Language+and+Composition

//***make sure you also check out announcements and updates at All Cohen Classes Info**//

=DAILY ACTIVITIES= toc


 * 5/21/12**

**Semester Exam**


//Link to AP English Language and Composition 2012 Questions:// []

//Link to Source D for Question 1 (not printed on AP Central):// [] or []


 * 5/14/12**

**Studying for the exam advice...**
__**Do two things:**__ 1. **Reread 3-4 readings** (essays, excerpts, articles, etc.) from this year. Really read them. Analyze them. Think about their claims.

2. **Know all the terms on your chart really well**: the comparison, contrast, and repetition schemes/tropes you selected, the parts of a claim (Toulmin model), the parts of the rhetorical triangle (pathos, logos, ethos, context/exigence), the types of arguments, and the tasks you will do on the essays (definition of: analysis, synthesis, argument).

You can do it! Embrace the power of your spirit animal!


 * 5/4/12**

**Macbeth Links**
OpenSource Shakespeare Internet Shakespeare Editions from MIT
 * Online copies**

Shakespeare Searched: online concordance

//Macbeth// in the Classroom from Folger Shakespeare Library Guide from National Endowment for the Humanities: "Shakespeare's //Macbeth//: Fear and the Motives of Evil"
 * Macbeth Resources**

[|Extensive Guide with a lot of Links for //Macbeth//] Cliff's Notes video for //Macbeth// (*caution: viewing may destroy faith in humanity)

PBS Great Performances: //Macbeth// (can watch online)


 * 4/23/12**

**Review Chart**



 * The chart is due no later than the end of the school day, Tuesday, May 15th, 2012.
 * You can help each other work on the chart, but your work should represent independent, individual thought.
 * You should use the readings and excerpts we used this year (your classmates are collecting a list of these on the class Reddit)
 * The chart will be entered with a Test/Project weight (35%)

Here's the Reddit thread with a list of readings (contribute to it if you think of something not there!) and Here's a list I'm maintaining


 * 4/18/12**

**Fallacies**




Look up more definitions and examples! You can share what you find on this thread on the class Reddit.

"Politics and the English Language" and "Why I Write" by George Orwell
 * 4/16/12**


 * Also:** Post Sentence Imitations in this thread on Reddit!


 * 4/13/12**

**Sentence Imitation Exercises**

 * Notes:**

A page reviewing conjunctions Grammar Bytes! An amusing and helpful grammar site. Check out terms as well.

Rhetorical Analysis Table Grading


http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GJWS2GW
 * 4/3/12**
 * Complete this survey!**
 * (before Monday, April 9th)**


 * The results!**

**Speech Group Project**



 * 4/2/12**

**April Calendar**



 * 3/28/12**

**Portfolio Writing Progression and Self-Reflection**



 * 3/13/12**

**Readings on Style**
"Anger" (George Lakoff) "Thinking in Pictures" (Temple Grandin) "The Rhetoric of Advertising" (Stuart Hirschberg)


 * 3/8/12**

**"A Modest Proposal"**



 * Activities**


 * Non-Fiction Project Check-Up**


 * 3/2/12**

**Practice Rhetorical Analysis**



 * 3/1/12**

**March Calendar**



 * 2/29/12**

Non-Fiction Project



 * 2/27/12**

**Brief Rhetorical Analysis**
Here's a sample one-sentence rhetorical analysis of a cartoon that I did for 7th block:

Here are some sentences from the Internet and AP Central packets that I have marked for the elements your sentence should contain:

Also go to this thread on the course subreddit and post your group's sentence or revise a sentence.

**FCAT Writes is tomorrow!** Here is a link to updates for the 2012 exam.


 * 2/19/12**
 * Reminder: Figurative Language Quiz**
 * on Wednesday (day 2) and Thursday (day 1)**
 * Day 1: Remember to bring ALL of your style term cards (style basic terms, tone, and schemes/tropes) on Tuesday. Return //MAUS I// if you haven't yet
 * All: study your figurative language terms! Your quiz will be matching definitions and identifying examples.


 * 2/17/12**

**Job Opportunity!**
**Calling all Visual Documentarians, Ministers of Culture, and Designers!**

For one of our upcoming readings for our continued rhetorical analysis unit, we will read one of the following:


 * "Books", a chapter from //The Closing of the American Mind//, pages 62 - 67 (Allan Bloom)
 * "Self-Reliance" (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
 * "Where I Lived, and What I Lived for", a chapter from //Walden// (Henry David Thoreau)
 * "Politics and the English Language" (George Orwell)
 * "Words and Behavior" (Aldous Huxley)

//**Student often find these essays difficult to read. But once students read them, thoroughly and repeatedly, they often find them to be life-changing.**//

**Your Job:** Read one of these essays well. Become its champion. Create an effective advertisement for it in the classroom. We will read whichever essay "sells" best. Please send a message to me on which essay you would like to do. I would like //each// essay to be sold well so that other students have compelling choices. user:cohenli


 * 2/16/12**

**Online Help for Rhetorical Analysis**
We will continue to practice writing rhetorical analysis essays this term, so it is important that you study.

//**Some resources:**//


 * Many people have found this packet, HOW TO WRITE: AP Rhetorical Analysis Paragraphs and Essays useful.
 * Some may also get a lot of Forest of Rhetoric's Basic Questions for Rhetorical Analysis.
 * Coherence: Transitions between Ideas and
 * Elements of Analysis
 * AP Central also has many materials, including this Special Focus packet: Reading and Writing Analytically
 * Some other materials specific to AP English Language:
 * Rhetorical analysis of a sample essay going step-by-step through different strategies
 * A collection of links for rhetorical analysis

The best way to prepare, in my opinion, is //**practice, practice, practice**//. Post any practice essays to the Drafts page or to your class wiki. Keep going back to see feedback from your peers and to give each other feedback. Use past prompts from AP Central (the rhetorical analysis question is typically Question 2, but on exams before 2007, it may be one of the other ones).


 * 2/15/12**

**Let's Talk about Your Grades**
Please look at this comparison of 5 students in AP English Language and Composition.

//**Post a reply to the Reddit!**// Please post your response to this question or any other thoughts on how to do better in the course in the course Reddit thread for this topic. I hope this information will spark some discussion.




 * 2/15/12**

**Satire**
Satire definition and links to essays Another comprehensive definition Satirical Techniques and Definitions Wikipedia's Satire page
 * Definition and Examples**

//NOW// on PBS episode "Who's Laughing Now? American Political Satire" packet on [|Analyzing Political and Editorial Cartoons]
 * Application and Analysis**


 * 2/5/12**

**Join the course Reddit!**
Your style terms will be easy if you use the class Reddit. Upvote the best definitions/posts. Same info. here.

One of your fellow students started an AP Language Reddit! It's not blocked by the school district and it's a great way to share links and use your peers' feedback to see which links and other information (questions, comments, whatever you like!) are the most popular/interesting. //**And there is extra credit involved...**// I will give a point of **extra credit** for each subscriber the reddit gets before February 20th to all subscribers (e.g. if 105 people subscribe, 105 people are getting 105 points extra credit, which is huge). //**NEW RULE: You must submit at least once (a link, a self post, a comment) to redeem your extra credit points.**// Also visit the site's "Reddiquette" page to learn more about the norms of the general community.
 * 2/3/12**

//A nice "book trailer" and work of visual rhetoric. "The Information Diet" on the book of the same title by Clay Johnson.// media type="youtube" key="lNFNOSzik14" height="360" width="640"

(Day 1) (Day 2)
 * 2/2/12**


 * 1/31/12**

**Synthesis Essay General Guidelines**


Synthesis Essay samples, commentary, and rubric for 2007 from AP Central


 * 1/30/12**
 * February Calendar**

**Style**


'Understanding Comics' by Scott McCloud

"State of the Union Address 2012: Infographically Enhanced"
 * 1/27/12**


 * 1/25/12**

**Begin Rhetorical Analysis**

 * Day 2**



sample student response (*please note, this is not a complete essay, but a start to how you would show the effect of Mailer's techniques). from: //A Guide for Advanced Placement English Vertical Teams// (circa 1992)

Spiegelman, Art. "The St. Louis Refugee Ship Blues." Cartoon. //The Washington Post// 24 Jun. 2009. Web. 25 Jan. 2012 .
 * Day 1**



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//**Two things:**// 1. Have ready, before class starts (and in this order):
 * 1/24/12**
 * Final Paper Due Next Class**
 * Final Paper
 * Synthesis Question (prompt plus sources)
 * Rough Draft
 * Outline
 * Any other drafts (only if you think it would help your final evaluation)
 * Peer review (filled out by your peer about your paper, with both names on it)

2. Any class that gets 100% final paper turn in (i.e. hard copy, in class) will all get +10 points extra credit. // **Congratulations to block 1! Good job!** // // **Congratulations to block 7! Both classes deserve a big, "You're Awesome!"** // // **Congratulations to block 4!** // // **Congratulations to block 6!** // // **All AP English Language classes are finished with their research papers!** //

//**One thing that applies to a few:**// If you need to make up the peer evaluation we did in class, go to the Drafts page and follow the instructions.

More checklists: http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/rewriting2e/default.asp#526483580468



Make sure you are registered for TurnItIn.com. You will submit your rough draft and final research paper to the site to check for plagiarism.
 * Turn It In**
 * = **Block** ||= **ClassID** ||= **EnrollmentPassword** ||
 * = 1 ||= 4738701 ||= block1 ||
 * = 4 ||= 4738749 ||= block4 ||
 * = 6 ||= 4738758 ||= block6 ||
 * = 7 ||= 4738759 ||= block7 ||

// **Have a question about the research paper? Go to the Discuss! page and ask it!** //

// Also remember, the key to research is, well, re-searching... Bedford St. Martins has excellent collections of links, as does the Library of Congress, and many other places (try Learning Tools as well). And use JSTOR and Questia! //

//** May be relevant to many of you who are getting frustrated: "The Cure for Thinking is Work" (do you agree? if so, how might you break down your research tasks further so that there is less "thinking" and more "work"?) **//

//** Visit past posts in the Archive! **//

 * I have moved ** The "If-You're-Still-Looking-for-a-Source-Here-It-Is" Post ** to the Archive


 * //** Also, over winter break I posted a lot of ideas related to your readings: Winter Break Blog Posts archive **//

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 * 1/17/12**
 * Sample Topic Outline**

in Word (you can use it as a template)


 * Quoting and Documentation**



//They Say, I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing with Readings// (Graff, Birkenstein, and Durst)

Winter Break Posts have been archived here. If you haven't looked at them yet, check them out.
 * 12/22/11 - 1/10/11**
 * Winter Break Blog Posts**

Some students have asked for a timeline for our research work. Here is what is coming up in January: As you work, you may want to see what people are talking about (to me, on the class wikis): Eavesdrop More info on citations (from Edline --> (Contents section) --> Magnet Programs --> IB Diploma Programme)
 * 12/15/11**
 * Research Schedule**


 * 12/14/11**
 * Sources and Creating an Annotated Bibliography**



//*** THE RESEARCH RESOURCES FILE HAS BEEN MOVED** *// The information on how to access JSTOR cannot be posted on an unrestricted site (i.e. on this wiki or the class wikis). Please download it from your Edline page for this course. Please also refrain from posting the handout on any unrestricted sites.

Your Midterm Exam  will consist of
 * 12/12/11**
 * Midterm Exam Information**
 * between 53 – 56 Multiple Choice Questions: (4 passages with questions following) (50% of midterm grade)
 * 1 AP Free Response Question (argumentative) (50% of midterm grade)
 * To practice: **
 * for the multiple choice, make sure you have done the practice questions provided by the College Board on AP Central in the Course Description (page 14): [] . It is best to do these practice questions under a time limit (1 hour for 55 questions).
 * look at past AP Free Response Questions (1999-2011) on AP Central, particularly the argumentative type, and write practice responses and compare yours with the rubric and samples. You may also want to post practice responses to the wiki and ask for peer feedback. I will also give feedback to anyone who posts a practice essay response to his or her class wiki.

Link to 2010 Free Response Questions (including Question 1, synthesis), sample responses, rubric, and commentary
 * Example of our Research Process**


 * 12/8/11**
 * Research!**

Posted By: Richard, MLA Formatted Research paper with helpful guide lines Link: []

You can find the sample synthesis "The Truth about Memoir" and many other helpful lessons in the College Board's booklet "Using Sources" at AP Central.

Also check out the Student Center online resources for //The Bedford Reader// (many of the research selections come from there and from //The Language of Composition// (a link to the companion site).

Chuck Klosterman's essay is from //Eating the Dinosaur// You may want to follow the discussion going on in Block 4 on doing the assignment. Also feel free to discuss the assignment on your own class wiki.
 * 12/1/11**
 * Create a Works Cited for "Fail" (Klosterman) essay**


 * Guide to Creating MLA Citations**

We will hopefully have time to listen to some of this in class, but there is an interesting //Radiolab// episode about Ted Kaczynski's time at Harvard, called "Oops".


 * 11/29/11**

**Argument essay preparation**
You will write an argument essay on Tuesday, December 6th (Day 2) and Wednesday, December 7th (Day 1). It will be of the "aphorism" type. This is a type of argument question that asks you to respond to a quotation or aphorism that expresses a general view about some aspect of life. For examples, see: Question 3, 1999 Question 3, 2000 Question 3, 2004, Form B Question 3, 2009 Question 3, 2011, Form B Use these sample questions and any other suitable examples you find online* to prepare for the essay. Consider posting practice responses to your class wiki and commenting on others' practice. Also consider annotating sample high-scoring responses to show what these essays do well. //*for example, Cliff's Notes guide for preparing for the AP Eng Lang and Comp exam lists all prompts starting in 1981 (AP Central starts at 1999).// //As a pdf:// //From pre-1999 FRQs, you may consider looking up Question 3 from 1983, 1986, and 1991.//


 * 11/22/11**
 * //Freakonomics// and Arrangement scale**


 * //Freakonomics// group assignment**

For Day 2:
 * //Freakonomics// individual assignment**

Also check out this recent article from //The New York Times//, "What's in a Name? Ask Google", 11/25/11 //**Extra credit opportunity:**// Read the article and write a one sentence response for extra credit.
 * Freakonomics Radio**
 * many of the episodes supplement or relate to the topics discussed in the book*

"The Holocaust" (Bruno Bettelheim) "Fish Cheeks" (Amy Tan) "Deconstructing Lunch" (comic by Roz Chast) "Thorny Truths About Flowers" (visual analysis by Maharaj and Hohn) "Marrying Absurd" (Joan Didion) "How to Dump a Friend" (Lucinda Rosenfeld) "Remembering My Childhood on the Continent of Africa" (David Sedaris)
 * Passages/Essays in Modes Packet**


 * 11/21/11**

**Revision Tips Packet**
(for use in revising essays in portfolios)

Examples of the (all classes):
 * best pronoun revision exercises**


 * 11/15/11**

**The APC Method**
(handout put on projector in block 4)

media type="custom" key="11308988"
 * 11/14/11**
 * Track the arrangement pattern**

//Fr////ea////konomics// connection: article by Llewellyn Hinkes-Jones, from //The Atlantic// "Cities" blog: "How the Plummeting Price of Cocaine Fueled the Nationwide Drop in Violent Crime", 11 Nov 2011 What to do: Read the article. There will be a bonus question on your quiz on Wednesday (Thursday, day 2) related to it.
 * Extra Credit is Everywhere!**
 * AN****OTHER Enrichment Opportunity:**

Keep up the nice work posting your work on pronouns! More on extra credit in the "All Cohen Classes" updates.


 * 11/10/11**
 * Pronoun practice***
 * This is from //Elements of Language, Sixth Course//, pages 129 - 132 in the exercise book.

//The Thin Blue Line// analysis questions on perception and language:
 * 11/8/11**


 * 11/1/11 //The Thin Blue Line//**
 * documentary notes**
 * Blank chart:**


 * Sample of about 5 minutes of watching and taking notes (from block 7):**


 * Another sample, from later in the film (from block 4):**


 * Summary of events/details (overview), //Thin Blue Line//, from about 20:00 - 35:00 (from block 6):**

Artist's diagram of Errol Morris's "interrotron"

Information on //The Thin Blue Line// from the Errol Morris website

A link to Morris's blog at the //New York Times's// Opinionator (a collection of blogs)

Transcript of //The Thin Blue Line// (lacking names, but useful for getting direct quotations)

Some perspective for this lesson: (from AP Central) //AP English Language and Composition: Using Documentary Film as an Introduction to Rhetoric// (lessons, advice from teachers, samples)


 * 10/26/11**
 * FCAT Writing Calibration**

write from the point of view of a character
 * 10/19/11**
 * Argument essay**

excerpt by Edmund Wilson
 * 10/17/11**
 * "The Ambiguity of Henry James"**

(Mortimer Adler) and accompanying excercises:
 * 10/14/11**
 * "The Pursuit of Truth"**

//1984///Lionel Trilling quotation
 * 10/11**
 * //1984// Argument Essay Practice**

//[|www.radiolab.org/2007/jun/07/]//
 * 9/29/11** excerpt from
 * //Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television//**
 * Radiolab episode, "Memory and Forgetting":**


 * 9/22/11**
 * "The Singer Solution to World Poverty"**

Link to //New York Times// article (where it was originally printed): []


 * 9/20/11** PowerPoints on

**Argument, Visual Rhetoric, & Methods of Persuasion**



 * From AP Central,**
 * "Special Focus: Writing Persuasively"**


 * 9/19/11**
 * Feedback**
 * on FCAT Writes and writing in general**

A short list of "deadly sins" of conventions: []

To help transform passive to active voice:


 * 9/16/11 Notes on Outlining**
 * "Letter from Birmingham Jail"**
 * (tracing King's arguments and arrangement)**

Great page from PBS on the Freedom Riders, from American Experience.

In the "what is rhetoric" packet of readings, the section on the Toulmin Model comes from this packet from AP Central:
 * 9/8/11**

=WRITING RUBRICS=

**AP Writing Rubrics**
Each AP essay has its own rubric based on the specifics of the prompt. The College Board has posted rubrics for individual free response questions here: [] Here is a "standardized rubric" that covers each of the three essay types you will see on the exam (Expository/Synthesis, Argument, Rhetorical Analysis):

Rubric for Argument Essay #1 ("The Singer Solution to World Poverty" prompt, Free Response Question #3, 2005) and more (samples, commentary, etc.) at: AP Central.

=**OTHER HANDOUTS**=

**TERMS**








**MULTIPLE CHOICE**




**PORTFOLIOS**


=COURSE STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVES=

**Class Policies and Procedures**


This is important for all students to understand and notice in every class. These objectives link what we do to the "big picture". Please edit here if it helps clarify.

**Key Resources**

 * Florida's Common Core State Standards for Language Arts (see grades 6-12, and then 9-10) Florida Standards
 * AP Eng Lang and Comp Goals

**Difference Between Goals and Objectives**
Goals are broad objectives are narrow.Goals are general intentions; objectives are precise.Goals are intangible; objectives are tangible. Goals are abstract; objectives are concrete.Goals can't be validated as is; objectives can be validated. Example: Goal: To know about the human body. Objective: LWBAT name 200 of the 206 bones in the human body without referring to the textbook.

**The ABCD's of Learning Objectives**
includes four characteristics that help an objective communicate an intent: the above on "Difference between goals and objectives" and "The ABCD's of learning objectives" are from: []
 * * ** A **udience - Who will be doing the behavior?
 * ** B **ehavior - What should the learner be able to do?
 * ** C **ondition - Under what conditions do you want the learner to be able to do it?
 * ** D **egree - How well must it be done? ||
 * Audience**The learners:Identify who it is that will be doing the performance (not the instructor).
 * Behavior** (Performance):What the learner will be able to doMake sure it is something that can be seen or heard.
 * Condition** The conditions under which the learners must demonstrate their mastery of the objective:What will the learners be allowed to use? What won't the learners be allowed to use?
 * Degree** (or criterion)HOW WELL the behavior must be done: Common degrees include: Speed, Accuracy, Quality

//***please also visit a summary of the goals and objectives on this wiki.**//

= **VISUAL RHETORIC** =

rss url="http://feeds.feedburner.com/FlowingData" link="true" number="10" date="true" author="true" enclosure="true"

rss url="http://infosthetics.com/information_aesthetics_subscription.html" link="true" description="true" number="5" date="true" author="true" enclosure="true"

rss url="feed://feeds.feedburner.com/thisisindexed/SGWm" link="true" number="3" date="true" author="true" enclosure="true"



A Wordle of the text of //Turn of the Screw//. Some of the patterns are interesting. This essentially shows, graphically, the most commonly used words in James' text. Some, such as "looked", "see", "saw", "felt", and even "little" are telling. Consider doing a wordle by chapter or using another means of graphic representation. //Turn of the Screw// [] You can also make one of the text of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and other essays we read in class

Text from: []

=**HELPFUL WEBSITES**=

**General Reading and Writing**
From PoeWar Writing Career Center, Fifteen Writing Exercises A British site "Language in Use" on words, linguistics, and writing

**Writing**
Introductions: The Introductory Paragraph Conclusions: The Concluding Paragraph More helpful advice: See "General Information" links here Collection of links on Argumentation and Critical Thinking

**Other Schools' Websites**
Mr. Gunnar's English Class: AP English Language specific handouts, MLA help, and more Dr. Chad C Osbourne's AP English Language: a nice collection of links An Internet Hotlist by Mary Filak: another good collection of links From Colleges: English Composition 101 from Vincennes University: good information on writing and analysis "Write Space Resources" page on AP English Language and Composition from the University of Michigan
 * DCHS AP English Language:** terms (especially stylistic), current events, reading lists, and more

**Really Useful**
If you haven't check out Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL):
 * It has a lot of information on MLA and research and things like
 * Visual Rhetoric and writing a Literary Analysis

Forest of Rhetoric (website on classical rhetoric; has many definitions) Rhetoric at EServer has many useful resources, such as this listing of rhetoric reference sites.

**And More**
The Phrase Finder, which includes information on where common phrases and expressions come from The Spaceage Portal of Sentence Discovery (good name, huh?)

Podcasts
I listen to a lot of podcasts (search for them on iTunes) and radio shows. Some you may want to check out: Radiolab

On the Media //*a GREAT resource for the class. Check out this well designed website. A sample segment on Edward Tufte, who studies the representation of information.//

This American Life

Grammar Grater from Minnesota Public Radio

Fresh Air (Geoff Nunberg, a linguist, is a frequent contributor)

Science Friday //Here's something interesting from Science Friday: Science Diction: "Clone"//

** Track blogs and the news! **
I recommend setting up an RSS Reader, or a site that will compile "feeds" from different sites you can follow for information on current events, rhetoric, tools for learning, and whatever your personal interests are. I use Google Reader, but please investigate different options and use what works best for you.

Some samples: rss url="feed://feeds.feedburner.com/realclearpolitics/qlMj" link="true" description="true" number="4" date="true" author="true" enclosure="true" rss url="feed://feeds2.feedburner.com/Swissmiss" link="true" description="true" number="5" date="true" author="true" enclosure="true"

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