Download AP English Language and Composition Yearly Schedule

AP English Language and Composition Unit Plans and Yearly Schedule
Unit One
August 20-October 15
Rhetorical Focus: Analysis
Skill #1: The Act of Analysis
Skill #2: The Art of Analysis
During the first week of school, students will turn in an essay based on their summer reading
novel, Travels with Charley. I will use these essays primarily as diagnostic tools for learning the
weaker aspects of students’ writing. Additionally, students will be tested on their second
summer reading novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. These novels will be used as
conversation starters on the overarching course theme of the shared American identity.
The first unit will continue with an unintimidating chance to practice one aspect of analysis:
process analysis. Students will compose an essay explaining their personal writing processes as
they begin learning the language of analysis. They will consider the relationships among speaker,
audience and subject. Course readings will enable students to begin understanding the
complexities of analysis, rhetoric, style, diction, and syntax. American Colonial era literature
will be discussed as students begin connecting diction and syntax to style and overall effect.
Weekly content quizzes will be given every Friday and will cover information discussed in class
and recorded in student notes. Additionally, vocabulary quizzes will be given every Wednesday.
Both content and vocabulary quizzes will be cumulative in nature.
Following this introduction to rhetoric and analysis, students will learn the art of close reading,
with a focus on analyzing style. Students will practice analyzing texts by dividing their
observations into four categories: quote/passage, rhetorical strategy at work, definition, and
rhetorical effect. Graphic organizers will be the aid of choice as students begin learning to
recognize the relationship between rhetorical strategies and effects. Students will then have a
second opportunity to compose an analysis, this time focusing on rhetorical analysis. To
conclude the first unit, students will complete a practice AP Language and Composition exam,
including one of the three essay prompts—the rhetorical analysis essay.
Unit One Course Readings:
Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (summer reading)
John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley (summer reading)
The Language of Composition, chapters 1-2
The Bedford Reader, chapters 8-9
Jonathon Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
Patrick Henry, “Speech to the Virginia Convention”
Thomas Paine, The Crisis, No. 1 (excerpts)
George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language”
Martin Luther King Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Unit One Writing Assignments:
1.) Writing Autobiography: Students will study process analysis and explore their own
writing processes by writing an essay describing the steps they complete as they write for
an academic context. This assignment will encourage students to begin thinking of
writing as a process, and to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses as writers.
2.) Rhetorical analysis: Which writer/text did you find most rhetorically admirable this
quarter? Support your opinion by analyzing the writer’s purpose, rhetorical strategies,
and consideration of audience. Conclude by convincing your reader that the writer’s
rhetorical strategies successfully communicate his purpose. Include direct quotations as
evidence, and make use of your graphic organizer notes.
Unit One American Literature Project:
Summer Reading: The summer reading assignment is designed to introduce students to
the overarching theme of the course. Additionally, the summer reading essays function
as the American literature project for unit one. The essay prompts are described below.
A) Read John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley, and write an 800 word, MLA-formatted essay that
addresses the following objectives and questions:
1.) What do you learn about the connection between the American landscape and the American
people? Consider what Steinbeck shows his readers about human nature and the American
identity (the characteristics we share that make us “American”). Use specific details, characters,
and events from the novel to support your response.
2.) What is your favorite episode from the novel? Explain why you enjoyed this episode using details
from the novel.
B) Read Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Enjoy!!
**Students will take a reading test over The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on the second day of school.
Essays are also due on the second day of school. Unprepared students will not be permitted to remain in AP
Language and Composition.
Grading Scale:
AP Language and Composition will follow the Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy grading
scale:
A
90-100
B
80-89
C
70-79
D
60-69
F
59 and below
Weekly Schedule:
August 20-21
Course Introduction
Summer Reading Test (8-21)
Aug. 24-28
Discussion of summer reading novels/essays
Introduction to analysis—process analysis (Bedford ch.8)
Begin Writing Autobiographies
Practice vocabulary quiz
Aug. 31-Sept. 4
Introduction to rhetoric, Lang. of Comp. ch.1
Vocabulary quizzes begin! (Wednesdays)
Writing Autobiographies due (9-4)
Sept. 7-11
Continue introduction to rhetoric, Lang. of Comp. ch.2
Begin rhetorical analysis (graphic organizers)
Jonathon Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry
God”
Content quizzes begin! (Fridays)
Sept. 14-18
Continue rhetorical analysis with Colonial literature
Patrick Henry, “Speech to the Virginia Convention”
Paragraph practice—focus on figures of speech and
allusions
Thomas Paine, “The Crisis, No. 1”
Sept. 21-25
George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language”
Sept. 28-Oct. 2
Martin Luther King Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Drafting time for rhetorical analysis essays
Oct. 5-9
Rhetorical analysis rough drafts (due 10-6)
Rhetorical analysis essay final drafts (due 10-9)
Oct. 12-16
AP Language and Composition Practice Test
Practice Test essay due (10-15)
Unit Two
October 19-December 18
Rhetorical Focus: Argument and Persuasion
Skill #1: The Art of Persuasion
Skill #2: The Act of Persuasion
During unit two, students will learn the language of persuasion by exploring logical, ethical, and
emotional appeals (logos, ethos, and pathos). They will uncover the structure of argument by
learning to identify an author’s thesis, evidence, and warrants. Once essential vocabulary has
been established, students will read several examples of nonfiction writings on nature and
education, focusing on the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. As
students read and discuss these works, they will continue to study the authors’ rhetorical and
stylistic decisions, the relationship between author, purpose, and audience, and the relationship
between diction and tone. Poetic persuasion will be the theme for the first part of the second
unit.
Students will engage in the act of persuasion during the second half of the unit. Students will
compose and present persuasive speeches that address an aspect of education. A series of essays
written on academic honesty and integrity will serve as a starting point for brainstorming speech
topics. Students will present these speeches in class, and they will be evaluated in terms of
argument strength, development, and clarity. Students should strive to maintain ethos by being
aware of tone and diction. At the end of the second unit, students will complete a second
practice AP Language and Composition exam, including one of the three essay prompts—the
argument essay.
The American literature project for unit two will require students to read one of the following
five novels: The Scarlet Letter, The Awakening, My Antonia, Ethan Frome, and The Blithedale
Romance. Students will read these novels outside of class and work in literature circles each
week, eventually presenting on the novels at the end of the unit.
Unit Two Course Readings:
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature (excerpts)
Henry David Thoreau, Walden (excerpts)
Ralph Waldo Emerson, “The American Scholar”
The Bedford Reader, Chapter 13
The Language of Composition, Chapter 4
Literature Circle Novel Choices:
Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter, The Blithedale Romance
Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome
Willa Cather, My Antonia
Kate Chopin, The Awakening
Unit Two Writing Assignments:
1.) Persuasive Speech: Students will compose and present a persuasive speech
addressing an aspect of education. Possible topics include academic integrity, the
classical education model, technology in the classroom, and academic rigor. Students
should focus on balancing logos, ethos, and pathos; creating a clear, cohesive
argument; developing appropriate and effective evidence; including warrants that link
evidence to the thesis claim so that the student audience can follow a verbal
presentation.
Unit Two American Literature Project:
Students will be placed into literature circles dependent upon the novel that they choose to read
outside of class during the second unit. The following is an overview of the literature circle
objectives and final project. (Source: Daniels, Harvey. Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in
the Student-Centered Classroom. Stenhouse, 1994.)
Weekly Schedule:
Oct. 19-23
The Week of Poe!
Oct. 26-30
Introduction to argument and persuasion
Bedford, ch. 13; claim, evidence, and warrant
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Nature
Introduction to literature circles!
Nov. 2-6
Henry David Thoreau’s Walden
Literature circle planning meeting (11-6)
Nov. 9-13
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “The American Scholar”
Literature Circles begin! (11-12)
Paragraph Practice #1
******************************************************************************
End of Trimester One
******************************************************************************
Nov. 16-20
Colleen Wenke’s “Too Much Pressure,” Bedford, ch. 13
Introduction to persuasive speech assignment
Nov. 23-24
Students will have class time to draft speeches
Nov. 30-Dec. 4
Introduction to Literature Circle final projects
Peer Review for persuasive speeches
Dec. 7-11
Persuasive speeches presented this week
Last week of Literary Circle meetings!
Dec. 14-18
Literary Circle Group Presentations!
Unit Three
January 4-March 4
Rhetorical Focus: Research/Synthesis; Literary Analysis
Skill #1: The Art of Research
Skill #2: The Act of Research
Skill #3: Introduction to Literary Analysis
During the third unit, students will approach research as one “enters a conversation” (The
Language of Composition, chapter three). They will review argument-building skills from the
second unit (claim, evidence, warrant), as well as learn how to effectively synthesize sources into
a coherent argument. Students will review sample synthesis essays and evaluate the authors’
organization, clarity, and rhetorical effectiveness.
Students will engage in the act of research by composing a synthesis essay of their own. I will
supply source material on a variety of topics, however, students are welcome to create a topic of
their own (this option may be beneficial for students who are beginning to consider their senior
rhetoric projects). These synthesis essays will be assessed based on students’ success in
building, communicating, and supporting an argument using at least three sources.
Once students have completed the synthesis essay project, they will spend the remainder of the
third unit reviewing the methods of development, annotating “mixed method” texts, and crafting
effective paragraphs. At the end of the third unit, students will complete a third practice AP
Language and Composition exam, including one of the three essay prompts—the synthesis essay.
The American literature project for unit three will carry into unit four and will tie into the skills
of research and synthesis. Students will read The Grapes of Wrath in addition to the non-fiction
course readings. The reading of the novel will be completed outside of class. In class students
will discuss Steinbeck’s use of intercalary chapters, biblical allusions, and exceptional
description. Students will also be quizzed weekly on their out of class reading (weekly content
quizzes will be replaced by these reading quizzes). See Third Unit American Literature
Project below for the reading and quiz schedule. After the reading of the novel is completed,
students will create annotated bibliographies that review and assess critical essays written on The
Grapes of Wrath. These annotated bibliographies will be written using MLA documentation.
Unit Three Course Readings:
The Language of Composition, Chapter Three, Synthesizing Sources: Entering the Conversation
The Bedford Reader, Chapter Three, Writing Research
Selected synthesis essays
Selected essays from Part III of The Bedford Reader
John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
Unit Three Writing Assignments:
1.) Synthesis essay: Students will compose a three-page synthesis essay using topics/sources
supplied by class texts, or developing their own topics and collecting appropriate sources.
A minimum of three sources must be integrated and cited using MLA formatting.
Students will develop a thesis statement and support their position throughout their papers.
A focus should be placed on development, organization, and clarity of ideas, as well as
proper mechanics and usage.
Unit Three American Literature Project:
John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath
For this project, students in AP Language and Composition will continue our year-long
exploration of the course theme, the American identity, by reading and discussing John
Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. Students will focus primarily on the relationship between the
American landscape and the people who live off of the land. The reading and quiz schedule is
given below.
The Grapes of Wrath Reading Quiz Schedule:
Introduction to the novel: February 10th
Reading Quiz #1: 2-16 (Tuesday)--Chapters 1-6 and the introductory material
Reading Quiz #2: 2-22--Chapters 7-12
Reading Quiz #3: 2-29--Chapters 13-18
Reading Quiz #4: 3-7--Chapters 19-24
Reading Quiz #5: 3-14--Chapters 25-30
Final Writing Project: Due 3-21
Weekly Schedule:
Jan. 4-8
Introduction to third quarter syllabus
Practice AP Language and Composition Test
Practice Test Essay due (1-8)
Language of Composition, chapter three
Jan. 11-15
Who Murdered Charles Benchley?
Sample synthesis essay (community service)
Introduction to synthesis essay project
Jan. 18-22
Synthesis proposals due (1-20)
Drafting for synthesis essays
Jan. 25-29
Synthesis essay rough drafts due (1-26)
Synthesis essay working drafts due (1-29)
Feb. 1-5
Synthesis essay final drafts due (2-2)
“Mixing the Methods,” Part III in Bedford
Feb. 8-12
Continue “Mixing the Methods”
Paragraph Practice
Introduction to The Grapes of Wrath (2-10)
*Students must have novels in class on 2-10*
Feb. 15-19
Reading Quiz #1 for Grapes (2-16)
We’ll look at a sample AP synthesis prompt
Feb. 22-26
Reading Quiz #2 for Grapes (2-22)
Practice AP Language and Composition Exam
******************************************************************************
End of Trimester Two
******************************************************************************
Feb. 29-Mar. 4
Reading Quiz #3 for Grapes (2-29)
Practice test essay due 3-4
Unit Four
Timeline: March 7-May 27
Rhetorical Focus: Reading for Research; AP exam preparation
Skill #1: Annotated bibliographies
Skill #2: Rhetorical Analysis review, argument review, synthesis review; timed writings
Skill #3: Multiple choice approaches
Students will begin the fourth unit by completing their reading of The Grapes of Wrath, and
composing an accompanying annotated bibliography project. This project will reinforce research
skills and offer critical reading practice. Students will then spend two weeks reviewing each AP
essay type (rhetorical analysis, argument, and synthesis) and completing timed writings using
prompts from previous AP Language and Composition exams. A week will also be spent
reviewing multiple choice strategies and experimenting with multiple choice question stems.
The Unit Three American Literature Project will allow students to read and review a
contemporary American novel, and present their novels to the class. Additionally, students will
read Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman to conclude the course readings.
Unit Four Course Readings:
John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath (continued from quarter three)
Selected critical essays from Bloom’s Modern Critical Interpretations: The Grapes of Wrath
Student-selected contemporary American novels
Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman
Unit Four Writing Assignment:
1.) Annotated Bibliography: Students will complete an annotated bibliography based on
critical readings of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. The goal of this project will be to
reinforce MLA formatting skills while preparing students for the literature review section of
their senior thesis projects.
2.) Full-length AP Language and Composition exam. This exam will be given from 3:00 to
5:00 on a school day to be announced.
Unit Four American Literature Project:
The Choice Book Project: Students will choose an American novel to read for the fourth unit.
Students will be responsible for choosing their novels, although novels should be deemed
appropriate by parents and Mrs. Omlor. The novels must satisfy the following criteria:
a. The novel must be written by an American author.
b. The novel must be at the appropriate reading level (11th grade college prep.)
c. The novel must be a new read for students—no re-reading an old favorite (not that there
is anything wrong with that, but this your chance to find a new favorite).
(Information regarding final projects to be discussed in May.)
Weekly Schedule:
Mar. 7-11
Reading quiz #4 for Grapes (3-7)
Introduction to multiple choice stems
Mar. 14-18
Reading quiz #5 for Grapes (3-14)
Continue multiple choice stems
Mar. 21-25
Final writing project over Grapes (3-21)
We’ll watch the movie version of The Grapes of Wrath
Mar. 25-Apr. 3
Easter Break
Apr. 4-8
Introduction to Annotated Bibliography Project
Reading days for annotated bibliographies
Apr. 11-15
Reading days for annotated bibliographies
Apr. 18-22
Annotated bibliographies due! (4-22)
Timed full-length essay section
Apr. 25-29
Final AP Exam review/reminders
May 2-6
Introduction to the Choice Book Project
Reading time in class
May 9-13
Reading/work days for Choice Book Project
May 16-20
Introduction to Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman
Choice Book Projects due 5-20
May 23-27
Conclude Death of a Salesman
We’ll watch a movie version of Miller’s play
*************************************************************************************
End of Trimester Three
******************************************************************************
Dear Parents,
Learning is a cooperative effort that should include the student, parents, and teachers.
You know your child better than anyone and I will rely heavily on your input. Please feel free to
contact me with any questions. The best way to contact me is by email. My address is
[email protected]. In addition, you can call the school at 828-657-9998. If you would like to
keep up with what your child is working on in class, you can check the school’s website at
www.tjca.org under the teacher outlines link. I will keep weekly schedules posted, along with
assignment descriptions.
I look forward to working with you!
Sincerely,
Holly Omlor
** Please sign and return this page to Mrs. Omlor no later than Wednesday, August 26th.
Turning in this form will count as a homework grade. After Wednesday, students who have not
returned this form will receive a zero.
I have read and understand the contents of the student parent packet for AP Language and
Composition.
Student signature________________________________________Date_____________
Student email_______________________________________
Parent signature_________________________________________Date_____________
Parent email________________________________________Phone________________