Pre-AP English 1-2 Mrs. Kimberly Cloud cloud.k@monet.k12.ca.us Career Tech & Global Studies Room N-201 Course Description: This pre-university course is designed for highly motivated students performing at or above grade level in language arts. The curriculum supports the California Language Arts Content Standards and is geared for students who plan to attend a four-year college or university immediately after high school graduation. This course requires students to read extensively from district-approved and advanced placement literature lists, to meet or exceed content area standards in writing, to work independently, and to demonstrate higher-level critical thinking skills in their written and oral work. The focus of the course is critical analysis in preparation for the international AP English Language and Literature Composition courses in the junior and senior years. (Pre-AP Advanced Placement Course Description, English, Board Approved April 2005) Texts (will be obtained from the library no purchase necessary). Curriculum online through Study Sync. Supplemental materials will be used. Main novels to be read are below. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee Iliad and The Odyssey, Homer The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare Outside reading assignments (3 assigned) In addition to these novels, various poems, short stories, and non-fiction work will be brought to class. In this course students will: Improve close reading and analytical strategies Stretch their imaginative abilities in reaction to literature Improve their ability to find and explain (through discussion and writing) what is of value in literature Revisit the purposes and strategies of rhetoric in order to develop an effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure Improve organization in writing through techniques to improve coherence Effectively state, support and explain their claims in their arguments Advance vocabulary skills to cope with unfamiliar language Advance grammatical conventions to enhance writing and speaking Writing: (major writing styles to be covered) Literary Response and Analysis Business Letter Persuasion Fictional or Biographical narrative Exposition Research Paper Both in-class and out of class writing assignments, either in small portions to cover a key concept or the full essay required. Academic Grading: All work will be given a point value---points will be totaled to determine quarter and semester grade: A= 100% - 90%, B = 89% - 80%, C = 79% - 70, D = 69% - 60%, F= 59% - 0% Homework will be graded on completion (unless otherwise stated) and given a point value of 0-5 (points will then be doubled) Writing and projects will be graded for completion, accuracy, correct grammatical usage.
Extra Credit: One main assignment accepted. Worth 25 points. Details will be given to students at the start of school. Other miscellaneous extra credit assignment opportunities given throughout the year. Attendance: If a student is absent, it is his/her responsibility to make up any missing work within one class period or it results in a zero grade. This is a Pre-AP course and expectations are high. Assignments must be turned in when they are due. Late assignments will not be accepted. Homework: Homework is assigned nearly every night. It is graded for completion and worth ten points. Examples: If assignment is completed, student receives 10 points. If assignment is missing a few answers or not thorough answers, the student may receive 6/10. We review homework assignments in class. Students are able to make changes to their assignment to help them learn and study for any upcoming tests. Absolutely no late homework accepted. In addition to individual practice, group practice, writing, and projects, class discussions are a primary way in which students come to understand a particular text. Class discussions are counted as overall participation points. Some class discussions are graded for specifics and scored that day. If you have any questions about the course, please email the instructor at the above email. I look forward to a wonderful year.
Pre-AP English 1-2 Summer Reading Assignment Mrs. Kimberly Cloud cloud.k@monet.k12.ca.us Career Tech & Global Studies Room N-201 Dear Parents and Students: Welcome to Gregori High School and our Advanced Placement program. This course will give you the foundation to be successful all four years in English. I have assigned one novel for your summer reading: To Kill a Mockingbird. The book is a classic. It brilliantly tells a story of a town living in the 1930 s. Enjoy! You may check out the novel To Kill a Mockingbird at Gregori High School during the month of June. You may want to call to verify library hours (209) 492-2410 or duffy.h@monet.k12.ca.us Two assignments: 1. Make a double entry journal (typed please). 50 Entries Required. 50 points. If you reach 50 annotations three quarters of the way into the book, you are still required to annotate the remaining last portion of the book. You will be looking for two different references while you read and discussing the effect and significance it has to the novel. 1) References that deal with race (racism, segregation, etc.) 2) Historical references references that allude to real life past events, situations, or people. Left side contains quotes, passages, phrases, lines, even single words taken directly from the novel. State the page number. Right side contains your comments about its significance to the novel. Do not list vocabulary words on the left with the definitions on the right. If words are chosen, it still needs to connect to the two references outlined above. Do not state your personal experiences on the comments side nor that you liked or disliked this part. We will explore that as well. First, study the novel. An example double entry journal is attached; however, this does not cover references with race or historical references. It merely shows you the depth in which you need to comment. 2. Character s personality Essay. 50 points Analyze the moral compass of a chosen character from the novel. Make sure you incorporate characterization. This is a formal essay in language and form that should include an introduction, minimum of two body paragraphs complete with quotes from book and citations, and a conclusion Summer Assignment is due Wednesday, August 16, 2017 by 4:00 P.M. submitted to Schoology as well as a hard copy to me. Without exception! Be prepared! TEST covering the novel s storyline will be the first block day! Again, welcome to Gregori and to your high school experience. If you have questions during the summer, you may email Mrs. Cloud at the above email. I do not check my email daily, so please do not be alarmed or offended if I have not responded immediately.
Mrs. Cloud Pre-AP English ½ Summer Homework Example Exactly what does a Dialectical Journal look like? SAMPLE: (from All Quiet on the Western Front by a student) His features have become uncertain and faint, like a photographic plate from which two pictures have been taken. Even his voice sounds like ashes. Kantorek would say that we stood on the threshold of life. And so it would seem. We had as yet taken no root. The war swept us away. For the others, the older men, it is but an interruption. They are able to think beyond it. We, however, have been gripped by it and do not know what the end may be. We know only that in some strange and melancholy way we have become a waste land. All the same, we are not often sad. Earth! Earth! Earth! Earth with thy folds, and hollows, and holes, into which a man may fling himself and crouch down. In the spasm of terror, under the hailing of annihilation, in the bellowing death of the explosions, O Earth, thou grantest us the great resisting surge of new-won life. Our being almost utterly carried away by the fury of the storm streams back through our hands from thee, and we, thy redeemed ones, bury ourselves in thee, and through the long minutes in a mute agony of hope bite into thee with our lips! Then we change our posy and lie down again to play cards. We know how to do that: to play cards, to swear, and to fight. Not much for twenty years; - and yet too much for twenty years. 14-15 I love this analogy where Paul is speaking about Kemmerich as he lay dying. In photography, long before film or digital, silver plates were used to capture pictures. Of course, the exposure time was much longer. The description here refers to a plate that is double exposed and, therefore, blurred. Such a beautifully vivid description. 20 Paul s beautifully poetic discussion of life and circumstance are intoxicating. His insight and depth are impressive for a young man of 20. Even though the war has aged him far beyond his few years, his mature perspective is still extraordinary. 55-56 There is so much to say about this passage. First of all, it is an apostrophe the Earth is personified and addressed as if it were a living, breathing being capable of understanding and responding. There is also both polysyndeton and asyndeton effectively used in this passage to add weight and urgency to this moment. The passage breaks from the style of the rest of the novel. Paul s language seems almost like a traditional prayer spoken King James language. In a way, Paul is praying to the Earth to protect him as if the Earth were a deity (perhaps Demeter from Greek mythology). 89 Yet another of Paul s beautiful insights into the soul of a young soldier. I wonder how many millions of young men have felt the same things that Remarque craftily describes in this book. So many young men pawn their lives to the government at eighteen only to never have those lives returned to them. Their lives stop at eighteen and, even if they survive, they have not had enough life experience for the sum of their years. And yet, they have experienced far more than a person of any age ever should.
Pre-AP English ½ Summer Assignment Grading Rubric Mrs. Kimberly Cloud cloud.k@monet.k12.ca.us Career Tech & Global Studies Room N-201 Grading Rubric for Dialectical Journals 45-50 Complete Covers the book thoroughly. Contains entries from beginning to the end of the novel. Contains 45-50 entries. Comments Insightful comments; demonstrates understanding beyond the literal or the expected; makes a connection with the writing or characters; provides a unique perspective. 40-44 Complete Covers the book well. Contains 40-44 entires. Comments Reflects some depth of thought; understands and appreciates the meaning of the passages; makes some connection with the writing or characters; provides an authentic or original perspective. 35-39 Complete Covers the book adequately. Does not have entries from various parts of the novel. Contains 35-39 entries. Comments Superficial, with little evidence of depth of thought; questions meaning without searching for an answer; demonstrates little connection with writing or characters; provides only generic or literal understanding. 30-34 Incomplete Covers the book inadequately (not enough entries). 30-34 entries. Comments Superficial, showing little evidence of thought; makes little or no connection with writing or characters; demonstrates literal understanding at best; comments contain only summary and no analysis. Below 29 Student turned something in, but the assignment meets few, if any, requirements. Less than 29 entries.
Rhetorical Scoring Guide Score Points 6 5 4 3 2 1 Achievement: (criteria) Exceptional (clearly superior) Commendable (effective paper) Competent (competent paper) Moderate Evidence (Less effective paper) Little Evidence (Unsatisfactory paper) Inadequate Evidence (severe difficulties) General Impression Immediately engaging: mature voice; compelling development Engaging; strong voice, welldeveloped Communicates clearly; information stated; general language Lacks clarity & development; exhibits some deficiency in written language Serious weaknesses; inadequate response Severe difficulties with writing standard English; inadequate response Response to Prompt Accurate understanding of prompt & fully answers the prompt Accurate understanding of prompt Adequate understanding of prompt May stray from prompt but is generally on topic May stay from prompt May stray from or barely touch prompt Organization Evidence and flow smoothly among paragraphs; clearly unpacked Evidence and flow accurately but may a lapse in focus May be formulaic States major idea with inadequate or questionable logic Distorts topic; lacks organization and development; may include irrelevant details May misunderstand topic; lacks focus Evidence (unpack), Commentary Provides a plethora of evidence to support thesis; unpacks clearly; provides sufficient 2:1 Provides plenty of evidence to support thesis; unpacks briefly; provides some 2:1 Provides evidence; unpacks adequately; provides Provides little evidence; minimal unpacking; minimal Provides little to no evidence; no unpacking; little to no Evidence Style/Strategies sophisticated and varied sentences; sophisticated & academic vocabulary and transitions; creative Sentences vary minimally; appropriate vocabulary; smooth transitions; varies Generalized vocabulary; adequate sentences Vocabulary too generalized; relies on simple sentences; lacks balance among rhetorical elements Simple vocabulary often misused; connects sentences with and or subordinate; no sentence variety or Often incoherent
writing approach sentence structure transition; enough errors in sentences structure to obscure meaning