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AP English Language and Composition Syllabus Course Overview Advanced Placement Language and Composition is a course in literature and writing which prepares students in their junior year of high school to participate in the AP examination in May. Through the course’s accelerated readings and writings, students will learn how to identify, analyze, and utilize the power of rhetoric to persuade an audience. The course involves an interdisciplinary study of literature, and students will connect readings and writings to history, art, music, and other disciplines in order to more completely understand rhetorical structure. Because of its rigor, the course should be considered writing and reading intensive with a substantial and demanding workload. In order to be successful in the course, students must be organized and disciplined. Students will be expected to manage in-‐class activities, outside readings, and long-‐term assignments simultaneously. The course provides students with the skills and strategies in reading and composition to prepare them for the rigor of a collegiate setting. By the end of the year, students should be able to analyze and synthesize information from primary and secondary sources, [C7] as well as to write in lean, tight, and fluid prose. In order to accomplish this goal, students will annotate works in order to develop close reading skills. As part of this reading process, students will study various modes of writing, such as expository, narrative, persuasive, and technical. [C1] Students will study these texts for the author’s use of style through syntax, diction, tone, mood, character, structure, perspective, imagery, figurative language, and theme. In addition to these tools of prose, students also will study the tools of rhetoric, especially in the context argumentation and persuasion, including the study of logical fallacies, propaganda, organizational patterns, and rhetorical devices. During the discussion of rhetoric, the course will include art, photography, film, and advertisements so that students can understand the ways in which rhetoric can be used in other media. [C6] Students will implement these tools and strategies into their own creative, analytical, and persuasive works. [C4] [C7] When students write, they will participate in a complete writing process, including first drafts, workshops, rewriting, teacher commentary/conferencing, [C9] and final composition. Students will be expected to cite properly according to MLA and APA guidelines. [C2] [C8] The content of the course corresponds with district curriculum, state standards, and Advanced Placement objectives. But beyond the academic training, the course also challenges students to push themselves personally by examining their own lives critically through the study of classic and contemporary American literature so that students can develop a clearer, fuller vision for themselves. [C3] Central course textbooks include The Norton Anthology of American Literature (Shorter 7th Edition); They Say/I Say; How to Read Literature Like a Professor. The course is constructed in accordance with the guidelines described in the AP English Course Description.
Course Organization The course is organized by time period and themes. (See Course Overview) Each unit requires students to acquire and use rich vocabulary, to use standard English grammar, and to understand the importance of diction and syntax in an author’s style. Therefore, students are expected to develop the following through reading, discussion, and writing assignments:
• a wide-‐ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively; • a variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination
and coordination; • logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence,
such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis; • a balance of generalization and specific illustrative detail; and • an effective use of rhetoric including controlling tone, establishing and
maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure. [C9]
For each reading assignment students must identify the following: [C5] • Thesis or Claim • Tone or Attitude • Purpose • Audience and Occasion • Evidence or Data • Appeals: Logos, Ethos, Pathos • Assumptions or Warrants • Style (how the author communicates his message: rhetorical mode, rhetorical
devices, which always include diction and syntax) • Organizational patterns found in the text, i.e., main idea detail,
comparison/contrast • Cause/effect, extended definition, problem/solution, etc. • Use of detail to develop a general idea
For each visual image/viewing students must identify the following: [C6]
• Ethos, Pathos, Logos • What is the historical, cultural, social or economic context of the visual? How
might I determine it? How does absence of or misunderstanding of this context contribute to misreading?
• Do I feel compelled to speculate about the creator’s gender, ethnicity, creed, age, etc. as I interrogate the work? How might answers to these questions change or complicate my reading?
• What is the work’s creator trying to accomplish; can I summarize the work’s purpose or message?
• Why did the creator organize the work in the way that s/he did? What clues do I have to answer this question?
• What feature of the work first captured my attention and why? How might that response be made relevant to the reader?
• What do I like best/least about the work? Is my personal “reaction” relevant to the assignment? If not, can I reframe that response with scholarly assessment criteria?
• What is the overall tone and mood of the work? • What is the point of view of the work; how might I infer it? • Can I infer the creator’s state of mind when s/he drafted this work? What
role, if any, should biographical knowledge of the creator play in my reading of the work?
• How does the work reveal the creator’s attitude toward the subject and its audience? Why did the creator choose this medium rather than another?
• Is the message of the work specific or universal? Can a case be made for both?
• Is there a secondary message in the work? If the creator included print text, how does that text add to or possibly complicate the visual text?
• If the work was constructed with color, what do the hues convey? • How can this visual further a claim I want to make in my argument?
Course Overview In addition to each unit presented below, students will have a weekly schedule with reoccurring practices. Each Monday, students must submit an APQ (See Teaching Strategies) in which they will provide rationales for Multiple Choice questions taken from past AP exams. The response will utilize written paragraph form and follow with discussion. [C9] On Tuesdays, students will come to class having read Foster’s How to Read Literature like a Professor. For the first ten minutes of class, students will participate in notetaking and discussion [C9] concerning various aspects in literature that Foster presents. On Fridays, students will practice biweekly timed writing (See Teaching Strategies) [C1] based on past AP exams. First quarter will focus on persuasion, second quarter on synthesis, and third quarter on analysis. On the other biweekly Fridays, students will workshop, peer review, and edit the timed writes [C2] with lessons in writing the specific forms for twenty-‐five minutes. The other half of class will be devoted to student-‐led Rhetorical Devices presentations (See Teaching Strategies). These presentations will enable students to take ownership of the material and provide AP study material for other class members. Each week, students are responsible for reading a chapter of They Say/I Say to focus on writing succinctly, based on reading. The students will demonstrate understanding of each chapter through completing assigned exercises. On the last Monday of every month, students will participate in a “Vocabathon” (See Teaching Strategies). The Vocabathon will focus on root words frequently used on the AP Language test. Unit 1: Course Orientation/Intro to Close Reading/Grade Calibration
Summer Readings: Salinger, J.D., The Catcher in the Rye Moore, Wes, The Other Wes Moore Knowles, John, A Separate Peace [C5]
Readings: Foster, Thomas, How to Read Literature Like a Professor (throughout course) [C5] Intro to Rhetoric and reading closely – various (political speeches)
Viewings: (Possible) Presidential debates [C6] Assessments:
Quizzes: Students are given a quiz on most readings. These assessments check for understanding of meaning and strategies. Class discussions over readings Test: Rhetorical Modes and Devices
Composition: Expository [C1] [C4]
Potential Prompts: (or AP style sample prompts)
1. In quality literature, no scene of violence exists for its own sake. In a well-‐organized essay explain how the scenes of violence in your summer reading novel are not merely sensational but are used to develop the author’s characterization and theme.
2. In some works of literature, mothers or the concept of motherhood (or lack thereof) play central roles. Write a well-‐organized essay in which you discuss a maternal character and the specific ways the character and the concept of maternity relate to the larger themes of the work.
3. In many novels, a character experiences a rift and becomes cut off from “home,” whether that home is the character’s birthplace, family, homeland, or other special place. Write an essay in which you analyze how the character’s experience with exile is both alienating and enriching, and how this experience illuminates the meaning for the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
Unit 2: Foundations of Freedom Colonial/Puritan Literature (1620-‐1750)
Readings: Anne Bradstreet – Before the Birth of One of her Children
Mary Rowlandson – from A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson (The 1st Remove) Jonathon Edwards – Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God [C5] Current Political Speeches
Independent Novel:
Schlosser, Eric, Fast Food Nation Lectures:
Colonial/Puritan Literature Notes Persuasive Techniques
Viewings: Theme-‐related photos, video clips, and/or cartoons from current periodicals will be discussed as these become available. Students may contribute selections for viewing with teacher’s
approval. [C6] Assessments:
Quizzes: Students are given a quiz on most readings. These assessments check for understanding of meaning and strategies. Class discussions over readings Test: Colonial and Puritan Literature
Composition: Argumentative [C1] [C4]
Prompt: Edwards’ sermon uses persuasive techniques to further his purpose to the audience. Using the persuasive techniques we discussed in class, construct a sermon of your own to persuade our classroom. The topic must be culturally relevant. See assignment details for more information. Be sure to highlight/label all persuasive techniques on your written copy.
Unit 3: Truth by Reason Rationalism Literature (1750-‐1800) Readings:
Henry, Patrick, “Speech in the Virginia Convention” Paine, Thomas, from “The Crisis, Number 1” Jefferson, Thomas, The Declaration of Independence [C5]
Independent Novel:
(SAME AS UNIT 2)
Lectures: Rationalism Notes Argumentation APA Style Viewings:
Blackfish documentary directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite Trumbull, John, The Declaration of Independence (Mural in the Capitol
Building, Washington, D.C.) Patrick Henry Arguing “the Parson’s Cause” (c. 1830, oil painting
thought to be the work of George Cooke; the Virginia Historical Society, Richmond) [C6]
Assessments:
Quizzes: Students are given a quiz on most readings. These
assessments check for understanding of meaning and strategies. Class discussions over readings and debate for Blackfish Test: Rationalism Literature
Composition: Argumentative Paper
[C1] [C4] [C7] [C8] Prompt: Based on the three In-‐Class Timed Writes/workshops, select one essay to edit. Complete a final copy and include all three Timed Writes.
Unit 4: Impending Change/Spirit of the Individual Romanticism Literature (1800-‐1860)
Readings: Walt Whitman
-‐ Oh Captain, My Captain -‐ Pioneers, O Pioneers -‐ Song of Myself -‐ I Hear America Singing
Emily Dickinson -‐ I’m Nobody! Who Are You? -‐ Because I Could Not Stop for Death -‐ Tell All the Truth but Tell it Slant [C5]
Independent Novel: Chbosky, Peter, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Lectures: Romanticism Notes Byronic Hero Notes
Synthesis Techniques Viewings:
Levi’s Commercial “Go Forth Campaign” (TV Commercial) Blackalicious “Alphabet Aerobics” [C6]
Assessments:
Quizzes: Students are given a quiz on most readings. These assessments check for understanding of meaning and strategies. Class discussions over readings Test: Romanticism Literature
Composition: Synthesis [C1] [C4]
Prompt: Based on the three In-‐Class Timed Writes/workshops, select one essay to edit. Complete a final copy and include all three Timed Writes.
Unit 5: The Role of Nature in Society Transcendentalism/Dark Romantic Literature (1800-‐1850)
Readings: Ralph Waldo Emerson -‐ Nature (Intro and Ch. 1) -‐ Self-‐Reliance Henry David Thoreau -‐ from Walden selections -‐ Civil Disobedience Nathanial Hawthorne -‐ Young Goodman Brown -‐ The Minister’s Black Veil Edgar Allen Poe -‐ The Raven -‐ The Black Cat [C5]
Lectures:
Transcendentalism/Dark Romanticism Notes Narrative Writing Techniques
Viewings: Simpson’s episode – Tree house of Horrors [C6] Assessments:
Quizzes: Students are given a quiz on most readings. These assessments check for understanding of meaning and strategies. Class discussions over readings Test: Transcendentalism/Dark Romanticism Literature
Composition: Gothic Short Story [C1] [C4]
Prompt: Using the authors as a catalyst for your own writing, write a gothic story. Utilize the characteristics of gothic writing to guide your piece. (See assignment for further instructions.)
Unit 6: Facing Reality Realism (Regionalism/Naturalism) Literature (1850-‐1900)
Readings:
Lincoln, Abraham, The Gettysburg Address Dunbar, Paul Lawrence, “We Wear the Mask” Mark Twain -‐ excerpts from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Jack London, To Build a Fire [C5]
Lectures:
Realism/Regionalism/Naturalism Notes Viewings:
Lincoln, Abraham, The Gettysburg Address Dunbar Interview [C6]
Assessments:
Quizzes: Students are given a quiz on most readings. These assessments check for understanding of meaning and strategies. Class discussions over readings Test: Realism Literature
Unit 7: The American Dream Modernism Literature (Includes Harlem Renaissance) (1900-‐1950)
Readings: (Modernism)
Robinson, Edwin Arlington -‐ Richard Cory -‐ Miniver Cheevy
Frost, Robert -‐ The Road Not Taken -‐ Nothing Gold Can Stay
Faulkner, William, A Rose for Emily [C5] (Harlem Renaissance) Langston Hughes
-‐ The Negro Speaks of Rivers -‐ I, Too -‐ Democracy
Independent Novel:
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, The Great Gatsby
Lectures: Modernism Notes Harlem Renaissance Notes
Analysis Techniques Viewings:
The Great Gatsby – clips from Film Adaptation (Baz Luhrmann) Assessments:
Quizzes: Students are given a quiz on most readings. These assessments check for understanding of meaning and strategies. Class discussions over readings Test: Modernism Literature and The Great Gatsby
Composition: Analysis [C1] [C4] [C5]
Prompt: Compose a thesis driven research paper with a topic that relates to The Great Gatsby and Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor. (See assignment for further details.)
Unit 8: The Loss of the Dream Post-‐Modernism (Includes Beat Movement) Literature
(1950-‐present)
Readings: Kennedy, John, “Inaugural Address” Ginsberg, Allen, “America” Plath, Sylvia, “Daddy” [C5]
Independent Novel:
Kesey, Ken, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Lectures: Beat Movement Notes
Post-‐Modernism Notes Analysis Techniques
Viewings:
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – clips from Film Adaptation King, Martin Luther, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Malcolm X, “Necessary to Protect Ourselves” (Interview) Kennedy, Robert. “On the Death of Martin Luther King” (TV
Statement) Morrison, Toni, Remember: The Journey to School Integration (Various
Images) [C6] Assessments:
Quizzes: Students are given a quiz on most readings. These assessments check for understanding of meaning and strategies. Class discussions over readings Test: Post-‐Modernist Literature and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Composition: Analysis [C1] [C4] [C5]
Prompt: Based on the three In-‐Class Timed Writes/workshops, select one essay to edit. Complete a final copy and include all three Timed Writes.
Unit 9: Prepare for the AP English Language and Composition Test Strategies: Timed Tests Workshops 15 minute prep for writing Analysis of Timed Writings Full Practice Tests Rhetorical Device Tests Semester Exams:
Students have 90 minutes to take their semester exam; it is worth 20 percent of the full-‐year GPA average.
Part 1: Multiple Choice This section is interpretation of new material. Students read four passages and answer 45 to 55 questions. Reading selections and questions are similar to those on the AP Released English Language Exam.
Part 2: Free Response Students have one hour to write an in-‐class essay. The prompt asks for rhetorical analysis, comparison/contrast, or argumentation. This essay is graded on the AP rubric, or nine-‐point scale.
Final Exam The Final will be project-‐based, following the completion of the National AP exam. Student Evaluation Our district uses 90/10 grading to plan assessments and calculate grades in all classes. This policy assures that 90% of each report card grade reflects students’ mastery of the subject matter with 10% being allowed for assessment of students' work habits. Traditionally, this ratio has been determined by each individual teacher. This approach to grading causes grades to have a more common, consistent meaning across subjects and grade levels, which increases their usefulness as tools for understanding students' learning, intervening appropriately and communicating with parents. This syllabus reflects 90/10 guidelines. [C9] Student performance in connection with important course components contributes to each student’s final grade for the course in the following manner: A+ = 100-‐97 B+ = 89.9-‐87 C+ = 79.9-‐77 D+ = 69.9-‐67 A = 96.9-‐93 B = 86.9-‐83 C = 76.9-‐73 D = 66.9-‐63 A-‐ = 92.9-‐90 B-‐ = 82.9-‐80 C-‐ = 72.9-‐70 D-‐ = 62.9-‐60 F = Below 60
Final grades will be replaced with the designation “credit/no credit" on report cards and transcripts on credit-‐bearing courses. Because GPA is calculated from semester grades, it has no effect on students.
• For each full-‐year course, credit will be awarded when the student has earned BOTH a passing GPA for the course (on the scale above) and two passing grades in the second semester.
Full-‐year course GPA calculation: Q1 (20%) + Q2 (20%) + Exam1 (10%) + Q3 (20%) + Q4 (20%) + Exam2 (10%)
Students are evaluated on the basis of major papers, homework, quality and character of class participation and involvement, [C3] and AP-‐style writing prompts. Major papers count a great deal toward each quarter’s grade, but other elements are also significant. Students earn both numbered scores and grades on AP prompts they take during the year. The grade associated with particular AP essay scores varies according to the time of year that is, a very good essay written in October earns a higher grade than a similar essay written in April. That’s because students are at work building the skills needed to succeed as the year proceeds. In this course, student thinking, writing, reading, listening, and speaking are at the center of class activity. Grading is viewed in this context. The teacher will routinely observe and assess student knowledge and ability. Student products, such as finished written pieces, [C1] timed writing, homework, tests and quizzes, reading responses, and class notes, will regularly be collected and assessed. [C9] One goal of evaluation is to enable students to become more comfortable with self-‐assessment. [C3] Grading Standards See AP Grading 1-‐9 Scale. These will vary slightly, as my expectations rise throughout the year.* √+, √, or √-‐: you will sometimes see these on ungraded assignments. They correlate generally to As, Bs, and Cs and are designed to give you an idea of how your work compares to your peers’. [C9] A level papers: especially great ideas, and no major writing problems A+ = this paper is extraordinary – ambitious, original, and beautifully written -‐-‐ and it has taught me something new. Thank you. A = this paper is virtually perfect, or so outstandingly original its tiny flaws don’t matter. A-‐ = this paper has made the leap into something special; it is outstandingly original or insightful; but it has some minor writing flaws (ie, occasional word choice problems, a misunderstanding of one aspect of the text). B level papers: good ideas, but some writing problems
B+ = a very good, well-‐written paper, but doesn’t have the spark of originality necessary to put it in the A range; or a brilliantly original paper that would normally be an A-‐ but the writing flaws are too great (frequent word choice problems, a lot of passive voice, a poor conclusion). B = a good paper, solid, well-‐organized and well-‐supported. Flaws are usually sentence level, but they run throughout the paper (passive voice, word choice, tense problems, comma problems, simple declarative sentences, unsatisfying intro or concl.). B-‐ = good ideas, but writing problems are apparent. Flaws are starting to appear at the level of structure (organization and paragraphing may be shaky), or the problems I’ve listed for a B paper are here but in a more serious form. C level papers: acceptable but problematic ideas, and real writing problems C+ = ideas are acceptable, and you’ve done some work, but there are real writing problems at the level of thesis, organization, etc. A major self-‐contradiction, an entire lack of documentation, no thesis, systematic sentence fragments, or problems with comprehensibility can put you in the C range. C = ideas are acceptable, but it needs a lot more work. This paper may have any of the problems of the C+ range but the problems are worse, and there may be substantial misreading of the text. C-‐ = barely acceptable, and I take it only because there’s some glimmer of some effort in it. These tend to be hastily dashed off, badly misunderstand the text, and have serious writing problems. D, F level papers: unacceptable ideas and writing D = not really acceptable -‐-‐ very serious writing problems and inadequate ideas. Basically: you handed in something that more or less looks like the assignment, so it’s not an F. I don’t give D+ and D-‐, on the grounds that a D is already so low it’s ludicrous to make distinctions. F = not acceptable at all.
* If you do not understand a grade on your work, please see me for a conference. Arguing your grade will not guarantee a higher score.
Tests and Quizzes Students are not permitted to retake tests or quizzes. Rewrites As teachers of writing, we recognize that writing is a process that is recursive in nature. This process requires students to not see writing as an end product, but a process of pre-‐writing, drafting, revision, editing, and publication. [C2] The following steps need to be taken in order for the writing to be reevaluated:
1. The paper was turned in on time. 2. The student must submit the original work in conjunction with the newly
written work and a letter reflecting on the process. (Detailed sheet posted on teacher website.)
*If the original assignment was turned in late, the student relinquishes the opportunity for reassessment. Late Work Policy Extenuating circumstances do occur and may interfere with work being turned in on time. Because of this, it is recognized that learning should still take place. Therefore, students who turn in assignments that fall within the 90% portion of academic work will have 5 days to demonstrate his/her knowledge with 10% removed from the grade. (Weekends do count in the five days.) After the five-‐day timeframe has expired, the grade will result in a zero. Work turned in late that falls within the 10% portion of the class work will be given a zero. Required Materials
• Folder – for completed work • Notebook – single subject/college ruled (put name on front – this will stay in
classroom) • College-‐rule notebook paper (loose leaf) • Pens/highlighters • Textbook • Various novels (to be announced and purchased at student’s expense) • Laptop (student website/Google Classroom)
Behavior Expectations If the teacher expects students to behave and learn at a high level, the students will almost always reach the goal. Overall, the teacher requires students to act like contributing ADULTS. By acting in such a manner, the students will demonstrate respect for themselves and others. Please see the high school student handbook regarding cell phones, dress code policies, etc. Academic Honesty Integrity of scholarship is essential for an academic community. The district expects that both staff and students will honor this principle and in so doing protect the validity of AP intellectual work. For students, this means that all academic work will be done by the individual to whom it is assigned, without unauthorized aid of any kind. Plagiarism is using another person’s thoughts and accomplishments without proper acknowledgment or documentation. It is an unconscionable offense and a serious
breach of the honor code. In keeping with the policy, students will receive a zero for the plagiarized work. Teaching Strategies Even though students in an AP English Language and Composition course may be strong readers and writers, they still need a bank of strategies to draw from as they encounter challenging text. The most effective strategies are those that teach students how to infer and analyze. [C9] Subject-‐Occasion-‐Audience-‐Purpose-‐Speaker-‐Tone (SOAPSTone)
This is a text analysis strategy as well as a method for initially teaching students how to craft a more thoughtful thesis. The SOAPSTone strategy was developed by Tommy Boley and is taught at the AP Summer Workshops. • Speaker: the individual or collective voice of the text • Occasion: the event or catalyst causing the writing of the text to occur • Audience: the group of readers to whom the piece is directed • Purpose: the reason behind the text • Subject: the general topic and/or main idea • Tone: the attitude of the author
Subject-‐Audience-‐Context-‐Purpose-‐Exigency-‐Tone-‐Strategy (SACPETS)
This is a text analysis strategy that enables students to analyze writing quickly and efficiently. The focus of this particular strategy is exigency and explaining the particular strategies used for the author’s purpose.
Syntax Analysis Chart
A syntax analysis chart is an excellent strategy for style analysis as well as an effective revision technique for a student’s own writing. One of the key strategies mentioned in The AP Vertical Teams® Guide for English, published by the College Board, the syntax analysis chart involves creating a five-‐column table with the following headings:
• Sentence Number • First Four Words • Special Features • Verbs • Number of Words per Sentence
This reflective tool not only helps students examine how style contributes to meaning and purpose but also helps students identify various writing problems (repetitiveness, possible run-‐ons or fragments, weak verbs, and lack of syntactical variety). In addition, students are made aware of their own developing voices and diction.
Overview-‐Parts-‐Title-‐Interrelationships-‐Conclusion (OPTIC)
The OPTIC strategy is highlighted in Walter Pauk’s book How to Study in College and provides students with key concepts to think about when approaching any kind of visual text. [C6] A sample OPTIC lesson would include the following steps:
1. Provide students with a single visual text that presents a position or point of view on an issue. One example is James Rosenquist’s 1996 painting “Professional Courtesy” (Seeing and Writing, 588), which portrays handguns as instruments of violence.
2. Pair students and lead them through the OPTIC strategy, step by step. ! is for overview—write down a few notes on what the visual
appears to be about. ! P is for parts—zero in on the parts of the visual. Write down
any elements or details that seem important. ! T is for title—highlight the words of the title of the visual (if
one is available). ! I is for interrelationships—use the title as the theory and the
parts of the visual as clues to detect and specify the interrelationships in the graphic.
! C is for conclusion—draw a conclusion about the visual as a whole. What does the visual mean? Summarize the message of the visual in one or two sentences.
3. Debrief the effectiveness of the strategy in analyzing visuals. 4. Compare and contrast the visual with a piece of expository text
dealing with the same subject but perhaps a different position. In Seeing and Writing, Gerard Jones’s essay on “Killing Monsters” presents the author’s viewpoint on why children are helped, not harmed, by viewing images of imagined violence. Both these texts could be used to discuss different positions on the effects of violence on children and young people.
Timed-‐writing
Students regularly practice timed-‐writing strategies: pacing, structure, and execution, engaging in one 50 minute timed-‐write, on average, biweekly during the entire course until the AP test. (Focus: 1st quarter – Persuasion; 2nd quarter – Synthesis; 3rd quarter – Analysis.) [C1] Prompts are taken from past AP exams as well as teacher-‐written prompts reflecting material used in class with prompts parallel to those used on the AP exam. Students regularly engage in peer-‐evaluation [C2] following the timed-‐writes as well as reflective analysis of their performance.
Formal Essays and the Recursive Writing Process Students are assigned several major papers over the course of two semesters which address a variety of skills aligned to state standards and AP Central College board objectives (see Course Overview). Each paper emphasizes the recursive writing process: prewriting, outlining, first draft, revision, and publishing. [C2] [C8]
Rhetorical Devices Biweekly, each student in the course will be responsible for teaching a 20 minute presentation to the class on an assigned rhetorical device. The presentation must utilize multimedia, creativity, and various usage examples. [C9] In addition, the student must provide a Google handout for each
member of the class on the rhetorical device project and a quiz for review. All handouts will be placed in a class Google folder to form a study pack for the
AP test in May. A comprehensive test over the terms will occur before the AP exam, as well.
APQ Each Monday, the teacher will post a Multiple-‐Choice question that reflects the Multiple-‐Choice section of the AP exam. Students are responsible for
answering the question. In addition, students must provide textual evidence for WHY the answer is correct, and WHY the other choices are incorrect. Students must formulate their findings into a paragraph response, which is due the following Monday.
[C9] The process will repeat weekly throughout half of the course. The second half of the year, students will complete a weekly online section of AP questions.
Discussion
Students regularly engage in whole class discussion as well as small group work. Elements of effective discussion are practiced early and often in a structured Socratic Forum. [C9] This process involves active listening, cooperative questioning, and verbal and non-‐verbal validation with the opportunity for peer criticism.
DIDLS
Using the acronym DIDLS helps in remembering the basic elements of tone that should be considered when evaluating prose or poetry. Diction, images, details, language, and sentence structure all help to create the author's or speaker's attitude toward the subject and audience. [C9]
Vocabathon
Throughout the year, students will learn the definitions of about 200 root words that regularly appear on the AP Language test. Although this may seem like a daunting task, the list is split into sections of about 35 words. On the last Monday of the month, students need to have the definitions memorized. Using personal studying and the review as a class, students will then compete against one another, as the teacher flashes a vocabulary word on the SMART board. The runner-‐up earns 3 points and the winner will get 5 points. All Vocabathon points are recorded in the 90%, as this is content mastery. All words covered in the first semester may be included on the midterm, and all of the words covered in the second semester may be included on the final exam.
They Say/I Say
Each week, students will select a They Say/I Say assigned book from the class set to take home and read. Students will read the assigned chapter and return the book on the assigned day, depending on class. (Students will have a schedule.) After reading the chapter, students should select ONE of the exercises at the end of that chapter to complete for submission. The class will discuss the chapter and assignment the following Monday. The cycle will repeat every week for 14 chapters. [C3]
