Current News for AP-GT English III
1st Six Weeks of the School Year
As you read this, we will be coming into the 6th week of our first six-week period. We have covered quite a bit of material during these weeks. We have worked on rhetorical analyses of AP-level reading passages. We have annotated texts, discussed those texts, and written about those texts. Part of what we do this entire year is read and write, but the level of reading and writing is sophisticated and nuanced. We are reading deeply and writing profoundly.
The images below demonstrate a little of what we did this six week period. First, daily learners work in groups or teams to achieve a goal. Sometimes that goal is discussing a particular text or it's asking questions of another group. Second, and this one was a bit fun, I asked students to think of one single word that defined themselves, and they were to write that word on the palm of their hands. I then photographed their hand (since their face was in the distance, it was out of focus). Lastly, we keep a "shout out" wall in the room where learners can give a "shout out" to a work partner, a friend, a teacher, or a parent.
All that we do, even if it seems a little unorthodox at times, directs students to specific learning goals.
Advanced Placement Writing
Students completed their first timed writing, a simulation of the AP Language essay, the rhetorical analysis. For a first effort at a timed writing, they students did great! They will get better as the year progresses. We will have 10 of these timed writings throughout the year, so your learners will have a lot of opportunity to get good at these writings. Onward and upward!
Membean
Your learners should also be studying Membean vocabulary time every week for at least 45 minutes. The program is meant to be done in short bursts, so 5 to 10 minutes of training at a time is the best way to fully engage in the program and to remember the vocabulary. We have had one graded quiz and we'll have another one next week. As we move into the 2nd six weeks, those quizzes will move to weekly.
Classroom Needs
At the beginning of the year, I sent notes home with your students about supplies we need for the year. These included two yellow writing pads, two boxes of tissue or one bottle of hand sanitizer. To date, only a few students have brought these supplies. As we move into cooler weather, the likelihood of colds and cold symptoms will increase. Tissues and hand sanitizer would be greatly welcomed. Thank you for your help.
What's Next?
During the 2nd six week period, we will read continue with Membean, but we will also begin writing the synthesis essay (the second of the three AP essays). We will also read a number of nonfiction texts that have an overarching theme of "education." It'll be fun!