"If you prick us, do we not bleed?"

-->From Shylock to Jay-Z humans have persistently pondered the essential question of existence:  What does it mean to be human?  Now you can join the conversation.  For your final AP Xtreme Adventure, you will be adding your viewpoint, considering what makes us human.  Drawing from our readings and discussions, your own experiences and ideas, and whatever else you think is relevant, you will work with a partner to weigh in on this age-old question with a well-designed pecha-kucha. 

PECHA-KUCHA REQUIREMENTS

            • Four-minute speech, identifying a thesis, scripted and presented  

               to your AP Xtreme class

            • Sixteen slides, each lasting 15 seconds, to accompany your speech, plus a works cited slide

            • Information derived from previous readings or new research, with
               proper citation, addressing three human qualities:

                        psychological

                        biological

                        social/cultural

            • At least one direct quotation taken from this year’s readings

You may work with any student from AP Xtreme 2012-13 on this assignment.  The completed project will be presented to the combined classes, and your grade will count for both.  Each partner will give part of the speech and will be scored individually, based on the Oregon Common Core Standards for Speaking.  Both partners will be scored equally on the content of the speech, the slide selection, and presentation.

TIMELINE     

May 20 - 31     Preparation:  Library/labs available; bring laptops if you can

May 24            Documentation Sheet:  Thesis, supporting ideas, and sources

May 31            Speech Script with MLA citations

June 3 - 7         Presentations

DOCUMENTATION SHEET INFORMATION (what you wrote) is HERE.

Time Melts

Oh, man.  Remember September when May and the AP test and the end of the year seemed impossibly far away?  Yeah.  Here we are.  Before you know it, you'll be floating down the river, basking in the summer sun and the glory of your AP test scores, and thinking ahead to an impossibly far away next school year.  Time = weird; am I right?  Anywho, this week we'll tick off the days with exercises and readings and discussions--all of which should put the final touches on your test readiness.  Who needs The Hammer when you have this kind of thrill ride?

MONDAY, 5/6
AP Test #Last
• finish
• review
Style Matters
• information
• exercise

TUESDAY, 5/7
Humor in Writing
• selected readings
• discussion

WEDNESDAY, 5/8
Cultural Literacy!

THURSDAY, 5/9
AP Test Eve
• final tips
• practice

FRIDAY, 5/10
AP Test!!
Gatsby!!!
Bears!!!!
(minus the bears)

Just a Few More Hoops

Hey!  More words!  This week's adventure in AP Xtreme brings the LAST AP Prompt response--lucky #13!  We'll take some more time sharpening those skills for next week's official exam, writing a final personal essay (about words, of course), and discussing some language-specific ideas and issues.  Keep track of your grades in Student Assistant; everything should be in now.

MONDAY, 4/30
AP Prompt #12
• returned
• reviewed
Mother Tongue
• reading check
• response
READ How Much Wallop Can a Simple Word Pack? for TUESDAY

TUESDAY, 4/31
How Much Wallop?
• discussion
• response
Words on Words
• directions and expectations

WEDNESDAY, 5/1
Cultural Literacy!
TED

THURSDAY, 5/2
In Plain English:  Let's Make It Official
• read
• analyze
• respond:  discussion

FRIDAY, 5/3
AP Prompt #LAST! (Synthesis)

Thunderation!

Well, this should be fun.  We're brewing up a STORM of a week with ACT and the Mr.Thunder pageant, but we still need to keep plowing toward that AP Test (and glory, duh).  So, you'll want to eat your Wheaties, get a good night's sleep, and be all that you can be.  Later you can sit on the couch, eat Cheetos, and wait for the lightning.  We have just one reading this week, but lots of writing and, of course, fun.  Ready?

MONDAY, 4/22
AP Prompt #11
• general discussion
• writing groups:  revise
Read Mother Tongue

TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, 4/23-24
**NB:  Because of Tuesday's ACT, periods 1&2 will meet Tuesday
and periods 3-7 will meet Wednesday.  This schedule is for both days.
Politics and the English Language
• identifying Orwell's ideas
• applying Orwell's ideas

THURSDAY, 4/25
AP Prompt #12

FRIDAY, 4/26
Mother Tongue
• reading check
• response

Use Your Words

Now that we've figured out all we need to know about biology, let's focus on what really matters:  WORDS.  E.M. Forster famously asked, "How do I know what I think until I see what I say?"  Good question, E.M.  Words are what allow us to think, or at least to express our thinking, and to reveal our understanding.  This week, we'll begin focusing on our amazing language--reading, writing, and talking about it in all sorts of ways.  ALSO, we'll start some serious boot camp shape-up for the AP exam:  Be all that you can be!

MONDAY, 4/15
AP Prompt #10
• review
• return
• revise
Read Dumpster Diving for TUESDAY
Read "Arguing About Language" for WEDNESDAY

TUESDAY, 4/16
AP Boot Camp:  sentence combining
Dumpster Diving
• reading check
• response/discussion

WEDNESDAY, 4/17
"Arguing About Language"
• discussion
• response

THURSDAY, 4/18
AP Prompt #11

FRIDAY, 4/19
"Mother Tongue"
• read
• respond

Dive in!

We're just one quarter away from the end of the year, sports fans, so time to go for the gold!  This week, we'll focus on writing strategies and skills to take us to the AP test in great shape.  We'll cycle back to the Orwell reading we skipped last week, finish the Scientific Paper, practice some prompt response introductions, and write a 10th prompt.  We have just one new reading for the week, so be sure to get it done.  Here we go!

MONDAY, 4/8
Scientific Paper:  The Abstract
• instruction
• computer lab
Read Dumpster Diving for Friday

TUESDAY, 4/9
Shooting an Elephant
• reading check/discussion
• close reading analysis

WEDNESDAY, 4/10
TED Talk:  Ken Jennings

THURSDAY, 4/11
AP Prompt #10

FRIDAY, 4/12
Dumpster Diving
• discussion
• writing response

Wellllll, hot dang!  It's April!  (No foolin'.)  So, it would seem we're in the final run-up--to the AP exam[s] the last "summer break" of your official childhood (for most of you, anyway), and the end of the school year. Time flies, am I right?  We've made mucho progress, and have bravely gone where only a few have dared to go before, BUT we're not there yet.  For the coming weeks, in the Lang portion of the program, we'll be focusing HARD on the writing niceties that will put us in good shape--for the test AND for anything else that comes along.  Hang on, Xtremers!  This party's just getting started!

MONDAY, 4/1
The Scientific Paper
• How, what, when
• The structure
Read Shooting an Elephant for WEDNESDAY

TUESDAY, 4/2
Write up!
• Reading:  E. B. White
• Writing:  mimicry

WEDNESDAY, 4/3
Shooting an Elephant
• Close reading
• Reading response

THURSDAY, 4/4
AP Prompt #10
Scientific Paper DUE (midnight)

FRIDAY, 4/5
AP Multiple Choice
• strategies
• practice