AP English Language and Composition Syllabus



AP English Language and Composition Syllabus2014-2015Instructor: Jane HerndonJames Clemens High SchoolGeneral Course InformationGrade level: 11CreditsPrerequisites: Pre-AP 10 is highly recommendedCourse DescriptionAP English Language and Composition is designed in accordance with the guidelines described in the AP English Course Description.The AP English Language and Composition course is composed of four crucial components of reading and examining texts, primarily nonfiction. Those components or “the four pillars” are close read, rhetorical, synthesis, and argument. The course is also designed in accordance to the College Board AP English Language and Composition Course Description, and therefore students focus on evaluating “author’s use of rhetorical strategies and techniques,” “writer’s linguistic and rhetorical choices,” and express in their own writing, “an effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure” through focusing on those four pillars (Workshop Handbook 2012-2013, AP Course Audit p 1-2).The course is organized around five essential questions, one for each unit. Those five essential questions are examined through the support of various texts, including expository, analytical, personal, and argumentative texts from a variety of authors and historical contexts within, but not limited to, the following literary forms: letter, speech, sermon, essay, short story, novel, poetry, and images. Students will write for a variety of purposes, including academic, personal, and professional. The writings are to spur student thinking, stimulate class discussion, and focus on the connection of ideas.Students will create analytical writing to address various rhetorical modes. Students will learn how to examine and critique external sources to synthesize thesis-based research. Writing will be graded based on the following: effective word choice, inventive sentence structure, effective organization, exhaustive supporting details, parenthetical citations (where appropriate), connection of ideas, and connection of all ideas to the thesis.Students will prepare for the AP English Language and Composition Exam, which in turn may grant advanced placement, college credit, or both, due to a satisfactory performance.Course ObjectivesStudents will be trained in stylistic analysis, logical reasoning, and rhetorical skills necessary for the AP Language and Composition Examination in the spring.In addition to the above, students will also be able to:Critically analyze texts of varying form and purposeRecognize and utilize rhetorical strategies and stylistic devicesAnalyze, formulate, and develop argumentsCompose clear, coherent proseRead and write personal narratives, short stories, letters, essays, poems, reports, research, evaluation, critiques/persuasive writingActively and consistently incorporate newly acquired grammar skills and vocabulary into composition writingCourse StructureStudents will be able to showcase their growth as readers, writers, and thinkers of nonfiction through the use of several course routines and structures.Daily Notes/ResponsesStudents will have daily notes/responses which may contain but are not limited to reader-response investigation, which examines a text for stylistic clues, argumentative responses, or rhetorical reflection. In addition to responding to a daily journal, students will also use the journal to record annotations relating to the skill focus of the class when reading a new text. For example, when reading Brady’s “I want a wife,” students will focus on pathos, ethos, and logos in their writing, which is the skill focus of this piece. The next step in the process is to perform an interrogation of the text with a partner, during which the team questions the purpose and meaning of the clues they have gathered. Finally, students will propose a theory as individuals to explain their feelings. Dialectical NotesDialectical notes is a system of note taking that involves the reader in the story. It will help students to read critically and encourage reflection on the reading. The focus for the notes should be examining elements of style such as the use of dialect, specific diction, tone, and imagery. Each of these elements is used for a particular effect, and you are meant to comment on what these intended effects are. Students will use this during independent reading/homework assignments of articles before class discussions.Reader’s Response Journal (due every Thursday)Students will create a reading journal for two outside assigned reading assignments, one on a columnist of their selection (1st 9 weeks) and one on a nonfictional book (2nd 9 weeks). The journal will allow students to communicate their thoughts and feelings on the selected assignment. It will give me a window to view student-thoughts about the selection as well as their over-all knowledge. The journal will include the SOAPS Tone and DIDLS analysis for the selected column and a vocabulary word list created by the students themselves, an analysis for an assigned character, and entries for five different roles: Straight Talker, Judge, Memory Keeper, Artist, Palm Reader, for the nonfiction text.Straight Talker: Students will speak directly to a character. For example, if the student could stop the action at a particular point, what would he/she say?Judge: Evaluate an action or decision by a character/characters. For example, does the student feel a wise or a poor decision has been made? Why? What decision should have been made in its place?Memory Keeper: Students will make a personal connection with the text and discuss how that experience connects with the story.Artist: What visual images comes to mind as students read the story? Draw and color these images. Explain what the images mean or represents in the novel. Dialogue between characters and captions for the images should be included.Palm Reader: List out any foreshadowing that was included in the novel. As you list them, write a response to what you believe will happen next in the novel.Columnists are selected from . Nonfiction novels for student self-selection include but are not limited to: In Cold Blood, The Color of Water, Outcasts United, Gatekeepers, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, This Boy’s Life, and Reading Lolita in Tehran.Timed WritingsTimed Writings help prepare students for the AP Exam in May as well as develop the students’ fluency as writers themselves. Students can expect a weekly timed writing assignment.Major PapersMajor papers will end each unit. Each paper will be in development and will revolve around a guiding question. Students will use comments generated during peer edits and teacher conferences to help them with the structuring of these papers. Students are expected to use rhetorical strategies learned in class to revise their papers.Grammar and punctuation errors on these papers are unacceptable, as they will go through numerous drafts. Topics for the papers are dictated by the content being studied at the time.Essay Format: Essays should be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point font, 1-inch margins, stapled. In-class essays are to be written in ink.Research Format: Students are to follow MLA guidelinesFor each reading assignment, students must identify the following:Thesis or ClaimTone or AttitudePurposeAudience and OccasionEvidence or DataAppeals: Logos, Ethos, PathosAssumptions or WarrantsStyle (how the author communicates his message: rhetorical mode, rhetorical devices including diction and syntax)WorkshopsWe will carry out workshops on writing in numerous ways, including, but not limited to, individually, in pairs, in small groups, or as a class. The ultimate goal is always for students to work with classmates on their writing.AcademicsVocabulary – a weekly list of SAT words will be given each Monday; students will be quizzed every FridayWriting – This is the primary focus of the class. This will occur daily, including journals and major papers.Reading – Reading will occur both inside and outside of class.Tests/Quizzes – There will be tests and quizzes on every unit. Many of them will be practice AP tests.Discussion – This class relies heavily on class discussion. Discussion points will be averaged into your final grade each nine weeks.AssessmentAssessment of understanding of literature is done primarily through writingSome quizzes will be givenKnowledge of literary terms will be testedStudents are expected to be active participants in all discussionsA test is given at the conclusion of each major unitAn exam is given at the end of the semesterStudents will create a writing portfolio to help with self-assessment of writingTeaching StrategiesJournalsStudents will use journals to explore their thinking about reading and to practice their expression of ideas by keeping their journals. Journals will be assessed mostly by completion.Multi-draft EssaysStudents will complete several multi-draft essays including: literary criticism, persuasive, descriptive/narrative, comparison/contrast, and multi-source synthesis. Papers will be assessed on the basis of strength of assertions, quality of evidence, and sophistication of style.ResearchStudents will complete a multi-source, MLA-style research paper. In addition, the students will complete shorter research assignments culminating in writing and/or discussion.AP Test PracticeThroughout the year, students will practice both objective and timed open-ended AP test questions, usually related to the curriculum. College Board materials will be provided, including marker papers for students’ understanding and revision. The students will be assessed based on AP provided rubrics.Critical ReadingExcerpted, as well as full length, fiction and non-fiction texts will be read throughout the year. Students are expected to do these readings outside of class and come prepared to discuss the texts beyond a superficial level. The students’ reading is inherently assessed by all activities of the class.DiscussionDiscussions in class will take various forms, ranging from graded formal Socratic Seminars to informal classroom chat. Students will be assessed on their meaningful contributions to discussions at all levels.Stylistic and Rhetorical AnalysisAs the backbone of this course, students will learn and practice, on a daily basis, the language of stylistic analysis, including:SOAPS (speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject)DIDLS (diction, imagery, details, language, syntax)Literary TermsDetailed Analysis of ToneDetailed Analysis of DictionDetailed Analysis of SyntaxUnit 1: Required Summer Reading Weeks 1- 2Essential Question: What is rhetoric and its purpose? How does O’Brien’s use of rhetoric shape his stories and characters? What makes an argument effective?Anchor text: The Things They Carried – Tim O’BrienExamine structure through small and whole group discussionsExamine author’s purpose Examine author’s attitude and toneDefine rhetoric and how it is usedIntroduction to close read strategies, SOAPStone and DIDLS, and Claim, Data, CommentaryAssessment: In-Class essayUnit 2: GenderWeeks 3- 5Essential Question: What is the impact of gender roles in relationships and their place in social status and responsibility?Anchor text: Shakespeare- MacbethSupporting texts: “I want a wife”-Brady, “Story of an Hour”-Chopin “The Men We Carry in our Minds”- Sanders, “Being a Man”- Paul TherouxIntroduction to . Students will be required to select a columnist to follow with weekly assignments in reflection of columnist’s article looking at purpose, tone, rhetorical devices, pathos, ethos, and logosWhat is synthesis? Practice AP synthesis essay prompt from past testSOAPStoneClose ReadsAssessment: Practice AP synthesis essay from past test: According to The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms, 2nd edition, gender is defined as “the socially constructed identities man, woman, masculine, feminine. . . . Unlike sex, which is anatomical, gender is widely held to be the product of the prevailing mores, expectations, and stereotypes of a particular culture. . . . Most critics agree that Western civilization had been predominantly patriarchal and has thus tended to devalue the feminine (to which it has assigned such traits and passivity and emotionality) while extolling the masculine (which is commonly associated with activity and rationality.” What are these commonly held mores, expectations, and stereotypes? To what extent do the commonly held mores, expectations, and stereotypes which define gender shape the way we behave or perceive the world? Have the mores, expectations, and stereotypes changed? (Sources: from “Being a Man” -Theroux, “I Want a Wife” -Brady, “Mind over Muscle”- Brooks, "What Would You Do If You Saw a Woman Being Abused?”- Angyal, and “What Makes a Man”- Walker.Because this will be the students’ first exposure to synthesis essay response, students will answer the following gender role synthesis question using the above previously studied texts: What is the impact of gender roles in relationships and their place in social status and responsibility?Unit 3: Communication and LanguageWeeks 6- 9Essential Question: How do authors use language (diction, syntax, etc) to support their purpose? Can you define evil without defining good? What is evil? What is goodness?Anchor Text: Night- WeiselSupporting texts: “Mother Tongue”- Tan, “Slang in America”- Whitman, “Evil: An Old-fashioned Word”- Keller, Meno- Plato (), “America Needs its Nerds”-Fridman, “Anger”- Gordon, “The Fires Within”- Berreca, “Me Talk Pretty One Day”- SedarisArt piece: Holocaust photography, David O’Lere art, William Blake artIntro influence of language in argument with Tan and Whitman essaysWhat is an argument? Types of arguments.After reading Night, complete close read focusing on connotation of good and evil.DIDLS/SOAPStone on NightReview William Blake art. Without knowing the title of the pieces, argue an appropriate title of the piece using analysis of the artwork for support- in groups.Analysis Keller’s definition essay of evil. Examine comparison to Weisel’s idea of evil.Definition essay of goodness: Define goodnessSoaking in Socrates essay focusing on: inductive logic, deductive logic, rhetorical question/syllogism, analogy and explication as techniques (Steve Heller, AP training 2013).Assessments: In class, argumentative essay defining ‘goodness.’ Soaking in Socrates: argumentative definition essay of a sin or virtue (Steven Heller, AP Training 2013).Unit 4: CommunityWeeks 10-13Essential Question: What is the relationship of the individual to the community? What are their roles? What is the future of the Community?Anchor text: Exhorts of 1984- Orwell paired with exhorts of Brave New World- HuxleySupporting Texts: “A Talk to Teachers”-Baldwin, “Best in Class”- Talbot, “Eleven”- Cisneros, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read”, “Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and the Billionaire Challenge”- Christian Science, “U.S. Is Secretly Collecting Records of Verizon Calls,” “Amusing Ourselves to Death,” “Everybody is happy now”- AtwoodArt pieces: “Spirit of Education”- Rockwell, “Freedom from Want”- Rockwell, “The Last Thanksgiving”- Chast,Review argumentread excerpts of 1984 and Brave New Worldreview synthesis/ intro the idea of government control on the communityread and discuss “U.S. Is Secretly Collecting Records of Verizon Calls” to introduce the idea of the modern U.S. government having similar characteristics to the governments in both novels.synthesis essay on government control of nutrition and educationEssay comparing and contrasting governments in the novels to the modern day governmentsAssessment: Synthesis essay on government control of personal nutrition; Synthesis essay on education CCRS; Group activity for oral argument- comparing/contrasting Huxley’s and Orwell’s views on the future of the Community: In George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four the protagonist observes “Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past.” In a well-organized essay, explore the validity of this assertion. Use examples from your reading, from history, and from your personal experiences to form a complete response.Unit 5: The American DreamWeeks 14-17Essential Question: What is the American Dream? Does it exist? Where is the line between optimism and delusion?Anchor text: The Great Gatsby- FitzgeraldSupporting texts: “A More Perfect Union”- Obama speech, JFK Steel speech AP Question 2012, Carnegie- from The Gospel of Wrath, John F. Kennedy speech “Inaugural Address,” “The Ways we Lie” by Stephanie Ericsson, “Two Ways to Belong in America” by Bharati Mukherjee, “On Moral Perfection” by Benjamin Franklin, “On Self Respect” by Joan DidionArt Pieces: “Steerage,” political cartoons, 1950s and 1960s photographs of family, Marilyn Monroe photograph, Vanity Fair cover photographDiscussion of American Dream as presented by Fitzgerald as four possibilities: Wealth, Materialism, Freedom, and Love. Using research skills and knowledge of the four pillars, students will collect an article for each of the four possibilities as they are discussed in class.Wealth: Gastby’s wealth, 1919 World Series Materialism: Jordan Baker, Daisy, Gatsby-yellow car, big parties, etc.Freedom: Tom’s racism, Separations of 4 locationsFamily/love: Gatsby’s love for Daisy, Tom’s affairAssessment:In groups, students will read a collection of essays and review art pieces which all reflect an aspect of the American dream. They must argue which category of the dream (as listed above), the piece best reflects. Then students will answer the essential questions in their group forming an argument on what the American dream is and is it obtainable. Finally, students will answer the essential question in the form of a synthesis essay using their group articles and art pieces. ................
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