What's due in the new year?

It is hoped that everyone in AP English Language and Composition is having a delightful, yet restful, winter holiday. Remember, there are some assignments that come due when you return to school on Tuesday, January 11, 2011!

Your Of Mice and Men project is due in my warm little hands as you enter the classroom on Tuesday, January 11th. The book, as short as it is, must be read in full to answer the questions on the assignment sheet. If you're asking yourself, "What assignment sheet?", you're too late to get one from me. Use your contact sheet and borrow someone's to do your assignment. There is no excuse for not having the work completed ... Especially since I passed it out more than a week before the break!

Week 5's vocabulary is due on January 14th ... And you have a test that day. Be ready! Study! The next group of words is far tougher and will be transferred onto some flash cards!

Happy New Year from Seattle!
Miss Jepsen

Vocabulary list 4 is due Friday!

Hey AP English 11 students!
List 4 will be due on Friday, 11/5 ... AND you've got a vocabulary test that day, too! Do your best work because the project and the test are worth a whole bunch of points.
Miss Jepsen

Intersession assignment: The Scarlet Letter

DIALECTICAL JOURNALS
DUE October 12, 2010

DIRECTIONS: Keep a dialectical journal as you read all of THE SCARLET LETTER by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The minimum number of responses for the book’s twenty-four chapters is 48!

A dialectical journal is like a conversation between you and the book itself: Not you and the characters. The term “dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving question and answer.” The process is meant to help you develop a better understanding of the text and gather textual evidence for your Rhetorical Analysis assignments.

PROCEDURE:
o As you read, choose passages that stand out to you and record them in the left-hand column of a T-chart (ALWAYS include page numbers).
o In the right column, write your response to the text (ideas/insights,
questions, reflections, and comments on each passage)
o Label your responses using the following codes: (Be sure your responses are not all one or two. Attempt at least two of each one.)
o (Q) Question - ask about something in the passage that is unclear
o (C) Connect - make a connection to your life, the world, or another text
o (P) Predict - anticipate what will occur based on what's in the passage
o (CL) Clarify - answer earlier questions or confirm/disaffirm a prediction
o (R) Reflect - think deeply about what the passage means in a broad sense - not just to the characters in the story. What conclusions can you draw about the world, about human nature, or just the way things work?
o (E) Evaluate - make a judgment about the character(s), their actions, or what
the author is trying to say
o MUST BE WORD-PROCESSED!

Sample Dialectical Journal entry: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Quotations
“When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow . . . (3).


(My Note: I have not included the entire
quotation to which I am referring. Instead, I
use an ellipsis [ . . . ] to quote only the part
that is most important to what I want to talk
about.)

Response
I remember breaking my foot before a choir concert. I was not feeling well and had to leave the risers before a concert. When I was hopping down from the third riser, I landed on the side of my foot and broke it. All I cared about when I was recovering was being able to walk without crutches or a walking cast again. This seems to be how Jem kind of feels. (Making a Connection)

CHOOSING PASSAGES FROM THE TEXT:
Look for quotes that seem significant, powerful, thought provoking or puzzling. For example, you might record:

o Effective &/or creative use of stylistic or literary devices
o Passages that remind you of your own life or something you've seen before
o Structural shifts or turns in the plot
o A passage that makes you realize something you hadn't seen before
o Examples of patterns: recurring images, ideas, colors, symbols or motifs.
o Passages with confusing language or unfamiliar vocabulary
o Events you find surprising or confusing
o Passages that illustrate a particular character or setting

RESPONDING TO THE TEXT:
You can respond to the text in a variety of ways. The most important thing to remember is that your observations should be specific and detailed. You can write as much as you want for each entry.

Basic Responses
o Raise questions about the beliefs and values implied in the text
o Give your personal reactions to the passage
o Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character(s)
o Tell what it reminds you of from your own experiences
o Write about what it makes you think or feel
o Agree or disagree with a character or the author

*

Higher Level Responses
o Analyze the text for use of literary devices (tone, structure, style, imagery)
o Make connections between different characters or events in the text
o Make connections to a different text (or film, song, etc…)
o Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character(s)
o Consider an event or description from the perspective of a different character
o Analyze a passage and its relationship to the story as a whole

Vocabulary List 3: Due October 15th

Alacrity eagerness; enthusiasm; quickness
Burgeon grow; flourish; put forth new shoots
Deleterious harmful
Euphemism a polite phrase to cover something unpleasant
Hypocritical insincere
Lethargic tired; without energy
Ogle stare at; observe in an obvious manner
Postulate hypothesize; propose
Robust strong; healthy; tough
Tractable obedient; dutiful; polite
Burnish polish
Euphony pleasant sounds
Levity flippancy; joking about serious matters
Olfactory concerned with the sense of smell
Potable suitable for drinking
Rotund round
Alibi an excuse that shows someone was not at a crime scene
Buttress strengthen; support
Delineation demarcation; explanation; definition; outlining
Evacuate vacate; empty; abandon
Potent powerful; compelling; strong
Ruminate think over something; ponder
Transcribe copy
Allay to lessen
Exacerbate make worse
Liniment soothing lotion
Pragmatic practical
Ruse trick; stratagem
Transgress go astray; disobey; commit a sin
Alleviate make less severe
Cacophony discordant loud noises
Denounce condemn; speak out against
Exasperated frustrated; annoyed
Lithe flexible; supple
Pragmatist practical person; one who is concerned with usefulness
Saccharin falsely sweet
Aloof distant; detached; cold
Cajole coax
Livid very angry
Preamble introductory material
Sacrosanct very holy; inviolable
Traverse to move across
Altruism putting others first; being self-sacrificing
Caldron huge cooking pot
Deplore regret
Exculpate free someone from blame; pardon; acquit
Onus burden
Precarious unstable; risky
Sagacious wise
Trepidation fear
Amass accumulate
Depravity moral corruption
Execrable very, very bad
Immoderate excessive; extreme
Lofty snooty; arrogant; haughty
Precedent a previous occurrence used as a guide
Sage a wise person
Trinket something of little value; knick-knack
Deprecate criticize; denounce
Immutable unchanging; permanent
Longevity long life
Opulent wealthy; rich; magnificent
Precept guiding principle
Salacious lecherous; erotic
Trite unoriginal; dull
Candor frankness; openness
Deride ridicule; make fun of; mock
Exemplary outstandingly good; setting a fine example
Impartial unbiased; neutral
Precinct district of a city
Sallow yellowish
Trivial unimportant

We're half-way through the first quarter!

The second group of 88 SAT words went out today. The work will be due on September 10th. Study hard for the vocabulary test because MANY of you didn't do a very good job of studying for the first test!

Our contact list for periods 1 & 3 went out today, too. Keep your list in a safe place ... and use it if you miss a class or if you want to develop study groups. Remember that AP English Language and Composition is a college-level class: study groups and contact lists are everyday things.

If you're shopping this weekend, keep on the look out for copies of The Scarlet Letter and Huckleberry Finn. The Scarlet Letter ... plus double-entry journals ... will be your fall intersession project. We'll start reading Huckleberry Finn the first week we come back from our vacation.

SAT spelling list #1: It's test time!

SAT spelling test #1 will be on Friday. Of the list of eighty-eight words, twenty will be on the test. You'll need to know them all ... just in case! Be ready with spelling, definition, and an original sentence demonstrating your knowledge of each word!

Miss Jepsen

Open House is this THURSDAY!

Please remind your parents/guardians that Open House is this Thursday and that classroom visitations begin at 6:00 PM. I'd love to meet them, so please bring your parents/guardians!

Miss Jepsen

Journal quotation ... Henry David Thoreau

"Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something." -- Henry David Thoreau

Weeks 3 - 5: Let's improve our vocabulary!

This is our first week of words. Interestingly, nearly every one applies to Into the Wild. We'll be working on these words for three weeks with a test on them on August 20, 2010. You must know each spelling, definition, and part-of-speech (to include having the ability to use each in its varying forms). I shall expect that you'll use each ACCURATELY in an original sentence. Your work from this first batch will include the words, definitions, derivations, part(s)-of-speech, and one original sentence for EACH. The assignment is due 8/20/2010.

I shall reserve the right to "revisit" words at whim.

If you don't already have one, I'll expect you to secure a collegiate dictionary to use at home as a reference. A computer dictionary source may NOT be as accurate as you'll need to understand a word's usage. Thrift stores are excellent sources for used dictionaries ... Merriam-Webster, Funk and Wagnall's, and Longman's are typically excellent.

SAT Vocabulary List


Words from Official SAT Study Guide Test 1

Accolade---praise
Allusion----indirect reference
Ambivalence---uncertainty; having 'mixed' feelings
Ambivalent---unable to decide
Analogy----comparison
Anecdote---short account of something interesting; story
Anomalous---odd; not fitting the pattern
Apparition---ghost; something that 'appears'
Aspersion---negative feeling; damaging remark
Belligerence---aggression
Bombastic---too elaborate; exaggerated
Candid----truthful
Capricious---changeable; fickle
Cherished---cared for; firmly-held
Cliché----over-used expression
Conception---1. idea; view. 2. beginning of pregnancy
Convoluted---complicated or long-winded
Credence---belief
Cryptic----hidden
Currency---1. widespread acceptance, 2. money
Decorous---good and correct (used of behavior)
Denunciation----act of speaking out against
Derailed----thrown off course
Derivative---unoriginal
Despotic----acting like a tyrant
Detritus----rubbish
Diaphanous---very thin and transparent
Dictum----often-used saying
Dilettante---person who dabbles in the arts
Disdained---showed contempt for
Dispassionate---unbiased; fair
Dowager---an elderly woman of elevate social status
Dubious---doubtful
Egalitarian---equal; believer in equality
Elicit---draw out (used mainly for information or feelings)
Elliptical---1. shaped like an ellipse, 2. indirect
Epitomizes---acts as a typical example of
Equivocate---speak ambiguously/vaguely
Evasiveness---trying to avoid something
Explicitly---very clear; nothing hidden
Foraging---searching for food
Hypothetical---based on guesswork; not proven
Iconoclast---person who goes against accepted authority
Idiosyncratic---quirky; unique to an individual
Imponderable---cannot be understood
Indecorous---not well-behaved; lacking in dignity
Indigence---extreme poverty
Inept---clumsy
Inherent---inbuilt; genetic
Intricate---complicated
Irrefutable---cannot be proved wrong
Jingoism---using words to stir up exaggerated patriotism
Jubilant---joyful
Judicious---fair and equal
Lament---express regret over something
Loquacious---talkative; using too many words
Mendicancy---begging
Metaphorical---not literal; figurative
Milieu---environment; surroundings
Mitigated---made less severe
Nascent ---just begun; in an early stage of development
Nostalgia---longing for the past
Obtrusive---easily seen
Orthographical---concerned with writing and spelling
Ossified---become fixed and rigid
Ostentatious---showy
Palpable---can be felt
Pastoral---1. concerned with the countryside, 2. concerned with the care a pastor gives to someone
Pedestrian---1. boring (adj), 2. person who walks (n)
Perfidy---treachery; betrayal
Profligacy---wasteful and immoral behavior
Prohibitive---very expensive
Prudence---wisdom; caution
Pugnacious---aggressive
Purveyor---one who sells something or causes something to spread
Resonance---echo
Respite---break (from work etc.)
Resurgence---revival
Sparse---thin; not thick
Stringent---strict
Succumbing---giving in to; falling under the influence of
Supercilious---arrogant
Tenacity---firmness of purpose
Transcend---go beyond a limit
Variegated---multicolored
Venerable---worthy of respect
Viable---workable; able to live or grow
Visceral---concerned with the 'guts'; physical rather than mental

Don't forget ...

By Monday morning (August 2, 2010), you should have a copy of Into the Wild and have read through Chapter 6 ... You can get a copy at a public library, from a thrift store, from a sibling or friend, or you can spend some of your hard-earned money and buy yourself a copy of Jon Krakauer's novel.

This novel should be in your hot little hands every school day 'til we're finished. When the reading is complete, we will view the theatrical film and we will be writing numerous quick writes, quizzes, and essays.

Remember, you owe it to yourself and your edification to BE PREPARED. Preparedness would have helped Alexander Supertramp ...

Miss Jepsen

We're off and running ...

So far, this is what we need for Miss Jepsen's AP classes:

1. Typed summer assignment submitted.

2. Signed syllabus: Turn in the entire packet if you haven't done so already.

3. Purchased spiral notebook (70 - 80 college-ruled pages).

4. Purchased hard-cover composition book (100 college-ruled pages).

5. Annotation of the Oliver Stone article.

6. Read preface to Everyday Use, pages xiii-xv

Cornell notes

Weekend homework for Week 1 will be Chapter 1 (pages 1 - 30) in Everyday Use and "The Box Man".

We will be on the Blue schedule for Monday, so be prepared for a ninety minute class on Monday with a 25-minute vocabulary lesson for Tuesday's class.

Summer Assignment: Due July 21, 2010

Hey Aztecs!
Make sure that you picked up your summer AP assignment from Ms. O'Neill prior to leaving for summer break. You can see her in her classroom or stop by the gate at the west parking lot prior to leaving campus at lunchtime.

The completed assignment, whether you have Miss Jepsen or Ms. O'Neill as your teacher, will be due in its entirety on the first day of classes: July 21, 2010.

Work must be proof-read and typed ... in addition to being COMPLETE ... to earn credit.

Miss Jepsen