Here is what you need to know about your semester final:
1. It's worth 20% of your semester grade.
2. There is a 67-item objective exam worth 67 points, or almost 7 percent of your semester grade. Topics covered on the exam may include, but are not limited to, the following: various rhetorical devices we've studied this semester (argument, division and classification, cause and effect, process analysis, etc.), ideas and advice contained in The Elements of Style, poetic forms such as haiku, sonnet, creative response and the various motifs we studied, and the reading comprehension strategies we studied.
3. There is a 100-point essay exam worth 10% of your semester grade. Here is the prompt you will be given:
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 a cell phone 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, and at least three rhetorical devices we studied this year as you build your argument. An effective essay will also use provide some context as to why you are entering the conversation as a writer, as addressed in They Say I Say. Furthermore, an effective essay will adhere to advice given in The Elements of Style. Give your piece a compelling title when finished. Please double space to increase readability as well as to allow you to use a blocked citation if you go that route.
4. You will not find out if you are required to write for or against the ban until the day of the exam. In order to prepare for the exam, you need to research three facts that will support the ban on cell phones, and three facts that will support allowing students to have cell phones in schools. You need to write these facts on a single index card that is no larger than 4x6 inches. Place three facts on one side of the card, and three facts on the other side. This index card is worth 3% of your semester grade, but you cannot earn a passing grade on the essay without them.
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