“Warm-up”: AP goes TAKS-style

1. “Warm-up”: AP goes TAKS-style • How does Carson's tone support her purpose in this excerpt from Silent Spring? Explain your answer and support it with evidence from the selection. Draw a box of five lines on your notebook paper (100-120 words). • (You may use your annotations and worksheet from Friday's lesson).

2. Crossover Practice • Compare Barry’s diction to that of Carson. How do their word choices help to convey their attitudes toward scientists and farmers respectively? Write your answer a box of 8 lines. • (You may use your annotations and worksheet from Friday's lesson).

3. TAKS Short Answer: The Rules • 0, 1, 2, 3 • Never start with an ambiguous reference (pronoun): it, he, she, this, that • The idea (your answer) and its support must be clearly connected to get a 2 or a 3. Therefore, you may not have “loose quotes” in your response. • A 3 has to be long enough to “reflect an in-depth understanding of the selection” but you cannot ramble or go off on a tangent. Any ideas not supported by text evidence will drop your score to a 1.

4. TAKS Short Answer: The Rules • Textual evidence or support may be come in different forms, but it must be present for every assertion (claim) you make. • Direct quotation • Paraphrase • Specific synopsis

5. TAKS Short Answer: More Rules Don't abbreviate! Don't use sentence fragments! Check for run-ons and comma splices! Use formal English!

6. TAKS Short Answer: 0 Insufficient (not enough) May be incorrect May be too general or vague to determine whether ideas are reasonable May be summary only May not answer the question asked (This means a great analysis could still earn a zero if it is off topic. Read the question carefully.) May offer only incomplete or irrelevant text evidence (Carefully edit your quotes so that they make sense within your writing.)

7. TAKS Short Answer: 1 Partially sufficient May offer a reasonable answer but textual evidence is too general, incomplete, partially accurate, partially relevant, or completely absent May offer reasonable idea or analysis and text evidence, but the evidence is weakly connected to the idea/analysis (You can use syntax to show relationships, such as cause and effect: Because of cause, effect.) May be somewhat unclear or vague.

8. TAKS Short Answer: 2 Sufficient Must offer a reasonable theme, character trait, conflict, or change (DEPENDING ON THE QUESTION), and support it with accurate, relevant text evidence Idea and support are clearly linked No inaccuracies can be present Must be clear and specific

9. TAKS Short Answer: 3 Exemplary Must offer a particularly thoughtful or insightful answer to the question (STAY ON TOPIC) Reflects student's depth of understanding and ability to effectively connect textual evidence to the idea or analysis

10. AP Priority List • Sign up for AP test • Complete your KWL chart as a means of brainstorming research questions and organizing your search for sources. Show me completed charts on Friday. • Complete your 1st typed draft of your synthesis prompt. See page 1 of the template online. • Weekend: Rest up for TAKS test. • Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: Gather sources and assemble synthesis prompt and packet. • Thursday and Friday: Work with your committee to produce your Current Events Presentation (due March 19th).

11. TAKS Overview

12. Cues for CROSSOVER Short Answer (120-150) word paragraphs: FILL THE BOX). • 1. importance of a certain concept or idea in both selections • 2. characteristic of behavior or personality shared by • characters from both selections • 3. theme shared by both pieces • 4. Which of the characters from the first selection and the • second selection would you like to have as a brother? • 5. author or character sharing a similar concern. • 6. author or character similar

13. Cues for Short Answer (100-120) word paragraphs: FILL THE BOX). • 1. major internal conflict • 2. character motivation (why does this character...) • 3. title why suitable • 4. one conflict (0r major conflict) a character faces • 5. why are memories important to this character? • 6. change in character from beginning to end of selection • 7. change in character's attitude • 8. character trait: which character is more ___ , this character or this other one? • 9. what do characters learn from experiences (or from other character) • 10. did the character make the right decision • 11. change in author's attitude toward _____ over the course of this selection • 12. object as symbol to character

14. The Notoriously Vague TAKS prompt:How do you know what kind of essay to write? • Write an essay about a time you depended on someone.  • Write an essay explaining the importance of taking responsibility for yourself.  • Write an essay about a time you received encouragement from another person.  • Write an essay about a time you made an important choice.  • Write an essay about the impact another person can have on your life.  • Write an essay explaining the importance of accepting responsibility. • Write an essay explaining what courage means to you. • Write an essay explaining the importance of accepting others as they are. • Write an essay explaining how one experience can have the power to affect a person’s life in a positive way. • Write an essay explaining the importance of responsibility.

15. Long Essay • With your group, read and examine one essay from the This I Believe radio series and one released TAKS essays. Keep in mind that some of these were written by 10th graders.

16. Your group will turn in ONE index card. •  Side 1: After reading one of the student essays, write 3 SPECIFIC things the writer did that you liked. Then write a generic TAKS question that this essay answers. •  Side 2: After reading one of the radio essays, write 3 SPECIFIC things the writer did that you liked. Then write a generic TAKS question that this essay answers. •  Make sure all group members’ names are on the card.

17. AP III: • Tomorrow is the TAKS test: • Go to sleep on time • Eat breakfast • Drink water • Bring a # 2 pencil