AP English Language and Composition
Mrs. Oualline 2011-2012
Course Overview: “An AP® course in English Language and Composition engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of rhetorical contexts, and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Both their writing and their reading should make students aware of the interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and subjects as well as the way generic conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing.” -College Board, 2008 AP English Language and Composition is a college-level course with college-level expectations. Students in this course will read and carefully analyze a broad and challenging range of prose selections, deepening their awareness of rhetoric and how language works. Through close reading and frequent writing, students develop their ability to work with language and text with a greater awareness of purpose and strategy while strengthening their own composing abilities. Course readings feature expository, analytical, narrative, and argumentative texts from a variety of authors and historical contexts. Because our students live in a highly visual world, we also study the rhetoric of visual media such as photographs, films, advertisements, comic strips, and music videos. Students will examine and work with essays, letters, speeches, images, and imaginative literature, but the focus of reading will be nonfiction. Because this is a college-level course, performance expectations are appropriately high and the workload is challenging. Students are expected to commit to a minimum of five hours of course work per week outside of class. Often, this work involves long-term writing and reading assignments, so effective time management is important. Because of the demanding curriculum, students must bring to the course sufficient command of mechanical conventions and an ability to read and discuss an author’s style.
Grading System:
Essays (30%) – Every six weeks you will write at least one major essay that focuses on developing your writing skills through multiple drafts. Formal essays will be workshopped in class and you will receive feedback from me at various stages in the drafting, revising, and editing of your essays. Exams (30%) – You will have at least one major unit exam each six weeks grading period. These exams will include AP-style multiple choice and free response questions. Quizzes and Class Writing (25%) – Reading quizzes will be used to assess your growth as an analytical reader. Vocabulary quizzes will gauge your development in vocabulary acquisition with a focus on your ability to use words in context. In-class essays focus on honing your writing skills in a timed setting. You will also have informal journal writing to explore your thoughts about literature and writing strategies. Daily Assignments (15%) – Daily warm ups, writing workshops and peer reviews, contributions to the class discussion board, and other class activities are consider daily assignments.
Textbooks: Hacker, Diana. A Writer’s Reference, 6th ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. Shea, Renee H., Lawrence Scanlon, and Robin Dissin Aufses. The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. Wilhelm, Jeffrey D., et.al. Texas Treasures: American Literature. Columbus, OH: The McGraw-Hill Company, 2011. 1|Page
Unit One: Analysis, Part One (6 weeks) Overview:
Style Analysis: Throughout the six weeks, students will be honing their analytical skills. We will discuss the various types of analysis and learn the process for constructing an AP Analysis. In literature, we will be looking at Tone and Theme. We will also have daily warm ups (journals, diction practice, quote reflection) and 50 vocabulary words.
Readings:
The Language of Composition, Chapter 1-2 “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Writing:
Formal Essay – Students will choose a topic and write a formal essay (constructed outside of class). Essay options include topics on The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible. This essay will be workshopped in class. Timed Writing – Students will complete two AP timed writing essays (Style Analysis).
Projects:
Keeping Up with Controversial Current Events – Each six weeks, students will locate an editorial written by a writer from a credible newspaper or magazine (see my approved list). The article must be published during the six weeks period and deal with a controversial issue. Students will complete two assignments that focus on identifying and analyzing the Rhetorical Appeals and Strategies employed by editorial writers.
The Scarlet Letter Exam on the First Day of School Terminology Exam – Students will take an exam testing their understanding of AP terminology Unit Exam – AP format with multiple choice questions and one free response question (analysis)
Exams:
Unit Two: Argumentation (6 weeks) Overview:
Argumentation: Students will be introduced argumentation during the six weeks. We will take an in-depth look at some of the most powerful speeches in history. We will also have daily warm ups (journals, syntax practice, quote reflection) and 50 vocabulary words.
Readings:
Everything’s an Argument, selected readings “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry “Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jefferson “Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln “The American Scholar” by Ralph Waldo Emerson “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Timed Writing – AP Argumentation Essay (2)
Writing: Projects:
Keeping Up with Controversial Current Events – Each six weeks, students will locate an editorial written by a writer from a credible newspaper or magazine (see my approved list). The article must be published during the six weeks period and deal with a controversial issue. Students will complete two assignments that focus on identifying and analyzing the Rhetorical Appeals and Strategies employed by editorial writers.
Unit Exam – AP format with multiple choice questions and one free response question (argument)
Exam: 2|Page
Unit Three: Synthesizing Sources (6 weeks) Overview:
Synthesis: The focus of this unit is learning to synthesize sources effectively. In literature, we will be taking a look at allusions and symbols. We will also have daily warm ups (journals, detail practice, quote reflection) and 50 vocabulary words.
The Language of Composition, Chapter 3 “The Minister’s Black Veil” by Nathaniel Hawthorne “The Devil and Tom Walker” by Washington Irving “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” by Ambrose Bierce Billy Budd by Herman Melville
Formal Essay – Students will write an essay (from a selected topic) on Billy Budd. This essay will be workshopped in class. Timed Writing – Students will practice the AP Synthesis essay in a timed setting.
Readings:
Writing:
Projects:
Keeping Up with Controversial Current Events – Each six weeks, students will locate an editorial written by a writer from a credible newspaper or magazine (see my approved list). The article must be published during the six weeks period and deal with a controversial issue. Students will complete two assignments that focus on identifying and analyzing the Rhetorical Appeals and Strategies employed by editorial writers.
Exam:
Unit Exam – AP format with multiple choice questions and one free response question (synthesis)
Unit Four: Analysis, Part Two (6 weeks) Overview:
Style Analysis: Students will continue developing analytical skills. In literature, we will be focusing on the use of imagery. Students will begin their College Research Project at the end of this six weeks. We will also have daily warm ups (journals, imagery practice, quote reflection) and 50 vocabulary words.
The Language of Composition, selected readings “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner “Sonny’s Blues” by James Baldwin “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Formal Essay – Students will write an essay (from a selected topic) on The Great Gatsby Timed Writing – Students will practice timed writing for analysis.
Readings:
Writing:
Projects:
Keeping Up with Controversial Current Events – Each six weeks, students will locate an editorial written by a writer from a credible newspaper or magazine (see my approved list). The article must be published during the six weeks period and deal with a controversial issue. College Research Project – Students will begin a semester-long college research project. A timeline and specific details will be handed out toward the end of the six weeks.
Exam:
Semester Exam – AP format with multiple choice questions and 2 free response questions
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Unit Five: AP Multiple Choice (6 weeks) Overview:
AP Multiple Choice: Though students have been practicing passages of AP multiple choice throughout the year, we will spend much of this six weeks focusing on close reading and answering AP style questions. In literature, we will be focusing on tone and theme. We will also have daily warm ups (journals, tone practice, quote reflection) and 50 vocabulary words.
Readings:
The Language of Composition, selected readings “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” by Flannery O’Connor “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” by Ursula Le Guin Outside Reading – select from a list of contemporary novels
Writing:
Timed Writing – Students will practice timed writing for Argumentation and Synthesis
Keeping Up with Controversial Current Events – Each six weeks, students will locate an editorial written by a writer from a credible newspaper or magazine (see my approved list). College Research Project – Students will continue working on their College Research Project. During this six weeks, we will have one week of Research Time in the library.
Projects:
Exam:
Unit Exam – AP format with multiple choice questions and one free response question (argument)
Unit Six: Looking Ahead (6 weeks) Overview:
In this final six weeks, we will making a push toward the AP Exam date. Much of our time will be dedicated to timed writings and practice multiple choice selections. We will also have daily warm ups (journals, quote reflection) and 50 vocabulary words.
The Language of Composition, selected readings Othello by William Shakespeare
Timed Essays – Students will practice timed essays in analysis, argumentation, and synthesis
Keeping Up with Controversial Current Events – Each six weeks, students will locate an editorial written by a writer from a credible newspaper or magazine (see my approved list). The article must be published during the six weeks period and deal with a controversial issue. College Research Project – The final product of the college research project will be due in the middle of this six weeks period. Students will present their project in class.
Readings:
Writing: Projects:
Exam:
Unit Exam – AP Format with multiple choice questions and one free response question (analysis)
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Scoring Rubric for Formal Essays 9
Essays earning a score of 9 meet the criteria for 8 papers and, in addition, are especially full or apt in their analysis or demonstrate particularly impressive control of language. The 9 essay is virtually error free.
8
Essays earning a score of 8 effectively respond to the prompt. They refer to the passage explicitly or implicitly and explain the function of specific strategies. Their prose demonstrates an ability to control a wide range of the elements of effective writing but is not flawless. The thesis is fully explored and proved through the 8 essay.
7
Essays earning a score of 7 fit the description of 6 essays but provide a more complete analysis or demonstrate a more mature prose style.
6
Essays earning a score of 6 adequately respond to the prompt. They refer to the passage, explicitly or implicitly, but their discussion is more limited. The writing may contain lapses in diction or syntax, but generally the prose is clear and the thesis is supported.
5
Essays earning a score of 5 analyze the strategies, but they may provide uneven or inconsistent analysis. They may treat the prompt in a superficial way or demonstrate a limited understanding of the prompt. While the writing may contain lapses in diction or syntax, it usually conveys ideas adequately.
4
Essays earning a score of 4 respond to the prompt inadequately. They may misrepresent the author's position, analyze the strategies inaccurately, or offer little discussion of specific strategies. The prose generally conveys the writer's ideas but may suggest immature control of writing.
3
Essays earning a score of 3 meet the criteria of the score of 4 but are less perceptive about the prompt or less consistent in controlling the elements of writing.
2
Essays earning a score of 2 demonstrate little success in responding to the prompt. These essays may offer vague generalizations, substitute simpler tasks such as summarizing the passage, or simply list techniques. The prose often demonstrates consistent weaknesses in writing.
1
Essays earning a score of 1 meet the criteria for the score of 2 but are undeveloped, especially simplistic in discussion, or weak in their control of language.
0
Indicates an on-topic response that receives no credit such as one that merely repeats the prompt or one that is completely off topic or missed the point entirely. For 100-Point Scale Grading Scale 9 = 95-98
4 = 65-69
8 = 88-94
3 = 60-64
7 = 80-87
2 = 55-59
6 = 75-79
1 = 50-54
5 = 70-74
0 = Below 50
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Additional Resources: Cohen, Samuel S., ed. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2007. Print. Dean, Nancy. Voice Lessons: Classroom Activities to Teach Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, and Tone. Gainesville, FL: Maupin House, 2000. Print. Grammar and Composition Handbook. New York, N.Y.: Glencoe McGraw-Hill, 2002. Print. Lunsford, Andrea A., John J. Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters. Everything's an Argument: with Readings. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. Print. McKinney, Mary Jane, ed. The Grammardog Guide to To Kill a Mockingbird. Dallas, TX: Janco, 2005. Print. McKinney, Mary Jane, ed. The Grammardog Guide to The Scarlet Letter. Dallas, TX: Janco, 2005. Print. Rosa, Alfred F., and Paul A. Eschholz. Models for Writers. 9th ed. New York, NY: Bedford/St. Martins, 2007. Print.
Audio/Visual Resources: Music Video (via YouTube.com) for “Not Ready to Make Nice” by The Dixie Chicks Documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” by Al Gore and Davis Guggenheim Documentary “Supersize Me” by Morgan Spurlock Audio Clip “Fortunate Son” by Credence Clearwater Revival Audio Clip “Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag” by Country Joe and the Fish Audio Clip “American Idiot” by Greenday Audio Clip “Waiting on the World to Change” by John Mayer Audio Clip “Me Against the World” by Tupac Shakur
Websites: The College Board – the official website for AP courses http://www.apcentral.collegeboard.com/ AP Strategies – a source for vocabulary for AP classes http://www.apstrategies.org/ The Living Room Candidate – all of the Presidential campaign ads for TV http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/ Cagle – a source for political cartoons http://cagle.com/
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