Mondays will be 1) Topic Journals
2) AP close reading practice/Multiple Choice (MC) question days

Hand in... your book reviews

Pick up...handout From The Language of Composition "Close Reading: The Art and Craft of Analysis (39-59)"

Bellringer (5 minutes of instruction and 15 minutes of writing): Topic Journal in your Composition Book. 

At the top of the 1st page of your composition notebook, write in big letters "After High School" and write today's date (August 24, 2015) 

Assignment: In the form of a letter or an advice column or blogpost, write anything you like about the topic (keep it school appropriate, of course), however, it should be to an audience (individual or group) that is either close to your age or, alternatively, to adults, perhaps parents or teachers.  You choose the audience, but be sure to indicate your audience at the top of the page.  

Your piece can be serious, funny, creative, straightforward, questioning, certain, etc.  You can do almost anything with it. You could even create a persona other than your own.  Don't try to be perfect.  Think for a few minutes and then let it rip.  This is not for a point or letter grade, but you must complete all of the topic journals for the semester.  

During 2nd period Topic Journal writing time, I wrote the following (in the persona of a Marine drill sergeant):

Hello high school maggots!  This is Sergeant Futura! Stop snapchatting and put down your phones and wipe your noses and listen to me.  You will soon be leaving the babying bubble we all know as high school.  Whether you are king of the hill or feel like the hill is on you, your situation is about to change pronto!  Do you hear me!! There will no longer be bells or hall passes, pep rallies, rivalries with identical pampered babies at Central or whoever you have been taught to hate.  You will soon be in the real world, my world!  You must learn to claw, fight, and survive because it will not bend over backwards to make sure you have a good day and a warm glass of milk and bedtime story before you go off to dreamland!  It will conspire to kick your butt!  Do you hear me!?  Yes, that includes you, Mr. Starting Quarterback and you Miss Homecoming Queen! No one will give a rat’s hindquarters as to how damn popular you were!  So my advice to all of you is to join the Marines and learn how to fight and survive in this world. Hu HA!!! Now drop and give me twenty!!!   

You can share or paraphrase what you wrote when you talk to a partner or small group tomorrow.  If it is too personal or for some other reason, you would rather keep it to yourself, you can also elect to not share it tomorrow. At some point, however, I might read it, so just be aware of that :)     

Preparing for MC Critical Reading:

Read time (15 mins):

From The Language of Composition Close Reading: The Art and Craft of Analysis: 39-43.

Some examples of AP MC question stems...

The context of the speech might be best described as...

The passage beginning with "yada yada yada" and ending with "yoda, yoda, yoda" primarily relies on ___________ in order to appeal to the shared value of ....

The speaker's attitude is best described as...

With a partner, write four AP style MC questions (with three possible answers, a-c, for each) about Queen Elizabeth's speech on pages 40-41. Your four question address each of the following categories...One question should address the rhetorical situation (occasion/context), another the tone, another one should address a combination of occasion/audience and one of the three appeals, and one should address diction (word choice). When you are done, exchange your questions with another group and try to answer theirs and vice versa.

Time Permitting: Mercy Street

HW:
Finish writing your questions for the Queen Elizabeth speech

and

Churchill’s Tone Activity on page 43: Type your response. It should be ½ page, single-spaced and include at least two embedded direct quotes which help to support your tone determination.