Before you can begin blogging, you’ll need to sign up for our blogsite, which will be housed on WordPress at aplangandcompsmith1516.wordpress.com You can also find the link to your blogsite anytime by using the dropdown menu above.
​
FIRST, you will need a WordPress username. To get a WordPress username, click here to sign up. Once you have done that, you will receive a confirmation email. Be sure to activate your account.

SECOND, send me your username by filling out this form. I will invite you to our blogsite using the information you provide.

THIRD, check your email for your invitation to our blogsite. Accept the invitation. When you click “accept,” you may receive another invitation that says something to the effect of “You’ve been added!” with a “view blog” link.
IMPORTANT: You can’t get started until you receive an e-mail invitation from me. If you do not get an e-mail invitation, let me know.

FOURTH, now that you’ve been added to the site, learn how to log in and take a quick tour with the video below. Just note that I made this video for last year’s students, so some things may be slightly different, but essentially it’s all the same. :)

Here's a list of suggestions for studying for the AP Lang midterm:

• reread chapter 1&2 in your textbook and/or read through your notes of same
• look over our vocab list and review (or become familiar with) the italicized rhetorical terms
  
• use your packet and handouts on how to write an effective rhetorical analysis
• click through the quick links section of the AP Lang menu on this website
• work through (or revisit) the AP Lang multiple choice sample tests
• remember to be interested in the test passages and prompts
• get a good night's sleep; eat a good breakfast

Choose a significant passage from the novel and write a rhetorical analysis.
FIRST, choose a passage. When choosing a passage, consider the following:

• Think about the “big ideas” discussed in class―storytelling, memories, coping, life and death, and love, among others. Consider choosing one of the passages discussed in class.
• Review the post-it note reflections you completed in your initial reading of the book.
• Review your reflections from our Socratic Seminars. Did a particular passage stand out to you?
• Consider length, choosing a passage that is neither too long nor too short. Be sure that your passage is long enough to write a substantial analysis, but not so long that your analysis becomes overwhelming. If you are unsure about a passage, run it by me in class.
• Last, but not least… choose a passage that speaks to you. Chances are, you’ll be in a better position to write about the passage because it stood out to you while you were (re)reading.
• IMPORTANT: You may NOT choose a passage from the title story, “The Things They Carried.” You may also not choose the passage on pages 76-77 that begins with “How do you generalize?” and ends with “the truth is ugly.”

SECOND, after choosing a passage, photocopy the excerpt. Then annotate the excerpt thoroughly. You’ll bring this to class for review on Thursday, 1/7, and then turn this in with your final essay on Tuesday, 1/12.
​
THIRD, begin drafting/writing/revising your rhetorical analysis. Your final rhetorical analysis essay should be about two pages in length (between 400-600ish words). Some tips:

• Review your photocopied annotation.
• Review the steps to writing a rhetorical analysis and rhetorical precis (see Quick Links).
• Review the sample rhetorical analyses from class.
• Consult your lists: powerful verbs, tone words (see Quick Links).
• Think RLW (“How to Read Like a Writer”), especially the reminder below:

In “How to Read Like a Writer,” Mike Bunn points out that when you read like a writer, “you examine the things you read, looking at the writerly techniques in the text in order to decide if you might want to adopt similar (or the same) techniques in your writing” (72).

Let’s look at Tim O’Brien’s story, “The Things They Carried,” as inspiration for our own writing. To that end, think about the techniques O’Brien uses in that particular short story to convey the various things that the soldiers carry. Also keep in mind the diverse types of things the soldiers carry: individual/group, objective/subjective, concrete/abstract, mundane/extraordinary.

Using “The Things They Carried” as your model, write-like Tim O’Brien. In a “write-alike,” you will borrow O’Brien’s diction (though not his specific words) and syntax. Try to mimic O’Brien’s style. However, instead of writing about what soldiers carry, you will write about a subject a little closer to your own experience―being a student.
Write-like O’Brien for about 250-300ish words. Use the “backpack” activity from class to help you compose your piece.
​
ALTERNATIVE: As I mentioned in class,  if you would like to “play” with this assignment a bit more and use a different group of people (for example, artists) and a different verb than carry (for example, draw), feel free to take the weekend to work on this exercise.

TYPED, DOUBLE-SPACED, MLA HDG. DUE TUES., 1/5/2015.