Course Syllabus AP English - Language and Composition

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition engages students in the practice of reading a variety of texts with the purpose of performing rhetorical and argumentative analysis. This full year course is composed of three distinct sections, each preparing the student to pass the AP test in the spring. Be assured, this is not just a test prep course; we will also examine many of the seminal works from American Literature. One might say that this is a class that focuses on the nuances of rhetorical analysis with an American Literature theme. While our larger goal is to develop analytical readers and cogent writers, there are several specific goals for this course as well:

AP Language Goals: (The following are representative of the course requirements

set by the College Board) 1. Learn to write in several forms (narrative, analytical, persuasive), about a variety of subjects (canonical texts, pop culture, personal experiences, and so on) and through several writing stages (pre writing, drafting, peer editing, conferencing, revising). Students will write several timed essays and well as processed drafts. 2. Learn to read non-fiction and fiction through a rhetorical lens. Students will engage in an analysis of style, authorial intent, and rhetorical strategy. Students will learn to identify and evaluate a variety of argumentative techniques used by authors and speakers. 3. Learn to analyze and evaluate images as texts. Students will engage in projects which require application of the rhetorical, analytical skills they learned reading prose fiction and non-fiction to pictures and advertisements. 4. Learn to use MLA citation in the process of writing a formal research paper. In the process of writing a major research paper, students will learn to develop valid research questions and sub questions, evaluate research materials for validity, construct an annotated bibliography, cite texts appropriately, and paraphrase accurately.

Course Specifics: Quarter One: Argumentation

Overview: During quarter one, we will lay the foundation for things to come. Students will understand what it means to make a sound argument by learning several argumentative types including: Argument by analogy, cause and effect, definition, personal anecdote, and acknowledgment and response. The Bedford Reader will be the primary text used through out quarters one and two. Additional readings will also be used including The Declaration of

Independence, Nation of Dreamers, Shooting an Elephant, Battle of the Ants, Letter from Birmingham Jail, and Thinking as a Hobby. At the end of the quarter students will be asked to apply what they have learned about argumentation to hypothetical Ethical Dilemmas. This unit will culminate in a debate. Students will write and revise four timed essays Released AP Language prompts will be used. Students will have the opportunity to work through several released AP Language Multiple Choice passages. Initially this work will be done in small groups as students become accustomed to the difficulty and rigor of the questions.

Activities: Writing: As the quarter begins, students will work through several rubrics related to released AP Exams. A good deal of time will be devoted to acclimating the students to the requirements of AP writing (specifically given an argumentative prompt) and well as the nature of holistic grading. Students will work in small groups and individually learning effective strategies for constructing cogent, full arguments in a timed setting. Students will write four timed essays, receive instructor feedback, and then revise the essay. Students should consider all timed essays first drafts of processed essays. Reading: While reading selections from the Bedford Reader, students will be asked to focus on the construction, exigency, and intent of the argument. These will be the primary focus for discussion and assessment during quarter one. Speaking and Listening: Students are expected to participate in large group as well as small group discussions. During first quarter students will be grouped randomly when practicing AP style multiple choice exams. The function of the group is to create a space for dialogue to occur. Students must come to consensus regarding the answers to the multiple choice exams. While lecture is a mode of instruction that will be utilized in this course, open dialogue will be primary. We value the ability to speak ones point and use opposing points of view to develop counter arguments. Primary Text(s): The Bedford Reader 9th edition ISBN # 978-0312433178

Quarter Two: Rhetorical Strategies

Overview: During quarter two, we will progress from learning about argumentation to learning the specific ways that authors, speakers, and communities use rhetoric to achieve a specified goal. Students will understand Aristotelian appeals and begin to develop a bank of terms they might use when discussing the persuasive value of a document or artifact. The Bedford Reader will be the primary text used through out quarter two. Major readings will include: Lincolns Second Inaugural Address, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, On Going Home, Summer Beyond Wish, The Way to Rainy Mountain, Education by Poetry, The Grass isnt always Greener, Just the Money, The Nature of Symbolic Language, and Laughter. Students will begin to engage visual texts this quarter with the Where in the World Project Students will write and revise four timed essays Released AP Language prompts will be used as well as some developed based on the reading from the Bedford Reader. Students will also practice writing and answering their own questions this quarter. Students will have the opportunity to work through several released AP Language Multiple Choice passages. The work continues to be done in small groups, yet students have the opportunity to object to the line of argument of their groups and answer all questions on their own. Students will have the opportunity to practice writing their own Multiple Choice questions now that they have begun to internalize APs style of question writing. At the end of the quarter students will begin reading works of American Drama. They will be asked to apply their knowledge of an authors use of Rhetorical Strategies to the plays they read. Activities: Writing: As the quarter begins, students will work through several rubrics related to released AP Exams. A good deal of time will be devoted to acclimating the students to the requirements of AP writing (specifically given an argumentative prompt) and well as the nature of holistic grading. Students will work in small groups and individually developing a language for addressing the function of language in a text. Students will write four timed essays, receive instructor feedback, and then revise the essay. Students should consider all timed essays first drafts of processed essays. The final essay will be an assessment of one of the plays the student read. Reading: While reading selections from the Bedford Reader, students will be asked to focus on the construction, exigency, and intent of the author. Specifically what

different strategies the author uses to make sure the reader is persuaded. These essays will be the primary focus for discussion and assessment during quarter one. Speaking and Listening: Students are expected to participate in large group as well as small group discussions. During first quarter students will be grouped randomly when practicing AP style multiple choice exams. The function of the group is to create a space for dialogue to occur. While lecture is a mode of instruction that will be utilized in this course, open dialogue will be primary. We value the ability to speak ones point and use opposing points of view to develop counter arguments. Major Second Quarter Project - Where in the World? General Overview Students are asked to find an artifact which they feel expresses something about American Values. The catch is that the artifact itself may not make an explicit statement. Students are to look for commercials, Billboards, Restaurant Menus, Centerpieces, Spam, Junk Mail, and so on. They will make a presentation to the class regarding how the artifact intends to persuade. They will identify the various audiences, the rhetorical strategies used by the creator of the artifact, and the ways that the artifact appeals emotionally as well as logically to its viewers. The class will write reviews of the presentation including further questions and a personal response. Primary Text(s): The Bedford Reader 9th edition ISBN # 978-0312433178 Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller The Glass Menagerie Tennessee Williams

Quarter Three: Synthesis of Research

Overview: During Quarter three students will be exposed to several great works of American Literature Fiction and Poetry. Major authors include Fitzgerald. Twain, Whitman, Dickenson, Hughes, Thoreau, and Emerson. The essential questions include: What does it mean to be an American? What is the American Dream? Is the American Dream a viable reality? How has America Philosophy changed over time? Students will learn how to evaluate information for accuracy and validity as we engage in our formal research paper. Instruction in MLA format will have a role in this assignment. Students will write and revise four timed essays These essays will be molded after the examples that the College Board has made available to AP English

Instructors. Students will become familiar with the new format for the Synthesis question and practice answering as well as constructing cogent questions. Students will have the opportunity to work through several released AP Language Multiple Choice passages. This semester all of the multiple choice tests will be done individually. Students will continue practicing writing their own Multiple Choice questions.

Activities: Writing: Students will write four timed essays, receive instructor feedback, and then revise the essay. Students should consider all timed essays first drafts of processed essays. The format of these essays will be modeled after the new AP Synthesis question. Students will write an 8-10 page research paper which follows all of the rules set by The MLA. The students will select topics based on their reading of several works of American Literature. Students will learn strategies for writing focused research questions and pertinent sub questions. Students will become comfortable with writing an annotated bibliography. One of the main focuses of the quarters writing will be on accurate paraphrasing and summary. Reading: Students will read several canonical works of American Literature. They will be asked to analyze the works for style and content. While our focus will still be rhetorical in nature, this is the point in the year when we begin to start thinking about literary criticism as a function of rhetorical analysis. Primary Text(s): The Bedford Reader 9th edition ISBN # 978-0312433178 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald

Quarter Four: Review and Literary Criticism

Overview: The first part of quarter four will be a review of argumentation, rhetorical strategies, and synthesizing information. This will be done through timed writings as well as multiple choice exams. We will pull readings from the Bedford Reader as necessary. In short, half of fourth quarter will in many ways resemble first and second quarter. Students will be given at least one authentic (3 hour) testing situation in preparation for the AP Language Exam in May. The second half of the quarter will focus on Literary Criticism. Students will read the novel The Things They Carried. We will use this novel as a basis for

instruction in the following four types of Literary Criticism: Feminist, Marxist, Psychoanalytic, and Cultural. Activities: Writing: Students will write two timed essays at the beginning of the quarter in different modes in order to better prepare them for the AP Exam. Students will write summaries of their assigned mode of literary criticism as well as an analysis of the OBrian novel through that particular lens. Reading: In addition to The Things They Carried students will read various literary criticism genres. These will serve as examples when they write their own criticisms. Speaking and Listening: Students with like literary perspectives will make formal group presentations of their findings. We will engage in a mini conference of sorts the subject of which will be analysis of OBrians text.