August 27 - August 31

It's the second week of school and the last week of August. It's been a pleasure to meet everyone, and I look forward to starting our first novel as a class, The Grapes of Wrath, as well as diving into the basics of rhetorical analysis.  This is the first style of essay that we'll master (one of the three styles on the AP Lang exam, and the same style required for the SAT).

 
TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. Collect Letter to Freshman Self. Receive "Rhetorical Analysis Packet". Notes: Aristotle's Rhetorical Triangle. SOAPS analysis. A Step Toward Falling (summer reading) discussions and activities. 

Due: Letter to Freshman Self.

Signed syllabus and Turnitin.com form.

Sign up for TheWeek.com current events daily e-mails (see sidebar on the right-hand side of this website for step-by-step instructions).

Homework:  Summer reading written homework, (if you haven't already turned it in).

Please read "How to read like a writer" by Mike Bunn and be ready to discuss on Thursday. 

THURSDAY: Journal warm-up. Quiz: Vocab/grammar list #1 and summer reading questions.  Gallery Walk: The Grapes of Wrath.  Intro to Grapes of Wrath. Read Chapter 1 together, act out Chapter 2. Review SOAPS and introduce homework.

Due: Summer reading written homework.

Homework:  Read The Grapes of Wrath, Chapters 1-3.

On a separate piece of paper, please perform a SOAPS analysis on the following two communications:

1.  Beto O'Rourke, a candidate running for a Senate seat in Texas, at a speech at a town hall, answers a question about anthem protests.

2. President Trump, in a speech at a rally in Huntsville, Alabama in support of Senator Luther Strange in his primary election race, talks about anthem protests. 

Please write out each letter (S-O-A-P-S) and then some notes beside each one. Think about how the rhetorical situation affects the message and its reception, and whether or not it was effective.

Enjoy the three-day weekend!

First Week!

Welcome to the first week of school! I'm looking forward to meeting everyone, and kicking off the new year.

WEDNESDAY: (minimum day) Journal warm-up. Welcome and introduction. Share journal answers using the bucket. Receive syllabus, turnitin.com forms. Summer reading reminder. Begin work on interest inventory sheet.

Due: first journal entry, completed in class.

Homework: (for next class)  Completed Interest Inventory Sheet

(for next week) signed syllabus, Turnitin.com forms, review summer reading.

FRIDAY: Journal warm-up. Interest Inventory Worksheet activity. Structure of AP Language and Composition exam in May.  Discuss syllabus, including upcoming units, procedures and routines. Eleventh Grade: The Dark Side PowerPoint. Lockdown instructions. Introduce TheWeek.com and current events.  Receive first Vocabulary sheet. Summer reading small group/whole group discussion questions. Introduce and explain "Letter to Freshman Self".

Due: Completed Interest Inventory Sheet

Homework: For Tuesday:

Review summer reading books, especially A Step Toward Falling.

Letter to Freshman Self.

Please sign up for TheWeek.com free e-mail newsletter using the instructions on the right-hand sidebar of this website. 

Signed syllabus and Turnitin.com permission form.

For Thursday:
Please have the summer reading homework printed and ready to turn in. 

Welcome to 11 AP: English Language and Composition!

I'm Ms. Mogilefsky (also known as Ms. M).  I'm excited to work with you this year as we prepare as a team for the AP Language and Composition exam and explore a variety of well-known books, short stories, nonfiction articles and essays that are an important part of the conversation about the nature of American life, past and present. 

In this highly interactive class, we will read American literature, as well as a wide range of nonfiction pieces – essays, memoirs, letters, speeches, articles about current events, literary criticism, and even scientific passages and Supreme Court cases.  You'll also read books and articles of your choice as you work on research-based pieces, independent reading, current events assignments, debates, and other activities.  Themes from classic texts will be read and discussed alongside related current events, and you'll have a lot of opportunities to express yourselves verbally and in writing.  You'll practice each of the three styles of essays on the AP exam and will be confident and prepared by May.

I know junior year can be stressful: SATs, ACTs, extracurriculars, CAASP testing, and of course the AP exam on Wednesday, May 15, 2019.  We'll take on the challenges one step at a time, and all of the activities we'll work on will help you succeed.  I look forward to a productive and enjoyable year with you and your classmates!