Advanced Placement

Language and Composition

Syllabus

Course Overview The goal and purpose of AP English Language and Composition is to help students “write

effectively and confidently in their college courses across the curriculum and in their profession

and personal lives.” (The College Board, AP English Course Description, May 2010) The course is

organized according to the requirements and guidelines of the current AP Language and

Composition Course Description.

In this course, students will compose in a variety of forms—narrative, exploratory, expository,

argumentative—and on a variety of subjects from personal experiences to public policies, from

imaginative literature to popular culture. They will examine the expository, analytical, and

argumentative writing that forms the basis of academic and professional communications as

well as on the personal and reflective writing that fosters writing facility in any context.

Students will move beyond such programmatic responses as the five-paragraph essay. Although

such formulaic approaches may provide minimal organization, they often encourage

unnecessary repetition and fail to engage the reader. Students will be encouraged to place their

emphasis on content, purpose, and audience and to allow this focus to guide their organization.

Imitation exercises, journal keeping, collaborative writing, and in-class responses are just some

of the types of assignments students can expect on a daily basis. In addition, students will read

a wide variety of prose styles from many disciplines and historical periods to gain an

understanding of the connections between interpretive skills in reading and writing.

Course Objectives: In the course of the academic year, students will:

Analyze and interpret samples of good writing, identifying and explaining an author’s use of rhetorical strategies and techniques;

Apply effective rhetorical strategies and techniques in their own writing;

Create and sustain arguments based on readings, visual texts, research, and/or personal experience;

Demonstrate mastery of standard written English as well as stylistic maturity in their own writings, using a variety of sentence structures and effective vocabulary;

Produce compositions that introduce a thesis supported with appropriate evidence, cogent commentary, and clear transitions;

Evaluate and incorporate reference documents into researched papers;

Demonstrate understanding of the components of citations, endnotes, and footnotes;

Participate fully in all phases of the writing process for the media review, rhetorical analysis, and researched definition synthesis including prewriting, drafting, peer and student-teacher conferencing, revising, and editing.

Grading System:

Essays 35%: The majority of essays are first written as in-class, 40 minute timed essays and

graded as a first draft on a scale of 1-9 that is contingent upon the AP Language and

Composition scoring rubric. After receiving a preliminary grades, essays are self and/or peer

edited and then rewritten as a separate in-class 40 minute timed assignment. Rough drafts and

editing assignments are counted as daily grades which make up 20% of the students’ overall six

weeks grade. All copies will be kept in a portfolio which will count towards final exam for the

semester.

Essays Scores will be as follows:

Score Rough Draft Grade Final Copy Grade

9 100 100

8 95 90

7 90 85

6 85 80

5 80 70

4 75 65

3 70 60

2 65 55

1 60 50

Tests & Projects 25%: Most tests consist of short answer/essay questions centered around

author’s purpose and thesis/claim, and rhetorical devices and their function in selected novels,

essays, and speeches studied in class. Occasionally, some passages will be new material that the

student will be analyzing for the first time. These passages will come from both the textbook or

past AP Language and Composition exams released on The College Board AP Central website.

Projects will consist of both written and performance based assignments that include visual and

audio components that content to the unit’s theme. Projects may include but are not limited to

prepared Socratic Seminars, character or author portrayals, and formal student taught lessons

on rhetorical elements in selected texts.

Quizzes 20%: Quizzes are primarily to check for reading and basic comprehension of the text.

Quizzes will be multiple-choice and may include questions over grammatical and mechanical

concepts previously reviewed as well as text specific vocabulary. At the end of each unit there

will be a quiz that contains AP aligned vocabulary for reflection and review. This vocabulary quiz

will be either multiple-choice or matching and contain examples of rhetorical devices as the

answer choice.

Daily 20%: Daily assignments encompass a variety of tasks. Some of these tasks involve

individual steps leading to a larger product such as research, drafts, and essay editing. Other

daily tasks consist of grammar reviews, vocabulary exercises, annotations of texts and mind

mapping.

Course Organization The course is organized by themes. (See Syllabus) 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 A logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis A balance of generalization and specific illustrative detail: All students enrolled in AP Language and Composition will be required to:

Write a variety of essays in different contexts for different purposes and audiences;

Work through the various stages of the writing process and be both prompt and diligent in revision;

Do the assigned readings from the texts and other handouts as specified by the instructor;

Be able to recognize, analyze and use various rhetorical devices;

Take periodic quizzes and tests on the various readings and concepts covered;

Work through numerous practice items from past AP exams in preparation for the exam

Take the AP Language and Composition Exam as scheduled;

Actively participate in class discussion and writer’s workshop sessions

Stephen Dunning Small-Group Revision Process

After students have written a first draft, they form small groups of four. Each student brings

four copies of his/her piece to be shared with the group.

Decide on a timer for the group. Each person has 10-15 minutes to share his/her piece.

The first person passes out his/her piece to the group. (S)he reads the piece aloud while the others follow along, annotating questions/concerns/suggestions to help the writer in the revision process.

After the oral reading, the author sits back and listens to the discussion among the other three. The author may not speak but should take notes during this time.

The other three members of the group discuss the piece as if the author were not present. The focus should be on ideas, rather than mechanical issues. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors should be noted on the paper. The discussion should last approximately ten minutes.

The author of the paper should thank the other members of the group when finished and collect all papers.

Repeat this process for all members of the group.

Rhetorical Analysis-Close Reading For each reading assignment students must identify the following:

• 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

Vocabulary Acquisition – Robert Marzano’s Six-Step Process

Step 1: Explain—Provide student-friendly description, explanation, or example of new term.

Step 2: Restate—Ask students to restate description, explanation, or example in their own words.

Step 3: Show—Ask students to construct picture, symbol, or graphic representation of term.

Step 4: Discuss—Engage students periodically in structured vocabulary discussions that help them add to their knowledge of the terms in their vocabulary notebooks.

Step 5: Refine and reflect—Periodically ask students to return to dialectic notebooks to discuss and refine entries.

Step 6: Apply in Learning Games—Involve students periodically in activities that allow them to interact with terms.

Socratic Seminar

A Socratic Seminar is a scholarly discussion of an essential question in which student opinions are

shared, proven, refuted, and refined through dialogue with other students. In classes of more than

fifteen students, the fishbowl format for Socratic seminars should be used. In this format, the teacher or

seminar leader facilitates the discussion. Only half the class, seated in an inner circle, participates in the

discussion at one time. The other half of the class, seated in an outer circle, consists of the students who

act as observers and coaches. Every student's participation is graded. In a Socratic Seminar, participants

seek to answer an essential question and gain deeper understanding of laws, ideas, issues, values,

and/or principles presented in a text or texts through rigorous and thoughtful dialogue.

Steps for Socratic Seminars

Preparation:

Prior to the discussion, the teacher will select an appropriate text. The text must be complex and rich in ideas that promote thinking and discussion. Readings in literature, history, science, math, health, and philosophy or works of art or music may be used.

All students will read the text prior to the discussion.

The teacher will develop the essential or opening question for the discussion. An effective opening question arises from genuine curiosity on the part of the teacher and/or the participants, has no single “right” answer, is framed to generate dialogue leading to greater understanding of the ideas in the text, and can best be answered by reference to the text.

The teacher may share all possible discussion questions with students before the seminar or the teacher may share only one question before the seminar starts, depending on the length of the text, complexity of the discussion question(s) and ideas presented in the text, and the time allotted for the discussion.

Prior to the discussion, the teacher must provide adequate time for all students to record the essential question, develop their answer, and identify support for the answer.

Pre-Conference:

Prior to the seminar, the teacher will determine which students will be inner circle participants and will assign each participant a coach from the outer circle. The teacher should consider students’ thinking, listening, speaking, and reading skills when pairing students.

Just before the seminar each participant and his or her coach will meet for a pre-conference to discuss the participant's goals for the discussion. The teacher may allow a few minutes of informal discussion between participants and their coaches in order to build some confidence in the participant’s ideas before the seminar.

Seminar:

Students sit in one of two circles (inner circle for participants, outer circle for coaches).

Teacher poses the essential or opening question.

The teacher may need to ask follow-up questions to lead the participants to greater understanding of the text.

Students respond to the question orally or in writing.

Teacher facilitates the seminar discussion by guiding students to a deeper and clarified consideration of the ideas of the text, a respect for varying points of view, and adherence to and respect for the seminar process.

Students cite evidence from the text, ask questions, speak, listen, make connections, and add insight or new knowledge to discuss their point of view in regards to the opening question.

Teacher takes notes for evaluative purposes but provides no verbal or nonverbal feedback that either affirms or challenges what the students say. The teacher may ask follow-up questions; however, teacher questions are used sparingly and deliberately.

When satisfied that the opening question has been thoroughly explored, the teacher asks one or more additional questions to examine central points of the text.

Students may pose new questions when the discussion is exhausted. New questions posed must relate to students’ ideas and contributions in response to the initial essential question.

Once the text has been explored thoroughly the teacher may ask a closing question, which is derived from the text but which seeks to have students apply the topic to their own lives or the world.

The teacher will thank students for their participation and summarize the main ideas and concepts examined during the discussion.

Post-Conference:

After the discussion, the coaches provide feedback to the participants to acknowledge their strengths and identify their weaknesses in a post-conference.

The teacher will grade each coach based on his or her written and oral feedback to the participant.

Assessing and Evaluating Student Work in Socratic Seminars

Student participation and understanding may be assessed and evaluated using the following methods:

Rubric to assess student conduct, speaking, reasoning, listening, and/or preparation

Checklist of positive and negative behaviors

Student self-evaluation

Peer evaluation

Fall Semester

August-September

Introduction: AP English Course Description, Class Rules and Procedures, Grading System, AP

Exam, Rhetorical Terms, (Definitions), Rhetorical Modes, and Rhetorical Devices.

Theme/Synthesis Question: Education – To what extent do our schools serve the goals of a true education?

o Anchor Text: Angela’s Ashes ( McCourt) o Linking and Discrepant Texts: “I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read” (Prose),

“Virtual Students, Digital Classroom” (Postman), “Superman and Me” (Alexie), “Best in Class” (Talbot), “A Talk to Teachers” (Baldwin), “School” (Mori)

o Linking Visuals/Audiovisuals: “Spirit of Education” (Rockwell), “Reading at Risk” (National Endowment for the Arts); “Make You Think” (Seinfeld); Freedom Writers (2007) clip

o Perspectives: Six short readings/visuals to scaffold work on synthesis

Assessments:

Test: Definitions of Rhetorical Modes and Devices

Quizzes: Reading and comprehension quizzes given on essays read outside of class.

Daily Assignments: Multiple Choice questions taken from Applied Practice Non-Fiction Texts. Homework assignments on the essays.

o Students will also complete rough and final drafts of timed essays and participate in peer editing sessions via the Stephen Dunning Method.

Journal Entry: Write a short entry (3- 4 paragraphs) in which you describe the primary goals of formal education.

Timed Essay: Students will write a free response synthesis in-class essay on education theme.

Writing Assignment: Write a letter to a future teenage relative, (son, daughter, niece, nephew) explaining to them the importance of formal education through a personal narrative of one of your educational experiences. Keep the narrative dramatic by allowing people and dialogue into your story. Let the story represent the structure and process of becoming “educated” has affected you.

October

Theme: Gender – What is the impact of gender roles that society creates and enforces?

o Anchor Texts: “Fried Green Tomatoes” by Flannie Flagg o Linking and Discrepant Texts: “Why I [Still] Want a Wife?” (Brady) “There Is No

Unmarked Woman” (Tannen) “ About Men” (Ehrlich) “ Being a Man” ( Theroux) “ The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria” (Cofer) “Real Boys” ( Pollack)

o Linking Visuals: Male Nude, Self-Portrait (Schiele), Various commercials with both stereotypical and non-stereotypical gender roles.

o Transgendered Related Issues ( Bruce Jenner, Laverne Cox, RuPaul)

Assessments:

Quizzes: Reading and comprehension quizzes given on essays read outside of class.

Daily Assignments: o Students will complete outlines and rough drafts for peer editing before turning

in their final copy of their research paper. o Students will also complete rough and final drafts of timed essays and

participate in peer editing sessions via the Stephen Dunning Method.

Writing Assignment: Students will write working introductions and thesis statements using a philosophy of gender discussed in one of the anchor texts. Students will attempt to answer a central question.

o Central Question: How does the painting illuminate a particular idea in the anchor text, teaching us something about the human condition? Example: What does Egon Schiele’s Male Nude Self-Portrait illustrate about the constraints of the “gender straightjacket” that William Pollack describes?

Writing Assignment: Students will write a researched argumentative paper based on a gender issue. The paper will incorporate a balance of paraphrasing, summary, and quotations from multiple sources. Students will use these sources to analyze and

synthesize ideas as support for their own argument. Students must use MLA-style citations throughout the paper and include a works cited page.

Timed Essays- Students will write free response argumentative essay on themes closely related to gender.

November-January

Theme: Nature of Man – What are the common traits that are inherent in the nature of man?

o Anchor Texts: Othello (Shakespeare), In Cold Blood (Capote) Excerpts o Linking and Discrepant Texts: “Why We Crave Horror Movies” (King), “Talk TV:

Tuning in to Trouble” (Heaton and Wilson) “ The Metamorphosis” (Kafka)

Assessments:

Quizzes: Reading and comprehension quizzes given on essays read outside of class.

Tests: Definitions of Rhetorical Modes and Devices.

Daily Assignments: Students will be given study questions that follow along with the various chapters/acts of the anchor texts. Questions will be centered on rhetoric, style, theme and purpose.

o Students will also complete rough and final drafts of timed essays and participate in peer editing sessions via the Stephen Dunning Method.

Project Assignment (Othello Press Conference): The project requires the class to be divided into “Characters” & “Reporters”.

o Each “Character” player will have complete paperwork which includes a short biography of the character, analysis of personality traits with textual evidence, and combination of answers from both teacher given ontological questions and “character” created questions.

o Each “Reporter” player will be assigned 2 “Characters” to interview. They will complete paper work which consists of analysis of personality traits of both assigned “characters” with textual evidence, and combination of answers from teacher given ontological questions about their assigned “character. In addition, Reporters must create a number of questions for their assigned characters and propose answers.

o The project will be presented in class over the course of 2-3 days depending on class size. It will be conducted as a panel press conference with characters lined up in front of the anxious reporters. Grades will be given based on paperwork and individual performance.

Timed Essays- Students will write free response rhetorical in-essays over “Nature of Man” and “Nature vs. Nurture”. These essays will be text specific to Othello & In Cold Blood.

Writing Assignment: Students will write an essay over the question of one’s reputation taken from Iago’s monologue in Othello. This essay will be argument, students are to have strong thesis statement and utilize ethos, logos and pathos.

SEMESTER EXAM: THREE PASSAGES,MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS, ONE SYNTHESIS ESSAY. Students

will be allowed to annotate two of the multiple choice passages before the test. One passage as well as

all multiple choice questions will remain unknown until test day.

Spring Semester

January-February

Theme: Race & Culture– How do stereotypes about certain ethic groups affect those groups and society?

o Anchor Texts: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks ( Skloot) o Linking and Discrepant Texts: “The Harmful Myth of Asian Superiority” ( Takaki),

“ Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Spaces” (Staples), “How to Tame a Wild Tongue” (Anzaldua), “No Name Woman” ( Kingston)

o Linking Visuals: Various pictures of the portraits of Kehinde Wiley, Andy Valdivia, and Lenore Chinn.

Assessments:

Quizzes: Reading and comprehension quizzes given on texts read outside of class.

Daily Assignments: Multiple Choice questions for The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks from Applied Practice workbooks.

o Students will also complete rough and final drafts of timed essays and participate in peer editing sessions via the Stephen Dunning Method.

Socratic Seminar Race & Culture: Students will be given Socratic seminar questions three days before the seminar is to commence. These questions will consist of rhetorical analysis based questions as well as ontological questions. On seminar day students will facilitate the discussion with little to no interaction from the teacher. Students are graded on both the paper work turned in and quality of participation and contribution to the seminar.

Timed Essays- Students will write free response rhetorical analysis and argument essays over race and ethnicity. These will be taken from previously released AP Language and Composition exams.

March-April

Theme: Language & Censorship- How does the language we use reveal who we are? How does censorship (or the lack thereof) impact our ability to understand society?

o Anchor Texts: Haroun and the Sea of Stories (Rushdie) o Linking and Discrepant Texts: “ Se Habla Espanol” ( Barrientos) “ Politics & The

English Language” (Orwell), “ The Meanings of a Word” (Naylor) “ Language and Literature from a Pueblo Indian Perspective” (Silko) “The Ways We Lie” (Ericsson)

o Linking Visuals: Spanglish (2004) clip, Kite Runner (2007) clip, The Great Debaters (2007)

o Satire Essay: “ A Modest Proposal” (Swift)

Assessments:

Quizzes: Reading and comprehension quizzes given on texts read outside of class, as well as vocabulary related to the text and AP Language and Composition terminology.

Daily Assignments: Multiple Choice questions for Haroun and the Sea of Stories from Applied Practice workbooks.

o Students will also complete rough and final drafts of timed essays and participate in peer editing sessions via the Stephen Dunning Method.

Writing Assignment: In small groups students analyze and annotate Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” with a special focus on ethos, logos, pathos, audience, purpose, claim and occasion.

Writing Assignment: Students will research various social concerns and create an original “satire” argumentative essay that mirrors Swift’s techniques and rhetorical style in “A Modest Proposal”. Students must create their own solution to a current social concern making sure to incorporate ethos, logos, pathos, audience purpose, claim and occasion.

Timed Essays- Students will write free response rhetorical analysis and argument essays over censorship. These will be taken from previously released AP Language and Composition exams with a special emphasis on those involving speeches.

Mock AP Exam: Students will take a Mock AP Exam along in its entirety to help prepare them for the actual exam in May. The exam will be around 55 multiple-choice questions with 3-5 reading passages that include excerpts from essays and other fiction and non-fiction sources within 60 minutes. They will then write three essays ( synthesis, rhetorical analysis, and argument) within 2 hours and 15 minutes.

April-June

Preparation for the AP Exam in May o Practice MC questions o Deconstructing essay prompts

Theme: Media and Technology – How are advances in technology and media affecting the way we define our health? How have these advances affected Freedom of Speech?

o Anchor Text: “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All American Meal”

Quizzes: Reading and comprehension quizzes given on texts read outside of class.

Daily Assignments:

Linking and Discrepant Texts: “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” (Carr), “Cyberspace: If you don’t love it, leave it.” (Dyson), “The Intimacy of Blogs” ( Snider), “ Sex, Lies and Advertising” (Steinem)

Linking Visuals/Audiovisuals: Various Reality TV clips from current televisions series, Sicko (Moore 2007) Supersize me ( Spurlock 2004) “ I Sing the Body Electric” ( Twilight Zone

Timed Essays: Students will write free response rhetorical analysis, argument and synthesis essays in preparation for AP Exam. Some of these essays will be taken from the anchor text while others will be subject specific.

Writing Assignment: Students will write a 2-3 page essay on a movie of their choice analyzing the technical aspects of the film (specific shots, lighting, camera angles, costumes, makeup, etc.) and relate those aspects to the overall impact or meaning of the film.

Student Resources

Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Knopf, 1992. Print

Brontë, Emily, and Pauline Nestor. Wuthering Heights. London ; New York: Penguin Books, 2003. Print.

Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences.

1st Vintage International ed. New York: Vintage Books, 1994. Print. McCourt, Frank. Angela's Ashes: A Memoir. New York: Scribner, 1996. Print. Rushdie, Salman. Haroun and the Sea of Stories. London: Granta Books in association with

Penguin Books, 1990. Print. Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: Houghton

Mifflin, 2001. Print. Shakespeare, William, and David M Bevington. Othello. Toronto ; New York: Bantam Books,

1988. Print. Shea, Renee H., Laurence Scanson and Robin Dissin Aufses. The Language of Composition.

New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008.

Teacher Resources

Anson, Chris. 75 Readings Across the Curriculum. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

Copeland, Matt. Socratic Circles: Fostering Critical and Creative Thinking in Middle and High School. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers, 2005. Print.

Diyanni, Robert and Pat C. Hoy II. Frames of Mind: A Rhetorical Reader with Occasions for

Writing. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.

Murphy, Barbara L. and Estelle M. Rankin. 5 Steps to a 5: AP English Language. New York:

McGraw-Hill, 2007. Print.

Roskelly, Hephzibah and David A. Joliffe. Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading and

Writing. New York: Pearson Education, Inc., 2009. Print.