Final Preparation & Major Concepts to Remember AP English Language & Composition Exam

Everything You Have Accomplished Above all else, celebrate everything that you have learned over the last 8 months. You have come so far, and regardless of your performance on the exam, you should be proud of what you have learned and achieved. I am proud of everything you have accomplished!

Setting Yourself Up for Success Prepare all of your supplies this evening: Pens (dark blue or black ink) Pencils Snack/Water Clothes/Layers Watch/Timing Device No backpacks or cell phones

Wise Advise from IHS Students Have a good breakfast; get there early Get a lot of sleep and don’t stress; be confident! Bring extra pens Review Terms List Read prompts very carefully Know a lot of rhetorical analysis strategies Link device to purpose/effects/message Keep outlines brief but specific Don’t spend too much time trying to find the perfect word Avoid generalizations; be specific and succinct MC Test - Don’t spend too much time on one question. Move on to next question if you don’t understand current one

Setting Yourself Up for Success Spend time reviewing the “MC Strategies” and “Timed Write Tips” & reminding yourself of everything you already know. Spend some time relaxing & resting your brain. Get a good night’s sleep & eat breakfast. Arrive early for your test (less stress = better performance). Do your best, & be proud of yourself for taking this chance!

To Review 1 Prompt that you did well on 1 Prompt that you struggled with 1-2 Multiple Choice Sections Your annotated Rhetorical Analysis, Argument & Synthesis Packets MC Strategies/Lessons Learned and feedback on timed writes

Reminders for the Multiple Choice Section You don’t have to answer every question to do well. Easy questions & hard questions are worth the same amount of points; find the easy questions. You don’t have to understand the passage to answer some questions. Attitude can make a tremendous difference.

Reminders for the Essay Section Use all of your time. Use concrete, specific illustrations & evidence. Avoid labels. Appeal to Emotion & Appeal to Logic mean little. Appeal to her romantic nature/desire to better the family, and appeal to her frugal nature mean so much more, and take no more work to write. Never identify a device without specifying its effect or connection to purpose. You can’t adequately analyze a passage’s style without analyzing its meaning, purpose & effect.

Reminders for the Essay Section Respond completely to what the prompt asks. Sanders Prompt: Review Rushdie’s descriptions of “mass migrations” and Analyze strategies Sanders uses to develop his perspective on moving. Respond to the prompt, not to a formula or “recipe” that you have pre- determined. Make it complex!

Reminders for the Essay Section Make a plan - Scan what you are doing before starting. Determine how you should organize your time. Paraphrase instead of quoting – too much copying wastes your time. Don’t copy the prompt into your response. Write a thesis that reflects the passage and the prompt.

Dealing with Difficult Passages First, decide what the piece is about – major ideas & purpose. Then, decide on tone. If nothing else, determine whether it is positive or negative. Look for a shift… it can be the key to understanding a difficult passage.

What the AP Readers Say: Strive to present an informed, concrete argument, eschewing broad generalizations in favor of specific facts, details and perspectives. An author’s desire to create meaning, purpose & effect is fleshed out in his decisions about the structure of the argument, organization of the text, diction, syntax, imagery and figurative language.

The Synthesis Prompt Develop a plan BEFORE writing. Follow the directions – cite ALL information (quoted and paraphrased). Make sure you use AT LEAST 3 sources. Consider reflecting both sides – to make your stance and understanding more complex.