Mr



Mr. Lon

AP English Language

Classroom: Rm. 214

Office: Rm. 222a

Homepage: dlon77.

Email: DLon77@

“If you do not change your direction, you will end up exactly where you are headed.”

~Ancient Chinese Proverb~

“The result of many little things is not little.”

~The Law of Accumulation~

Introduction:

A cautionary note:

Mentally prepare yourselves for the crush that is to come. You were selected for this class because of your skill in the English Language Arts, and I am firmly committed to providing the challenges that your ability demands. As such, we will read more, write more, and delve deeper into analysis than would a conventional English 3 class. Get ready.

The primary focus of AP English Language is to produce college-level writing. Thus, the writing assignments that we cover will be rigorous and demanding. After all, the point of your enrollment in this course is for you to earn college credit on the AP English Language examination later this year.

The literature that we read will focus mostly on American writers, and as such, we will observe American themes, read the work of noted American novelists, poets, and playwrights, and examine our own station within this entirely unique society.

Finally, I would like to assure you that AP English Language will be an entertaining class. We will read literature from a wide range of authors, backgrounds, and genres, we will discuss topics and issues that you may not have pondered before, you will work steadily at unlocking your talent as writers, and you will certainly have your fair share of laughs. With your help, AP English Language will be both educational and entertaining.

Course Description:

In order to prepare for the AP English Language examination, we will focus heavily on the following:

• The knowledge, identification, and use of rhetorical devices

• Argumentation: the ability to construct well-balanced and dynamic persuasive writing

• Written analysis of literature

• Written analysis of academic writing (essays, articles, etc.)

Primary Texts:

• Everything’s an Argument: Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters

• 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology: Samuel Cohen

• The Holt Anthology- Fifth Course

• Vocabulary Workshop, Level E

Supplies:

• One LARGE notebook

• Portable USB flash drive

Grading Structure:

I. Classroom Conduct 20%

a. Preparation

b. Completion of class/group work

c. Do Now / Exit Ticket

d. Participation

e. Positive Behavior / Attitude

II. Exams and Quizzes 30%

a. THREE Vocabulary Workshop quizzes per semester.

b. 3-4 literature quizzes per semester.

c. 1-2 literature exams per semester

III. Essays and Projects 40%

a. 1-2 major essays per marking period

b. ONE major project per marking period

IV. Homework 10%

Note: The vast majority of your homework will come in the form of reading and writing assignments. The 10% noted here is reserved for any homework that is not included within these categories.

V. Midterm and Final

A midterm and final exam will be given in all English classes.

First Semester:

Semester Theme: The journey from innocence to experience

Literature-

• The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

• Songs of Innocence and Experience, by William Blake

Film-

• Hoop Dreams, dir. by Steve James

Vocabulary-

• Literary Devices Review

• Vocabulary Workshop, Level E: Units 1-3

Writing Assignments-

• Daily Blog

• College Essay:

o In this assignment, you will write your College Essay, which is a detailed response to the essay portion of a college application. The prompts for these essays are primarily focused on determining whether or not you would be a positive addition to a particular college or post-secondary school. The question itself will usually focus on issues pertaining to personal character, what your priorities are, as well as your ability to think and write clearly.

• Synthesis Essay: “From Innocence to Experience”

o Using The Catcher in the Rye, “Songs of Innocence and Experience,” and Hoop Dreams, you will synthesize the conceptual theme of innocence to experience from amongst three very different works: the poetry of an 18th century British Mystic, a novel depicting the moral angst of a 1950’s teenaged tragic hero, and a documentary chronicling the struggle of two young African American males attempting to become basketball starts in the inner-city of Chicago. MLA parenthetical documentation is required.

• Timed Essay #1

Second Semester:

Semester Theme: Race, culture, class, gender and The American Dream

Literature-

• The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

• Fences, by August Wilson

Film-

• Born Rich, dir. by Jamie Johnson

Vocabulary-

• Fallacies of Argumentation

• Vocabulary Workshop, Level E: Units 4-6

Writing Assignments-

• Daily Blog

• Literature Analysis Essay:

o You will write a literature analysis essay in which you compare/contrast portrayals of “The American Dream” in each The Great Gatsby and Fences.

• Editorial Essay:

o You will be provided with a list “hot-button” issues in contemporary society so that you may write a thoroughly researched editorial / persuasive essay on one of your choosing.

• Timed Essay #2

Third Semester:

Semester Theme: Outside the margins of mainstream American Society

Literature-

• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

• Poetry Unit- Poetry of the American Romantics and the Harlem Renaissance

Film-

• Capote, dir. by Bennett Miller

Vocabulary-

• Vocabulary Workshop, Level E: Units 7-9

Writing Assignments-

• Daily Blog

• Synthesis Essay- Capital Punishment and the 18th Amendment:

o Having completed Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, you will consider the morality of capital punishment through a synthesis of In Cold Blood, the legal definition of “cruel and unusual punishment,” and two case studies of actual capital punishments.

• Poetry Genres Project:

o Using the poetry that we have read as a basis, you will develop a poetry project in which you employ a variety of poetic conventions and genres in creating your own unique poetry. The completed poetry will be compiled in booklet form.

• Timed Essay #3

Fourth Semester:

Semester Theme: The nature of evil

Literature-

• Othello, by William Shakespeare

Writing Assignments-

• Daily Blog

• Character Analysis Essay:

o You will analyze the nature of one of the most enigmatic characters in all of literature, Othello’s Iago. The analysis itself will focus on Shakespeare’s portrayal of his relative evil, including what motivates him to be this way. In addition, Iago will be studied as a literary archetype, or rather, an original character that sets a standard or template for later literary characters.

• Multidisciplinary Junior Research Project

o Research Theme: Cultural Study of American Society.

▪ Research proposal

▪ Research note cards

▪ Research outline

▪ Formal research paper

• Timed Essay #4

Conclusion:

I am looking forward to this year with great enthusiasm. As juniors in high school, this will be the single most important year of your up-to-the-minute educational lives. Specifically, your junior year grades will be the grades that colleges and other secondary institutions scrutinize most closely in determining whether or not you will be a positive addition to their organization.

Accordingly, you can fully expect to be challenged in AP English Language in such a way that you have never been challenged in an English class before. The literature that you read will be complex, thought-provoking, and even difficult at times, while your writing assignments will be dynamic, in-depth, and vigorously assessed. My personal goal as your AP English Language teacher is to prepare you for the rigors of college academia, where you will be asked on a daily basis to act, stand, and deliver on your own.

Thus, if you will take a moment to consider the monumental importance of your junior year, and the long-range implications that it will have, you should realize that it behooves you to want to do well not just in this class, but in all of your classes.

|[pic] |In Lon We Trust |[pic] |

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|ONE |Mr. Lon |ONE |

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