Friday, March 27

Welcome and happy Friday!

It's the last post before Spring Break...not the Spring Break most of us envisioned, but Spring Break nonetheless.

In the spirit of the scheduled minimum day before Spring Break, "class" will be shorter.

FRIDAY CLASS ACTIVITIES 
1. Please respond to the questions in the Discussion tab of Turnitin.com under the post "Journal - Friday, March 27, 2020."

Note: you only need to answer each with a minimum of one complete, well-written sentence each.

2. Please tune in to the third College Board session on YouTube by clicking here.

It will be live from 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. today, and the topic is "English Language: Explaining the Significance or Relevance of the Writer’s Use of Sophisticated Word."

It's been interesting to hear another teacher go over the Abigail Adams prompt.

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Check the class website at the end of Spring Break for updates.

For all classes, I will set up a Zoom call for our first, scheduled session back so we can discuss the game plan going forward. I'll also start using the suggested block schedule,  so you can follow along on the school's online A and B days.

I hope you all have a restful and fun Spring Break, hopefully happy and healthy, despite the situation. I have some ideas I'll be working on over Spring Break to create engaging and productive sessions for you.

Please send me an e-mail anytime if you have any questions, concerns, or comments.

Love,
Ms. Mogilefsky

An Important Message from the College and Career Center

"Besides the fairly constant COVID-19 updates, there is literally a barrage of updates coming in regarding all things college admissions, extended deadlines, optional ACT/SAT testing, etc. etc..  If you wouldn't mind to share <this new link> so your students and families can either subscribe to get the updates automatically, or simply check the website as they choose: https://bit.ly/2Ul57hQ

There's simply so much that has changed and will continue to change in the days, weeks and moths ahead. I'd like to reassure our students that colleges are adapting and changing as well!  Colleges know that transcripts and activity lists will probably not look the same as in past years... there will be tests that are not taken, chances to improve that will not be an option, and letters of recommendation shortened...Colleges understand the myriad of opportunities our students are privy to within our community...How we all, as Palos Verdes High School, handle our current situation, and how our students cope with this period of global pandemic is what colleges will want to know and understand, as context will certainly be the most important aspect in future college applications.  

So may I ask you to please encourage your students to put aside ACT/SAT prep and rather use this down time to find ways to be the best version of themselves... find ways to serve and help others... within their immediate family or within the community.  Encourage them to rise to the occasion... to be a great big brother or sister and play that board game or help with the math homework; take advantage of the incredible MOOC's <massive open online courses> available from universities like Stanford, MIT, BU, etc. that are free of charge and cover topics from astrophysics to anime. Encourage your students to use the resources that are available to them... even if only to log on to their Student Sign On portal and click on Naviance or even simply check our website to explore info and resources under the CCC tab..."

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And, from me:  one of the many places to search for MOOCs, as well as free books and audiobooks is here: 

http://www.openculture.com/


Also, 
https://openlibrary.org/ 
(I just tried to borrow Stephen King's The Stand, about a deadly virus that sweeps the world, and it works well. You can read the book online for free, or listen to the audio version. By the way, if you like thrillers and can deal with the subject matter, it is a riveting story that has an interesting plot twist and ending.)

Keep abreast of current events, including state and local updates, directly from the source if possible. Here's an update followed by excellent questions from reporters by Governor Newsom that I found by searching YouTube for "Newsom":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QivbmvWAfc8

There are many interesting news points provided, including how to get extensions for home mortgage payments, what's being done to ramp up testing, information about the medical ship that is scheduled to dock at the L.A. port on Friday, Elon Musk's commitment to delivering needed medical equipment, Bloom Energy's initiative to repurpose ventilators, the latest health statistics, and challenging questions from reporters at the end.

Wednesday, March 25 and Thursday, March 26 Class Activities

Hey, there!

I hope everyone's doing well. For those of you that could make it, thanks for participating in the Zoom call. Fourth period was pretty quiet (maybe it was the timing), and fifth period was pretty lively. It was great to check in with you in any case!

WEDNESDAY CLASS ACTIVITIES: 
1. Log in to the Zoom call to go over the notorious Abigal Adams Rhetorical Analysis prompt together:

4th period - 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
5th period - 10:45 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

https://zoom.us/j/3953234703

Meeting ID: 395 323 4703

2. Tune in to the College Board's Wednesday AP Lang Session on YouTube from 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. Pacific Time by clicking here.

The topic is "English Language: Identifying the Rhetorical Situation in a Pre-Twentieth Century Text."

I received an e-mail from the College Board confirming that it can be watched at a later date if you have a scheduling conflict.

3. No journal entry for today.

4. After attending the Zoom call, please read through the College Board's published, actual student responses to the Abigail Adams Rhetorical Analysis prompt, as well as their Questions and Answers document explaining in detail what makes for a higher score and higher quality response to this prompt. (See these links under Class Handouts on the right-hand sidebar.)

THURSDAY CLASS ACTIVITIES: 
1. Tune in to the College Board's Thursday AP Lang Session on YouTube from 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. Pacific Time by clicking here.

The topic is "Analyzing How Word Choice Reflects a Writer’s Understanding of Audience." This one should also be accessible after the live date.  

Note: no Zoom call on Friday, but check this website one last time before Spring Break.

Monday, March 23 Class Activities

Good morning! 

I'm looking forward to see you all today on the Zoom calls, if you can make it.

9:00 am - 4th period
10:00 am - 5th period

https://zoom.us/j/3953234703

Meeting ID: 395 323 4703


CLASS ACTIVITIES FOR MONDAY, MARCH 23: 

1.  Please find your English binder and look through the notes you took about Rhetorical Analysis, especially the rhetorical devices and how each one helps to persuade/forward an argument. (Remember the right side of the whiteboard from fall semester: logos, ethos, pathos, tone, diction, syntax, repetition, etc.)

2. Please read and annotate Question 2, page 9 of this released AP exam. This is a rhetorical analysis prompt, written by Abigail Adams in 1780.

3. Respond to the Discussion Board prompt on Turnitin.com marked "Abigail Adams RA Response - Monday, March 23, 2020."

4. Be sure to put the following in your schedule for the week:

a. Wednesday, March 25 Zoom Meetup to go over Abigail Adams prompt, check in.

4th period: 9:00 a.m.
5th period: 10:00 a.m.

https://zoom.us/j/3953234703

Meeting ID: 395 323 4703

b.  Wednesday, March 25 AP Review Class

12:00 - 12:45 p.m.

c. Thursday, March 26 AP Review Class

12:00 - 12:45 p.m.

d. Friday, March 27 AP Review Class

12:00 - 12:45 p.m.

AP English: Brand New Exam Review

Contrary to the description listed on the general College Board website, the review classes they will provide are three separate subtopics that all cover the general learning goal (are you still with me)?!

Please make room in your schedule for next week to attend these sessions, or plan to view them this week after they've been recorded and posted.

COLLEGE BOARD AP REVIEW CLASS SESSIONS - NEW, CLICK HERE

Wednesday, March 25,  12:00 - 12:45 p.m. Pacific Time

English Language: Identifying the Rhetorical Situation in a Pre-Twentieth Century Text

Thursday, March 26, 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. Pacific Time

English Language: Analyzing How Word Choice Reflects a Writer’s Understanding of Audience

Friday, March 27, 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. Pacific Time

English Language: Explaining the Significance or Relevance of the Writer’s Use of Sophisticated Word

Learning Goal for all Three: Explain how an argument demonstrates understanding of an audience’s beliefs, values, or needs.

There is a furious (and incredibly nerdy) debate on an online forum for AP Lang teachers about which essay, or free response question type, will be chosen by the College Board for the exam. I'll spare you the details, but it's looking like Rhetorical Analysis cannot be ruled out, based on the topics they have opted to cover in these classes.    

Monday Zoom Meeting - Info

PVHS Admin set up a schedule for Zoom meetings to run on the A/B schedule so that teachers can meet with classes and not overlap. I'd like to set up the following meet-up for Monday (a B Day):

MONDAY, MARCH 23
4th period - 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
5th period - 10:00 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

Here is the information for logging in:

https://zoom.us/j/3953234703

Meeting ID: 395 323 4703


Purpose: Meetup to check in, go over the changes to the AP exam, and talk about the plan going forward. Also, to find out how you are all doing! It may not last the entire scheduled time.


Looking forward to re-connecting with you guys!

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Also - please try to set aside one of the following times on your calendar for next week:

COLLEGE BOARD AP REVIEW CLASS SESSIONS - NEW, CLICK HERE

Wednesday, March 25,  12:00 - 12:45 p.m. Pacific Time

English Language: Identifying the Rhetorical Situation in a Pre-Twentieth Century Text

Thursday, March 26, 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. Pacific Time

English Language: Analyzing How Word Choice Reflects a Writer’s Understanding of Audience

Friday, March 27, 12:00 - 12:45 p.m. Pacific Time

English Language: Explaining the Significance or Relevance of the Writer’s Use of Sophisticated Word

Learning Goal for all Three: Explain how an argument demonstrates understanding of an audience’s beliefs, values, or needs.

There are three, unique, College Board-sponsored AP Review online classes scheduled for this week. We will supplement our regular curriculum with these classes. If you can't make one of the times above, they say they will offer it on-demand sometime afterward. 

Click here for more information about scheduled review classes for all AP topics. 

Another Update: No Multiple Choice

We now know, per Trevor Packer of the College Board, no multiple choice on the AP exam. Due to the issues with Albert i.o., AP Classroom, and the fact that I'm not allowed to digitize the paper ones I have, I'm relieved.

I'm trying not to speculate before the exact question type is announced (sometime before April 3), but my best guess is a rhetorical analysis or argument essay. Argument would be easier for a student to type on the phone than to be flipping back and forth between a document and a passage, and allows students the most range as far as demonstrating a wide range of knowledge in evidence and examples. However, they may send different types to different students, incorporate short answer prompts, or do a number of things that still fit the criteria we heard today.

For today, please complete the "Interactive Journal" and have a good weekend. Keep up with current events (easier than ever these days), and I'll post again Monday morning at the latest.

IMPORTANT! AP Exam Updates as of This Morning

Hi there,
I just received the update from the College Board in regards to this year's AP exams.

Here is the link if you'd like to read the entire thing, and see the chart for how it will affect all exams:
AP Updates for Schools Impacted by Coronavirus

What we know:

• For the 2019–20 exam administration only, students can take a 45-minute online exam at home.
  
• The exam will only include topics and skills most AP teachers and students have already covered in class by early March.
  
  
• Students will be able to take these streamlined exams on any device they have access to—computer, tablet, or smartphone. Taking a photo of handwritten work will also be an option.
  
• If your students need mobile tools or connectivity, you can reach out to us directly to let us know. Please fill out this form asap or let me know if you don't have access to a laptop. They say you'll be able to use a phone, but because there is a time limit on the exam, a laptop will be advantageous.

• The exam questions are designed and administered in ways that prevent cheating; we use a range of digital security tools and techniques, including plagiarism detection software, to protect the integrity of the exams.
  
• There will be two exam dates for you to choose from. One is earlier, in case students don't want to forget what they've learned so far, and one is later, so they have additional time to practice.
  
• Colleges will still accept the results for potential college credit and will not change policies based on this year's circumstances for students.
  
• The College Board will provide free, online AP review courses, (live and then on-demand afterward), beginning this Wednesday, April 25. These are intended to supplement other work students are doing for class.

Mog Side Note: Because it's only 45 minutes long, there will definitely not be 3 essays in a row any more. If they do decide to go with an essay, it cannot be synthesis because there is not enough reading and writing time for that essay to be completed in 45 minutes. 

What we don't know yet:

• Exam question type for English Language and Composition. According to this update, they will tell us by April 3 whether it will be multiple choice, essay, and/or some other kind of free response answer or a combination of these.  NOTE: Trevor Packer, on his Twitter account, announced that it would be in the form of "free response questions," meaning it will not be all multiple choice.
• The exam dates for English Language and Composition will also be posted "before Friday, April 3."

What I'm working on:
Figuring out from my AP binder and login exactly what material they will cover, and what will not be covered. All of the early material from the fall (the rhetorical situation, SOAPS and critical reading, close reading and annotating), will be on the exam. More on that this afternoon in a separate post.

I am figuring out if I have to get you guys onboarded to AP Classroom, the College Board's new practice software (which I hear has many issues), or if I can use my login to get the material out and post in a reliable format to the class website, which would be more efficient for students.

Friday, March 20 CLASS ACTIVITIES

Welcome to the end of our first week online!

It has been quite an adjustment all around. Thank you so much for all of your thoughtful comments in the journal and reading response posts on the Discussion tab!


We should hear from the College Board today in regards to the somewhat cryptic message from last Wednesday about AP testing. I will post on here immediately as soon as I see it. There are several paths they could take, and I'm 100% committed to prepping you guys come hell or highwater. We may go marching into that exam together as an online army rather than an in-person battalion, but we'll be marching in there feeling ready, regardless!

Last "class" you read through a full, sample synthesis question, Question 1. It's a little intimidating at first due to its excessive length, and there are a few important details to remember about this type of essay, but in my view it's actually much easier than transitioning from rhetorical analysis to argument.

FRIDAY, MARCH 20 CLASS ACTIVITIES:

1. Interactive Journal
          a. Please log in to Turnitin.com and go to the Discussion tab. (See Monday's post for directions
if you can't find it. E-mail me if you still can't find it.)Go to "Journal - Friday, March 20, 2020."

          b. You will need to watch Governor Newsom's March 19 news conference about California's response to the Coronavirus threat (his speech/remarks are 20 minutes long followed by 20 minutes of reporter's questions).

          c. You'll also need to read the article "U.S. Officials: Foreign Disinformation is Stoking Virus  Fears" before answering.

Please respond with a minimum of one full paragraph (5-7 sentences) to each of the questions.


AS OF 9:30 AM - PLEASE HOLD OFF ON THE ASSIGNMENTS BELOW (2 AND 3). I AM LOOKING THROUGH THE NEW INFO ABOUT THE EXAM POSTED BY THE COLLEGE BOARD. I apologize if you've already done 2 and 3.

2. Please read this: Synthesis Overview - the Basics

3. Please watch the following video: AP Synthesis Notes - Mogilefsky
(That video from my couch I was joking about just a week ago -- it's here. I'll give you a basic run-through describing the third and final essay type for the AP exam.) 

The notes that go along with the video are on the sidebar here under "Class Handouts," as well as here: Synthesis Notes

I'll finalize the synthesis prompt we'll be writing in stages for next week. On Monday, I'm planning to post a Zoom meeting time (4th and 5th period) for the end of next week, when we'll meet once to check in and talk about the prompt before outlining/writing.

Have a good weekend and hang in there!

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OPTIONAL FOR THE BORED AND CURIOUS: 
If you have time, I recommend checking out some of these free online titles:

800 Free eBooks for iPad, Kindle, and Other Devices

Any of these are challenging and thought-provoking books that are referenced quite a bit and would inspire wonderful, high-quality literary examples for the AP exam. There is a list of free audio books just to the right on the page on the link above if you're sick of screens and just want to sit back and listen.

A quick shout-out to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, the weird science-fiction stories by Philip K. Dick, and anything by Checkov.

Wednesday, March 18

Welcome back to AP English! 

(Insert the chime noise here from memory -- the pleasant chimes, not the times I slammed the chime rod onto the rack with a crazy look on my face.)

Thank you for all of the journal entries on Turnitin.com. I responded to a few of them, and read them all. It's been interesting to hear about your thoughts and experiences. I commented on one of the boards that I am certain this event will be remembered and discussed for years to come.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18 CLASS ACTIVITIES
1. Interactive Journal
          a. Please log in to Turnitin.com and go to the Discussion tab. (See Monday's post for directions
          if you can't find it. E-mail me if you still can't find it.)

          b. Go to "Journal - Wednesday, March 18, 2020."

          c. Please follow the directions on the post for today.

2. Reading/Response
           a. Go back to the Discussion tab of Turnitin.com. Please respond to the questions in the 
            "Reading Response - Wednesday, March 18" post with your own responses to the readings
             from Monday and the links below.

           b. Please read the follow-up article to the one posted for Monday:
           The Man With 17,000 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer Just Donated Them

(Here is a link to the original article on The New York Times website in case you'd like to read the Comments after this article as well.)

          c. Please read this article and note the graphics:
          Why Outbreaks Like Coronavirus Spread Exponentially and How to Flatten the Curve

          d. Read the following hypothetical prompt:

The United States Government should immediately enforce a strict, nationwide quarantine as China and Italy have in response to the Covid-19 threat. Please respond to this statement by defending, challenging or qualifying supported by credible evidence and examples to support your position. 

What do you think your position would be for this prompt? Would you defend (agree), challenge (disagree), or qualify (agree with conditions, disagree with exceptions)?

Please find at least two credible articles/sources or pieces of evidence that you would use for this prompt. A credible source will typically have an editorial board reviewing content. (Remember the types of evidence/examples: personal experience, secondhand experience, general facts, scientific facts, literary examples, historical examples, current events, and pop culture.)

Here are a couple of examples, feel free to look for others:

Lockdowns are being imposed around the world. China's example highlights the costs

Italy Remains Under Lockdown Due to Spread of Covid-19

Coronavirus: Florida Beaches Full as Trump Advises Against Groups Larger Than 10

Note: we will not be writing this specific prompt out as an essay, but next week we will start a synthesis-style prompt about Covid-19 (in stages, with help at each step). 

3. Sample Synthesis Prompt - Please read through the following:

• sample synthesis prompt, (the synthesis prompt is question 1 in this exam)
• sample responses and scoring commentary
• the chief reader report/recommendations for success

At this point, I just want you to see this style of prompt and essay and get a feel for what it looks like.  (We won't be writing this specific eminent domain prompt.)

Synthesis prompts typically contain a short description about a controversial issue, followed by an argument-like question on the front page. After that, there are 6-9 short sources, including at least one graphic (a graph, chart, political cartoon, etc.)  There are some tricks of the trade that will make this much easier than it looks, so at this point, just get a feel for what it is. Think of it as an argument prompt where you need to reference 3 (and only 3) of the provided sources, in addition to your own examples and evidence.   

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Hope everyone is doing okay! We're all adjusting, so be sure to pace yourself, connect with others, and try to have some fun this week as well. I look forward to seeing your responses on the Discussion board; e-mail me with any questions or concerns. I'll post again on Friday.

Monday Updates

Hi everyone!
I've had a few complaints about Albert i.o. I may set up a separate complaint/discussion thread about it, (just as an FYI, not required) on Turnitin.com. I have resisted using the AP's version because of the universal complaints from students and teachers alike, but I will test it out and see if it's any better and if the problems have been fixed in the application.  

Also,  I saw this update posted on the College Board website:

March 16, 2020
The AP Program is developing resources to help schools support student learning during extended closures, as well as a solution that would allow students to test at home, depending on the situation in May. Additional information will be posted by March 20.

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That's all I know for right now. I will share information with you as I receive it. We have to be flexible, and take it all in stride. You guys are very strong students, and I'm happy the College Board is looking into new ways to let you show off your skills after this year.

Monday, March 16 - Class Activities

Good morning!

As I mentioned in my long letter, I'll be posting assignments Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning. If I MUST go virtual, at least I can construct a block schedule where I get to "see" you three times instead of only two. We must find the silver linings where we can!

If you have any trouble following along or understanding the assignments, please e-mail me at mogilefskya@pvpusd.net.

MONDAY, MARCH 16 CLASS ACTIVITIES:

1. Interactive Journal
 Please log in to Turnitin.com, and  click on this English class.  (If you are new this semester, see the right-hand sidebar of this website for directions for joining and adding this class.)

Find the "Discussion" tab. NOTE: This will NOT be easy! It is a small, weird tab near the top of the screen. Turnitin.com defaults to "Assignments," but you will need to click on "Discussion" to find this assignment.

Finding the Discussion tab after logging into Turnitin.com.

Look for the discussion post, marked "Journal - Monday, March 16." Do not begin another new post, click on this one and reply directly to the post. In there, you will see journal questions for today. Please note that there is no virtual bucket. Your answers can and will be seen by all of the other students in the class, and you may choose to reply/respond to others as you like.

Please respond with a minimum two paragraphs (5-7 sentences is generally a paragraph) to each question. Please try to use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation as you will for the AP exam. (Write out words like "because," don't type b/c.) 

2. Reading Response
In the same "Discussion" tab in Turnitin.com (see above), find the post "Reading Response - Monday, March 16." Please follow the directions and respond to this post.

3. Albert i.o. 
Please complete "Assignment #4" which includes two passages, "The 19th Amendment," and the somewhat-appropriately titled "Class Dismissed." 


Homework (or, more correctly these days -- work to be done before the next website entry):

Please read the following articles critically and carefully and be ready with your own opinions for Wednesday's discussion board:

He Has 17,000 Bottles of Hand Sanitizer and Nowhere to Sell Them

One of Two New Coronavirus Cases Refused to Self-isolate. He's Being Forced.  

Note: Because of differences in schedules and family responsibilities, I realize we may not all be online at the same time. All assignments this week will be due by Sunday night, March 22 at 11:59 p.m. To get the most out of the discussions, try to complete the assignments on or near the day they are assigned.

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COMING SOON:
This week, we'll be looking at samples for the Paine argument prompt, the one you already wrote in class. I have comments on your essays ready for when we are back in the classroom. Due to how labor-intensive it will be to scan and e-mail each of the 71 AP students' handwritten essays individually, I will likely not be doing that. You'll receive the hard copy with notes in April, and if you need it sooner than that or have questions, you can e-mail me and I'm happy to send it.

Due to the planned discussions and debates for the Gender Unit that I cannot (and will not) let go of, I plan to put that on hold and begin working on the third type of essay you'll need to know about for the AP exam, the Synthesis essay. Synthesis is simply argument with a few modifications, and by reading and responding to College Board samples and watching a couple of short "how-to" videos, we can work on the first take-home prompt next week that I am currently putting together. I'm pretty excited about it as I compile a variety of sources in real time: the theme will be the current Covid-19 situation.

Just in case we go longer than the planned two weeks, I've already researched some great options for continuing our progress. I'm with this guy:

It might be Hogwarts (the castle, library and/or Potions Classroom), it could be Cersei's view over King's Landing from Game of Thrones Season 7, a landscape from Blade Runner 2049, or just the simple bookstore from You, Season One.

Silver linings, silver linings...

Have a good Monday, and I'll see you on the discussion boards! 

Injecting Excitement into the Covid-days of March

While he'd rather be fighting his way into English class, Dominic is engaged in battle halfway around the world. 

13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi by Mitchell Zuckoff

If you like this one, check out  
*A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo (firsthand account of the Vietnam War)
*Lone Survivor (about a Navy SEAL mission in Afghanistan)
*No Easy Day (about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden)

I know this is serious, but...

can we laugh a little?
 

Still in the "teacher cardigan," just like old times.

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Already Getting a Little Loopy Without English Class

The proper response to a two-book, two-student selfie? "That's whack."

The Precious Present by Spencer Johnson
On Top of Your Game by Carrie Cheadle

Friday, March 13

Living up to its dastardly reputation, it's Friday the 13 and school was cancelled. 😭 I suppose it's better to be safe than sorry <choke!>

Check out the reading, below. Annotate your responses right in the packet as you read along. I'll be posting questions based on the reading on Turnitin.com's Discussion Board Monday morning. 

Homework:

1. Please read and annotate your responses to "Being a Boy," (page 24), and "Many Ways to Be a Girl..." (page 30) in the Gender Packet.

Based on your own and your peers' experience, are the findings in these two pieces similar to your own observations?

2. Please read "The Three Day Blow" the short story by Hemingway that begins on page 8 in the Gender Packet.Note what is said, and what goes unsaid in this conversation between two male friends. Does this conversation represent the way men tend to communicate with each other? Is this story still relevant, in your view?

For all of the reading, be ready to answer questions posted on Turnitin.com on Monday morning and respond to classmates. (I'll also post directions so you can find the Discussion Tab in Turnitin.com.)

Copy of Letter Sent Via E-mail - Online Class Description

Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians,

This is Ms. Mogilefsky, the AP English Language and Composition teacher. Thank you for all of your support during this strange time. Sadly, the class was right in the middle of a unit filled with reading, writing, and interesting debates and discussions. I want to continue making progress, with an understanding that students are adjusting to the change and many have family responsibilities as well. Thankfully, the class has already written many essays and has a good understanding of the argument prompt, the second of the three types of prompts that will be included on the AP Exam.  

AP English Class – Online for the Next Two Weeks
During the two week period leading up to Spring Break, please check the assignments posted on the existing class website at:

https://english3apmog.blogspot.com/ 

I will post there Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings with reading and writing assignments. The class will also be using Turnitin.com (the discussion tab and assignments tab), and Albert i.o., and students already have logins and have utilized both of these sites. While it will never replace the face-to-face discussions that are so valuable in a classroom, the Turnitin.com discussion tab will allow students to respond to posted discussion questions and view and respond to each other’s posts. Students will have a full week to respond, but I encourage students to keep up as much as possible.

There are many other excellent online learning tools available, but I am reluctant to ask students to learn new software while working from home for a (hopefully) temporary situation. (Yes, I have already had students requesting to debate each other over Zoom or Discord!)

Timing of the AP Exam
I’ve received many questions about whether or not the College Board will reschedule the AP exam, currently slated for Wednesday, May 13. I am keeping close tabs on College Board announcements, and have already been in communication with Ms. Hafer, our school’s AP Coordinator, about a possible extension for that date. Everything is very fluid, but as of now the date is unchanged. I will post updates to the class website and if there is a major change, I will also follow up through an e-mail to students, parents, and guardians.

College Prep – Optional
If you (or your student) is planning on applying to colleges later in the year, the PVHS College and Career Center has some optional recommendations for this time period:

1. Check and make sure that your Naviance login and password are working. Naviance has new parameters for passwords, so you may be prompted to update your password when you try to log in. If you have any trouble, please e-mail a request to Ms. Lewis at lewisja@pvpusd.net for a login/password reset.

2. Students can research colleges online via Naviance, BigFuture, Niche or Unigo.  There are also some good virtual campus tour websites such as: youvisit and campustours that, while not perfect, are a very decent alternative to in-person tours for learning more about various colleges:

https://www.youvisit.com/collegesearch/

https://campustours.com/

https://www.niche.com/

https://www.unigo.com/colleges

Note: per Ms. Lewis, some colleges track logins, virtual tours, and time on university websites as “demonstrated interest” which can be a factor in admissions, and others do not. If a student is at all interested in a college, whether or not you get to visit that college in person, it's good to spend some time doing the virtual tours as you’ll learn more about what you might like to do and experience on that campus. This includes what you’d like to take advantage of and what will help you grow and discover the person you are meant to be – whether or not it "counts" as demonstrating interest.

Independent Reading
As I have said a (nauseating?) number of times, free reading about anything you’re interested in is helpful and gratifying in many ways. If that’s not enough incentive, Ms. Lewis of the College and Career Center shared with me that a complaint many college admissions officers have is that when asked what book they are currently reading outside of school, many students say, “None.” It’s good to have a genuine opinion about a book or three.

If you find yourself in the predicament of being stuck home without any new books (!) the L.A. County library has a wonderful online service for checking out e-books that can be read online.

Also, if anyone would like to search for me on Goodreads, we can also connect there. You can comment on anything I’ve read or want to read, my reviews, and even find some of your friends’ reviews.

Send me a selfie as you are reading a book and I may post it on the class website during these two weeks!

Volunteers
If you’re interested in volunteering to do a taped reading that I could post on the class website, or any other such volunteer work over the break, please e-mail me and let me know.

Contact   
I will continue to be in contact with you during this distance learning setup. I will be available and answering e-mails up until Spring Break. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.

All the best,

Ms. Mogilefsky
mogilefskya@pvpusd.net

Update

Hi, there! 

Well, this isn't exactly the day planned on the agenda that was created earlier in the week, but it's not a total surprise. I'm sad that we're right in the middle of a discussion and debate-heavy unit that will be put on hold for the time being, but glad that steps are being taken to "flatten out the curve" of coronavirus cases. I'm going to use the time to finish putting together a special coronavirus prompt that we'll be working on soon. :-)

I'll be posting details shortly, but assignments will be geared toward practicing the close reading, writing, and discussion skills that will help you on the AP exam, and for next year and beyond. 

March 9 - 13

This week, we will march (March?) forward, continuing with the argument unit and honing close reading skills. This class has excelled in finding high quality, original examples and evidence so far, and I'm really impressed with some of the brainstorms from the argument unit. This is a critical skill in the pre-writing process and it will serve you well.

The areas we need to work on are writing out good essay drafts by hand, and the multiple choice portion, which we'll address going forward.

MONDAY: Journal warm-up. Evaluate and discuss "ideal man/woman" brainstorms. Group activity finding a variety of evidence and examples using Theroux's argument as a basis. Present evidence to the class as a group. Read "Just Walk on By" with exercise in class.

Due: Please read and annotate "Being a Man" and "Why Johnny Won't Read," pages 1-4 in the Gender Packet. For both passages, determine what the main argument, or thesis is. What are some additional examples that would defend, challenge, or qualify the main argument? 

Homework: On a separate piece of paper, create a short, original outline response to the following prompt: Bauerlain and Stotsky assert that the changes in assigned books for students in grades K-12 have contributed to an alarming decrease in reading for boys. To what extend does the K-12 reading curriculum selection in schools contribute to the widening gender gap between boys and girls when it comes to reading? 

WEDNESDAY (special pre-ACT schedule, shortened classes): Journal warm-up. Collect outlines. Discussion about the complex issue of the gender pay gap and possible underlying reasons, view statistics. Read blog entry from a young professional about what she wishes she'd known about negotiating her salary (beneficial for everyone in class, not just the women). Speaking and listening: small group activity - improve the blogger's suggestions for phrases that could be used during a conversation with a potential employer that are respectful and effective in negotiations of salary, terms, etc. when accepting a position. Whole class discussion/comparison.

Extension: If you have time, click here for a challenging and informative video from the Stanford Business School about negotiation. I learn something new every time I listen to the lecture.

Due: On a separate piece of paper, create a short, original outline response to the following prompt: Bauerlain and Stotsky assert that the changes in assigned books for students in grades K-12 have contributed to an alarming decrease in reading for boys. To what extend does the K-12 reading curriculum selection in schools contribute to the widening gender gap between boys and girls when it comes to reading? 

Homework: Study for Current Events Quiz. Click on this sentence for all of the e-mails from Sunday, March 8 through Wednesday, March 11.

FRIDAY: School canceled.

Due:

Homework: TBD.

March 2 - 6

Welcome! Here's what's on the agenda for the week:

TUESDAY: Journal warm-up. Universal income discussion/debate. If time, Gatsby in present times creative brainstorm group activity. 

Due: Please read pages 31-40 in the Gatsby Extension Pack about Universal Basic Income. Feel free to explore other credible sources for information about it.

Homework: Study for vocabulary, grammar, and reading quiz to be taken on a baby scantron next class.

THURSDAY:  Journal warm-up. Quiz covering vocabulary, grammar, and reading from the Gatsby Extension Packet, (except A Modest Proposal.) Read A Modest Proposal, the last passage from the Gatsby packet, and complete multiple choice questions. Results from Freedom vs. Safety argument prompt contest. Begin Gender unit with exercise. 

Due: Study for vocabulary, grammar, and reading quiz. 

Homework: Please read and annotate "Being a Man" and "Why Johnny Won't Read", pages 1-4 in the Gender packet. For both passages, determine what the main argument, or thesis is. What are some additional examples that would defend, challenge, or qualify the main argument? Think about these questions and we will discuss them next week.