2A- English 4 AP
12/14/09
Good morning.
I won’t see you for class until after the holiday break, so this sheet has a lot of information for you. Please read it thoroughly.
§ Homework due today: I had intended to discuss your handout on chivalry and courtly love (“A Distant Mirror”) but that will not be possible today. The information will come in handy when we read the various tales from The Canterbury Tales over the holiday break. If you have questions about the material in the article, please email me.
§ Semester Exams: I started going through the exams from last week and they look pretty good. I’m planning to have them finished by Wednesday, so you can check your grade then.
§ Today’s Assignment: You will receive materials from the mock AP exam—an overall score sheet, your essays, the scoring guide for each essay, and a sample score 6 paper for each essay topic. Ideally, I would be there to talk to you about these results but we can do that in January. I wanted you to know your scores as soon as I had all of the information. Overall, I was very pleased with our results. Over the break, I will contemplate how to use these scores in your daily grades but they will not go in until 2nd semester.
Please complete the following today:
1. Review your score sheet. Your multiple choice information is near the top. Keep in mind that the m/c is 45% of the overall score. Your essay scores are listed in the middle of the score sheet. The essay portion is worth 55% of the test score. The composite score is listed near the bottom and the 1-5 score for the entire exam is in the bottom right. You need to have a 3 (at least 74 points) on the exam to be considered ‘qualified’ to receive college credit. Some schools (Baylor, Rice, etc.) require a 4 for college credit.
2. Look to see how close you are to the next highest score. For example, if you scored 70 as a composite score, you are only 3 points away from making a 3 on the exam.
3. Review your essay scores carefully. I scored question 1 for this test and I read some of your papers because they were randomly given to me with a bunch of other topic 1 papers. I have not yet read any of your topic 2 or 3 papers. There are no comments on the essays themselves but you will see the score on the sheet with your name for each essay. Read through the scoring guide and sample “6” essay for each question then reread your essays.
4. Now, use your essays, the scoring guides, and the sample essays to analyze your performance on the essay portion of the exam. Write a paragraph for each essay that uses phrases from the scoring guide and your essay to agree with or disagree with your score. Here is an example paragraph. Imagine my topic 1 (Henry VIII essay scored a 3.
I agree that my topic 1 essay should be scored a 3. I explained the metaphor of the plant and explained how it shows changes through time but I never connected it to Wolsey’s “complex response to his dismissal from court.” I only really said that Wolsey’s response was “angry and bitter” which is not really “complex”. I should have also dealt with the end of the passage which shows Wolsey as regretful (“that poor man who hangs on princes’ favors”) and hopeless (“And when he falls, he falls like Lucifer, never to hope again”). Showing that Wolsey is both angry / bitter AND regretful / hopeless would more clearly show his response to his dismissal was “complex”.
5. Turn your three paragraphs in to the sub but hang on to the other materials. If you finish early, you can begin on your long-term assignment (below) or use the time to study for exams. Quietly, please.
§ Long-Term Assignment: The sub should give you a booklet of selected Canterbury Tales. These are some of the stories the pilgrims told on their trip. Please read these stories over the break. They are entertaining, so it shouldn’t be overwhelming or anything. I have included the tales of the Pardoner, Nun’s Priest, Miller, Reeve, and the Wife of Bath. Here are some general guidelines for your reading:
o As usual look up words and references as need be.
o Before you read each tale, review the description from the General Prologue of the pilgrim who is telling it. Often, Chaucer will surprise us with a tale seems out of line compared to his initial impressions of the pilgrim. Other times, the tale is exactly what we’d expect.
o You will sometimes see a “Prologue” to a tale. This is what the pilgrim said prior to telling his/her tale. These are important to read. Sometimes, it is simple banter between pilgrims on the trip or reactions to the previous tale. Other times, though, as in the case of the Wife of Bath, the prologue is very detailed and gives more insight into pilgrim than the tale he/she chooses to tell.
o We will have a few discussions / assignments dealing with these tales when we return from the break but for now, just read them. J Have a great holiday.