heartbreak in the English language.
Purchase at:
Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
Half-Price Books:
3221 Preston Rd. just north of Stonebriar Mall
Frisco TX 75034 972-668-3477
3190 S. Central Expwy. at 75 & Eldorado Pkwy.
McKinney TX 75070 214-544-7800
There is a AP Literature timed write on this the first day of school, and you'll need details that are NOT in Spark Notes or any other type of "notes." Read the book, you've got all summer to get it done. :)
AP Lang Tests 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009 - 10:10 AM
Before your test on Wednesday, please review:
2009 Test
Form B
PowerPoint Review
Advice from CollegeBoard for test day:
What to Bring:
Several sharpened No. 2 pencils (with erasers) for all multiple-choice answer sheets.
Black or dark-blue ballpoint pens for free-response questions in most exams.
A watch (in case your exam room does not have a clock that you can see easily).
Your social security number for identification purposes. (If you provide it, the number will appear on your AP Grade Reports.)
What Not to Bring:
Books, compasses, correction fluid, dictionaries, highlighters, or notes.
Rulers and straightedges (except as noted above).
Scratch paper (notes can be made on portions of the exam booklets).
Typewriting equipment, computers (except as noted for students with disabilities), or calculators (except as noted above).
Watches that beep or have an alarm.
Portable listening or recording devices -- even with headphones -- or photographic equipment.
Beepers, cellular phones, MP3 players, or personal digital assistants (PDAs).
Clothing (t-shirts, for example) with subject-related information.
Guessing on the Exams
Scores on the multiple-choice sections of the AP Exams are based on the number of questions answered correctly minus a fraction of the number of questions answered incorrectly. No points are awarded or deducted for unanswered questions. For questions with five answer choices, one-fourth of a point is subtracted for every wrong answer. For questions with four answer choices, one-third of a point is deducted for every wrong answer. Thus, random guessing is unlikely to raise or lower your grade. However, if you have SOME knowledge of the question, and can eliminate one or more answer choices, informed guessing from among the remaining choices is usually to your advantage.
Back to top
This I Believe
Friday, May 15, 2009 - 12:13 PM
To submit your entry, go to
http://thisibelieve.org/agree.html
After you click agree, cut and paste your essay into the first box. In the second box you will cut and paste your reflection on writing the essay.
The NPR station for the Dallas area is KERA 90.1.
For more "This I Believe"
After you finish... WORDLE!
Footnotes
Tuesday, May 5, 2009 - 10:03 AM
Here are the handouts regarding footnotes for my AP students (and friends from the ListServ!)
Worksheet *
There are questions (not multiple-choice) about a non-fiction essay from Robert D. Putnam's Bowling Alone .
Ellen Ryan's Article on pages 35-47 of the 2007-2008 Professional Development: Using Sources from College Board
Applied Practice's Mastering Non-Fiction with Documentation
There is a sample essay from the book (click on the icon of the black-book), with multiple-choice questions.
*AP teachers, please look at the archives and I have a link for the answers posted there!
AP Lang Resources
Thursday, April 23, 2009 - 11:33 AM
Here are a list of free resources to help you prepare for the AP Language exam.
SparkNotes
I know, I know... an English Teacher sending her students to Spark Notes seems odd, but they have a 25-question Multiple Choice exam that's free.
CramList
This was written by a student who took the 2008 exam. Take the information with a grain of salt, but overall it has good advice. I don't agree with everything, but he might say some of the same things we've talked about in class a slightly different manner that you might "get."
CollegeBoard
They have the past promts for all of the AP Lang tests, plus example essays. I use these in class, and it might be a nice reminder of some of the work you've already done this year.
And if all else fails, get a review book. There are some pretty good ones out there... stop by a bookstore and read through their advice.