Advanced Placement English Language and CompositionSyllabus

Course DescriptionAdvanced Placement English Language and Composition is a rigorous, college-level course designed to promote intellectual growth and equip students with career-ready and college-level reading and writing skills. The course focuses on developing skilled readers and writers who are able to effectively compose written works in the appropriate modes of discourse including synthesis of research, argumentation, and visual media. Analytical thinking, critical reading and writing, and clear oral and written communication are key aspects of the course. Through the close reading and careful study of a variety of authors’ rhetoric, students will imitate and create written compositions that are focused on a concise and unique thesis statement. Daily practice of grammatical concepts including formal usage, punctuation, and syntax will contribute to a more mature writing style. Methods of instruction include project-based learning, student-led demonstration, Socratic Seminar, dialectical journals, research journals, class discussion, electronic discussion, peer review discussions, writing conferences, and multiple revisions. In addition to requirements and guidelines in the current AP Course Description, the course will adhere to Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts for grades eleven and twelve and will incorporate seminal literary works from American literature. The following instructional objectives for the course are taken from the English Language and Composition Course Description:

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

Apply effective strategies and techniques in modes of discourse. Create and sustain arguments based on readings, research, and/or personal experience. Write for a variety of purposes. Produce expository, analytical, and argumentative compositions that introduce a

complex central idea and develop it with appropriate evidence drawn from primary and/or secondary sources, cogent explanations, and clear transitions.

Demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English as well as stylistic maturity in their writings.

Demonstrate understanding of the conventions of citing primary and secondary sources. Move effectively through the stages of the writing process, with careful attention to

inquiry and research, drafting, revising, editing, and review. Write thoughtfully about their process of composition. Revise a work to make it suitable for a different audience. Analyze image as text. Evaluate and incorporate reference documents into researched papers.

Course Organization, Teaching Methods, and AssignmentsRequired reading, quizzes, essays, dialectical journals, discussions, and investigations are

organized in four nine-week quarters with the culmination of a year-long research project due toward the end of the fourth quarter. Each quarter at least one fiction or nonfiction novel is required out-of-class reading along with short works of nonfiction. Students will analyze texts

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using the rhetorical triangle, rhetorical appeals, and logical fallacies when appropriate. As the class is comprised of juniors, and the district has selected the junior year to focus on American literature, most readings for the course are selected from American literature. Consequently, several of the readings coincide with assigned reading for U.S. History. Students will maintain double-entry dialectical journals to record their observations and analyses of texts, record reflections, and track their development as a critical reader and writer. The dialectical journal is a forum for formal and informal thought and inquiry and is an integral tool for all types of class discussion. To support stylistic and rhetorical analysis, students will use the following task-appropriate strategies:

SOAPS (speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject) SOAPSTone (speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject, tone) DIDLS (diction, imagery, details, language, syntax) OPTIC (nonfiction: overview, parts, title, interrelationships, conclusion) SIFT (symbol, images, figures of speech, tone, theme) TWIST (prompt analysis and thesis statements: tone, word choice, imagery and detail,

style, theme) SMELL (speeches: sender-receiver relationship, message, emotional strategies, logical

strategies, language) TP-CASTT (poetry: title, paraphrase, connotation, attitude, shifts, title, theme)

To help facilitate voluminous reading requirements each quarter, to develop students’ interpersonal skills, and to encourage collaboration and personal accountability, students will form study groups of three to six members. Each student is required to read the assigned novel, but the group will divide equally the shorter readings. When sharing a piece with the group, students compose a précis of the assigned reading and share an analytical entry text from their dialectical journal. To add variety, I periodically pull students out of their study group for a jigsaw reading and also require the study groups to rotate members each quarter.

Grading Guidelines and Testing ProceduresStudents complete formative and summative assessments administered throughout the

fall and spring semesters. Multiple-choice and short answer quizzes and exams are given at regular intervals to assess students’ knowledge of vocabulary and literary concepts. Question formats are multiple-choice, short answer, and some true/false. In addition to paper and pencil formats, quizzes are also delivered via various electronic platforms such as Edmodo, Schoology, and Socrative.com. Students receive formative and descriptive feedback on assessments and are encouraged to rewrite essays; however, quizzes may not be retaken. Expository, analytic, and argumentative essays are graded using rubrics describing content, style, usage, and mechanics as well as rubrics used to score essays for the AP exam. Students will conduct research on a selected topic and synthesize the research into a formal document incorporating MLA citations. The research project is due toward the end of the fourth quarter, but students conduct research throughout the year creating annotated bibliographies in research journals. Dialectical and

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research journals allow students to reflect on their processes. Release tests of former AP exams form the basis for AP exam practice along with items found at MHPracticePlus.com. To receive enhanced credit for the APLAC course, students must take the College Board exam designed for the course. Grades will be assigned using the following designations:

Writing assignments and essay tests: 30% Class work, homework, and quizzes: 20% Socratic Seminars: 20% Dialectical Journal: 20% Research: 10%

During the fourth quarter, the research paper will count as 25% of the overall grade, and the 20% categories will reduce to 15%.

A (90-100%) Descriptors Exceeds standards Engaged fully in all assignments Engages independently in reflective and inferential thinking Contributes regularly to discussions with insightful comments Poses questions to encourage discussion Treats classmates with respect and honors their work and comments Submits excellent assignments on time, including make-up work Submits assignments that are properly documented and contain no plagiarism

B (80-89%) Descriptors Meets or exceeds most standards Engaged competently in most assignments Engages with prompting in reflective and inferential thinking Contributes regularly to discussions with insightful comments Poses questions to encourage discussion Treats classmates with respect and honors their work and comments Submits some high-quality assignments late, including make-up work Submits assignments that are properly documented and contain no plagiarism

C (70-79%) Descriptors Meets most standards Engaged tacitly in most assignments Engages reluctantly in reflective and inferential thinking Contributes infrequently to discussion Poses questions and comments that lack depth Treats classmates with respect and honors their work and comments Submits some good-quality assignments late, including make-up work Submits assignments that are properly documented and contain no plagiarism

D (60-69%) Descriptors Does not meet or refuses to meet several standards Engaged minimally in most assignments

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Engages unwillingly or refuses to engage in reflective and inferential thinking Contributes infrequently to discussion, contributes off-topic comments, or fails to

contribute at all Rarely or never poses questions May make inappropriate or disrespectful comments to classmates Habitually submits low-quality assignments late, including make-up work Submits assignments that are properly documented and contain no plagiarism

F (59% and Below) Descriptors Does not meet or refuses to meet several standards Engaged minimally or refuses to engage in most assignments Engages unwillingly or refuses to engage in reflective and inferential thinking Contributes infrequently to discussion, contributes off-topic comments, or fails to

contribute at all Rarely or never poses questions May make inappropriate or disrespectful comments to classmates Habitually submits unacceptable-quality assignments late, including make-up work Submits assignments that are improperly documented and contain plagiarism

First Quarter: What is freedom? Why do people seek freedom? What is liberty? Why do people seek liberty?

Each week except Week 1 consists of the following: Daily Grammar Practice, literary terms, vocabulary words, assigned readings, dialectical journal, and research. Essay assignments are due every two to three weeks. Dialectical journals are due weekly. Directed research is due as assigned.

Quarter one begins with introductions, icebreakers, expectations (including acceptable use of technology and mobile devices), procedures, syllabus, student-parent letters, MLA citation guidelines, mandated pretests (including a sample AP exam), weekly schedule, classroom environment, gathering supplies, and setting up binders and journals. Students will gather information about rhetoric, rhetorical appeals, the rhetorical triangle, and strategies for literary analysis. The second week of the quarter begins with a review the discovery of America and transitions into assigned reading and writing. Readings: Allegory of the Cave by PlatoIroquois Confederacy (http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/294660/Iroquois-) and Iroquois Constitution (http://tuscaroras.com/pages/history/iroquois_constitution_1.htmlExcerpts from John Smith’s Journals

(http://www.smithtrail.net/captain-john-smith/smiths-journals/)Excerpts from Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford

(http://mith.umd.edu/eada/html/display.php?docs=bradford_history.xml)

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Mary Rowlandson’s Captivity NarrativeExcerpts from William Byrd’s DiaryExcerpts from The History of the Dividing Line by William Byrd

The Crucible by Arthur Miller; read and view The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel HawthorneSinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan EdwardsSalvation by Langston HughesNo Name Woman by Maxine Hong KingstonThe Minister’s Black Veil by Nathaniel HawthorneDeclaration of Sentiments and Resolutions by Elizabeth Cady StantonAin’t I a Woman? by Sojourner Truth

Readings on the Social Contract Theory (http://www.iep.utm.edu/soc-cont/) Common Sense by Thomas PaineThe Crisis by Thomas PaineThe Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson Letter to John Adams by Abigail AdamsWit and Wisdom from Poor Richard’s Almanack by Benjamin Franklin

Research: How does early American literature treat the concepts of freedom and liberty?

Assignments: Daily Grammar Practice Weeks 1-8Vocabulary Unit ILiterary TermsNarrative: Write a narrative that illustrates the concept of either freedom or liberty or both.14 Dialectical journal entries including 3 entries on visual media2 annotated bibliographies with at least two sources for each topic3 Precis3 Socratic circle discussions3 Literary analysis essays with three peer reviews2 Writing conferences with instructorQuizzes on readings, syntax, literary terms, and vocabularyEssay: Compare and contrast the ideas of freedom of and liberty. Reference at least two works you have read to support your thesis. Second Quarter: What is justice? Why do people seek justice?Readings:Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee BrownThe Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

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Abraham Lincoln’s letter to Mrs. Bixby (http://www.civil-war.net/pages/mrs_bixby_letter.asp) When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed by Walt WhitmanO Captain, My Captain by Walt WhitmanCivil War letters, diaries, and battle reports (http://www.civil-war.net/searchlinks.asp?searchlinks=Letters and Diaries) A Worn Path by Eudora WeltyThe Outcasts of Poker Flat by Bret HarteThe Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County by Mark TwainThe War Prayer by Mark TwainThe Lowest Animal by Mark TwainI Will Fight No More Forever by Chief JosephSelected poems by Emily DickinsonExcerpt from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick DouglassDisobedience to Civil Government by Henry David ThoreauWhere I Lived and What I Lived For by Henry David Thoreau

Research: How have the philosophical concepts of realism, transcendentalism, American romanticism, and Darwinism impacted American culture?

Assignments:Daily Grammar Practice Weeks 9-15Vocabulary Unit IILiterary TermsNarrative: Compose a local color narrative.14 Dialectical journal entries including 3 entries on visual media3 Socratic circle discussions3 Precis3 argumentative essays with 3 peer reviews2 annotated bibliographies with at least two sources for each topic2 Writing conferences with instructorQuizzes on readings, syntax, literary terms, and vocabularyEssay: Consider cause/effect relationships connected with justice. What causes justice? What are the effects of justice? Reference at least two works you have read during the second quarter to support your thesis.

Third Quarter: What is isolationism? Why do people seek to isolate themselves? What is imperialism? How does imperialism manifest itself in an individual’s psyche? What is modernism? How did modernism develop? What are the causes of economic diversity in a society and what are its effects?Readings:

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Devil in the White City by Erik LarsonBook Review

(http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/10/books/books-of-the-times-add-a-serial-murderer-to-1893-chicago-s-opulent-overkill.html) Timeline at http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/index.html (view images)World’s Columbian Exposition Review

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1386.htmlGreat Chicago Fire at www.greatchicagofire.orgTriangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefirewww.osha.gov/oas/trianglefactoryfire.htmlwww.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/triangle/player (viewing)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_shirtwaist_factory_fire

The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan PoeThe Philosophy of Composition by Edgar Allan Poe

(http://www.eapoe.org/works/essays/philcomp.htm) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; read novel and view recent movieThe Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins GillmanA Room of One’s Own by Virginia WolfA Jury of Her Peers by Susan GlaspellOnce More to the Lake by E. B. WhiteShooting an Elephant by George OrwellThe Wasteland by T. S. Elliot

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourtA Modest Proposal by Jonathan SwiftLearning to Read and Write by Frederick DouglassLearning to Read by Malcom XThe Joy of Reading and Writing: Superman and Me by Sherman AlexiOn Compassion by Barbara Lazear AscherRegarding the Pain of Others by Susan SontagOn Dumpster Diving by Lars EighnerSelected poems by Robert Frost such as Birches, Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening, Home Burial, and After Apple PickingResearch: How has the advent of industrialism and technology shaped current American culture? How have entitlement programs shaped the current economic condition in America?

Assignments:Daily Grammar Practice Weeks 16-23

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Vocabulary Unit IIILiterary TermsNarrative: Compose a narrative illustrating human struggle.14 Dialectical journal entries including 3 entries on visual media3 Socratic circle discussions3 Precis2 argumentative essays with 2 peer reviews1 synthesis essay with 1 peer review2 annotated bibliographies with at least two sources for each topicResearch conference with instructorQuizzes on readings, syntax, literary terms, and vocabularyEssay: Describe the economic diversity in your current culture. What are the effects of this diversity? OR Describe the connections among isolationism, imperialism, and economic diversity along with causes and effects of their interrelatedness.

Fourth Quarter: How do authors use literature as a platform for promoting personal agendas? How do authors use literature to spawn social and political reform? Readings:In Cold Blood by Truman CapoteThe Imp of the Perverse by Edgar Allan Poe (http://poestories.com/read/imp) The Death of the Moth by Virginia WolfOn Being a Cripple by Nancy MairsOn Morality by Joan DidionThe Ways We Lie by Stephanie Ericsson Seeing by Annie Dillard

The Things They Carried by Tim O’BrienLetter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr.Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space by Brent StaplesHow it Feels to be Colored Me by Zora Neal HurstonThe Obligation to Endure by Rachel CarsonMother Tongue by Amy TanShooting Dad by Sarah Vowell

Research: How do authors use literature to spawn social and political reform?

Assignments:Daily Grammar Practice Weeks 24-30Vocabulary Unit IVLiterary Terms

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Narrative: Compose a narrative illustrating your view of human rights. 14 Dialectical journal entries including 3 entries on visual media3 Socratic circle discussions3 Precis1 analysis essay with 1 peer review1 argument essay with 1 peer reviewResearch conference with instructorQuizzes on readings, syntax, literary terms, and vocabularyResearch Project

Required Materials for StudentsBeers, Kyleen, Odell, Lee. Elements of Literature, Fifth Course.Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and

Winston, 2005. Print.

Burnette, Dawn. Daily Grammar Practice, Grade 12, Second Edition. Blairsville, Georgia: DGP

Publishing, 2003. Print.

Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. New York: Random House, 1965. Print.

Cohen, Samuel. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. 3rd. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2011. Print.

Larson, Erik. The Devil in the White City. New York: Vintage, 2004. Print.

McCourt, Frank. Angela's Ashes. 1st. New York: Scribner, 1999. Print.

Odell, Lee, Richard Vacca, Renee Hobbs, and John E. Warriner. Elements of Language, Sixth

Course. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2005. Print.

Helpful References1. OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/677/01/2. AP Central. http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/Controller.jpf?navid=ap-apcentral3. Precis Writing http://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/precisterm.htm

Teacher Resources

AP Vertical Teams Guide for English, Second Edition. The College Board Pre-AP. 2002. Print.

Copeland, Matt. Socratic Circles: Fostering Critical Thinking in Middle and High Schools.

Portland,Maine: Stenhouse Publishers, 2005. Print.

Great American Short Stories. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1991. Print.

Murphy, Barbara L., Ranking, Estelle M. 5 Steps to a 5: AP English Language, 2012-2013. New

York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.

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

Writing. 2nd. New York: Pearson Longman, Print.

Shea, Renee, Lawrence Scanlon, and Robin Aufses. The Language of Composition: Reading,

Writing, Rhetoric. 2nd. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013. Print.

Images:

http://www.cagle.com/teacher for political cartoons

http://images.google.com for a variety of visual media

References

“Achieving Equity.” College Board. College Board. Web. 4 Apr 2013. <http://professionals.collegeboard.com/k-12/assessment/ap/equity>.

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"English Language and Composition Course Description." AP Central. College Board. Web. 4

Apr 2013. <http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/repository/ap-english-course-

description.pdf>.

Appendix A: Literary TermsFrom 5 Steps to a 5 by Barbara L. Murphy and Estelle M. Rankin, 2012-2013 Edition, McGraw-

Hill

Abstract Ad Hominem Allegory

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AlliterationAnalogyAnecdoteAntecedentAntithesisArgumentAttitudeBalanceCacophonyCharacterColloquialComic ReliefConflictConnective TissueConnotationCumulative SentenceDeductionDenotationDictionDidacticEllipsisEpigraphEthosEuphemismEuphonyExpositionExtended MetaphorFigurative Language

FlashbackFormHyperboleImageImageryInductionInferenceInvectiveIronyLogic Logical fallacyLogosMetaphorMetonymyMonologueMotifNarratorOnomatopoeiaOxymoronPacingParableParodyPathosPedanticPeriodic SentencePersonificationPersuasionPlot

Point of ViewPolemicPunReductio ad AbsurdumRhetoric Rhetorical QuestionSarcasmSatireSettingSimile Stage DirectionsStanzaStructureStyleSummarySyllogismSymbolSynecdocheSyntaxSynthesisThemeThesisToneTransitionUnderstatementVoice

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Appendix B: Tone VocabularyFrom valenciacollege.edu/east/academicsuccess/eap/documents/tonewords.pdf

Positive Tone/Attitude WordsAmiable Consoling Friendly PlayfulAmused Content Happy PleasantAppreciative Dreamy Hopeful Proud

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Authoritative Ecstatic Impassioned RelaxedBenevolent Elated Jovial ReverentBrave Elevated Joyful RomanticCalm Encouraging Jubilant SoothingCheerful Energetic Lighthearted SurprisedCheery Enthusiastic Loving SweetCompassionate Excited Optimistic SympatheticComplimentary Exuberant Passionate VibrantConfident Fanciful Peaceful Whimsical

Negative Tone/Attitude WordsAccusing Choleric Furious QuarrelsomeAggravated Coarse Harsh ShamefulAgitated Cold Haughty SmoothAngry Condemnatory Hateful SnootyApathetic Condescending Hurtful SuperficialArrogant Contradictory Indignant SurlyArtificial Critical Inflammatory TestyAudacious Desperate Insulting ThreateningBelligerent Disappointed Irritated TiredBitter Disgruntled Manipulative UninterestedBoring Disgusted Obnoxious WrathfulBrash Disinterested Outraged

Childish Facetious PassiveHumor-Irony-Sarcasm Tone/Attitude WordsAmused Droll Mock-heroic SardonicBantering Facetious Mocking SatiricBitter Flippant Mock-serious ScornfulCaustic Giddy Patronizing SharpComical Humorous Pompous SillyCondescending Insolent Quizzical TauntingContemptuous Ironic Ribald TeasingCritical Joking Sad WryDisdainful Malicious Sarcastic

Sorrow-Fear-Worry Tone/Attitude WordsAggravated Embarrassed Morose ResignedAgitated Fearful Mournful SadAnxious Foreboding Nervous SeriousApologetic Gloomy Numb SoberApprehensive Grave Ominous SolemnConcerned Hollow Paranoid Somber

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Confused Hopeless Pessimistic StaidDejected Horrific Pitiful UpsetDepressed Horror PoignantDespairing Melancholy RegretfulDisturbed Miserable Remorseful

Neutral Tone/Attitude WordsAdmonitory Dramatic Intimae QuestioningAllusive Earnest Judgmental ReflectiveApathetic Expectant Learned ReminiscentAuthoritative Factual Loud ResignedBaffled Fervent Lyrical RestrainedCallous Formal Matter-of-fact SeductiveCandid Forthright Meditative SentimentalCeremonial Frivolous Nostalgic SeriousClinical Haughty Objective ShockingConsoling Histrionic Obsequious SincereContemplative Humble Patriotic UnemotionalConventional Incredulous Persuasive UrgentDetached Informative Pleading VexedDidactic Inquisitive Pretentious WistfulDisbelieving Instructive Provocative Zealous

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