Here are the Flashcards for Vocabulary List 15.  The quiz is Tuesday, March 5th.  Here are the COMBINED LISTS 13, 14, & 15.  The Vocabulary TEST will be on Thursday, March 7th!

Don't forget about paying for your AP exam!

Report to the gym on Monday, March 4th for TAKS ELA.

Don't forget to plan your essay before you begin writing it.  Include both your story (experience) and your belief (lesson).  You can organize your ideas in several ways.  Here are a couple of suggestions:

FLASHBACK:  Start by writing about yourself in the present.  You should include your current belief and explain that you're going to tell a story about how you acquired this belief.  Then tell your story.  Finish your essay by returning to the present and reinforcing your belief.

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ACTION (in media res):  Begin with your story.  Your attention getter here can be dialogue, description (sensory or concrete detail) or figurative language.  Be sure that when you wrap up your story you reinforce how this story changed you (your belief).

In both of these structures, you can hint at your belief through your story by using phrases like....

    ..at the time I didn't realize ____, but later I came to see ____

...while ____ was happening, I didn't know ___, but later I did.

    Although at the time I was (upset) with ___, later on my feelings would change...

You are providing little hints that a change is taking place within you.

The idea is to communicate your maturity in the process.  You should make it clear that you are someone who recognizes that the stories of our lives contribute to personal growth.

Don't forget to vary your sentence structure.  Don't forget to use figurative language here and there.  Don't forget to include some dialogue. Don't forget to use sound devices.  Don't forget to include DETAILS..both sensory & concrete.