End of the year information for AP Lang 15-16

May 15, 2016

Dearly Beloved AP Langers,

I’ve given your final exam a lot of thought.  The conclusion I’ve come to is this:  a project would be irrelevant and, for some, redundant at this point.  Some of you are already completing two or three projects for other classes and I don’t want to add to that load after you’ve worked so hard all year.  What makes sense to me is a final essay as part of the fourth quarter grade and then, for the exam, a reflective writing that you will complete on the day of the exam.

Unlike other writings this year, there will be no time to revise the fourth quarter essay.  You will have plenty of time to work on it in class, to read it to your peers, to read it to me, if you choose. But the deadline for this essay is June 3, so the draft you turn in on that day should reflect your absolute best effort.

We will read several models.  While I understand that none of you are yet professional writers, these models will exhibit a level of mastery that is the desired outcome for your own writing.

Your essay can be about any topic you choose.  It can be personal in nature, but it should also contain the smoothly integrated, synthesized ideas or opinions of others.  It should stimulate both thought and feeling for your reader.  It should, ultimately, have a point of some kind or reach a conclusion.  It should be an interesting read.  And I know you can do this, because I know that you are all interesting people with ideas and opinions and, more importantly, questions about all kinds of topics. Your essay should be accompanied by a bibliography of all of the stuff you read to create it and all of the sources to which you refer in it.

Here are the key questions I will be asking when I assess it:

1.     Does it make me think about something? Does it provoke thought?

2.     Does it make me feel something? Does it evoke emotion?

3.     Does it demonstrate the writing proficiency of someone who has spent an entire year in an Advanced Placement English Language and Composition course? (Idea development and discussion)

4.     Is it free of grammar, usage and mechanics errors?

5.     Does it demonstrate thoughtful craftsmanship through the polished  utilization of rhetorical tools? (LIDDS, Modes of Discourse, etc.)

6.     Is it organized effectively?

7.     Does it contain smooth transitions?

8.     Is it interesting to read?  Or is it a chore?

9.     Can I hear the writer’s voice?

10. Is it type written and correctly formatted?

11. Am I left asking “So what?” at the end? That would be a bad thing.
12. Are there at least five different "contributions to the conversation?"
13. Is the essay comprised of (somewhere in the neighborhood of) 2,000 words?
14.  Is this the best piece of writing the student has produced this year?  It should be.

As far as the writing exam goes, you can prepare by making sure that all of your completed writings are in your writing folder and that you have read through them thinking about your experience and your progress in AP Lang this year. Bring it to class on exam day, for it will be difficult to write a reflective essay without it. I will give you an outline of the content I would like you to cover in your exam writing on exam day. You may use a laptop or tablet to write it, but not a phone.

It has been a great year and in keeping with my educational philosophy that I presented to you at the beginning of the year, I want to end in a way that honors that.  To throw in a project at this point defeats the purpose and diminishes the integrity of all the hard work and the struggle of this year.

Thank you for all of your input as I “thought aloud” to make these decisions.  It was  helpful as—believe it or not—I always want to do what I believe to be best for students. I’m looking forward to reading these two final pieces and I am always available if you need extra help.

With Warmest Regard,

Mrs. McAllister