ib/ap essay test prep and mentoring

required and extra credit assignments

From today until May 3, we’ll be doing a final push to prepare for the AP and IB exams. There are multiple purposes for the assignments below. First, they will help you to review the texts you are likely to use on the exams. Second, they will help you build your “timed test” skills; we’ve been working for a long time on learning how to respond analytically to texts, but now there’s a more pressing time limit to learn how to cope with. Third, they will help you to clarify your writing. And last, they will help you to focus your attention on a prompt and generate a brilliant treatise of your own design. All of these things are likely to help you beyond the tests as well, as you head off into the “real world” and college.

ASSIGNMENT #1: Responses to Prompts

On the Collaboratory ( discussion boards, Spachman will post various IB and AP prompts. 4-5 different prompts will be posted each week between now (4/4) and May 3.

  • You must respond to a minimum of 1 prompt per week for a total of 4 responses;* a “week” ends at 11:59 pm on Sunday.
  • By May 3, you should have responded to one of EACH KIND of prompt; there are 4 different types of prompts: IB Commentary, IB Open-Ended Question, AP Commentary, and AP Open-Ended Question.

*More About the Responses:

  • Technical stuff:
  • Post your response as a “reply” to the prompt on the discussion board.
  • Head your response with:

your name

REQUIRED (or if you’re doing an extra one: EXTRA CREDIT)

# of minutes you spent on your response (be honest)

(if an open-ended IB question, also list which question: 1a, 1b, 5a, etc. you picked)

  • Your “response” can take the form of one of the following:
  • an essay (as much as you can do in the time limit)
  • a thoroughly developed outline akin to what you would do for a paper proposal with thesis, points, proposed evidence, etc. (as much as you can do in the time limit)
  • a brief outline of jotted notes and sketched out essay paragraphs (as much as you can in the time limit.
  • Be thorough and don’t procrastinate. Give yourself as real an opportunity as possible to generate a response similar to the way you would if you were actually sitting down to take the prompt as a test. DON’T sit down to do your response in the middle of noisy chaos or at 1:00 am in the morning.
  • This is preparation for an actual test. Be aware that spelling and grammar will count and practice being polished with your work now.
  • Don’t read the prompt ahead of time. Respond to the prompt you pick the same time you sit down to first look at your available prompts for the week.
  • Don’t read other peoples’ responses to the prompt before crafting your own. This would be the equivalent of “looking off someone’s paper” during the test. Don’t do it!
  • Spend 30-50 minutes crafting your response to an AP prompt. This includes think time and writing time.
  • Spend 60-120 minutes crafting your response to an IB prompt. This includes think time and writing time.
  • You may not use any actual texts (other than those given to you in the prompt) to complete your response. For example, that means that if you respond to a prompt and decide to talk about Hamlet, you must do so from memory.
  • Keep the context of your response in mind. Your intended audience is a group of English teachers who like to grade essays (a rare and demanding breed). Furthermore, all your work should fall clearly within in the realm of literary analysis. Therefore, you must be prepared to discuss literary techniques/elements, effects, theme, and judgment.

ASSIGNMENT #2: Mentoring—Critiques to Responses

Starting April 11, go onto the Collaboratory discussion board and select one of your peer’s responses to critique. You might want to pick the person ahead of time or go on-line and look at the responses first and then pick. Then,

  • Read the prompt and your peer’s response to the prompt.
  • Write down your critique* or type it into a Word document.
  • Open a new window in your Internet browser and log into the Collaboratory again. Choose the “Message” button.
  • Select the “send a message” button.
  • Select the “search users & groups” button.
  • In the text box next to “Name” type “Spachman” and search. Check my name and then the “Select” button.
  • Select the “search users and groups” button again. This time put your peer’s name in the name text box. Search for that person and select them.
  • Now your mail message should be addressed to both your peer and Ms. Spachman. Type in a subject and then copy/paste your critique into the body of the mail message.
  • Check over your work and then “send.”

You are expected to write one critique EACH week starting April 11 until May 3 for a total of 3 critiques. If you choose to do more for extra credit, up to 2 extra critiques per week will count. Also, if you wish to critique someone the week of May 3-8, you may do so for extra credit.

*More About the Critiques:

  • Technical stuff:
  • Post your critique in a mail message to the writer you’re critiquing and Ms. Spachman (see directions above).
  • Head your critique with:

name of the writer’s prompt

date of their response

name of the writer

your name

REQUIRED (or if you’re doing an extra one: EXTRA CREDIT)

  • Your critique should be constructive and substantive. You should answer most or all of the following in your critique. You may also wish to comment on additional aspects of the response.
  1. Does the writer answer all parts of the question? If not what did s/he miss? If s/he did answer all parts, are all parts well answered?
  2. If the prompt is an open-ended question, did the writer pick an appropriate text (or texts) to respond with? (In other words: Does the writer’s choice of “a work of literary merit” fit the question well or not?)
  3. If the prompt is an IB open-ended question, did the writer use two of the following: Hamlet, Death of the Salesman, ‘Master Harold’ …and the Boys, The Thunderstorm (if it arrives)?
  4. If the prompt asks for a comparative response (comparing two pieces of literature)…
  5. Does the writer address each text equally (meaning the writer spends just as much time and depth on one text as the other)?
  6. Does the writer weave the analysis from one text to the other for each point?
  7. Does the writer link the texts meaningfully?
  8. Does the writer stay focused?
  9. Is the writer’s response clear and understandable? (If there are clarity problems, what is making it unclear?)
  10. Does the writer identify literary techniques/elements?
  11. Does the writer address effects on the audience?
  12. Does the writer address theme and judgment?