1 / 79

Testing Strategies

AP Lang Ms. Neill 4/28/14. Testing Strategies. Entrance Ticket. In your blue book, rank the four sections of the AP test from your strongest to your weakest: MCQs, synthesis essay, rhetorical analysis essay, argument essay

ardice
Download Presentation

Testing Strategies

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. AP Lang Ms. Neill 4/28/14 Testing Strategies

  2. Entrance Ticket • In your blue book, rank the four sections of the AP test from your strongest to your weakest: • MCQs, synthesis essay, rhetorical analysis essay, argument essay • Explain why you feel confident about your strongest section (1-2 sentences). • Explain why you feel confused about your weakest section. What questions do you have about it? (1-2 sentences)

  3. Plan for the Week • Taking a full practice test starting tomorrow • MCQs tomorrow • Reading period and 1 essay Wednesday • 2 essays Thursday • Survey and PARTY Friday! (You'll deserve one, and that's also my last day here.)

  4. Today's Agenda • Presentation on testing strategies • Quiz game on testing strategies • Focus groups • Targeted review of your weakest area • If we have time: Creation of “cheat sheets” • ET: 1 specific strategy you learn/re-learn today • Snaps!

  5. Presentation on Testing Strategies • Take notes on this presentation. • Follow along on your notes sheet and fill in all of the blanks. • You may use these notes during the quiz game.

  6. Overall: The Test • 55 MCQs in 60 minutes (45% of your score) • 2 hours for 3 essays: synthesis, rhetorical analysis, and argument (55% of your score)

  7. MCQs: What They Look Like Directions: This section consists of selections of literature and questions on their content, style, and form. After you have read each passage, select the response that best answers the question and mark the corresponding space on the answer sheet. 5 answer choices for each question: only 1 right answer

  8. MCQs: Reading • Read context • Read question and figure out what part of the passage you need to look at • 5 lines above, 5 lines below • Come up with YOUR answer based on the reading

  9. MCQs: Answering • Read answers to match with YOURS • Eliminate 1 silly answer • Eliminate 1 I-don't-know-what-this-means answer

  10. Synthesis Essay: Reading • Read prompt + underline MAIN POINT • Notice WHO or WHAT the prompt asks about • Skim 7 sources • Read titles • Read topic sentences • Read last sentence • Pick 3 sources you understand (0-1 counterargument sources)

  11. Synthesis Essay: Writing • Intro • Hook, context, thesis • Bodies (3) • Transition + claim • Evidence • Explanation of evidence • Relating evidence EXPLICITLY to thesis • Conclusion • Recap • Significance statement

  12. Rhetorical Analysis: What It Looks Like • The passage below is from Last Child in the Woods (2008) by Richard Louv. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-developed essay, analyze the rhetorical strategies Louv uses to develop his argument about the separation between people and nature. Support your analysis with specific references to the text.

  13. Rhetorical Analysis: Reading • Read directions. • Find description of author's argument topic The passage below is from Last Child in the Woods (2008) by Richard Louv. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-developed essay, analyze the RHETORICAL STRATEGIES Louv uses to develop his argument about THE SEPARATION BETWEEN PEOPLE AND NATURE. Support your analysis with specific references to the text. • Read passage + skim for rhetorical strategies

  14. Rhetorical Analysis: Content What are the rhetorical strategies you should look for? • Use of specific syntax (sentence structure) • Use of light/serious/funny tone • Use of specific words (diction) • Use of literary devices (simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole) • Use of mode (narration, description, process analysis, comparison, definition, causal analysis, etc.)

  15. Rhetorical Analysis: Writing • Intro • Hook, context, thesis: Louv uses X, Y, and Z to... • Bodies (2-3) • [Transition and] Claim: Louv uses X to... • Evidence: quote • Explanation of quote • Connection to thesis • Conclusion • Recap • Significance statement

  16. Argument: What It Looks Like • Consider the distinct perspectives expressed in the following statements. • “If you develop the absolute sense of certainty that powerful beliefs provide, then you can get yourself to accomplish virtually anything, including those things that other people are certain are impossible.” -William Lyon Phelps, American educator, journalist, and professor (1865–1943) • “I think we ought always to entertain our opinions with some measure of doubt. I shouldn’t wish people dogmatically to believe any philosophy, not even mine.” -Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, and philosopher (1872–1970) • In a well-organized essay, take a position on the relationship between certainty and doubt. Support your argument with appropriate evidence and examples.

  17. Argument: Reading • Read context • Read directions • Pick thesis • Jot down ideas for observations/readings to back you up

  18. Argument: Writing • Intro • Hook, context, thesis (takes a CLEAR SIDE) • Bodies (2-3) • Claim • Evidence • Explanation of evidence • Explanation and refutation of counterargument • Relation to thesis • Conclusion • Summary • CALL TO ACTION

  19. Overall Strategies • ANSWER THE QUESTION • Remember to tailor your essay answers to the question they've asked... not an interesting related topic • If you get stuck... • Take a deep breath and re-read • Skip and come back • Play to your STRENGTHS

  20. Once again... ANSWER THE QUESTION THEY ASK YOU! On the synthesis essay... if they ask you to consider effects on an “imaginary community...” mention the community! On the rhetorical analysis essay... if they ask you to analyze rhetorical strategies that the author uses to develop her purpose of SAYING DRAGONS ARE THE BEST, make sure you talk about how she shows that dragons are the best!

  21. QUIZ GAME! • Pairs • Whiteboard: fastest + most correct answer gets the point • Alternate whiteboard writer • Don't speak to other teams negatively

  22. What is the first thing you should do in every section?

  23. What is the first thing you should do in every section? Read the directions/question

  24. How many MCQs are there?

  25. How many MCQs are there? 55

  26. How much time do you have to complete the MCQs?

  27. How much time do you have to complete the MCQs? 60 minutes

  28. After you figure out what part of the passage an MCQ applies to, what's your next step?

  29. After you figure out what part of the passage an MCQ applies to, what's your next step? Go read 5 lines above and 5 lines below that line in the passage

  30. Name two types of answers you can always eliminate from the MCQs.

  31. Name two types of answers you can always eliminate from the MCQs. Silly answer I-don't-even-know-what-that-means answer

  32. What's the most very important thing you have to do on every section ever?

  33. What's the most very important thing you have to do on every section ever? ANSWER THE QUESTION THEY ASKED YOU TO ANSWER

  34. Name three “rhetorical strategies.”

  35. Name three “rhetorical strategies.” Tone Diction Syntax Mode Literary devices: simile, personification, metaphor, hyperbole

  36. Fill in the blanks:Analyze the______________ the author uses to ____________________________________ about X. (This is the rhetorical analysis essay prompt.)

  37. Fill in the blanks:Analyze the rhetorical strategies the author uses to develop his/her argument about X. (This is the rhetorical analysis essay prompt.)

  38. What needs to be included in a rhetorical analysis BP? List the four most important things.

  39. What needs to be included in a rhetorical analysis BP? List the four most important things. Claim Evidence Explanation of evidence Relation of evidence explicitly to thesis

  40. [longer question] What does your thesis need to include in the rhetorical analysis essay?

  41. [longer question] What does your thesis need to include in the rhetorical analysis essay? Louv uses the narrative mode, specific diction, and elaborate syntax to develop his argument about the separation of people and nature. • Short description of rhetorical strategies • Short description of author's argument

  42. How much time do you have to write each essay?

  43. How much time do you have to write each essay? 40 minutes

  44. What are the three essays?

  45. What are the three essays? Synthesis Rhetorical analysis Argument

  46. What 4 things should you do before you write the argument essay?

  47. What 4 things should you do before you write the argument essay? READ the context READ the directions PICK a thesis/side JOT DOWN ideas for evidence

  48. What three things can you use as evidence in the argument essay?

  49. What three things can you use as evidence in the argument essay? Observations of life Personal experiences Readings/texts

  50. What three things should your introduction always include?

More Related