AP English News

The End

2008-08-28T22:33:00.003-04:00

Well, it had to happen. The end has come. With the transition of the class to Mrs. Levy, my era of teaching AP has creakily ceased and desisted. It was a good run, full of fun, laughs, good literature (a point of conjecture amongst my students, I'm sure), and good writing (no question). Thanks, again, to all of the AP students who made it worthwhile! Keep reading and writing. It does your brain good!

19th Century Novel

2008-03-06T11:23:00.003-05:00

I really like nineteenth century novels. My students, as a group, don't. Interesting split, the teacher favoring the material and the students disliking it (some even loathing it). But I think the point is that the books merit a view, they deserve a read, and some are actually pretty good. That said, it is still an uphill battle to get students to engage with the older texts, and even more of a challenge to get them to really appreciate those books that the canon deems "classics." It is possible, just hard.

I have no words of wisdom beyond the fact that kids should engage with challenging texts of all genre, and should be expected to synthesize those texts so they can use them at a later point in their educations and lives. No profundity. No earth shattering revelation. Just the bland, unromantic truth.

The Five Week Crunch

2007-10-04T10:10:00.001-04:00

It had to happen, and it has. The first five week mark has fallen upon us, seemingly at unawares, and for most students the time of high anxiety hits. Grades are somewhat rough and limited arbiters of our success, no doubt, but they have their place in our industrialized, bench mark crazed world. Without benchmarks, I suppose, we wouldn't know where we stood in relation to others (is that really important?) in our class, in the county, in the state, and in the "newly flattened" world.

I'm not a huge fan of grades, but I'm enough of a systems thinker to acknowledge their importance to the overall school establishment. I don't think, in this over scrutinized environment, that they are the truly accurate reflectors of achievement, though.

So hold on for the ride. The five week reports are coming! Take a deep breath, buckle down, revise your writer's craft paper, and get ready for the next five weeks of pure, unadulterated fun.

New Template

2007-08-30T09:06:00.000-04:00

Hey, a new template. Trying for a more cohesive look with the new web site. Keep your eyes here for changes, etc.

Summer

2007-06-25T21:01:00.000-04:00

Congratulations!

Summer is here, and you've made it! Enjoy this burst of freedom, as well as the excitement that school will hold for you all. It was a pleasure to teach you this year.

Mr.S.

The End is Near!

2007-05-31T08:12:00.000-04:00

You've made it! The exam is over, and now all we have to do is read Death of a Salesman. As you prepare your plans for graduation, though, take a moment to reflect on the high school experience. My next post will be my thoughts on what the craziness of an AP schedule earns you in the long run.

Skit Week and the Perils of Passive Reading

2007-03-07T07:48:00.000-05:00

Skit week is upon us for Return of the Native, and with it comes a break from the discussions concerning the book. With this break, and the fun of putting together goofy or silly skits, comes the out of sight out of mind temptation to put the book aside and concentrate on other things. It is a trap, though.

It seems fitting that I take the time here to talk about active reading as opposed to passive reading. Active reading is the process by which we, being students of literature, fully engage with the text. It is a solitary activity for most, although group reads (book clubs, reading groups, book circles) can work in spots. But however you do your active reading, it is imperative that you spend the time engaged on a variety of levels. Yes, read for the enjoyment (if you can with some of these books. 19th century literature isn't everybody's cup of tea, I know.); bask in the glow of the language, repose in the varied voices, recline in the abundant descriptions of setting (What, we're on the heath again? How many ways can you describe a heath?), and luxuriate in the fast paced story arcs that go whizzing by at light speed (actually, Dickens does do this).

But also be a student of literature. Take notes. Make timelines. Scrawl brief chapter summaries on the backs of napkins if need be. Sketch characters- with words and drawings if need be. In short, live the book. Do whatever works for you. And make sure that you can talk about assigned chunks of reading at the appropriate times. I never fail to get students who are adamant that they read the book, in fact are way ahead in the book, but cannot converse about an assigned group of pages. You might have to combat this by- gasp- refreshing your memory on the notes from a selected passage(s) prior to starting class. In the end, it's all about preparing for an English class like you would for a math or science class. I once went to grad school with a guy who had an argument prepped for every piece of literature we read- I mean critical articles had been read, thesis statements had been prepared, the whole nine yards! That guy has moved on in his career to be an assistant commissioner of the New York State Education Department. I bet he's still prepped for every meeting.

Being prepared will carry you far. Whether it's success on the AP exam, a great GPA in college, or a dream job down the road, knowing your stuff when you need to know it cannot be undervalued. Keep reading.

2007-02-26T09:04:00.000-05:00

Some news for Garrett Simpson! Apparently, we have a television star in our midst! Good luck, again, to Garrett!

Time Warner Cable, New York State Alliance for Arts Education, announce partnership
Albany, NY - A partnership between Time Warner Cable and the New York State Alliance for Arts Education (NYSAAE) will put talented students from nineteen New York State high schools squarely in the limelight, as they compete in the state finals of the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest.

Officials announced today that Time Warner Cable has signed on to be media sponsor of the program, administered in New York by NYSAAE. In that role, the cable television company will videotape the state-level Poetry Out Loud competition, to be held at the New York State Museum in Albany on March 8, 2007, and air the footage on TW3 - Time Warner Cable’s exclusive local programming channel in the Capital Region. Digital Cable customers throughout the company’s Capital Region service area will also be able to view the competition after March 8th, on Channel 1009, Time Warner’s local Video on Demand channel.

Poetry Out Loud is a national program that encourages high school students to learn about great poetry as they memorize and perform notable poems in a series of competitions that begin in the classroom and will culminate with national championships in Washington, D.C. later this spring. The program is presented in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts.

More than 210,000 students from 21 New York State schools have participated in the Poetry Out Loud program this year on the way to the March 8th state finals. In the Capital Region, high school students from Schodack, North Colonie, Emma Willard, Vorheeseville, Shenendehowa, Mohanasen, Duanesburg, Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk, Watervliet, Niskayuna and Schenectady school districts will take part in the state competition. In the March 8th event the State Museum, contestants will recite works selected from an anthology of more than 400 classic and contemporary poems.

"Time Warner Cable is proud to partner with NYSAAE in support of Poetry Out Loud," said Stephen Pagano, President of Time Warner Cable’s Albany Division. "We congratulate all the many students and teachers who have dedicated their time and energy to exhibit the importance of arts in education."

Time Warner Cable’s sponsorship of Poetry Out Loud will serve both to showcase and recognize the top talent in the state contest and to help spread awareness of the now-two-year-old competition among students and schools across New York, said Amy Williams, Executive Director of NYSAAE.

"In addition to encouraging students to delve deeply into great works of literature, Poetry Out Loud also offers them the opportunity to develop their skills as public speakers, and Time Warner Cable is giving them the perfect platform to do that," Williams said.

The winner of the Poetry Out Loud New York State finals will receive $200, and the winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. One runner-up will receive $100, with $200 for his or her school library. The State Champion of Poetry Out Loud will also be sent on an all expense-paid trip to compete in the National Finals in Washington, DC. The Poetry Out Loud National Finals will award a total of $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends, with a $20,000 college scholarship for the Poetry Out Loud National Champion.

Poetry Out Loud Winner!

2007-02-07T20:23:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Garrett Simpson for his spirited victory in the Poetry Out Loud competition held on February 6, 2007! Garrett gave a spirited rendition of Percy Shelley's "Ozymandias" and Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky." Garrett moves on to compete in the New York State Poetry Out Loud Competition held on March 8, 7:00 pm, at the New York State Museum in Albany.

Runners up included Meara Mctague and Allie Funk. Again, congratulations to all who participated! It was a really cool experience to hear the poems spoken aloud.

Romantic Poetry Presentations

2007-01-19T17:40:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of the excitement that pervaded class this week, I present two multimedia files that sum up the spirit of creativity that some of you took on this activity.

#1: The redone calendar, thanks to Garrett, Gail, Jenna, and Steven. Well done, guys! The only thing I can say is that I'm glad you guys looked at the calendar. I know that you do look at it!

#2: The movie extravaganza of a lifetime! The Romantic Poetry video of Percy Shelley was fun and disturbing, and all of those things that a good poetry video should be. Bravo! I can only show a few pictures from the video, but I'll try to post it on the web site when I figure out if the server will hold all that info!

As a final thought, all groups did a great job! Good luck on the midterm!

Midterm News

2007-01-17T17:16:00.000-05:00

The AP English midterm, as you know, is scheduled for Tuesday, January 23, 2007, between 7:50am and 9:50am. It will be located in room 124. The two hour time limit is pretty rigid, so plan on getting the work done under the two hour time frame.

You should plan on bringing multiple pens to this. I'll provide all the scrap paper and regular paper that you'll need. Pencil, while not encouraged, will be accepted as a last resort. Come on, people, this is English!

Format: 2 multiple choice reading comprehenion sections
2 essays (fiction or prose, I'm not telling, and an open ended essay question).
It's patterned after the AP exam, so plan on utilizing all of your test taking skills and strategies!

We'll look into this more in class. Until then, keep checking the calendar!

Poetry Out Loud

2007-01-16T20:39:00.000-05:00

CA Bouton is sponsoring a Poetry Out Loud competition on January 31, 2007. Anyone interested can see me about signing up. This contest is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, so it's not a shabby, fly by night organization. Prospective contestants need to memorize two poems at the local level, and they can choose from selections provided in the contest book. See me ASAP for more details.

UPDATE!

2007-01-16T20:37:00.000-05:00

Laura Amato continues her fantastic run by winning again at the District level of the American Legion Oratorical Contest! Congrats to Laura as she gears up for her next stop on the speaking tour, the Zone level! Good luck and keep on winning!

Laura Amato wins American Legion Oratorical Contest

2006-12-17T19:27:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Laura Amato on her win at the Claton A. Bouton/American legion Oratorical Contest! Laura won on Tuesday, December 5th, and then moved on at the Albany County level of the Legion Contest by placing second, right behind last year's winner! Her work qualifies her for the opportunity to compete at the District, Zone, and, with continued victories, National level. Good luck, Laura, and congratulations!

Macbeth Extra Credit

2006-11-27T08:37:00.000-05:00

I know that the holiday season is very stressful. I know, too, that a little boost in the old GPA wouldn't hurt. So, despite the fact that I hate giving extra work, I am offering up a little bit of extra credit for Macbeth. It's a crossword puzzle, which I know is kind of weird for seniors, but it has to do with quotations, which from experience is everyone's favorite exam task. The puzzle is due in to me by December 6, 2006, the day before the exam. It will help with the studying, too, because the exam has a quotation section. Extra credit and help in studying, too. Who could ask for anything more? Oh, and as an added gift, I'll give you one: the answer to 12 Across is son. Now get going!

The extra credit can be found here macbethextracredit.pdf

AP Grades and Hysteria

2006-11-13T18:38:00.000-05:00

Inevitably, this time of the year strikes fear in the hearts of all AP students: the dreaded first quarter report cards! It is fearsome because a) this is a group of students who are concerned about grades, and b) grades can play a role in the next step for these young people. That said, I think it is necessary for all concerned to step back and take a collective breath. Grades matter, sure, but there's more to consider than just the grade on the paper. So I put forth the following three considerations for my students' perusal:

1. AP is not meant to bury you. Now, I know that that's easy for me to say; I'm the one doling out the grades, not anxiously awaiting them (to send out to College A or University B). But you have to remember that the course is set up in such a way so as not to destroy your hopes of getting into Brown or Harvard or Cornell. Yes, the material is challenging. Yes, the test questions are tricky. Yes, the grades on the essays and tests are tougher than what you would expect in a Regents level class. But there are many ways in which to buoy your grade. Doing well on the Passage Analysis and Writer's Craft papers help, as does acing quizzes and class work. Maximize the smaller assignments and they negate the bigger ones.

2. You'll benefit from the exposure. This one is sort of counter intuitive. I mean, you may be asking yourself: how can I benefit from a harsh grading policy? Wouldn't I do better in English 12? The answer is yes and no, and lies in the fact that, as a college course, or the closest thing you can simulate in a high school environment, you will be exposed to the a greater depth of inquiry than you would in a Regents level class. Your grades might be better, but colleges and universities are pretty savvy when it comes to discerning the differences between "regular" classes and AP or IB classes. The amount of writing you do in AP is much greater, too. So, even though your grades may be 5-10 points lower, you're accumulating experience with the written word, and that can only serve you well this year and next

3. You are here for the material, anyway, not the grade. I know, kind of idealistic, but in most cases there are pounds of truth here. You all won't be English majors, but you all, to a one, will have to read and synthesize complex texts in your varied quests for the undergrad degree. So you might as well train your mind now for the work you'll have to do then. And, really, would you be satisfied just cruising along? My guess is no.

So hang in there. Grades are only small indicators of what you truly get out of any given course. The important benchmark is the one that only you see. Keep reading and writing...

Passage Analysis

2006-10-20T17:47:00.000-04:00

The Passage Analysis activity planned for today was postponed until Monday. Sorry guys, you'll just have to wait to get into the "movement in poetry" work we need to do. Here's a hint at what we'll do Monday:

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.

We Have a Winner!

2006-10-19T07:53:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Kelly Larsen for her first winning post based on the Quem Quaeritis trope. Her answer appears below:

The Quem Quaeritis trope is a dramatic embellishment using a narrative from the bible, or some other biblical reference, in order to make parishners understand the lessons they were being taught with more emotion. Ques Quaeritis litereally means "Whom seek ye" and "trope" is text added to help in the understanding of the work.

Good job, Kelly!

First Post!

2006-10-18T20:21:00.000-04:00

Hi all,

I'm pretty excited about this blog! First, it gives me a chance to list new and exciting things we are going to do, and I don't have to email you constantly. I'll be brief to start. First, if you haven't been to AP Central, get there. The URL is http://www.collegeboard.com/?student. Use their test prep section...

Second, our study of Doctor Faustus is coming up. Make sure you're hitting the resources section of the web site! It has some pretty good stuff. You'll find it at http://vcsd.neric.org/cabouton/apenglishweb/resources.htm, or just nose around the web site.

Third, the first person to email me with the meaning of the Quem Quaeritis trope gets a free 5/5 bonus. Hint: you can find the link on the resources page.

Talk to you soon!