understanding the course more fully All Things AP Lit. & Comp. understanding the course more fully

What’s up with the scoring? Grading 101 What’s up with the scoring?

The Basics Letter Grades Weighted Gradebook A = 90-100% B = 80-89.9% F = 0-59.9% Weighted Gradebook 40%: Daily work 30%: Read. Journal Details coming up 30%: Process Paper Details next week

Essay Scores A 9 pt. scale 20 pts. an essay The 9 point rubric (see your survival guide*) is what the College Board uses to score essays on the AP Exam *Note: the rubric changes with each essay—the one in the guide is an example that reflects typical expectations. 20 pts. an essay Essays are recorded in the Daily Work section of the gradebook. All essay scores are converted to be out of 20 points: this is done on a bell curve. Take a moment to really dig in to the 9 point rubric. Have students think about the essay they wrote yesterday: how would it score? Explain how the rubric is created AFTER the essays have been normed.

Bell Curve? Bs C-Fs As

Multiple Choice Choosing A, B, C, D, or E

The Basics The AP exam has a multiple choice section and an essay section The MC questions are application based You will be expected to read a section of text (poetry or prose), analyze it, and then answer questions about said text: there are 4-5 sections of text in total Each question will have 5 answer choices These questions and answers tend to be term and vocabulary intensive

Poetry Examples Give students a moment to talk in groups about these questions: Where are the concerns? Then, talk together as a class. Stress vocabulary—the literary terms.

Prose Examples The grammar question here may be a good time to talk about grammar expectations and using the book room if they struggle with grammar basics Give students a moment to talk in groups about these questions: Where are the concerns? Then, talk together as a class. Focus on vocabulary used.

Impact on Grade Like with the essays, these are often scored on a curve (at least for first semester) These too go in the Daily Work section of the gradebook

Few activities are as delightful as learning new vocabulary. —Tim Gunn

Words Matter On essays: A well-used, extensive lexicon can nudge an essay score up by 1-2 points. Do know that littering your essay with big words can have the reverse effect. Choose words wisely. On multiple choice tests: If you do not understand the words in the excerpt or the words in the questions/answers, then you significantly reduce your ability to do well.

How to build it The best way to build your vocabulary: READ. Reading at a level slightly above your current one is the best way to expand your understanding of the English language This includes works read for class and outside of class. When a word is new to you, or being used in a new way, LOOK IT UP. Use vocabulary workbooks. Use vocabulary websites and quizzes.