The+A.+P.+Impromptu+Essay


 * The A. P. Impromptu Essay** is an exercise in focused, timed writing meant to challenge students in a number of ways, including:

- staying focused on one topic in relation to one text or passage; - making a clear thesis or claim about that text related to the prompt; - using a number of well-chosen details to support the thesis; - and using sophisticated diction and style.

On the A. P. exam students must write 3 essays 2 hours. These include:

1. Response to a short prose passage 2. Response to a poem or pair of poems 3. Free response - a topic you are to apply to a work of your own choosing

In this class, we will write an A. P. Impromptu essay every 4-6 weeks, to serve as practice for you in sharpening your critical thinking and writing skills. Early in the course we will write Free-Response styled essays, where you will be given a topic to apply to the work we have read together in class. By 2nd quarter, we'll start working on the response to a prose passage. 3rd quarter is when we tackle the poetry response.

The A. P. exam is scored using a 5-point scale overall. The essays count for 55% of your score, with the Multiple Choice counting for 45%. Each essay is scored on a 9-point scale, with 4-6 being the median.

In class, we use this 9-point scale for grading your essays so you can see where your writing is in relation to A. P. scoring. For grade purposes, we translate this 1-9 scale into a percentage score that equates to what the A. P. score means. Below is the grade equivalent translation based on our experience with college freshman-level writing expectations:


 * 9 = 96-100 (A+)**
 * 8 = 92-95 (A)**
 * 7 = 88-91 (A-/B+)** ---> This is where we'd like to see you all by May.
 * 6 = 80-87 (B/B-)** ---> This is where we'd like to see you all by January.
 * 5 = 73-79 (C+/C)**
 * 4 = 68-72 (C-/D+)**
 * 3 = 63-67 (D)**
 * 2 = 57-62 (D-/F)**

We do not find any 1s in our classes at BGHS, so we don't include them on our scale!!
 * Sample essays from** //**The Awakening**//

// Topic B //



// Topic C //



=== A.) Select one scene from //The Awakening// that you find especially memorable. Identify the scene (delineated by a shift in time or place); then explain its relationship to the novel as a whole, and analyze its importance within the larger work. [NOTE: Remember to write what IS in the novel, not what would have happened had the scene NOT been included. Avoid plot summary.] ===

=== B.) A confidant (male) or confidante (female) is a character whose role is to be present when the protagonist needs a sympathetic listener to confide in, or who gives advice to the protagonist. Choose a character who acts as a confidant(e) for Edna in //The Awakening//, and explain how this character is necessary in the larger scope of the novel. [Again, remember to write what IS in the novel, not what would have happened had the scene NOT been included. Avoid plot summary.] ===