AP English Language and Composition Instructor: Jason Flanagan Room 210, A days jason.flanagan@pgcps.org @flanglish Office: 210, 3B 1 COURSE OVERVIEW Students enrolled in AP English Language and Composition read and analyze a range of nonfiction and fiction in order to extend their understanding of language and strengthen their knowledge of rhetoric. This AP English Language and Composition course is designed for eleventh grade students who have demonstrated competency in reading and writing skills. Students will read closely and write regularly, which will strengthen their analytical and composition skills. This course will have an array of readings which will include, but is not limited to, pieces by Henry David Thoreau, E.B. White, Martin Luther King, Jr., Zora Neale Hurston, Shelby Steele, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sherman Alexie, James Baldwin, Amy Tan, Thomas Jefferson, Arthur Miller, Virginia Woolf, and Nancy Mairs. As expressed in the May 2009, May 2010 AP English Course Description, When students read, they should become aware of how stylistic effects are achieved by writers linguistic choices. Since imaginative literature often highlights such stylistic decisions, fiction and poetry clearly can have a place in the AP English Language and Composition course. The main purpose of including such literature is to aid students in understanding rhetorical and linguistic choices, rather than to study literary conventions. With this in mind, the course does have fiction pieces, which will be used to educate students in rhetorical and linguistic choices and strategies. The worlds of nonfiction and fiction may easily co exist within a curriculum because they share many more common elements in regard to analytical techniques and stylistic devices used in both reading and writing. Students frequently discuss their readings and writings in class, in writing conferences, and in the Reading Room. In addition, the students maintain journals in which they reflect upon and answer questions about the readings they have been assigned. Keeping in mind that students must gain as much practice as possible with the various modes of rhetoric in composition, there is an extensive amount of writing which reinforces exposition, argument, and analysis. Moreover, students are expected to revise and rewrite in order to produce high quality work with a minimum of errors. The teacher will provide lessons and feedback for students on writing skills such as organization, sentence structure, coherence, detail, tone, transitions, voice, diction, etc. The students will be expected to use these skills in their writings. Students are expected to acquire and apply sophisticated vocabulary during this course. As the course progresses, so should the students written and oral vocabulary. To assess this, the students will have to perform through writing, quizzes, and tests with vocabulary. Throughout the course, there will be lessons, quizzes, and tests on language and composition such as lessons about annotating text, developing arguments, and using the MLA style. Many of the lessons will use The Bedford Handbook and The Language of Composition. It is important to note that since the course is taught in eleventh grade, which in our school has traditionally been a survey of American Literature, this course has an American Literature focus.
COURSE PLANNER 2 First Quarter: The American Dream The theme of the first quarter focuses on an essential question, What defines the American Dream? We will look into the literary and visual aspects of that definition, which includes stances on freedoms, the economy, and status in this country. We will use fiction and nonfiction pieces with an array of styles of language that show students how language is used as a technique for writers. Although the longer literary works are mostly fiction, most of the shorter literary pieces that will be used in this quarter are non fiction, which creates a balanced approach and diversity to what the students are exposed. The novels will be used as tools to analyze an author s technique and give students access to longer works with which to analyze. Fitzgerald s descriptive language in The Great Gatsby evokes a certain tone and mood, which will differ from the language used in some of the nonfiction pieces. Having the continuity of a theme allows the students to see how different individuals approach the same topic differently, learning about audience, purpose, style, etc. Guided Reading* An Introduction to Rhetoric: Using the Available Means (Chapter 1 The Language of Composition) Close Reading: The Art and Craft of Analysis (Chapter 2 The Language of Composition) The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson ( 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology) Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions by Elizabeth Cady Stanton ( 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology) I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr. ( Readings for Writers) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Independent Reading The Traveling Bra Salesmen s Lessons by Claudia O Keefe ( 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology) The Crisis of National Identity by Samuel P. Huntington ( The Bedford Reader) Culminating Task Writing Focus: Analytical Paper This essay will focus on one of the major writing tasks of the AP Language course. You will be asked to read a text that lays out a distinct argument and provide an analysis of how that writer uses rhetorical strategies to achieve his or her purpose. The essay will focus on an argument presented on the theme of the quarter. Other Tasks Timed Writings Socratic Seminar Discussions Reading Room Syndicated Columnist Précis Papers College Readiness Focus College Search Choosing safe, probable, and reach schools Identifying the type of school you wish to attend Developing a plan for college readiness Create a Common Application account Second Quarter: Identity: Race, Gender and Culture The theme of the second quarter focuses on how we identify ourselves and others. This quarter gives students the opportunity to access speeches, essays, and fictional pieces that are overflowing with rhetorical techniques to analyze, both through the use of the reflective theme of identity and through a cultural context. Studying voice, style, audience, and purpose, the students will be exposed to different types of strategies with the selected pieces. Zora Neale Hurston s Their Eyes Were Watching God uses language in a unique way to challenge and chronicle how relationships form our identity.
3 Guided Reading: Synthesizing Sources: Entering the Conversation (Chapter 3 The Language of Composition) On Being Black and Middle Class by Shelby Steele ( 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology) Aria: Memory of a Bilingual Childhood by Richard Rodriguez ( 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology) Indian Education by Sherman Alexie ( The Bedford Reader) Once More to the Lake by E.B. White ( The Bedford Reader) Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin ( 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology) Social Cesspool Polluting Youth by Laura Schlessinger ( Readings for Writers) Don t Blame the Parents; It s Mainly the Peers by Judith Rich Harris ( Readings for Writers) appropriate selected readings from current events regarding the race and culture theme that show purpose, audience, appeals, and style Independent Reading: How it Feels to be Colored Me by Zora Neale Hurston ( 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology) Only Daughter by Sandra Cisneros ( The Bedford Reader) On Being Cripple by Nancy Mairs ( 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology) Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston Culminating Task Writing Focus: Synthesis Essay This essay will focus on one of the major writing tasks of the AP Language course. You will be asked to review six to eight sources on a similar subject, synthesize information from at least three of the sources, and incorporate it into a coherent, well developed essay that argues a clear position on on an issue related to the topic addressed in the sources. The topic will focus on the theme of the course with some of the sources selected by the students. Other Tasks Timed Writings Socratic Seminar Discussions Reading Room Syndicated Columnist Précis Papers College Readiness Focus SAT/ACT Prep Reviewing types of reading/writing questions on the test Analyzing SAT essay prompts Developing study skills Reviewing College Board s application dates Third Quarter: Ethics This quarter will focus on what we as society consider right and wrong. Time and progress have changed what society considers moral or just, but is there more that needs to be considered? We will explore texts, primarily essays, articles, political cartoons and one novel, that seek to answer that question. Our study will focus on refining our use of rhetorical strategies to make a voice that can be heard outside of the classroom. Ray Bradbury explore our notions of right and wrong in his seminal work Fahrenheit 451. Guided Reading: Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau The Ways We Lie by Stephanie Ericsson ( The Bedford Reader) The Death of the Moth by Virginia Woolf ( 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology) appropriate selected readings from current events regarding the ethics theme that show purpose, audience, appeals, and style
Independent Reading: On Compassion by Barbara Lazear Ascher ( The Bedford Reader) Homeless by Anna Quindlen ( The Bedford Reader) Letter From a Birmingham Jail MLK King inspired by Ghandi who was inspired by Thoreau Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 4 Culminating Task Writing Focus: Argumentative Paper This essay will focus on one of the major writing tasks of the AP Language course. You will be tasked writing an argument on a position related to a topic described in a quote or two. You must draw on your prior knowledge, rhetorical skills, and past texts to support your claim. The topic of your essay will focus on an ethical choice we must make in today s society. Other Tasks Review for the AP test Timed Writings Socratic Seminar Discussions Reading Room Syndicated Columnist Précis Papers College Readiness Focus Financial Aid Review the FASFA form Create an FSA ID Explore scholarships/grant Discuss the financial obligation of college Fourth Quarter: Change The fourth quarter s theme, Change, provides more opportunities to experience different nonfiction pieces which offer a different voice and purpose. What evokes change? How do we create a voice that moves society? We seek to answer those questions. Also during the fourth quarter, students will complete a major project comprised of a major synthesis paper and a digital project element that will be showcased in the AP Language Symposium at High Point High School. Students will work in the workbook 5 Steps to a 5, in order to prepare for the exam in May. Guided Reading: A Modest Proposal, by Jonathan Swift selection from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair student selected text based on their project topic appropriate selected readings from current events regarding the ethics theme that show purpose, audience, appeals, and style Independent Reading: student selected text based on their project topic A Separate Peace by John Knowles Culminating Task /Special Project: Voicing Change This project will be a culmination of all skills learned in the course that will be used to produce and publish a piece of rhetoric. Students will pick a topic where they take a position and defend their stance. They will analyze arguments and use multiple sources to validate their claim through an essay. Then students will produce a digital product (video, website, ad, cartoon, speech, etc.) that supports their position and will be presented during a symposium.
Other Tasks Review for the AP test Timed Writings Socratic Seminar Discussions Reading Room Syndicated Columnist Précis Papers 5 College Readiness Focus Personal Statement Reflect on life experiences Unlock prompts for personal statements Outline and draft a personal statement found on the Common App *texts and assignments are subject to change STUDENT EVALUATION Grading Policy: Assessments (Major Papers, Tests, Quizzes, and Timed Writings) 50% Classwork 40% Homework 10% Major Papers The major papers, as explained in the course planner, are designed to incorporate different forms of writing and on a variety of subjects. Each major paper will go through multiple stages with research, outlines, drafts, and final notes. Before the students begin writing, the teacher will present expectations as well as mini lessons about particular writing issues as they pertain to the whole class. During the outlining and draft stages, the teacher will give feedback to the students on their work in different areas of both composition and language. The final notes are written notes taken by the student during the writing conference with the teacher. This will require self editing by the student, peer editing, and teacher conferences, which include feedback, revisions, and suggestions. During the first stages of the major papers, the teacher will provide feedback on vocabulary, sentence structure, organization, elaboration, and rhetoric. The feedback will be more critical as the course progresses and the student develops. On most major assignments, after the first draft is written by the student, the student and teacher have a writing conference that allows the teacher to explain some of the suggestions, but also allows the student to show how she/he might implement the suggestions. Timed Writings Regular timed writings are used throughout the course to familiarize the students with the process of writing within a time limit. The amount of timed writings and the expectations of the level of analysis and composition skills progress over the course of the year as the students learn and grow as they understand how to analyze and write on a more critical level. The teacher will utilize past AP questions for use as timed writings. Many of the timed writings will reflect either a concept, topic, purpose, etc. that has been recently covered in class to help build students confidence. After the timed writing, the teacher will conduct sessions with the class to talk about the positive parts of the answers and the elements on which the class needs to improve. Response Journals Response Journals are a way for students to reflect on the essays, novels, articles, etc. presented in class. Always prompted, the students answer an insightful question about either the entire piece or elements of the literary piece. Most
importantly, the reflections are meant to gear the students towards critical analysis of the author s rhetoric, style, techniques, etc. The best way to learn as a writer is not only read good writing, but also to reflect on the good and bad of your writing. Reading Room The reading room is an online discussion room, which will allow students to answer questions, pose questions, and discuss thoughts about literary pieces, both fiction and nonfiction. Students will receive grades/points for participating on the site. The teacher will assess the student's ability to work independently and cooperatively to think more critically about speeches, essays, short stories, etc. in regards to composition and language. Columnists Précis Papers The Columnist Précis Papers are designed to address the civic engagement class requirement as well as allowing students a forum in which to discern style, voice, and rhetorical technique at work in current writing. The teacher will assess points for completing 5 short précis papers per quarter. eportfolio Students will create and update an eportfolio website, designed to house their original writing and to apply and demonstrate their visual rhetoric skills. Students will use their eportfolio sites to see and demonstrate their writing growth over the course of the year and to reflect on their learning. Vocabulary Students are expected to learn and use a more rich vocabulary throughout the course of the year. They will be quizzed and tested on these words. They are also expected to use some of them, as appropriate, in their own writing. Grammar There will be grammar quizzes and tests to assess the knowledge of students with grammar. Since the course demands the use of appropriate English, the students must be held accountable for knowing that content. COURSE WEBSITE You will be required to join the Google Classroom for this course. On this site, you will daily agendas, assignments, resources, and other interactive experiences to help encourage and increase your reading and writing skills. All major writing assignments and most writing tasks, including the précis papers, will be turned in on Google Classroom. There will also be assessments found on the site. Not only will there be an opportunity during most classes to use Chromebooks for assignments, but there will also be times after school to use computers. In a college setting, you are expected to complete work digitally; therefore, we will try to meet the same expectation. PLAGIARISM Plagiarism is when you use someone else s work or ideas and present them as your own. Plagiarism includes copying from the Internet, from other students, from any other source, and believe it or not from your previous work. Yes, you can 6
plagiarize yourself, and it is unacceptable. If students are using research in composition, sources must be properly cited using MLA format. Plagiarism also includes paraphrasing that isn t cited. We will discuss plagiarism in depth this year. Please note that any student caught cheating or plagiarizing will have their work scored 0 and have their parent and administrator notified as per the PGCPS Student Code of Conduct. 7 CLASSROOM POLICY Participation It is mandatory that each student participates in both verbal and non verbal ways as college courses often make it part of the course grade. Students are expected to participate in small group discussions, whole group discussions, group projects, and presentations. Behavior Given the nature of the class, there is an expected level of maturity students should possess. Nevertheless, be mindful of the Five Expectations of Room 210: be respectful, be responsible, be prepared, be industrious, and be a passing member of the class. If you have to be reminded of basic norms of a classroom, you should reconsider your decision to take a college level course. Attendance You must be present at every class save for the most severe of emergencies, such as illness, death, or extreme weather conditions. In college, there are no yellow slips, and missing class will affect your grade. You need to be present in order to maximize your instruction and opportunity to collaborate with the instructor and your peers. If you re an athlete, you are excused from class but not from the work. The word student is first your title of student athlete; therefore, that should be your priority. If you are absent, you get as many excused days to complete your work. For example, if you missed Monday, then Wednesday is your make up day, and Friday is your due date. It is the student s responsibility to check Google Classroom for the work that was missed. If you unsure of your work after you have checked Google Classroom, then contact me for more information. Late work Assignments are due on their assigned day. Late work that is not excused will be accepted the next class period at a 50 percent reduction. Anything after that, no points rewarded. Please keep in mind that many college courses will not accept late work at all. Stick to the deadlies and you ll be fine.
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SYLLABUS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM 9 The works that students will read in this class reflect historical and modern viewpoints on various and relevant issues. Some texts and discussions might be seen as controversial or contrary to long held beliefs, but the goals of this course require you learn to analyze, evaluate, and argue these very same issues. The purpose of a literary work is not to please, but to make the reader think; not to affirm the reader s beliefs, but rather to challenge them, so that they might be affirmed or rejected (pulled from various AP syllabi). No thought or response in the realm of permissible free speech will be stifled, nor will any disrespectful attitudes toward that speech be allowed. Focus on the rhetoric rather than personal emotions connected to texts and ideas. In a college environment, you are expected to listen and respectfully react to opposing ideas. If this is problematic for you, please see me and we ll find a remedy. After reading the syllabus and examining the policies, expectations, and contents of the course, please complete the section below stating that you have read and understood this document and the requirements for this course. Keep the syllabus and return this page for a homework assignment. STUDENT SECTION Name Period Signature Date Questions, concerns regarding the course: PARENTS SECTION Name Phone: (cell, home, work) Email (please write clearly Signature Date Anything you want me to know about your child