Common errors in the Grendel timed essays,
tips for improvement, and metacognition.
1. “…uses literary devices”
2. “…to bolster scenes of violence and establish
implications of said violence”
3. “…the central idea of the work.”
Talk with your partner: Did you address all three?
(“address” doesn’t mean mention, it means to prove it entirely.)
– Chose literary techniques that were not provable without text
support (i.e. alliteration, ? diction, syntax, etc.)
– Skipped part of the prompt (typically part 2 and/or 3)
– Addressed all items in the thesis, but did not follow through in
the essay itself
– Lacked a thesis all together (many simply restated the prompt)
Talk with your partner: Were any of these issues ones with which
you struggled?
– Analysis was simplistic (one must tie simplistic ideas [like a
literary device] to big picture thinking [like a theme])
– Repetitive ideas / formulaic organization (a conclusion
paragraph shouldn’t be a simple repeat of the introduction)
– Casual diction choices
Talk with your partner: Were any of these issues ones with which
you struggled?
One student’s weak thesis:
John Gardner uses descriptive diction & symbolism to bolster
scenes of violence which adds to the central idea.
One student’s fabulous thesis:
Gardner utilizes personification and biblical allusions as a way to
personalize the acts of violence that stem from Grendel’s own
hands, supporting the central idea that isolation often leads to an
individual’s breakdown.
Many students research books we study in class on the internet.
While the internet is wonderful, keep the following in mind:
– There is no Googling a text while taking the AP exam (in other
words, this shortcut in thinking is hurting the development of
the skill set you’ll need on test day)
– Just because you read it online doesn’t make it true, and it
doesn’t mean it fits the essay prompt
– Even if the idea came from a website, you still have to support
it if you use it in an essay
Do this on the LEFT SIDE of the notebook,
opposite your Grendel class/personal notes.
1.
Looking only at your thesis, how could you have constructed it better?
What are the issues with it as is and exactly how would you rephrase it?
2. Did you successfully address all three parts of the prompt in your thesis
AND in the essay as a whole? What did you do well? What did you miss?
3. If you could fix three elements of your essay, aside from those noted in
questions 1 and 2, what would they be and why?
4. In what two areas are you showing improvement when you compare
this essay to the first two timed, in-class essays?
Common errors in the Grendel timed essays,
tips for improvement, and metacognition.
1. “…cultural, physical OR geographical surroundings”
2. “…shape psychological OR moral traits in a
character.”
3. “…illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.”
Talk with your partner: Did you address all three?
(“address” doesn’t mean mention, it means to prove it entirely.)
– Didn’t choose surroundings present in the novel (all apply in Grendel)
– Did not discuss surroundings appropriately (lacked understanding
between cultural, physical, and geographical)
– Skipped part of the prompt (typically part 3)
– Addressed all items in the thesis but didn’t follow through in the essay
itself
– Lacked a thesis all together (many simply restated the prompt)
Talk with your partner: Were any of these issues ones with which
you struggled?
– Analysis was simplistic (one must tie simplistic ideas [like
specific surrounding] to big picture thinking [like a theme])
– Repetitive ideas / formulaic organization (a conclusion
paragraph shouldn’t be a simple repeat of the introduction)
– Casual diction choices
Talk with your partner: Were any of these issues ones with which
you struggled?
One student’s weak thesis:
In Grendel, the cultural, physical, and geographical surroundings
impact the main character’s psychological and moral traits.
One student’s fabulous thesis:
Geographical remoteness and physical individuality broadens the
separation between the humans and Grendel, adding to the
central idea that isolation can become one’s demise.
Many students research books we study in class on the internet.
While the internet is wonderful, keep the following in mind:
– There is no Googling a text while taking the AP exam (in other
words, this shortcut in thinking is hurting the development of
the skill set you’ll need on test day)
– Just because you read it online doesn’t make it true, and it
doesn’t mean it fits the essay prompt
– Even if the idea came from a website, you still have to support
it if you use it in an essay
Do this on the LEFT SIDE of the notebook,
opposite your Grendel class/personal notes.
1.
Looking only at your thesis, how could you have constructed it better?
What are the issues with it as is and exactly how would you rephrase it?
2. Did you successfully address all three parts of the prompt in your thesis
AND in the essay as a whole? What did you do well? What did you miss?
3. If you could fix three elements of your essay, aside from those noted in
questions 1 and 2, what would they be and why?
4. In what two areas are you showing improvement when you compare
this essay to the first two timed, in-class essays?