- how to prepare for the exam (Lit or Lang)
- how APE Lit or Lang helps (or helped) you in college
- book suggestions
Any other comments/suggestions/memories are welcome!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
An invitation to Lit Lounge Grads
Those of you who are part of the fabric of the Lit Lounge (especially if you signed the couch or rocking horse) are invited to share your tips/comments on the following to this year's crew:
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I would suggest:
ReplyDeleteFor Larsen's class-
1) Read. Actually read the books. It shows when you don't read.
2) Don't procrastinate on the papers. Or if you do procrastinate, learn how to be thurough and procrastinate simultaniously.
For both of the exams-
1) VOCAB VOCAB VOCAB
2) Learn how to read quickly and more efficiently.
3) Lean how to write quickly and neatly.
For the Language exam:
ReplyDeletea. Make sure you've done all the reading, especially from the Bedford Reader (I'd strongly recommend this and the Bedford Handbook whether you need them for class or not).
b. Be concise but pithy. You should work on finding a balance between length and content.
c. Practice reading for content. Get under the superficial material and look for what the author is really trying to say (and take note of what the author has not said, as well).
Dear Lit Lounge,
ReplyDeleteI cannot and will not offer any suggestions as to how to study for the exams, because I didn't. And I didn't pass either. Ha.
English Language has definitely helped me during my first year of college. I feel as though I have an advantage over students that took regular English courses, especially in on-the-spot writing assignments.
Because I did poorly on the exams, I decided to CLEP out of English Language, which I would recommend to most anyone. The CLEP test is much easier than the College Board's test. I managed to receive 6 credits (which counts as an English course and an elective course) on the CLEP, when I received a 2 or a 3 (I don't remember which) on the exam.
Additionally, I'd recommend investing in a handbook that includes examples and the layouts for papers, especially Turabian Style papers. They're pretty cheap, and worth the 5 or 10 dollars.
I loved Larsen's AP Lit. course! It was a blast annoying the [heck] out of him, and the books weren't bad either. In fact, I discovered my favorite author, John Irving, in Larsen's class.
ReplyDeleteI also discovered a passion for Russian literature in both Honors 9 and AP English with Larsen, which in turn led me down the path to becoming the existentialist I am today.
I have no advice, since I didn't study for the test either. But even if I'd gotten a 4 or 5 instead of a 3 it wouldn't have mattered much at my college since I am an English Major w/ an Emphasis in Writing. That said, I also don't have any book recommendations since I don't read much in the way of fiction [unless you count RP-ing] these days. It's mostly philosophy, nonfiction, essays, and theory. Although, literary theory would be fun to explore, hm Larsen? Terry Eagleton's _After Theory_ especially is a fun read!
I'm also excited about this blogger site because I miss LHS and really needed yet another distraction from writing my SIP. Woot.
so..... I think it helps to be a fabulous test taker - but that isn't everyone. My goal was always to ace the multiple choice and then I could get average scores on the essays and still get a 5. I suggest LOTS of practice tests - you start to see patterns emerge and then when the real test comes you already know what types of questions will be asked, and in turn this makes you a more efficient test taker. I also find it helpful to write all over the test when I am taking it - write comments, underline things, cross dumb answers off write away.
ReplyDeleteFor the essay portion of the test focus on analysis instead of summary - believe me the reader knows what the passage is about. I always found three or four literary devices to analyze and then beat them to death. Try to put together a catchy intro too. And use quotes - write it down, analyze it to death and tie it to the next quote.
AP lit/lang helped me develop my writing skills (Analysis!), and I have had no issues getting A's on my papers here at the University of Michigan. GO BLUE! Even in my honors classes here people don't know how to analyze a piece of literature - they just want to regurgitate the book. Bring your own ideas to the quotes you decide analyze - connect them to a new meaning or a bigger picture.
Oh- and Brooke lied - you don't have to write really neat. my handwriting is crazy.
Good luck :)
Let's see ...
ReplyDeleteI don't remember preparing much for the exams outside of class ... and the ACTs gave me credit at my school for the class it would have waived anyway.
As for college, it made my first semester of English classes a lot easier because I'd already read half the books and written half the essays for that class (and it was a higher level English class?). It also gave me some great book ideas for independent projects later on in other classes.
Book suggestions: (I'm not sure if they're AP test worth, but hey, they're good reads.) Baudolino by Umberto Eco is entertaining me right now, even if it is taking me a bit to read it; So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell's a worthwhile read, as is Peace Like A River by Lief Enger.
Oh, and dictionaries are your best friend, right Larsen? ;-)
Let's see, if you're taking an AP Literature class, my advice is to READ THE LITERATURE. & this is coming from someone who tried to read Crime & Punishment at the last minute. If you read a little at a time rather than trying to cram, you can analyze small passages with a more critical eye, which is exactly what you're going to have to do on the exam.
ReplyDeleteAnd for God's sake, your writing skills are the most important thing you can develop in AP! Always remember to make your points stand out within the essay, & support them with textual evidence. & of course, if you learn to add your own (polished) style, your essay will stand out from the rest. This skill is going to help you from college papers to writing resumes, but you need to develop it like any skill or habit.
I guess that's nothing you haven't heard before, but I managed to do fairly well on the Lit & Language exams, so I'm hoping this will help.
Oh, & regardless of your score at the end of the year, you're going to be miles ahead of some of your peers in college. The two or three weeks studying poetry alone has made my Intro to Poetry class a breeze.
Because I took and passed both of the AP tests, I don't have to take any english classes. My only real paper (being that biology lab reports don't count as papers to me) has been a 7-10 pager on religions. And that is nothing compared to the Intro to English papers that my roommate and friends have to write. 5-10 pagers every other week is crazy stuff. Just from the time standpoint, it helps sooo friggen much.
ReplyDeleteBeing that I had more problems with the Lit side than the Lang (because I am now a spelling and grammar nazi...), I highly recommend Sparknotes as a COMPANION to the reading, especially the tough Shakespeare. If you read only the sparknotes, it usually won't save you on the test. Except when Larsen steals his tests from them...
Well, I didn't even try to take the tests, so I cant give any advice there. But even if you don't take the tests, or you fail them, All the practice and wisdom you get from the AP classes really help! 1st semester Written Comm. was a blow off class because it was like taking junior year over, only way easier!! and this semester is seemingly easier as well. After analyzing and writing papers about stories so much in the last two years of High school it is like second nature, and an easy A!!!
ReplyDeleteI am even taking a 300 level lit class as a Freshman and find that writing essays for that class is easier than I had feared because I had so much practice with it.
What i am trying to say is stick with it! It is WELL worth it in the long run (and for the record, I think I had a C average in AP class, because I was a bit of a slacker, but I still learned a thing or too...)
I honestly don't remember too much about the Lit exam... I took mine in 2004, and I remember doing pretty well on it. I do remember how important it was to actually read the books that we talked about in class, to notice the details and question them, which helps build your arguments in writing.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest piece of advice is not to panic. Work hard, but don't panic about the little stuff. You'll paralyze any creativity you would have had otherwise.
I'm student teaching this semester and look fondly back on the days when I was in classes instead of teaching them. In college, I felt like I came in with a good deal of experience in analyzing literature, and that really helped to boost my confidence. I was able to join in class discussions in really enjoy the things that we discussed to the fullest. I was waived out of the class that I would have been given credit for anyway, but I learned to develop a love of literature that I still carry with me now, as a mathematics major.
First let me say that I have a much easier time with my college writing assignments because of my AP English courses; in fact, in my honors college class on African Literature, we wrote an analytical paper during our first semester - my first draft recieved a B+ and compliments from my hard-grading professor. Our next class period was spent "evening out the playing field," as my professor called it: he basically took all two and a half hours of class to teach the way to put a paper together, from thesis to conclusion, to my classmates who didn't know. I was amazed. I can't even begin to tell you how much all my AP courses are helping me now. It's just great to get any reading or writing assignment and say to yourself, I totally know how to do this.
ReplyDeleteSo. My advice?
1. READ. Read everything and anything and analyze it all. It comes in handy when you're reading a passage on the test and have a feel for its context already because you've seen it before.
2. WRITE. And outside of class. It doesn't have always be practice AP Test essays. Practice your voice, your style, your diction, in journals, essays, poems, and whatever floats your boat.
3. Study a couple of diverse books really hardcore - you know, the kind of book that has about every major theme in it (time, love, conflict between man and himself, etc.). Know them back to front, and every theme in them. That way, you have a book or two for just about any kind of question.
4. Have fun. Enjoy the laid-back style of Larsen's classes.. Chances are, things will be much different in college.
As far as books go, I'm reading a particularly interesting one for my Lit. class now: Children of the New World by Assia Djebar. It's very diffent, but I'm enjoying it.
I wish you all luck and success in APE Language and Literature!!