Welcome to Mr. Valencich's website! for homework and class communication. For daily reading or weekly rhetoric assignments for AP Language, please consult "My Class Calendar." For ERWC modules, check "class files."  ERWC Grading Rubric: (4pts)    4=95%, 3=85, 2=75, 1=65, and 0=55. For AP Language, the 9 pt. scale breaks down as follows: 9=100%, 8=92, 7=84, 6=76, 5= 68, 4=60, 3=52, and 2=44. Be diligent and proactive in your approach to your learning and you will succeed in this class. Email matthew.valencich@sanjuan.edu if you have any further questions. 

AP Language and Composition Summer HWK 2018: Read Colson Whitehead’s novel Underground Railroad (2016). I. For the first chapter, Ajarry, write a two page response on how Cora’s grandmother’s story influences her to run; II. For the chapters Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Indiana, write four to five pages total on the distinctive regional nature of racism in each state. Give examples from each chapter and each state to demonstrate your argument. Are you surprised by any of the experiences in the five states as the African-American runaways migrate north? ;III.Then, discuss the stylistic, structural, and conceptual purpose of two of the intercalary chapters-Ridgeway and Stevens—and write a two to three page response on the persistent efforts of whites to catch the runaway slaves;IV.Finally, write a two to three page response on the final chapter, The North, and how Whitehead transforms the “underground railroad” from a metaphor of the movement to assist runaway slaves to an actual subterranean train with cars, cabooses, and conductors. In a literary sense, is this successful and impactful? How does this novel inform your understanding of race relations in the United States. You may number your essay analyses and responses as sections I,II, III, IV as suggested in this document. Turn in as one complete ten to twelve page document with adequate textual support and amplified analysis of Colson Whitehead’s literary and rhetorical accomplishments in UR(2016). This writing assignment will be due on the Monday of the first full week of classes, 20 August 2018. You may number your essay analyses and responses in sections I,II, III, IV as suggested in this document. Reading Whitehead’s novel will prepare you for the rigors of AP Language and Composition, give you essential background for your junior U.S. history course, and give you deep insights into one of the most culturally vital topics—the search for racial dignity and equality against a harsh backdrop of racial oppression. Certainly, the events of Charlottesville last Summer underscore the vital importance of working towards a better intellectual, social, and emotional understanding of human relations in our country. Prepare to discuss the novel over the last two weeks of August! Grab hold of the caboose...