5 Steps to a 5: AP English Language - Barbara Murphy, Estelle M. Rankin 2020
How to plan your time
Set up your study program
IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: Assess your own study patterns and preparation plans.
Key Ideas
Explore three approaches.
Choose a calendar that works for you.
Three approaches to prepare for the AP english language and composition exam
No one knows your study habits, likes, and dislikes better than you. You are the only one who can decide which approach you want and/or need to adopt to prepare for the AP English Language and Composition exam. Look at the brief profiles below. These may help you to place yourself in a particular prep mode.
You are a full-year prep student (Approach A) if:
1. You like to plan for a vacation or the prom a year in advance.
2. You never think of missing a practice session, whether it’s for your favorite sport, musical instrument, or activity.
3. You like detailed planning and everything in its place.
4. You feel you must be thoroughly prepared.
5. You hate surprises.
6. You are always early for appointments.
You are a one-semester prep student (Approach B) if:
1. You begin to plan for your vacation or the prom 4 to 5 months before the event.
2. You are willing to plan ahead to feel comfortable in stressful situations, but are okay with skipping some details.
3. You feel more comfortable when you know what to expect, but a surprise or two does not floor you.
4. You are always on time for appointments.
You are a 4- to 6-week prep student (Approach C) if:
1. You accept or find a date for the prom a week before the big day.
2. You work best under pressure and close deadlines.
3. You feel very confident with the skills and background you’ve learned in your AP English Language and Composition class.
4. You decided late in the year to take the exam.
5. You like surprises.
6. You feel okay if you arrive 10 to 15 minutes late for an appointment.
Calendars for preparing for the ap english language and composition exam
Calendar for Approach A: Yearlong Preparation for the AP English Language and Composition Exam
Although its primary purpose is to prepare you for the AP English Language and Composition exam you will take in May, this book can enrich your study of language and composition, your analytical skills, and your writing skills.
SEPTEMBER—OCTOBER (Check off the activities as you complete them.)
_____ Determine into which student mode you would place yourself.
_____ Carefully read the Introduction and Chapter 1.
_____ Pay very close attention to the “Walk Through” the Diagnostic/Master exam.
_____ Get on the Web and take a look at the AP website(s).
_____ Skim the Comprehensive Review section. (These areas will be part of your yearlong preparation.)
_____ Buy a highlighter.
_____ Flip through the entire book. Break the book in. Write in it. Highlight it.
_____ Get a clear picture of what your own school’s AP English Language curriculum is.
_____ Review the Bibliography and establish a pattern of outside reading.
_____ Begin to use this book as a resource.
NOVEMBER (The first 10 weeks have elapsed.)
_____ Write the argumentative essay in the Diagnostic/Master exam.
_____ Compare your essay with the sample student essays.
_____ Refer to Chapters 6 and 9 on the argumentative essay.
_____ Take five of our prompts and write solid opening paragraphs.
DECEMBER
_____ Maintain notes on literary works studied in and out of class.
_____ Refine analytical skills (see Chapters 5 and 8).
_____ Write one of the two analytical essays in the Diagnostic/Master exam. (This will depend on the organization of your own curriculum.)
_____ Compare your essay with the sample student essays.
JANUARY (20 weeks have now elapsed.)
_____ Write the synthesis essay in the Diagnostic/Master exam. (This will depend on your previous choice.)
_____ Compare your essay with the sample student essays.
_____ Refer to Chapters 7 and 10 on the synthesis essay.
FEBRUARY
_____ Take the multiple-choice section of the Diagnostic/Master exam.
_____ Carefully go over the explanations of the answers to the questions.
_____ Score yourself honestly.
_____ Make a note of terms and concepts and types of questions that give you trouble.
_____ Review troublesome terms by checking the Glossary.
MARCH (30 weeks have now elapsed.)
_____ Form a study group.
_____ Choose a selection you have studied in class and create an essay question to go with it, or you can use one of our suggested prompts.
_____ Choose a passage from a current editorial and create an essay question to go with it, or you can choose one of our suggested prompts.
_____ Write one of the analytical essays.
_____ Write one of the synthesis essays.
_____ Compare essays and rate them with your study group. (Use our rubrics.)
APRIL
_____ Take Practice Exam 1 in the first week of April.
_____ Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses.
_____ Study appropriate chapters to correct weaknesses.
_____ Practice creating multiple-choice questions of different types with your study group.
_____ Develop and review worksheets for and with your study group.
MAY—First two weeks (THIS IS IT!)
_____ Highlight only those things in the Glossary about which you are still unsure. Ask your teacher for clarification. Study!
_____ Write at least three times a week under timed conditions.
_____ Take Practice Exam 2.
_____ Score yourself.
_____ Give yourself a pat on the back for how much you have learned and improved over the past nine months.
_____ Go to the movies. Call a friend.
_____ Get a good night’s sleep. Fall asleep knowing you are well prepared.
GOOD LUCK ON THE TEST!
Calendar for Approach B: Semester-Long Preparation for the AP English Language and Composition Exam
The following calendar assumes that you have completed one semester of language and composition and will use those skills you have been practicing to prepare you for the May exam. You still have plenty of time to supplement your course work by taking our study recommendations, maintaining literary notations, doing outside readings, and so forth. We divide the next 16 weeks into a workable program of preparation for you.
JANUARY—FEBRUARY (Check off the activities as you complete them.)
_____ Carefully read the Introduction and Chapter 1.
_____ Write the three essays on the Diagnostic/Master exam.
_____ Compare your essays with the sample student essays.
_____ Complete the multiple-choice section of the Diagnostic/Master exam.
_____ Carefully go over the answers and explanations of the answers.
_____ Take a close look at the Bibliography for suggestions regarding possible outside readings.
MARCH (10 weeks to go)
_____ Form a study group.
_____ Choose a favorite essay or excerpt from a book and create an essay question to go with it, or you can use one of our suggested prompts.
_____ Choose a prose passage or essay and create an essay question to go with it, or you can choose one of our suggested prompts.
_____ Write one of the analytical essays.
_____ Write one of the synthesis essays.
_____ Compare essays and rate them with your study group. (Use our rubrics.)
APRIL
_____ Take Practice Exam 1 in the first week of April.
_____ Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses.
_____ Study appropriate chapters to correct weaknesses.
_____ Practice creating multiple-choice questions of different types with your study group.
_____ Develop and review worksheets for and with your study group.
MAY—First two weeks (THIS IS IT!)
_____ Highlight only those things in the Glossary about which you are still unsure. Ask your teacher for clarification. Study!
_____ Write at least three times a week under timed conditions.
_____ Take Practice Exam 2.
_____ Score yourself.
_____ Give yourself a pat on the back for how much you have learned and improved over the past nine months.
_____ Go to the movies. Call a friend.
_____ Get a good night’s sleep. Fall asleep knowing you are well prepared.
GOOD LUCK ON THE TEST!
Calendar for Approach C: 4- to 6-Week Preparation for the AP English Language and Composition Exam
At this point, we assume that you have been developing your argumentative, analytical, and writing skills in your English class for more than six months. You will, therefore, use this book primarily as a specific guide to the AP English Language and Composition exam. Remember, there is a solid review section in this book, to which you should refer.
Given the time constraints, now is not the time to try to expand your AP curriculum. Rather, it is the time to limit and refine what you already do know.
APRIL
_____ Skim the Introduction and Chapter 1.
_____ Carefully go over the “Rapid Review” sections of Chapters 5 through 10.
_____ Strengthen, clarify, and correct your weak areas after taking the Diagnostic/Master exam.
_____ Write a minimum of three sample opening paragraphs for each of the three types of essays.
_____ Write a minimum of two timed essays for each type of essay on the exam.
_____ Complete Practice Exam 1.
_____ Score yourself and analyze your errors.
_____ Refer to the appropriate chapters to correct weaknesses.
_____ Refer to the Bibliography.
_____ If you feel unfamiliar with specific forms of discourse, refer to the list of suggested appropriate works.
_____ Develop a weekly study group to hear each other’s essays and discuss writing.
_____ Skim and highlight the Glossary.
MAY—First two weeks (THIS IS IT!)
_____ Complete Practice Exam 2.
_____ Score yourself and analyze your errors.
_____ Refer to the appropriate chapters to correct weaknesses.
_____ Go to the movies. Call a friend.
_____ Get a good night’s sleep. Fall asleep knowing you are well prepared.
GOOD LUCK ON THE TEST!
“One of the first steps to success on the AP exam is knowing your own study habits.”
—Margaret R., AP Language teacher