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Podcast #2 - August 5, 2009

Topic: Summer Reading books & assignments.

This is Devon Adams and today is August 5th 2009. Welcome to the second AP Language & Composition podcast. The purpose of this podcast is to discuss the summer reading assignments for my class.

I will first discuss the "fiction" book read by everyone and then discuss the non-fiction book assignment in part. I am spending a good deal of time in class discussing these assignments so everything will not be delineated here, but this is a good over view for anyone who needs a little more clarification.

The fiction title read by everyone is Jeff Shaara's Rise to Rebellion told from the first person point of view of four key players in the Revolutionary War from 1770-1776. Calling this fiction is really misleading as there are several historically accurate aspects to the book including full speeches actually said and written down during the time period. Things that make this fiction include speculative situations, private conversations, and the ominiscient thoughts of many of the men and women we now know from the history of the period.

You are not required to write a paper on this novel, but you are required to choose a theme that emerges from the text and gather menu items on this text. There are several from the list you've all received and the formatting includes textual, statistical, and visual. They are due in class soon, and I will be showing you how we can develop these items into a synthesis prompt to help you better understand how to synthesis and analyze different sources. We will also be writing essay prompts from the menu items (sources) you gather. This assignment will play out over the next two weeks in class.

Rise to Rebellion will also help you plan and prepare for the research unit that you will begin in late September and continue through October. Please read this book closely, and if you enjoy it immensely you should consider reading the sequel call Glorious Cause by the same author that picks up after 1776 and moves forward towards a Bill of Rights and Constitution.

The other book you should have already read is your non-fiction book. You could choose either An American Childhood by Annie Dillard or Stephen King's On Writing. Ms Deakin, the other AP teacher, prefers the Dillard text while I highly recommend On Writing. You should annotated this book and have it completed for class by August 13th on which day you will all have a brief examination on the book. This exam is open book, so you may use your book if you have it with you.

Also, for this book, you will be required to write a non-fiction analysis. This will be a formal MLA-formatted paper completed outside of class. For that paper, the student will be required to analyze William Faulkner's 1050 Nobel acceptance speech and analyze the Writer's Duty and it's correlation in the nonfiction book and the author's effectiveness of successfully achieving that duty within the text of that book, be it King or Dillard. That assignment is due on August 21st in class.

Today's podcast has given you a brief over view of the difference between assignments in the two books, but some parts have been kept vague on purpose due to the nature of the assignments building upon each other. For xample, I can't detail the prompt without covering the elements that lead up to it.

That's all for this week. I will see you next time with the AP Language podcast. Until then you can find me at dcamd.com. Thank you.

Podcast #1 - July 28, 2009

I am assuming that this new feed will work now, so we can hope. Here's the transcript file below as well.

This is Devon Adams and today is July 24th 2009. Welcome to the first AP Language & Composition podcast. The purpose of these podcasts is to relay information about the AP Language class at Basha High School. My goal is to get these out weekly or biweekly depending on the materials being covered in class.

Welcome juniors to AP English. This year prepares you for the AP Language & Composition exam administered by the College Board in May 2010. Today’s topic is the AP Examination and Dual Enrollment.

This time of the year I get a lot of questions about the difference between taking the AP Examination and taking this class for dual enrollment, so I am focusing this entire podcast on this one question.

First of all, let’s talk about each separately.

Many of you took a test called the Asset Test in the spring time in our cafeteria. You should have received a copy of those scores already, but if not I have them in my class. This is NOT the AP Exam; that is completely separate. This is a placement test used for the Maricopa Community College District colleges (including Mesa Community College and Chandler Gilbert Community College) to confirm that you have met certain academic requirements to be accepted into a college English program.

Once you have scored high enough on this test, you are invited by me to take AP English 11 for dual enrollment credit. This means you’d pay the MCC tuition for 3 credits, which I believe is approximately $230.00. This payment would enroll you in English 101 at MCC, and you would take AP English 11 for both college credit and high school credit. You do the same exact work as all of your classmates and you do not have to go to MCC at all. At the end of the Fall 2009 semester, you would be awarded 3 college credits at MCC with the same grade you receive in semester 1 of AP English 11.

MCC’s credits transfer directly to BYU, ASU, U of A, and also NAU. NAU is the only school that also requires you to complete the second semester of freshman college English (called English 102), and you can take that online or through my MCC course anytime before you graduate from Basha. If you are considering an out of state school, it is your responsibility to check with the admission office to see if they would accept your Freshman Composition (Eng 101) credit through dual enrollment.

If you choose to dual enroll, you will sign up through me in August. The dual enrollment option has absolutely nothing to do with the AP Examination in May 2010.

The AP Examination is the culminating assessment for AP Language & Composition. This is an internationally recognized test that is accepted (for varying scores) at universities through the entire world. Payment for the examination is approximately $86.00 and nothing is paid until second semester. Information on testing is given to you to take home to your parents. It is expected that most of you do take this test.

The AP Examination is what we will prepare for all year in AP Language. Unlike dual enrollment, there is no guarantee to pass this examination but the AP Exam is recognized in more schools.

Some people ask why should we dual enroll when we’re testing at the end anyway. This is a good question and there’s no easy answer. Dual Enrollment tuition is much cheaper than university credits would cost, but if you’re going out of state your school may not accept these credits. But three credits in dual enrollment is guaranteed (as long as you pass the class) while passing the AP Examination is not a guarantee.

I have seen students go to schools like ASU after doing dual enrollment and taking AP Exams and walking in there as sophomores. It all depends on so many variables. I would personally recommend taking dual enrollment since you’re sitting in the class anyway and doing the same work as everyone else. If you are financial unsound and need assistance is paying for the course, MCC does have a scholarship program. Basha also has a scholarship program for the AP Exam fees in the spring time.

Ok, I hope this initial podcast has answered all of your questions about AP exams versus dual enrollment. Up next time will be a discussion of the summer readings, which I am sure you have all completed.