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: 1.Pens 2.Pencils 3.AP Student Pack/Envelope 4.Snack (to be placed under your chair) 5.Water (to be placed under your chair) 6.Warm clothes/Layers 7.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 * ASB Card Review Terms List – Have your own word bank Read prompts very carefully Know a lot of rhetorical analysis strategies Link device to purpose 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 test taking 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 Multiple Choice Section (only if you are uncomfortable with this) 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. Orwell: Analyze critique of Gandhi AND Assess effectiveness of Orwell ’ s argument 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 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.