The English Regents will be this Thursday, June 19. As on regular school days, you must come to school by 8:35. Latecomers will not be allowed to sit for the exam. Room assignments for the test will be posted on the 6th and 7th floors. Be sure to bring No. 2 pencils and blue- or black-ink pens.
Here is some valuable information to help you prepare for Thursday's test. Even if you did well on the final, be sure to consider the following before the Regents exam:
Critical Lens essay:
1. Interpret the lens. Don't just restate it and substitute new words. Explain why the lens is or isn't true and what it really means.
2. Write a full essay with a distinct introduction, two body paragraphs, and a complete conclusion. Don't skimp on the conclusion, and DON'T WRITE ONE LONG PARAGRAPH!
3. Give accurate book titles, author names, and character names. Many of us forgot this vital information. Use your literature review sheets to refresh your memory on the books you've read.
4. Write about two novels or plays. Some of us wrote about Passage I and Passage II. Some of us wrote about graphic novels. Don't do either of these things on test day. Writing about the passages instead of booksyou've read in class or on your own will result in a failing essay grade. Writing about graphic novels is risky -- you may argue that graphic novels constitute literature (and I would agree with you), but you don't know who will be grading your exam. They may not view this genre as literature.
Short response (questions 26 and 27):
Many of us are writing WAY too much on these questions. The graders are looking for a coherent, well-developed paragraph. Lengthy paragraphs will not guarantee a higher score. If you'd like to have two sample responses about the same passages that were on the exam, please e-mail me. As a general rule of thumb, these responses should be no more than about 2/3 of a page in length (depending on the size of your handwriting). Be precise and succinct in these responses. Don't ramble.
Be sure to go to the class web page for useful review materials (structures and checklists for the Critical Lens essay, the short response essay, and studying tips). You don't have to kill yourself studying before the exam, but since our last class was two weeks prior to the test, it's a good idea to remind yourself of what you need to do on the written portion of the exam.
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