Download Advanced Placement English Language and Composition syllabus

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Advanced Placement English Language and Composition
Syllabus
Course Overview
As required by the College Board’s Advanced Placement English Course
Description, students in AP English Language and Composition engage in
an in-depth study of the modes and types of writing (expository,
narrative, reflective, analytical, and persuasive) and the understanding
and use of language. Stylistic and rhetorical methods, as well as
vocabulary, grammar, and syntax are emphasized.
By reading, writing and analyzing works from a wide range of non-fiction
and fiction prose, poetry, novels, essays, and speeches, students develop
not only their analytical abilities, but also their composition skills.
Throughout the year there is a strong emphasis on determining a writer’s
purpose, audience, and methods of communication. In turn, students
become keenly aware of those elements in their own writing. Working
with students to write effectively and persuasively in a variety of modes is
the primary goal of the course.
Grading Practices
Students are graded using a weighted point system. Points are based on
the type and length of the various assignments. The semester test grade
is 15% of the total points available.
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
59-0
A
B
C
D
F
Because of the importance of academic integrity, the course requires
students and their parents or guardians to agree to the plagiarism policy
called the “Honor Code.” Students and parents are made aware that
plagiarism is the use of the ideas or writings of another as one’s own and
that such dishonorable conduct will result in a zero. Students entering
the course and their parents agree to abide by this policy by reading and
signing the Honor Code Agreement.
To aid in the discovery of plagiarized papers, students are often required
to use Turn it in (turnitin.com), a web-based plagiarism detection service,
when submitting papers.
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Summer Reading Requirement
All students entering the course are required to complete a summer
reading assignment. They choose one of the novels (last year students
chose either I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou or The
Life of Pi by Yann Martel) and read the novella House on Mango Street by
Sandra Cisneros. Students complete a dialectical journal by recording
samples of text from each chapter and providing their analysis or
commentary for each entry.
Vocabulary and Grammar
For the duration of the course, students have a weekly vocabulary and
grammar assignment. Vocabulary terms are from College Board SAT
practice materials and from works studied in the course such as The
Scarlet Letter. The vocabulary words are introduced to the students every
Monday with careful attention to the spelling, pronunciation, and
definition of each. Students then complete a sentence writing
assignment that incorporates review of grammar, syntax, sentence types,
subordination and coordination, and style elements. Students receive
feedback on their sentence writing assignment, with close attention being
paid to the appropriate and effective use of vocabulary. If necessary,
students may make revisions to earn full credit. Tuesday through
Thursday a student volunteer orally reviews the words and definitions
with the class. On Fridays, students are tested on the spelling and
definition of that week’s words and some from previous tests. Combining
the study of grammar with the vocabulary assignment has proven a very
effective and efficient way to teach and review without taking an
inordinate amount of class time.
American Literature
Because the traditional on-level English course for junior students in our
district is American Literature, the literature selections are used in the
teaching of style and rhetorical analysis. The course covers a wide variety
of literature selections beginning with pieces from the Native American
and Colonial periods and moving through The Age of Reason,
Romanticism/Transcendentalism, Realism, Modernism, the Harlem
Renaissance, and Post-Modernism.
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Sample American Literature Selections
First Semester
Title of Work
Author
Points of
Emphasis
narration, style,
imagery, point
of view
Assessment
“The Way to
Rainy
Mountain”
N. Scott
Momaday
“Of Plymouth
Plantation”
William
Bradford
style, syntax,
primary
sources
tone, diction
persuasive
appeals
(pathos)
McCarthyism,
theme, irony
in class writing
“Sinners in
the Hands of
an Angry God”
Jonathon
Edwards
The Crucible
Arthur Miller
The Scarlet
Letter
Nathaniel
Hawthorne
imagery,
symbolism,
syntax, theme
timed writings
multiple choice
practice
“Speech to the
Virginia
Convention”
Patrick Henry
PATTR (purpose,
rhetorical
analysis essay
“Declaration
of
Independence
”
“Civil
Disobedience”
Thomas
Jefferson
PATTR,
persuasive
appeals
rhetorical
analysis essay
Henry David
Thoreau
PATTR,
persuasive
appeals,
historical
perspectives
class
discussion
audience, tone,
theme, rhetorical
devices),
persuasive appeals
(ethos, pathos,
logos)
in class writing
tone and
diction
imitation
exercises
Applied Practice
multiple choice
practice exam,
timed writings
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“Self Reliance”
Ralph Waldo
Emerson
PATTR,
persuasive
appeals
opinion writing
Into the Wild
Jon Krakauer
theme,
organization,
point of view,
author’s use of
primary and
secondary
sources
journal writing,
timed writing
Inner/Outer
circle
discussion
modes of
historical and
contemporary
satire
analysis of
narration,
imagery, diction,
syntax,
primary sources
analysis of
symbolism,
allegory
analysis of
symbolism,
allegory
point of view,
syntax
analysis of
satirical
selections,
original satire
study questions,
style analysis
essay (concrete
detail and
commentary)
symbolism chart
Second Semester
The Adventures
of Huckleberry
Finn
Mark Twain
“Narrative of the
Life of Frederick
Douglass”
Frederick
Douglass
“The Masque of
the Red Death”
Edgar Allan Poe
“Dr. Heidegger’s
Experiment”
Nathaniel
Hawthorne
“A Rose for
Emily”
William
Faulkner
The Great
Gatsby
F. Scott
Fitzgerald
A Raisin in the
Sun
“Hills Like White
Elephants”
Lorraine
Hansbury
Ernest
Hemingway
rhetorical
strategies in
dialogue, style
analysis,
symbolism
theme, point of
view
syntax, diction,
inference and
symbolism
symbolism chart
alternate point
of view writing
exercise
timed writings,
AP practice
multiple choice
point of view
writing exercise
multiple choice
test, in class
writing analysis
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AP Exam Preparation
The College Board’s AP test practice materials are invaluable for this
course. Early in the year, and continuing throughout, students take
practice multiple choice exams and respond to various types of writing
prompts to familiarize themselves with the test and gain proficiency in
their reading, writing, and analysis skills. Sometimes students work
individually on the multiple choice exams, and other times they work in
small groups, having to reach consensus on their answers. This allows
them the opportunity for some energetic academic debate and requires
students to back up their opinions with evidence.
Timed writings are introduced at the beginning of the school year by
reading prompts and actual student responses from released AP exam
materials. With practice, students learn to become “AP graders” using
the AP exam rubric to determine the appropriate scoring. Hereto, the
students are carefully analyzing the effectiveness of a piece of writing and
the merits and/or faults of each.
As the year progresses, students evaluate their peers’ writings. Students
turn in timed writings (using a pseudonym) and are scored by a small
group of peers from another class hour. The evaluations focus on several
important elements of writing: diction, sentence structure and variety,
transitions, logical organization, and the use of rhetorical devices and
appropriate supporting evidence. Students are then required to address
any problems noted by the graders, revise the essay, complete a self
evaluation, and turn the essay in to me for a final evaluation grade.
Synthesis
Because of the addition of the synthesis questions to the AP English
Language and Composition exam, much attention is given to providing
the students with opportunities to use a variety of supporting
information to back up their arguments. To address this, students are
required to research and create their own synthesis questions.
Researching a topic and looking at both sides of an issue is a high
priority in the AP Language classroom. Therefore, students must
construct and research a debatable topic and find source material that
could be used to support or challenge a given position. The types of
materials they can provide are: charts, graphs, cartoons, articles,
editorials, photographs, and advertisements. These student created
questions are reviewed in class and some are selected to be used as
synthesis question practice materials.
Along with creating their own synthesis questions, students practice
using prepared practice synthesis questions on a variety of topics. For
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example, students are assigned a researched, argumentative paper based
on selections from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair and Fast Food Nation by
Eric Schlosser. In addition to excerpts from Sinclair and Schlosser,
students are given a variety of sources about the fast food and meat
processing industries, as well as meat inspection practices in the U.S.
Sources include articles from U.S. News & World Report and Time; a
letter from Sinclair to Theodore Roosevelt (from the National Archives); a
1906 speech by Roosevelt, “The Man with the Muck-rake”; a historical,
political cartoon depicting Roosevelt raking muck; and a Malcolm
Gladwell essay, “The Trouble with Fries.” Student must use the Sinclair
and Schlosser sources, along with at least three of the other sources, as
evidence to support their argument on 1 of 4 prompts (their choice):
1) Is Eric Schlosser a muckraker?
2) Are further changes to the Meat Inspection Act essential?
3) What is Schlosser’s purpose in Fast Food Nation, and to what
extent has he achieved his purpose?
4) Write an editorial in which you argue that further government
action is (or is not) necessary to protect the American public.
As students complete this essay, they will proceed through several drafts,
with revision aided by the teacher and their peers. Skills emphasized in
this project include enhancing logical organization with repetition and
transitions, controlling tone, and establishing and maintaining voice.
Students are cautioned to remember that all effective writing considers
opposing viewpoints and are required to use MLA citation format, both
internally and in the Works Cited.
Political and Social Issues in Persuasive Writing
Using our classroom subscription to weekly news magazines, as well as
the internet and newspapers, the students are given a weekly assignment
over local, national, and international issues. Students are asked to
consider many things in their analysis of news stories including the
source, author, bias, tone, evidence, and style. By fostering an awareness
of happenings in their community, state, nation and world, students are
engaged in thought-provoking discussions and lively debates. The topics
discussed are often used as journal entry prompts and the topics for our
in-class debate unit.
Sample of debate topics
Gun control is justified.
The United States should impose stronger regulations regarding illegal
immigration.
Violent juvenile offenders should be treated as adults by the judicial
system.
Embryonic stem cell research is unjustified.
Cloning human beings is immoral.
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The drinking age should be lowered to eighteen.
The war in Iraq is justified.
Capital punishment is justified.
Terminally ill patients should have the right to die when and how they
choose.
Spanking as a form of discipline is justified.
Drug testing students involved in extracurricular activities is justified.
Graphics and Visual Images as Text
Because of the visual nature of our world today, students are encouraged
to become visually literate. This course explores the how visual elements,
both graphical and textual, influence audience. For example, students
locate and print out/copy three political cartoons using newspapers,
news magazines, or the internet. For each cartoon, students write a
short essay analyzing the author’s purpose and how the graphics/visual
images serve as alternative forms of written texts. They consider the
persuasive techniques used in political cartoons such as symbolism,
exaggeration, labeling, analogy, and irony. In their essays, students are
directed to consider the following questions:
1. What is the event or issue that inspired the cartoon?
2. Are there any real people in the cartoon? Who is portrayed in
the cartoon?
3. Are there symbols in the cartoon? What are they and what do
they represent?
4. What is the cartoonist’s opinion about the topic portrayed in the
cartoon?
5. Do you agree or disagree with the cartoonist’s opinion? Why?
Students staple each cartoon to its essay, then staple all three together
to form the final project.
In addition to cartoons, students analyze advertisements for persuasive
appeals (ethos, pathos and logos), complete tone/diction exercises that
require them to describe the details and mood of various photographs
and paintings, and learn to effectively use visual elements such as charts
and graphs as evidence in argument construction.
Journal Writing
At the start of each semester (for approximately 2 weeks) students are
asked to record in their journals a short response to a quote, question,
cartoon or photograph. The responses are commonly reflective or
narrative in nature, or, when asked to do so, will be argumentative-addressing the validity of a statement. These journal entries are then
used to aid the student in developing ideas for their reflective and
persuasive essays.
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Sample journal writing prompts
Persuasive
Agree, disagree or qualify the validity of the statement.
“Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty.” Edward R. Murrow
“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to
remain silent.” Thomas Jefferson
“They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety
deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Benjamin Franklin
Reflective
Offer your interpretation of and feelings about the quote.
“Life is painting a picture, not doing a sum.” Oliver Wendall Holmes
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only
the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach,
and not, when I cam to die, discover that I had not lived.” Henry David
Thoreau
“People love others not for who they are, but for how they make them
feel.” Irwin Federman
Rhetoric/Argumentation
The study of rhetoric is the crux of this course. Students begin by
learning the basic terminology and quickly move to identifying rhetorical
devices and modes and then, most importantly, how to effectively
incorporate those elements into their own work.
For example, students complete analysis charts, like the ones below, to
aid in their identification and analysis of rhetorical devices in argument.
The assignment requires them to locate examples of specific rhetorical
devices and comment on their significance to the message of the work.
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Quotes are from “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” by Martin Luther King Jr.
Quotation
“Daddy, why do white
people treat colored
people so mean?
“Whatever affects one
directly, affects all
indirectly.”
“Like Paul, I must
constantly respond to
the Macedonian call
for aid.”
“Injustice anywhere is
a threat to justice
everywhere.”
“Will we be extremists
for hate or love?”
Rhetorical device
pathos
Analysis/Commentary
parallelism
allusion
antithesis
rhetorical question
Quotes are from “Speech in the Virginia Convention,” by Patrick Henry.
Quotation
“No man thinks more
highly than I do of the
very worthy gentlemen
who have just
addressed the House.”
“We have petitioned;
we have remonstrated;
we have supplicated;
we have prostrated
ourselves before the
throne...”
“Suffer not yourselves
to be betrayed with a
kiss.”
“I have but one lamp
by which my feet are
guided; and that is the
lamp of experience.”
“Shall we acquire the
means of effectual
resistance by lying
supinely on our
backs...until our
enemies have bound
us hand and foot?”
Rhetorical device
ethos
anaphora
allusion
metaphor
pathos
Analysis/Commentary
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Sample of rhetorical concepts/devices
Rhetorical triangle (speaker/writer, purpose, audience)
Persuasive appeals (ethos, pathos, logos)
Deduction/induction
Anaphora
Rhetorical questions
Connotation
Syllogism
Enthymeme
logical fallacies (begging the question, ad hominem, red herring, slippery
slope, hasty generalization, straw man, post hoc ergo prompter hoc, false
authority)
Antithesis
Allusion
Parallelism
Appeals to authority
Analogy
Concession/refutation
Classical argumentative scheme (introduction, background, proposition,
proof, concession/refutation, conclusion)
Starting with an understanding of basic rhetorical principles, students in
AP Language and Composition continue to build upon their knowledge
and understanding of the use and importance of rhetorical devices in
constructing convincing arguments. A major assignment in our study of
rhetoric is the participation in an in-class debate on controversial issues.
Students are assigned a position (affirmative or negative) on a resolution
(topic). They then begin their preparation by doing the following:
1) Research their topic and the opposing viewpoints
2) Gather the appropriate evidence from a variety of primary and
secondary sources and learn how to effectively evaluate, use, and cite the
information.
3) Construct a persuasive essay/speech using proper MLA citations and
Works Cited page
4) Convincingly deliver their argument aloud
Using Joseph F. Trimmer’s A Guide to MLA Documentation, students are
taught proper documentation of sources for research papers. Compiling
information, parenthetical documentation of direct and indirect quotes,
summarizing and paraphrasing, preparing the Works Cited page and
proper format are covered in detail.
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To allow for debate and limit the number of class hours involved in
presentations, the students follow the following format when debating:
Affirmative speech
Negative cross examination of Affirmative
Negative speech and rebuttal
Affirmative cross examination of Negative
Affirmative first rebuttal
Negative 2nd rebuttal
Affirmative 2nd rebuttal
Essays
The study of the various types and purposes of essays is covered at
length in the course. Students conduct close readings and respond to
questions over essays in anthologies such as The Norton Reader and 50
Essays. The questions may require the student to analyze the writer’s
purpose, methods and overall effectiveness, present an argument or
opinion, and/or imitate the author’s style. Along with responding to the
essays, students write original persuasive, narrative, expository,
descriptive, and satirical essays. Students revise initial drafts of essays
using peer and/or teacher evaluations. During the revision process,
special focus is placed on sentence variety using subordination and
coordination, a wide range of appropriate vocabulary, a balance of
general and specific detail, and logical organization.
Sample of essays
Persuasion
“Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr.
“Gettysburg Address,” Abraham Lincoln
“Where I Lived, and What I Lived For,” Henry David Thoreau
“The Audacity of Hope” (2004 DNC Keynote Address), Barack Obama
Narration
“Salvation,” Langston Hughes
“Once More to the Lake,” E.B. White
“Letter to his Son,” Lord Chesterfield
“Terwilliger Bunts One,” Annie Dillard
“Me Talk Pretty One Day,” David Sedaris
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Description
“On Dumpster Diving,” Lars Eighner
“Club Denali,” Jon Krakauer
“Shooting an Elephant,” George Orwell
“The Ugly Tourist,” Jamaica Kinkaid
“How it Feels to be Colored Me,” Zora Neale Hurston
Exposition
comparison
“Letter to President Pierce,” Chief Seattle
“Of Youth and Age,” Francis Bacon
“Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood,” Richard Rodriguez
classification
“Going to the Movies,” Susan Allen Toth
“Tides,” Rachel Carson
“Mother Tongue,” Amy Tan
definition
“On Being a Cripple,” Nancy Mairs
“Notes of a Native Speaker,” Eric Lieu
“In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens,” Alice Walker
“Good Readers and Good Writers,” Vladimir Nabakov
Satire
“A Modest Proposal,” Jonathan Swift
“The War Prayer,” Samuel L. Clemens
“Acme vs. Coyote,” Ian Frazier
“Miss Kindergarten America,” Carol Schacter
Contemporary satirical selections from satirical publications e.g. The
Daily Show, The Onion, The Colbert Report, etc.
Outside reading requirement
Each semester students choose a title from our suggested list of nonfiction or one of their own choosing (with teacher approval) for outside
reading. Students complete a summary of the work, develop questions
about the work and/or its author and offer personal opinion responses to
the text.
Titles under consideration for 2007-2008 are:
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Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser
Nickel and Dimed, On (not) Getting by in America, Barbara Ehrenreich
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
Profiles in Courage, John F. Kennedy
The Audacity of Hope, Barack Obama
The Innocent Man, John Grisham
Flags of Our Fathers, James Bradley with Ron Powers
The Freedom Writers Diary, Erin Gruwell
The Jungle, Sinclair Lewis
Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt
Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez, Richard
Rodriguez
An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore
Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer
A Perfect Storm, Sebastian Junger
SeaBiscuit, Laura Hillenbrand
Krakatoa, Simon Winchester
The Professor and the Mad Man, Simon Winchester
The Devil in the White City, Eric Larson
Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman
A Tinker at Pilgrim Creek, Annie Dillard
* Summer reading and outside reading selections may be checked out from our school’s
media center or a local library. All other required reading selections are available in the
books checked out to students for their individual use inside and outside the
classroom.
TEXTS
Applebee, Arthur N. et al. The Language of Literature: American Literature. Evanston:
McDougal Littell, 2002.
Clark, Irene L. The Genre of Argument. Boston: Thomson Heinle, 1998.
Cohen, Samuel, ed. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s,
2004
Language Network. Evanston: McDougal Littell, 2001.
Peterson, Linda H., John G. Brereton, and Joan E. Hartman, ed. The Norton Reader.
10th ed. New York: Norton, 2000.
Trimmer, Joseph F. and Maxine Hairston, ed. The Riverside Reader. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 2005.
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RESOURCES
Corbett, Edward P.J. and Robert J. Connors. Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student.
4th ed. New York: Oxford UP, 1999
Degen, Michael. Crafting Expository Argument. 3rd ed. Dallas: Telemachos, 2001.
Gilbaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New York: MLA,
2003.
Hartzell, Richard. The Princeton Review: Cracking the AP English Language and
Composition Exam 2006-2007 Edition. New York: Random House, 2006.
Miles, Robert, Marc Bertonasco and William Karns. Prose Style: A Contemporary Guide.
2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1991.
Roskelly, Hephzibah and David A. Jolliffe. Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading
and Writing. AP ed. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2005.
Trimmer, Joseph F. A Guide to MLA Documentation 6th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
2004.
Newsweek magazine
U.S. News & World Report magazine
ONLINE SOURCES
American Rhetoric (http://americanrhetoric.com)
Arts & Letters Daily (http://www.aldaily.com)
The Onion (http://www.theonion.com)