Education

Education Quotes

Choose one of the many quotes contained through this link.  Start your blog with the quotation of your choice and discuss how it speaks to you in regards to your education.  Comment also on how the quote relates to Dr. Ben Carson.

Merry Christmas

What does AP Language want for Christmas?

The True Meaning of Christmas

A Doubtful Christmas is a story about the value of hard work.  Read this enjoyable, true story and answer the following question:  Have we lost the true meaning of Christmas?  Choose a side and argue it.

Rogerian Argument

Carl Rogers

Read the article about Carl Rogers and reflect on what about the theory resonates with you?  With what part of his theory do you disagree? 

Thanksgiving!

Hello girls, Choose one or more of these quotes and relate it to your idea of Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action. – W.J. Cameron Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast. – William Shakespeare Heap high the board with plenteous cheer and gather to the feast, And toast the sturdy Pilgrim band whose courage never ceased. – Alice W. Brotherton Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart. – Seneca Happy We-Stole-Your-Land-and-Killed-Your-People Day! – Thanksgiving toast, from the movie Sweet November The pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts…nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving. – H.W. Westermayer On Thanksgiving Day, we acknowledge our dependence. – William Jennings Bryan Gluttony and surfeiting are no proper occasions for thanksgiving. – Charles Lamb Turkey: A large bird whose flesh, when eaten on certain religious anniversaries has the peculiar property of attesting piety and gratitude. – Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary Thanksgiving is so called because we are all so thankful that it only comes once a year. – P. J. O'Rourke Thanksgiving Day, a function which originated in New England two or three centuries ago when those people recognized that they really had something to be thankful for – annually, not oftener – if they had succeeded in exterminating their neighbors, the Indians, during the previous twelve months instead of getting exterminated by their neighbors, the Indians. Thanksgiving Day became a habit, for the reason that in the course of time, as the years drifted on, it was perceived that the exterminating had ceased to be mutual and was all on the white man's side, consequently on the Lord's side; hence it was proper to thank the Lord for it and extend the usual annual compliments. – Mark Twain

Nothing Better than a Good Argument!

First of all, congratulations! Your first debate was a HUGE success which we can attribute to your hard work and thorough preparation! That was SO MUCH FUN! So, let's hear some of your thoughts about it! What were the high points? What stands out to you as being successful? What was hardest about it? What would you do to improve the process?

Frankenstien, Obamacare and Henrietta

http://www.eppc.org/publications/obamas-secret-weapon-henrietta-lacks/ Read the article attached to this link. If the link does not work properly, copy and paste to retrieve the article. I want you to react to the article. Think about the themes of Frankenstein and why and how this book might be considered for the AP Language class. Also, relate it to your research in regards to Obamacare.

All Saints Day

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/deaconsbench/2013/10/homily-for-november-1-2013-all-saints-day/ Follow the provided link to a homily given by Deacon Greg Kandra. If the link is not working, you will have to type in the url. In the homily, he gives examples of "unlikely saints". Respond to his homily noting any literary devices he uses. At the same time, think about what he is saying and discern what actions and thoughts you have exemplified this week that have gotten you closer to sainthood. You may share or not share those thoughts in the blog. You should also include an example of an "unlikely saint" who has been canonized by the Catholic Church.

Happy Halloween!

Tell the story of Halloween from the perspective of a piece of candy.

I Love America

In preparation for your entry into the Patriotic Audio Essay Competition, discuss some of the reasons why you are optimistic about our nation's future. 

Ha! Ha!

We had the luxury of hearing a professional comedian in school on Friday.  Give examples of how "Bubba Bradley" used the four elements of satire in his routine.  Some were more obvious than others.  Do your best to analyze his routine using those elements.  He also talked about using humor to advance your ideas and opportunities.  I might argue that writing satire is one of the most difficult genres and requires a lot of discipline as well as creativity.  End your post with a joke.  It can be original or borrowed, but it must be clean. 


Q: What do you say when you are comforting an English teacher?
A: There, Their, They're

Arguing Language

Provide us with a point that you plan to make in regards to whether or not language should be legislated in America.  Make ONE claim and provide evidence.  You will make a lot of claims in your paper, I am asking that you make just one here.  It will hopefully open a discussion about language and some reasons why it should or should not be legislated.  What is your opinion?  Again, make one claim with evidence.

Something Old, Something New

I would like for you to reflect this week on how far you have come in AP Language.  What have you learned, in what ways are you still struggling and what skills do you most look forward to mastering?  Sometimes an honest self assessment is the best way to move forward!

Diction, Syntaxt and Tone

Read "This Living Hand" by John Keats.  What is the tone that Keats is trying to convey in his poem?  How does his choice of words (diction) and style (syntax) successfully create the tone?

Simile and Metaphor

This week in class, we talked a lot about similes and metaphors.  Find three examples of metaphor or simile in the New American Bible.  Present all three in the blog and choose one that resonates with you and tell us why. 

September 6, 2013 Language and Identity Unit

Today in class we read "Mother Tongue" by Amy Tan.  At the end of the essay, Tan says that she "Began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with."  Read Tan's short story "Two Kinds" and analyze where and how she uses different "Englishes".  Find a link to the short story
 here.

First Blog of the year!

Respond to the pictures attached.  How does the artists use ethos, logos and pathos to appeal rhetorically to his audience?  What would be a good captions for these cartoons?  If the subjects of the pieces were speaking, what might they be saying?  Think about these pictures,  organize your thoughts and respond in writing to the following question:  What does Labor Day mean to Americans?  Is there a universal definition of the holiday?