2/12/10

Regents Funnies

Every year in New York state high school juniors take the English Regents exam, a four essay test. The following sentences come from this year's (January) test. These quotes come from essays about public parks, about two pieces of literature that were on the test, and the critical lens essay for which they have to write about things they have read. As always, my comments are in ( ).

- With obesity and such being so popular within the United States... (For some reason students insist on using the word "popular" to mean "common" or "widespread.")
- That is very full of trueness. (If this student was a Stephen Colbert fan he/she would know that the word is "truthiness.")
- Epidemics like heart disease, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes are arousing.
- In urban areas, such as cities... (Department of Redundancy Department strikes again.)
- As long as the earth has been alive...
- Nature is a essential part in a healthy, daily portion of life.
- A park would be vital for all living lives. (To the dead lives parks are not so vital.)
- Public parks should be developed because they do good for people as individuals and they also do good for people as wholes.
- The natural world has fostered the human race since humans were created.
- Public parks make people less likely to sit around all day.
- New York has Grand Central Park. (I've heard it's amazing.)
- ... the boy and the elderly man are not on the same page of understandment. (Neither are the teacher and the student.)
- This passage shows the setting of the boy.
- Imagery is a literary term that is tangible with the senses.
- The speaker is a boy who visits Whales. (The boy in the story was Italian and he took a vacation in Wales.)
- As a married man, John Proctor should not have committed treason. (But it's ok if you're single.)
- The little boy has a very big imagery. (Or else he is just happy to see you.)
- Lenny (from Of Mice and Men) likes girls so he likes to rip their clothes and kind of get with them.
- Once oneself suggests to complicate life, then oneself must be prepared to complicate oneself. (Sounds complicated.)

Next week is winter break for us and I have stacks of papers to grade. Stay tuned.

Jeremiah

2/4/10

Been a While!

I have been so busy I have not had time to post anything recently, but I have been keeping notes none the less. And boy do I have some gems. These are from multiple sources, senior papers, junior papers and tests, etc. As always, these are actual student sentences, unedited, and my comments are in ( ).

- Over time parents are going to have a harder time in controling there childs.
- Some similarities about the passages are that passage one and passage two is the characterization that the parents cared about the child.
- Passage two uses the literary element imagery to show the importance of imagery.
- The father is very admiration to his daughter.
- This leads to a fall sense of security. (As opposed to a winter sense, I guess.)
- ...it became a costume to share a cigarette.
- They asked themselves if it was worth healthy.
- A triangle can also be used to solve for what the area of a triangle is.
- A best friend is someone who universally is awesome. (Agreed!)
- Society told Huck to be "whatever" about slaves. (Ok, whatever.)
- Huck finally catches back up to Jim and hops on his raft while asleep. (I have never been able to hop in my sleep.)
- Pap hearts Huck.
- Pap is also a many head. (This was in a paper, and she actually meant "meany-head.")
- The raciest comets in this book... (The "most racist comments" is what was meant, but I wonder what that comet looks like.)
- Huck must foe-fill his priority.
- Marriage is the last step in a couple's marriage. (You have no idea how many of my students work for the Department of Redundancy Department.)
- There are thirty five states that still participate in death penalty.
- Sex education will provide more information to the students so they will be more aware of the causes of sex. (There is more than one cause of sex?)
- About forty years ago people would look at strip clubs as profound places to go. (Deep?)
- Melanoma can be just as deadly as skin cancer. (I think that's because it IS skin cancer...)
- Alcohol can cause death which is a more serious symptom of drinking.
- Lowering the drinking age might help stop the amount of underage dreaming. (What is the legal dreaming age?)
- Huck has been taught that helping runaway slaves is stealing, which is theft. (And akin to robbery, which is like larceny.)
- Condoms can help teens be successful. (Yes, that was the whole sentence. And I say, much success to you, condom-wearing teens.)
- It's like the saying two right make a wrong.
- Same sex marriage should be aloud. (I disagree. I think same sex marriage should be very quiet.)

That is it for now, but I have another list that came entirely from grading the Regents exams last week, so stay tuned...

Jeremiah