How to Find Your AP Scores Online

 

 

If you would like to know how well you did on any AP exam before returning to school, then please click on the link below and it will explain everything you need to do in order to access your scores.

 

 

https://apscore.collegeboard.org/scores?-ST=

 

 

On another note, we heard positive comments about everyone's ability to do well on the essay section and are a little concerned about the multiple choice section.  But our fingers are crossed and we are hoping for the best!

 

Have a Great Summer!

AP EXAM Schedule and Web Survey

AP EXAM Reminders:
WEDNESDAY, May 7    AP CALCULUS
THURSDAY, MAY 8, AP ENGLISH LITERATURE
FRIDAY, MAY 9 , AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE
MONDAY, MAY 12  AP BIOLOGY
WEDNESDAY, MAY 14   AP US HISTORY

PLEASE REPORT TO THE LIBRARY BY 7:50 AM.
BRING: #2 PENCILS, BLACK OR BLUE INK PEN, CALCULATOR, DRINK/SNACK, SCHOOL WEAR (uniform), JACKET

Please Open the Link Below if you Attended any of the AP Study Sessions. 

Survey for Study Sessions   

Sentence Structure Matters!

Even though we may not understand all the terms for parts of sentences, nevertheless, we are able to recognize when a writer varies their sentence structure and should be able to understand why they do this.

As student authors writing the synthesis essay or any future essay for high school or college, try and think about varying your sentence structure.  Writers who use only simple sentences are like truck drivers who do not know how to shift out of first gear.  They would be able to drive a load from California to New York, but they would have a great deal of trouble getting there.

If you use phrases and clauses carefully, your sentences will become more interesting and your ideas will be more clearly stated.

Here are a list of possible structures:

1. A long complex sentence can show what information depends on other information.
2. A compound sentence can emphasize balance and parallelism.
3. A short simple sentence can grab a reader's attention.
4. A loose sentence will tell the reader in advance how to interpret your information.
5. A periodic sentence will leave the reader in suspense until the very end.
6. A declarative sentence will avoid any special emotional impact.
7. An exclamatory sentence, used sparingly, will jolt the reader.
8. An interrogative sentence will force the reader to think about what you are writing.
9. An imperative sentence will make it clear that you want the reader to act right away.

Using the above sentence structures, identify the type of sentences below (spell it out--don't give me a number) and then write one that is imitative in nature.
 
Example:
Sentence: Call me Ishmael.  Moby Dick, Herman Melville
Type of sentence? A short simple sentence to grab the reader's attention.
My imitation: Tell her nothing. 

Notice that I am imitating the tone of the example.  You are not striving for a word-for-word correspondence with the model sentence, although you can do this.

Sentence 1.) The gallons stood in a small yard, separate from the main grounds of the prison and overgrown with tall prickly weeds.   Burmese Days, George Orwell.

Type of sentence: ?
Your imitation of this sentence:

Sentence 2.) He went through the narrow alley of Temple Bar quickly, muttering to himself that they could all go to hell because he was going to have a good night of it.  "Counterparts," James Joyce.

Type of sentence: ?
Your imitation of this sentence:

Sentence 3.) To regain the stage in its own character, not as a mere emulation of prose,  poetry must find its own poetic way to the mastery the stage demands--the mastery of action.  "The Poet as Playwright," Archibald MacLeish

Type of Sentence: ?
Your imitation of this sentence:

Sentence 4.) If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you really want to know the truth.  Catcher in the Rye,  J.D. Salinger

Type of Sentence: ?
Your imitation of this sentence:

Sentence 5.) All at once, the instant her foot touched those shifting sands, everything wobbled; her character, her principles, her world---all suffered a sea of change.  "Harriette Wilson" Virgina Woolf

Type of Sentence: ?
Your imitation of this sentence:

Sentence 6.) As most of these Custom House officers had good traits and as my position in reference to them, being paternal and protective, was favorable to the growth of friendly sentiments, I soon grew to like them all.  The Scarlet Letter,  Nathaniel Hawthorne

Type of Sentence: ?
Your imitation of this sentence:

Sentence 7.) I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.  Walden,  Henry David Thoreau

Type of Sentence: ?
Your imitation of this sentence:

Sentence 8.) We've created for ourselves a culture that undervalues education (compared with the rest of the industrialized world, to say the least), undervalues breadth of experience (compared with our potential), downright discourages critical thinking (judging from what the majority of us watch and read), and distrusts foreign ideas.  "How Mr. Dewey Decimal Saved My Life," Barbara Kingsolver

Type of Sentence: ?
Your imitation of this sentence:

Sentence 9.) Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans, born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at hoe and around the world. "Inaugural Address,"  John F. Kennedy

Type of Sentence: ?
Your imitation of this sentence:

Sentence 10.) The real art that dealt with life directly was that of the first men who told their stories round the savage camp-fire.

Type of Sentence: ?
Your imitation of this sentence:


Due Date: Tuesday, April 18th.  Worth 100 points
Please copy/paste the sentences above into a word doc; then identify the type of sentence and compose your imitation of that sentence into the same word doc.  Paste your completed work into the blog posting.

By completing this exercise with care, you will increase your ability to recognize when authors use syntax (sentence structure) to achieve their purpose.  For example, now you can comment on why an author delays the intent of his sentence, or why an author creates a long complex sentence.  Is the author trying to hide meaning, sound lofty or academic, or purposely want to confuse the reader?  And if so, why?

Graveyard Words

Graveyard Words

 

“Don’t you dare put these words in your essays!”



 

1.) Vague references to numbers

Many                Lots                           A lot                        A bunch

2.) Words that are slang or colloquial language

 

 

Ain’t     Gonna         Back in the day               Nowadays         Really          Guy

Crap        Sucks          Kids                           Cause (as in because) Cuz   Dakine

 

3.) Vague references to specific items

Stuff           Things              Something             Anything    Dakine

 

4.) Vague references to emotions

 

Fun                Nice                Happy                  Sad                Mad

Good              Bad                 Awesome

 

5.) Weak verbs:

 

to get               to do              to make                          to have

  

getting                    does                       makes                                             has

gets                         did                         made                                              had

got                           doing                      making                                           having

 

to show              to be               to let

shows                         am                          let

showing                       is                           lets

shown                         are                          letting

showed                       were

                                   was

                                   being

  

Your Assignment:
 
Choose your worst offenders --at least one from each list of the five categories. 
 
List those words.
 
Next to each offending word, write a  more precise or powerful word that could replace the words you chose from the list.

Due Date: Tuesday March 31st.  Equals 50 points.

Being Unique with our Cultural Languages

Themes of Nature are Now Off Limits.  Pick another theme.

Your Assignment:  Due February 5th.  Worth 80 Points

Choose a different theme then the one you worked with last week.  Now think in terms of anything that applies to our cultural heritage.  AP readers will love reading about something that is very unique from the rest of the United States

1. Famous Person related to that theme (Think coaches, inventors, scientist, activist that aren't the typical person you would first think related to the theme.)
2. Literary or Nonfiction text related to that theme
3. Cultural Phrase related to that theme.
4. Quote that you will remember related to that theme (can be something your mom always told you--but avoid the Bible because most Bible verses unfortunately are cliche, such as: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".  But if you know a bible verse or biblical phrase that is not well known, then that would be good to use.

Try to avoid repeating what someone else has posted.  This means you need to read the postings before you begin looking for evidence.  Students will not receive credit if their response reflects something someone already posted and it seems more than obvious to your teacher.  So read the postings, then do some research, and THINK.  Then post your response.

Themes of Nature are Now Off Limits.  Pick another theme.

Preparing for the Argumentative Essay
 

Theme	A “Local” Famous Person Dead or Alive	A Literary Text or Nonfiction work from a “Local” writer	Music/ Song Lyrics From a local artist	Personal Experience that reflects the nature of our islands	Cultural Phrase from our islands	Quote you’ll Remember From a “Local” person.  Does not have to be famous.
Nature
Role of Govern- ment
Impact of Media
The Value of Culture
Over-coming Adversity
Importance of Family
Concerns of Society
Political Justice
Moral Values

Making Your Argument Stand Out!

In order to receive a high score for your argumentative essay, students' essays must stand out from all the other essays that Reader/Graders read.  One way to stand out is to avoid cliches, typical evidence, and very popular quotes.  Remember, that the purpose for all of the essays is to show off a student's thinking skills.  To write well requires thinking. 

So how can you stand out?

• Avoid a formulaic response, i.e. the 5 paragraph essay that is nothing more than a list of three reasons that supports your opinion.  
• Use evidence that is not obvious; because this is the kind of evidence that almost all students in the nation will use.  
• Avoid typical quotes, such as: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" (President J.F.Kennedy).

No one can possible know what the argument prompt will be for the 2014 exam, but there are some general thematic categories that have been used over the years.  Below is a template for each student to start working on.  A hard copy will be given to you in class and later on you may modify this template in any manner as you see fit.

Your Assignment: 

Choose one of the themes listed below in the chart and complete the following columns: 

1. Famous Person related to that theme (Think coaches, inventors, scientist, activist that aren't the typical person you would first think related to the theme.)
2. Literary or Nonfiction text related to that theme
3. Latin Phrase related to that theme.
4. Quote that you will remember related to that theme (can be something your mom always told you--but avoid the Bible because most Bible verses unfortunately are cliche, such as: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".  But if you know a bible verse or biblical phrase that is not well known, then that would be good to use.

Try to avoid repeating what someone else has posted.  This means you need to read the postings before you begin looking for evidence.  Students will not receive credit if their response reflects something someone already posted and it seems more than obvious to your teacher.  So read the postings, then do some research, and THINK.  Then post your response.  

Due Date:  Wednesday, January 22 by midnight.

Worth 80 Points  

(Note: this is worth a lot of points because its value is worth your effort)

Preparing for the Argumentative Essay
 

Theme	Famous Person	Literary Text or Nonfiction	Music/ Song	Personal Experience	Latin Phrase	Quote you’ll Remember
Nature
Role of Govern- ment
Impact of Media
The Value of Culture
Over-coming Adversity
Importance of Family
Concerns of Society
Political Justice
Moral Values