LAMAR
BELLRINGERS
2015-2016
Bell Ringer #1
WHAT IS AP LANGUAGE?
• AP English Language and Composition is a
college- level class.
• The basic idea is that you are taking a
freshman college composition class this year.
• Next year, in AP 12, you will basically be in a
college literature class.
How do you pass?
• AP Exams are scored on a scale of 1-5.
• 3,4,5 are considered passing scores and you
MAY be eligible for college credit.
What if you DON’T PASS?
• While I want you all to pass, the national pass
rate hovers around 48-52 percent.
• For college-bound students, this course will
benefit you exponentially whether you pass
the exam or not.
• You can still pass this class if you do not pass
the exam.
Tell me about the test…
• The exam is 3:15 in length.
• The fist section is Multiple Choice and is one
hour long. You will read 4-5 passages of
American literature, both pre and post
Twentieth century and answer between 50-55
multiple choice questions.
• You will then have a 15 minute break.
Three Essays in 2:15
• 1. synthesis
• 2. rhetorical analysis
• 3. open argument
• *take notes while I explain 
Bell Ringer #2
Saturday Session Dates
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•
•
•
September 26, 2015
January 9, 2016– English Mock Exam
March 12, 2016
May 11, 2016– EXAM
• Plan to be there—you will receive grade for
this.
Bellringer #3
• Word Crimes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0HvPoDc
• This is a great start for grammar review– after
I have read your papers, I will use YOUR
mistakes as examples– no worries… your
identity will remain secret….
This thing is NOT equal to this thing
1. It’s ≠ its (it’s= it is, a contraction; its is a
pronoun)
2. “” ≠ emphasis
3. Be ≠ b
4. You ≠ u
5. To whom ≠ to who
6. Irony ≠ coincidence
Bellringer #4
Weird Al Day 2
• Do NOT
• Use exclamation marks in your formal essays
(unless they are included in a direct quote)
• Forget your spellchecker!!!
• Abbreviate in any way
Bellringer #4
Weird Al Day 3
• Random definitions inspired by Weird Al
1. nomenclature-- the devising or choosing of names
for things, especially in a science or other discipline
• 2. prose- not poetry, but essays, novels, etc.
• 3. syntax– sentence structure
• 4. homophones-- each of two or more words
having the same pronunciation but different
meanings, origins, or spelling (their, they’re,
there)
• 5. Oxford comma– AKA serial comma, using a comma
before the coordinating conjunction in a series
Bellringer #4
Weird Al Day 4
Proofreader’s
Marks
Bell Ringer #5
What is Rhetorical Analysis?
1. What is a rhetorical analysis?
2. What can you analyze?
• Answer the above questions to the best of
your ability.
What we analyze…
• 1. structure
• 2. purpose– you must determine this
• 3. style
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
RHETORICAL STRATEGIES YOU MAY
NEED TO ANALYZE
(Structure)
1. Example
2. Comparison and contrast
3. Definition
4. Cause and effect
5. Process
6. Analysis
7. Classification
ELEMENTS OF STYLE YOU MAY NEED
TO ANALYZE (AKA STYLISTIC DEVICES)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1. subject matter
2. selection of detail
3. organization
4. point of view
5. diction
6. syntax
7. language
8. attitude
9. tone
• What else (not included above) can/will/do
you notice?
Bellringer #6– write down ten notes regarding
this poem.
The Rose That Grew From Concrete
Tupac Shakur
Did you hear about the rose that grew from a
crack in the concrete? Proving nature's law is
wrong it learned to walk with out having
feet. Funny it seems, but by keeping its
dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air. Long
live the rose that grew from concrete when no
one else ever cared.
Bellringer #7
MLA Heading and Formatting
Bellringer #8
• NOTES AND TIPS TO DISCUSS REGARDING YOUR
ANALYSIS ESSAYS
•
•
•
•
ABC RULE
Subject Verb Agreement
Include textual references and specific examples
Bad Titles
–
–
–
–
Analysis Essay
My Analysis Essay
Rhetorical Device Analysis
My Rhetorical Device Analysis
• Don’t define…
“One definition of rhetoric is the ability to use
language effectively. When arguing, a person
wants their words to be as effective as
possible.”
• Don’t capitalize words you believe to be
important… just because you believe them to
be important…
• Don’t automatically defer to logos, ethos, and
pathos
• A use of the semicolon is to join independent
clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb.
Example:
Students need to make certain that they are
responding to the prompt in the correct mode;
however, elements of description need to be
incorporated in all tested modes.
• Contractions-- Leave them out– spell out both
words
• AVOID Rhetorical Questions
• Do not use the word you
Or I
Or we
Or me
Or us
•
•
•
•
•
Avoid The words, just, very, seem, feel
Don’t right justify your margins
Length
Present tense
Always introduce/ support your quotes in your
text.
• Spell check– use it
• Do not underline or italicize your title
Bellringer #9 -- Write down five notes
regarding the poem below.
And the Ghosts
by Graham Foust
they own everything
Bellringer #10
Consider:
The “LOST GENERATION” is a term used to describe the
generation of writers active immediately after World War I.
Gertrude Stein used the phrase in conversation with Ernest
Hemingway, supposedly quoting a garage mechanic saying to
her, "You are all a lost generation." The phrase signifies a
disillusioned postwar generation characterized by lost values,
lost belief in the idea of human progress, and a mood of futility
and despair leading to hedonism.
*You may use your phone to look up unfamiliar words.
Do you believe that this is a term exclusive to the 1920’s or is it
applicable to other generations such as yours?
Bellringer #11
Jot down what you feel the effect of the choice of the
word “vulnerable” has on this passage and the
characterization of Nick.
“In my younger and more vulnerable years my
father gave me some advice that I’ve been
turning over in my mind ever since. “Whenever
you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just
remember that all the people in this world
haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”
Bellringer #12-- feral
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjtGw_N
uBIA
Bellringer #13-- scintillate
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_wU3K
mFBh0
Bellringer #14-- ubiquitous
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTotALm
npn8
• Ideas for later bellringers follow:
Another Reason Why I Don'T Keep A Gun In The House
Billy Collins
The neighbors' dog will not stop barking. He is barking the same high, rhythmic bark that he barks
every time they leave the house. They must switch him on on their way out. The neighbors' dog will
not stop barking. I close all the windows in the house and put on a Beethoven symphony full blast
but I can still hear him muffled under the music, barking, barking, barking, and now I can see him
sitting in the orchestra, his head raised confidently as if Beethoven had included a part for barking
dog. When the record finally ends he is still barking, sitting there in the oboe section barking, his
eyes fixed on the conductor who is entreating him with his baton while the other musicians listen in
respectful silence to the famous barking dog solo, that endless coda that first established Beethoven
as an innovative genius.
• http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/3
01-prompts-for-argumentative-writing/?_r=0
• Is Amazon becoming too powerful?
Claim
Data
Data
Data
Warrant
• AMERICAN DREAM—Should the US care that
it is not #1?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
• Should you feel guilty about killing a spider,
ant or other bug?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
• What time should Black Friday sales start?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
• Should developers be allowed to build in
and/or near The Grand Canyon?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
• Should children be allowed to wear what they
want?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
• How should schools handle unvaccinated
students?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
• Is prom worth it?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
• Should schools offer students money for good
test scores?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
• Should students be able to grade their
teachers?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
• What are the best teaching methods for
getting students to behave in class?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
• Does the way your classroom is decorated
affect your learning?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
• Does your generation have too much selfesteem?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
• Does pop culture deserve serious study?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
Bellringer
• When should you feel guilty for killing
zombies?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
Bellringer
• Do your teachers use technology well?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
Bellringer
• Does social media ever make you feel bad?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
Bellringer
• Does technology make us more alone?
http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/0
5/301-prompts-for-argumentativewriting/?_r=0
Bellringer #
• https://youtu.be/i3byt7xMSCA
1. What is the argument?
2. Who is the audience?
3. How/ Why is this effective?
Bellringer
https://youtu.be/lbpuSPL-FNU
1. What is the argument?
2. Who is the audience?
3. How/ Why is this effective?
Keyboard Commands