Tuesday, August 30, 2005

2002 AP English Style Analysis Assignment

Follow prompt directions for the 2002 Question Two AP Free-Response Question and submit essay no later than Tuesday, September 6, Period One.

Complete the coursework survey handed out Monday and submit by Tuesday, August 30, Period One.

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Rhetorical Square

The rhetorical analysis required to successfully write free-response AP essays demands that students be able to read, argue and support with evidence prompts featuring texts at various levels of difficulty. One tool available to students is the rhetorical square, which enables students to ask four questions when reading analytically. Students need to define the writer's purpose and pose the question, "What action does the speaker want the audience to take?" Second, define the persona the writer is assuming and ask (ethos), "How does the speaker establish common values with the audience and how does the speaker create a common ground for speaker and audience?" Third, ask (pathos), "Who is the audience and which of their emotional characteristics does the writer keep in mind?" Finally, determine the writer's (logos), argument and, "How is the writer's message presented, what figurative language is involved, and what mode of discourse (compare-contrast, cause/effect, classification and division, etc.) does the speaker employ to convey the message?" The purpose for writing, the persona or assumed role of the writer, the audience for whom the writing is done, and the message or content of the writing form the heart of the rhetorical square. This strategy will be used frequently in class to prepare students to read, analyze, and write successfully to prepare for the AP exam.

Credit for the Rhetorical Square is given to writingback.org and Marcy Bowman.

Saturday, August 06, 2005

The Cornell Note-Taking System

Walter Pauk (1989) developed what is known as the Cornell notetaking technique to help Cornell University students better organize their notes. Today, Pauk's notetaking technique is probably the most widely used system throughout the United States. The six steps in the Cornell notetaking system are 1) record, 2) reduce (or question), 3)recite, 4) reflect, 5) review, and 6) recapitulate. Recording notes require students during lectures to write down facts and ideas in phrases, using abbreviations when possible, and after lectures to read through notes and fill in blanks and make scribbles more legible. Reducing or Questioning notes occurs after lectures and require students to write key words, phrases, or questions that serve as cues for notes taken in class. Cue phrases and questions should be in students' own words. Reciting notes require students to cover classroom notes and to read each key word or question and then recite the fact or idea brought to mind by key word or question. Reflecting and Reviewing notes require students to review their notes by periodically reciting them and to think about what they learned. Finally, recapituatling notes require students to summarize each main idea and use complete sentences. The format on paper for these six steps will be discussed in class.

Credit for the above is given to http://www.buy.edu/stlife/cdc/Learning_Strategies/study_skills/note-tak.htm 2/17/2003

Language Registers

One of the analytical tools we will use this semester is the language register, which will foster critical thinking and create inferential thinking. There are five language registers.

1. Frozen: language repeatedly used over generations whose purpose is to create community through ritual and whose speaker (audience) is participating in a ritual; the Pledge of Allegiance or Lord's Prayer are examples

2. Formal: the speaker is involved in one-way communication and is an expert as the audience listens, receives, and does not participate; the speaker's purpose is to inform or persuade and standard English is the grammar used; a speech, sermon, lecture, presentation are examples

3. Consultative: identical to formal except it involves two-way conversations and both parties are experts; networking, e-mail, or colleague conversations are examples

4. Casual: although there is two-way conversation, the speaker and audience are friends, grammar can be lax, and background information of discussion is known by both; this conversation creates social glue or entertainment; banter between friends is an example

5. Intimate: language between lovers, twins, or very "old friends" are examples

These language registers lead to writing for different purposes. For example,

Personal Writing includes self-expressive pieces, journals, diaries, letters and is defined by the casual language register because human emotion is involved

Creative Writing includes cartoons, movies, novels, poetry and may involve any language register because human imagination is involved

Academic Writing includes essays, articles, professional journals, dissertations and is defined by the formal register using formal grammar because human intellect is involved

Credit for language registers is given to writingback.org and Marcy Bowman as well as Martin Joos' The Five Clocks.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Opening days activities will include instruction on Levels of Questioning which explains how questions affect class discussion. The FIRST LEVEL of questioning generates from Bloom's Cognitive Taxonomy's Knowledge/Comprehension component and asks students to recall something from the text, using either the writer's words or the student's words and have only one answer. These questions of fact result in evidence. The SECOND LEVEL of questioning is from BCT's Analysis component and asks students to draw inferences about the meaning of a text, using evidence in the text to support answers and can result in a number of answers, all of which can be valid. These questions result in inferences. The THIRD LEVEL of questioning is from BCT's Evaluation/Synthesis component and asks students to make a personal connection between the text and themselves, moves the discussion beyond the text, requires an answer from the student's personal values, and are intended to provoke discussion of an abstract idea or issue. These questions result in topic sentences and thesis statements.

We will work with the three levels of questioning throughout the semester and additionally learn how to measure your commitment to learning with Bloom's Affective Taxonomy. More to come on this later.

Information in this posting is credited to writingback.org with sincere thanks to Marcy Bowman.

Bloom's Affective Taxonomy (Measure Your Commitment to Learning

As an Advanced Placement English classroom learner, you are able to measure your commitment to learning using a five-step scale, which is derived from the original Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning. This scale is termed "affective" since its levels of learning are based on your contributions to the course and the classroom. Measure yourself at the beginning of the semester because you certainly will be asked to state how much you have grown intellectually by semester's end. (1 is lowest-5 is highest)

1. RECEIVING: Willingness to receive classroom activities: awareness, controlled or selected attention--Follow, Reply, Listen, Identify

2. RESPONDING: Active participation on the part of the student which indicates that the student has a desire to be involved in the activity or assignment so seeks it out and gains satisfaction from working with it or engaging in it--Answer, Present, Discuss, Recite, Practice, Select, Tell, Comply

3. VALUING: The student sees worth or value in the activity or assignment related to writing. An important element of this behavior is that it is motivated, not only by the desire to comply or obey, but by the individual's commitment to mastering the skills involved in learning--Complete, Join, Differentiate, Propose, Initiate, Invite, Share

4. PRIORTIZING BY VALUES: Bringing together possibly disparate values, resolving conflicts between them, and beginning to build an internally consistent value system. One sees how attitudes regarding learning relate to values already held in other parts of one's life. This integration of values is less than harmonious--Compare, Organize, Defend, Systemize, Integrate, Modify

5. INTERNALIZING VALUES: The values involved in being a writer have controlled one's behavior for a sufficiently long period of time to have developed a positive identity as a learner. This attitude regarding learning is pervasive, consistent, and predictable--Advocate, Incorporate, Characterize, Influence, Devote, Practice, Encourage

Credit for Bloom's Affective Taxonomy is given to writingback.org and Marcy Bowman

Next Up: Note Taking, Language Registers, and the Rhetorical Square

Monday, August 01, 2005

The first day of classes for Track A students will be Monday, August 29, 2005 and student orientation for coursework will be discussed, including preparation for Advanced Placement Tools and Skills necessary for success on the AP English Language Exam.