AP Language

1. AP Language • It’s a walk in the PARC. • P---Practice • A---Authentic • R---Rigorous • C---Content

2. The Test • 45% of the test is MULTIPLE CHOICE • 55% of the test is TIMED WRITING • New this year: No points will be taken off for wrong answers. • This means…MAKE AN EDUCATED GUESS on the multiple choice questions.

3. The Multiple Choice Section • There are usually 53 or 54 questions. • 4-5 passages • All passages are non-fiction • Passages are a combination of pre-20th century literature and 20th century literature • 1 hour is provided for multiple choice • Average of 70 seconds can be spent on each question • Score 58-64% for a “3”---passing score

4. Timed Writing Tests • Three essays • 120 minutes for timed writing • 40 minutes per essay • Each essay will account for 18.66% of the 55% allocated to the writing portion

5. So, what am I writing for 120 minutes? • There are four types of essays. • Analyze/construct an argument with sources • Analyze prose (always non-fiction) • Analyze an argument • Construct an argument about an assigned topic (similar to an SAT essay) • You will be writing three of these types of essays in 120 minutes.

6. A Guarantee… • You will have 15 minutes prior to the 120 writing minutes to read the documents and the prompts for the essays. • During these 15 minutes, you should • Mark up the documents • Construct an argument • Develop a thesis statement

7. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. • The writing portion of the test is a mental marathon. • By the third essay, your brain is on auto pilot. • My job is to make sure you know how to format an essay so well, you’ll only have to focus on the content. The format will be second nature to you by April 2011. • Remember: Someone has to volunteer for a low score. Don’t let it be YOU!

8. A Few Insights • What you say and how you say it MATTERS because there are style points. • There is not a magic number for grammatical or spelling mistakes. • Put it this way: Shallow thinking goes hand in hand with poor grammar and mechanics. • While it may be a draft, it is YOUR final essay.

9. Hit The Ground Running! • Long introductions are for LOSERS! 2 sentence introduction is usually sufficient. • Your thesis must answer all the questions in the prompt. • Spend the vast majority of your writing time on support. • The BIGGEST marker of competence in writing is SENTENCE LENGTH VARIETY. • Basic Writers: The pen is a shovel and the students just scoop stuff into the essay. • Better Writers: These students have chisels and brushes, creating the essay more artistically.

10. The Big Picture • Judges are making a 10 second decision: Is this an upper level essay or a lower level essay? Is it a 6 or a 2? • Don’t take the reader (judge) on a tour of a bad house (your paper). He’s not going to buy it. • Essays are read by three different judges. 90 seconds (on average) are spent on each essay per judge. You WILL be rewarded for thinking.

11. The Facts • I will teach you… • common testing terminology within the writing prompts and multiple choice questions • the formats for proper AP essay writing • How to identify purpose, tone, audience, and style in an AP reading passage. • strategies for “attacking” multiple choice questions • vocabulary that will help your confidence on multiple choice questions