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Hi Michelle,

 

Oh, you mean the English Language & Composition AP - when I read your post title I got really confused.

 

I helped my 16 yo dd (Junior this past year) self-study for the 2009 test this May. We were thrilled that she earned a 5! Here's what we did.

 

1. I tracked her with her older brother with the WTM rhetoric literature and history sequence, which she did from 7th-10th grade. She had plenty of previous practice reading great books.

 

2. We used the Cliff's and 5 Steps to a 5 prep guides for texts. She thoroughly studied these, because I was unable to find an AP EL&C "text" that taught what's on the syllabus. The books recommended on AP Central were general writing handbooks and literature anthologies - which we didn't need. Cliff's and 5 Steps have good analyses of student essays which can help parents evaluate their own student's writing, and strategies for the MCs. We used the Princeton Review book for a while, but found it "fluffy." The Cliff's book has a a helpful graph showing just what you need to score on the essays and MCs to get a certain score.

 

3. She spent a LOT of time through the school year writing essays, especially in a timed environment. Writing for the AP English test must show a high level of comprehension of the topic. The writing process, including rewrites, should be stressed, even though the student will be only writing rough drafts for the test. We used old college board tests and the study guide prompts. Make sure your student gets practice with the relatively new synthesis essay. Compare your student's essays to the actual examples given, and work on improving them. It is TOUGH to write three insightful essays in 2 hours. Her testing group (60 students) let out a loud, collective sigh of relief when the essay portion was over.

 

4. Her reading for the year concentrated on modern rhetorical-type writings. We especially liked the works of C.S. Lewis for this (especially On Stories, and Mere Christianity). Lewis was educated classically, and understood how to use rhetoric well. She also read Darwin's Black Box.

 

5. Your student - and you - must review (or learn) literary and rhetorical terms and devices. The Cliff's study guide has a very good glossary of these terms, but see below for more resources. Have your student make flash cards with the terms and use them in his writing. Look for them in your reading and discuss them. My student did not know all the terms when we started. We both found this study interesting and rewarding.

 

6. We purchased a used AP-recommended literature anthology and its instructor's handbook (Literature for Composition, 6th edition, by Barnet, Burto, Cain, & Stubbs, ISBN 0-321-09364-X). I bought a slightly older edition to save money. It contained a lot of essays, but only used it once. Definitely skippable. Many essays are on the internet.

 

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The following suggested sources look great but we haven't used them. Even if you use them, you will still need to "teach the test" for this exam.

 

- Susan Wise Bauer's high school writing and rhetoric recommendations in The Well-Trained Mind.

- Essential Literary Terms by Sharon Hamilton, ISBN 0-393-92837-3 or 978-0-393-92837-2. This book is recommended by Susan Wise Bauer. I picked it up at the Peace Hill Press table at a conference this summer, and it is very complete. I wish we'd known about it when prepping for this test.

- IEW's Rhetoric course for writing (we used a lot of other IEW products over the years, such as their SWICC courses and The Elegant Essay). I'd only use these if your student really needs help learning to write, and only for the first half of the year. The second half will need to be spent on writing timed essays.

- Writing with Clarity and Style by Robert Harris, ISBN 1884585485 (this one looks excellent).

- A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms by Richard Lanham, ISBN 0520076699.

- Rhetorical Devices: A Handbook and Activities for Student Writers, ISBN 1580497659 (teacher's manual available from the publisher, must show proof of homeschooling, but they are willing to sell to us. Contact the publisher at http://www.prestwickhouse.com/specialty.aspx?id=86).

- Here is a post on resources for literary analysis: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95087

 

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I hope your exam study is successful!

 

GardenMom

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A couple of other things:

 

It really helped me to study the Cliff's prep guide and do some MC sections. I was able to discuss, help, and empathize with my daughter about those questions, which are rather difficult.

 

I did not mean to imply that a student MUST have done the WTM rhetoric great books/history sequence before beginning study for this test. That's just how it worked out.

 

My student finished the R&S 10th grade grammar book in 10th grade (the year before) and also has a strong background in vocabulary. These were helps to her.

 

GardenMom

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... English Language & Composition AP

 

I helped my 16 yo dd (Junior this past year) self-study for the 2009 test this May. We were thrilled that she earned a 5! Here's what we did.

 

GardenMom,

 

Thanks for the very explicit advice you offered above! And congratulations to your daughter on her fine score.

 

Regards,

Kareni

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