Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Freshmen English 2013 Second Semester Final Exam Review Guide

Hello, freshmen. Your second semester exam will be similar to the one we had first semester. You will have a vocab exam on Chapter 15 only; you will have to show your book to me that day as a part of your exam grade. You will also have a 50 question objective exam covering material we have studied this semester (definition, division and classification, argument, sonnets, haiku, creative response poems, fiction, material covered in They Say I Say) and some key concepts from last semester (e.g. leads and conclusion techniques). Lastly, you will have an essay exam. Here is the prompt:


Argumentative essay: Recently, cell phones in schools have become a hot-button topic, with strong reasons for and against allowing cell phones in schools. Imagine your school is going to ban all cell phones from the campus, even from lockers and backpacks. Anyone caught with one will be immediately suspended, regardless of circumstance. In an essay, argue _______________ this ban, citing evidence that you have collected. You must cite the evidence correctly, either in blocked or in-text citation form, or using a technique from They Say I Say, as you build your case in order to get credit. You also must use one of the lead and conclusion techniques we have studied this year. Give your piece a compelling title when finished.

Where the blank space is, you will be randomly assigned to argue FOR or AGAINST the ban. In order to do this, you must come prepared with research. Therefore, prior to the essay exam, you must look up six facts about cell phones, three of which support a ban on phones in school, and three which support the presence of cell phones in schools. Each fact must be written on a separate index card (so you will come with six index cards the day of the exam). Each index card must have the source where you found the fact. These will be collected and will be a part of your exam grade. Lastly, you will be required to cite all three facts in your essay, either in blocked or in-text citation form, using the templates covered in They Say I Say.

See me if you have questions.

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