AP English Language and Composition 2015-2016 Course Outline
Mr. Andrew Fine - ([email protected], http://www.hatefreezoners.weebly.com)
Overview:
AP English Language and Composition functions as a demanding college-level course designed to encourage and empower student writers through a demanding course of study in reading, rhetoric, and composition. Students will read and discuss a variety of American and British content both to become adept at analyzing rhetorical strategies in a variety of texts and to improve awareness of strategies they themselves have available to them as composers of arguments. Students will develop skills in close reading and begin to enter into a dialogue with the texts they read, gaining confidence in distinguishing a connection between a writer’s purpose, the audience’s responsibilities, and the writer’s effective use of language. Although this course will focus primarily on texts of non-fiction and visual texts, imaginative literature – including poetry, drama, and prose fiction – will also be included in the course as a way to further develop skills in rhetorical analysis.
Expectations and goals:
1. As a college-level course, the expectations will be high and the workload will be rigorous.
2. Students will cultivate a classroom culture that fosters respect and appreciation for all those in the room. Students will view the classroom as a safe space where ideas are exchanged, challenged, and developed in an intellectual and spirited manner.
3. Students will develop critical thinking skills and will practice and nurture their abilities to think originally and creatively so that this type of thinking becomes natural and commonplace.
4. Students will develop their abilities to analyze and interpret rhetorical strategies and argumentative technique in effective writing and will be able to explain how such strategies and techniques lead to the effectiveness of a literary piece.
5. Students will be able to apply effective rhetorical strategies, argumentative techniques, and a command of the English language to their own writing.
6. Students will develop a stronger vocabulary through identification and study of new words encountered in the texts.
7. Students will be able to apply their skills in rhetorical analysis to non-written texts, including images and film.
8. Finally, students will demonstrate their command of rhetorical analysis and composition skills, as they become confident readers and writers who are able to score a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP Language and Composition Exam.
Assessment:
This course will be graded on a total points system. Approximately 30% of the points will come from objective assessments – multiple choice tests, small homework and in-class assignments, reading and vocabulary quizzes, semester and quarter exams, attendance and participation. The other 70% of the grade will come from writing assignments – in-class essays, long-term projects and writing assignments, shorter essay responses, and a portfolio of work that will be evaluated holistically about every six weeks (three times per semester). A key component of each portfolio grade will be the student’s written self-evaluation/reflection (metacognitive essay), which will consider writing process as well as final product.
Writing:
Throughout the year students will respond to released AP English Language and Composition essay prompts (roughly every 2-3 weeks). Teacher will read and score these essays, as well as provide written and verbal feedback (in the form of conferences) on areas of improvement. If necessary, students will revise the original drafts of these essays. Students will examine sample responses, as well as good examples of student work, as a class and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the responses. Such discussions will provide students with opportunities of self-reflection and allow them to identify areas of weakness that can be improved, as well as areas of strength on which they can build. Students will also have opportunities to self-score essays and meet with me to discuss these scores.
Students will routinely respond to the texts in the form of shorter essays that examine the use of language to a certain effect or the structure of an argument in a particular piece. Students will also often be asked to compare the strategies and language of specific authors addressing a common topic. Speaker, audience, context and purpose will be pervading ideas in discussions throughout the year, both in relation to published texts and student writing. Throughout the year, students will develop the skill to provide suitable amounts of supporting evidence in their writing, summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting when appropriate. All essays will follow the guidelines set forth by the MLA, guidelines which will be reviewed early in the year and as needed throughout.
Metacognitive Writing:
At the close of each 10 weeks (or thereabouts), students will pore through their portfolios and reflect on the writing they have done throughout the quarter. After carefully considering the history of their work, the students will write a prose piece about their own writing, commenting on and assessing salient aspects of the writing process and final results. Thinking about one’s own thinking (or writing in this case) can be a powerful way to recognize and kindle growth, as well as provide a way to identify areas for improvement. Self-assessing turns the tables and empowers students by making them accountable for their own learning. As part of this assignment, students will give themselves a holistic grade for the quarter’s writing. A conference or written response from the teacher will follow.
Course Outline:
Quarter 1: Course introduction, developing close-reading skills, and rhetorical awareness
Students will begin the course with a diagnostic assessment that will consist of released AP Language and Composition exams and a discussion of course expectation and goals.
Over the summer students read Hard Times by Charles Dickens. Students will be asked to reread assigned selections of the text and respond to various writing prompts in relation to those sections. Prompts will range from personal responses to language analysis and comparison and will provide a basis for class discussions. We will examine the text as an argument, discussing the various elements of social criticism within the novel, keeping in mind that Dickens was a huge proponent of social improvement and progress. Study of this text will focus on language usage, and how certain words and constructions have particular effects on the reader/listener. In doing so, students will begin forming a foundation for close reading of various texts. In connection with the novel, we will also examine other social criticism of the day. Students will ultimately write an essay that addresses various rhetorical and argumentative aspects of the novel, as well as connections to the contemporary social criticism, and which will go through a revision process.
Students will continue into the Renaissance Era with such authors as Shakespeare, Machiavelli, Elizabeth I, More, and Montaigne. Students will begin by reading and discussing Elizabeth I’s “Letter to the Troops at Tilbury” and some of More’s letters from the Tower of London. Students will discuss how both authors use language in these texts, how the language and rhetorical devices reflect the purpose and inform the reader’s understanding of the speaker. Students will read William Shakespeare’s Macbeth as part of the junior curriculum; however, because Shakespeare is a master of the English language students will pay particular attention to how he uses language to convey his themes and ideas. Students will read Shakespeare’s Macbeth concurrently with selections from Machiavelli’s The Prince, which will ultimately result in a comparison essay that will undergo the writing process, including peer editing, written teacher-based feedback on multiple drafts, and teacher-led conferences throughout the process. Students will be expected to provide illustrative details from both texts and must find a balance between general and specific details to include. Students will examine selections of Montaigne’s Essays and discuss the ways in which this form differs from previous forms of writing (drama and verse), as well as the limitations and advantages of this form.
Quarter 2: Deepening rhetorical analysis skills and identifying argumentative technique
While students will continue to focus on rhetorical analysis in the second quarter, they will also begin to explore the intersection between rhetorical strategies, language usage and argument, focusing discussions and writing especially on tone, diction, imagery, syntax, speaker, audience and purpose.
After tackling Renaissance literature, students will begin to examine writing from the 17th and 18th centuries, also known as the Age of Reason. As the name of the period suggests, writing from this era tends to be more scientific, relying primarily on rational thought and often mirroring the scientific method. Students will engage in discussions, both written and verbal, of various essays, journals, and poems from the period and from various parts of the Western world. Through the discussion of this literature students will gain a stronger understanding of how cultural philosophies and prevailing modes of thinking can influence the writing of an era – how language is shaped by culture. Also, because this writing tends to be highly rational, students will begin to understand various ways in which a writer can craft an argument, whether it is through a poem, a creative non-fiction piece, or an essay. Students will begin with close reading and analysis of a selection from Locke’s “On Property,” a selection of Mary Astell’s “Some Reflections upon Marriage,” and an argument through poetry between Anne Finch and Alexander Pope. For all of these texts, discussion will focus on the development of argument; the relationship among speaker, audience and purpose; and the effectiveness of the argument. After careful analysis and discussion, students will write a short response to one of the arguments in which they affirm, qualify, or refute the writer’s claims.
After reading Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” – one of the most well-structured arguments in the history of British literature – students will create a satire of their own that addresses a contemporary issue or problem. After analyzing Swift’s satirical style, as well as how he structures his argument, students will be able to mimic both his style and structure in their own essays. This essay, like others throughout the year, will undergo a planning and revision process that includes written and oral teacher-based feedback.
Students will read selections from two diaries of the period: Defoe’s A Journal of the Plague Year and Pepys’s The Diary. They will examine the differences in these two “personal” texts. Both texts were written for vastly different audiences and for different purposes. Students will analyze, first through discussion and then through writing, how the language conveys these differences. This essay will be a timed, in-class essay structured much like an AP exam question. Additional authors to students will study from this time period include Boswell, Johnson, Donne, Milton, Jefferson, Paine, de Crevecoeur, Addison and Steele, and Swift.
As a segue from Rationalism to the 19th century students will read selections from Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France and Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Men, examining how both authors structure their arguments, how well Wollstonecraft responds to Burke’s ideas, and how both writers incorporate the emerging philosophy of Romanticism into their arguments. Ultimately, students will engage in a discussion of the connection between language and purpose in these texts, a discussion that will provide the basis of an argumentative essay in which they must address both broad ideas from the texts as well as specific details to support their points. Students will be expected to both paraphrase and directly quote the texts themselves in this essay. Before and after writing this essay, students will meet for one-on-one teacher-led conferences to discuss ideas and then to discuss the success of their essay, as well as strengths and weaknesses in their writing.
Towards the end of the quarter, students will move on to the 19th century, a time of great change in the Western world, change that is reflected in the writing of the era. Students will then revisit Victorian writing, writing that engages heavily in social criticism and heavily influences the society itself. Discussion on the various types of non-fiction writing from this period will focus primarily on purpose and how the connections between purpose, language, speaker, and specific populations within 19th century European and American societies are developed, as well as the extent to which these texts are effective in their purpose. Authors to be discussed include Carlyle, Macaulay, Arnold, Mill, Lamb, Emerson, Thoreau, Ruskin, Shaw, Wilde, Darwin, Mayhew, Muckrakers such as Chambers, Bly and Wells, and suffragettes such as Pankhurst, Fawcett, Parker, Anthony, Stanton, and Mott, as each comments on the society around him/her and conveys a particular voice as speaker.
Quarter 3: Developing argumentative technique, the synthesis essay, contemporary issues and research skills
Students will begin their examination of the 20th century by reading and discussing various modes of nonfiction writing as employed by both American and European authors, including narration, description, process, comparison/contrast, definition, classification/division, and cause/effect. Reading selections will primarily deal with the themes of gender, identity, self-worth, expectation, beauty, competition, and mortality. After reading several texts that employ these methods, students will write multiple in-class essays on the various topics covered. Each of these essays will go through a minimum of three drafts and will include both peer and teacher feedback. Students will also complete a reflection on the process of writing these essays. Through this unit, students will grasp that “arguments” can be presented in a variety of methods.
After reading texts relating to a variety of ideas, students will choose a social or political issue from the 20th century to further examine. In examining this issue, students will complete research to locate non-fiction texts and an image from the time period (primary sources), as well as a modern comment on the issue (secondary source) to analyze in depth. Students will use print library resources, as well as online, academic databases to complete their research. Students will compose a researched essay that follows MLA format and includes citations and a bibliography, in which they make a claim about the issue and argue its validity, using the chosen texts as support for their claims. In many ways, this assignment will act as an introduction and a pre-cursor to the synthesis essay, while still providing students an opportunity to strengthen their skills in rhetorical and argumentative analysis and presentation, as well as in following MLA format and conducting effective research.
Students study of 20th century texts will continue with a closer investigation of the longer nonfiction work Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now, by Maya Angelou. Students will complete various informal responses to the text, which will lead to a longer essay that fully explores Angelou’s argument. In the development of this essay, students will take part in individual teacher-led conferences to discuss ideas and to hammer out particular strengths and weaknesses observed in drafts of the essay.
Quarter 4: Final preparation for the exam, AP English Literature Preparation
After careful study and gained understanding of the synthesis essay – through various examples of released AP exams – students will work in small groups to conduct research, gather materials and create a synthesis essay prompt. In order to create such a prompt, students must have a strong understanding of the texts themselves and must be able to evaluate the sources in order to choose the most appropriate texts. Students must be able to articulate the key points of the issues represented and form a question that addresses these ideas. Students will present an evaluation of their texts and prompt, providing an explanation of the key ideas that should be addressed in a response to the prompt they have created as well as suggestions as to how the sources should be utilized.
As students begin final preparations for the AP Language and Composition Exam, they will not only write practice timed essays, but they will also create outlines for responses to various AP prompts, reinforcing the thought process necessary for analyzing the language of texts and forming effective arguments. Also, students will compose an annotated bibliography that allows them to reflect on texts they have read and from which they can draw for responses to the argumentative essay.
In the weeks before the exam, students will participate in individual teacher-led conferences to discuss the student’s growth as a reader and writer throughout the year. This conference will allow students and teacher to address any individual concerns before the exam date. Also, this will provide students the opportunity to reflect on the work they have done and will hopefully instill confidence in the students to achieve success on the exam.
As a culmination of the ideas encountered this year, and as a segue into AP Language and Literature, students will read George Orwell’s 1984, locate criticism of the novel, and compose a critical literary analysis in which they discuss the novel, using critical sources, and ultimately make an original argument about the text.
Miscellaneous:
Vocabulary: Vocabulary support for particularly challenging texts will include rating knowledge of key unfamiliar and semi-familiar words, predicting meanings based on context, and writing original sentences. Familiar strategies such as annotation and using context will be reviewed early on and will be used extensively by students throughout the year. Special emphasis will be placed on recognizing common roots, prefixes, and suffixes as a strategy for tackling seemingly difficult words. Periodic vocabulary quizzes will be given, and vocabulary will also be covered on quarter and semester exams.
Grammar and Style: Grammar issues will be addressed on both a personal and class basis. Teacher will make note of specific issues evident in many students’ work and address them with the class as a whole. Issues that appear to be particular to specific students will be addressed on an individual basis. Special emphasis will be put on the importance of developing an awareness of sentence openings and lengths and a general preference for variety (though not formulaic variety) with regard to these elements of composition. Occasional sentence-combining exercises that ask students to consider appropriate coordination and subordination will complement this work. Periodic grammar/style lessons, handouts and quizzes will be presented and assigned as needed.
AP Practice Tests: To help students prepare to do their best on the AP Exam, there will be three Saturday practice tests offered in the weeks before the AP Exam (4/9/16, 4/30/16, and 5/7/16). Each student is required to attend one mandatory practice test (whichever date works best for him or her). This practice test will count as a 100-point grade for the class, and will result in a zero if not completed. If a student is unable to attend any of the three Saturday practice tests (with valid documentation), that student will be given a take-home practice exam to complete and to hand in before the actual AP Exam. If the take-home practice exam is not completed and turned in before the actual AP Exam, that student will receive a zero out of 100 for the practice exam.
Texts:
Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007
Shea, Scanlon, and Aufses. The Language of Composition. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2013.
Lunsford, Andrea A. and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Everything’s an Argument. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th Ed. New York: Modern Language
Association of America, 2009.
Murfin, Ross and Supryia M. Ray. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1998.
Peterson, Linda H., ed. The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Non-fiction Prose. 10th
ed. New York: Norton, 2000
Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes: The British Tradition. Prentice Hall Literature.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2005.
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002
Angelou, Maya. Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now. Ontario/New York:
Bantam Books, 1993
Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Signet, 1981.
Mr. Andrew Fine - ([email protected], http://www.hatefreezoners.weebly.com)
Overview:
AP English Language and Composition functions as a demanding college-level course designed to encourage and empower student writers through a demanding course of study in reading, rhetoric, and composition. Students will read and discuss a variety of American and British content both to become adept at analyzing rhetorical strategies in a variety of texts and to improve awareness of strategies they themselves have available to them as composers of arguments. Students will develop skills in close reading and begin to enter into a dialogue with the texts they read, gaining confidence in distinguishing a connection between a writer’s purpose, the audience’s responsibilities, and the writer’s effective use of language. Although this course will focus primarily on texts of non-fiction and visual texts, imaginative literature – including poetry, drama, and prose fiction – will also be included in the course as a way to further develop skills in rhetorical analysis.
Expectations and goals:
1. As a college-level course, the expectations will be high and the workload will be rigorous.
2. Students will cultivate a classroom culture that fosters respect and appreciation for all those in the room. Students will view the classroom as a safe space where ideas are exchanged, challenged, and developed in an intellectual and spirited manner.
3. Students will develop critical thinking skills and will practice and nurture their abilities to think originally and creatively so that this type of thinking becomes natural and commonplace.
4. Students will develop their abilities to analyze and interpret rhetorical strategies and argumentative technique in effective writing and will be able to explain how such strategies and techniques lead to the effectiveness of a literary piece.
5. Students will be able to apply effective rhetorical strategies, argumentative techniques, and a command of the English language to their own writing.
6. Students will develop a stronger vocabulary through identification and study of new words encountered in the texts.
7. Students will be able to apply their skills in rhetorical analysis to non-written texts, including images and film.
8. Finally, students will demonstrate their command of rhetorical analysis and composition skills, as they become confident readers and writers who are able to score a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP Language and Composition Exam.
Assessment:
This course will be graded on a total points system. Approximately 30% of the points will come from objective assessments – multiple choice tests, small homework and in-class assignments, reading and vocabulary quizzes, semester and quarter exams, attendance and participation. The other 70% of the grade will come from writing assignments – in-class essays, long-term projects and writing assignments, shorter essay responses, and a portfolio of work that will be evaluated holistically about every six weeks (three times per semester). A key component of each portfolio grade will be the student’s written self-evaluation/reflection (metacognitive essay), which will consider writing process as well as final product.
Writing:
Throughout the year students will respond to released AP English Language and Composition essay prompts (roughly every 2-3 weeks). Teacher will read and score these essays, as well as provide written and verbal feedback (in the form of conferences) on areas of improvement. If necessary, students will revise the original drafts of these essays. Students will examine sample responses, as well as good examples of student work, as a class and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the responses. Such discussions will provide students with opportunities of self-reflection and allow them to identify areas of weakness that can be improved, as well as areas of strength on which they can build. Students will also have opportunities to self-score essays and meet with me to discuss these scores.
Students will routinely respond to the texts in the form of shorter essays that examine the use of language to a certain effect or the structure of an argument in a particular piece. Students will also often be asked to compare the strategies and language of specific authors addressing a common topic. Speaker, audience, context and purpose will be pervading ideas in discussions throughout the year, both in relation to published texts and student writing. Throughout the year, students will develop the skill to provide suitable amounts of supporting evidence in their writing, summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting when appropriate. All essays will follow the guidelines set forth by the MLA, guidelines which will be reviewed early in the year and as needed throughout.
Metacognitive Writing:
At the close of each 10 weeks (or thereabouts), students will pore through their portfolios and reflect on the writing they have done throughout the quarter. After carefully considering the history of their work, the students will write a prose piece about their own writing, commenting on and assessing salient aspects of the writing process and final results. Thinking about one’s own thinking (or writing in this case) can be a powerful way to recognize and kindle growth, as well as provide a way to identify areas for improvement. Self-assessing turns the tables and empowers students by making them accountable for their own learning. As part of this assignment, students will give themselves a holistic grade for the quarter’s writing. A conference or written response from the teacher will follow.
Course Outline:
Quarter 1: Course introduction, developing close-reading skills, and rhetorical awareness
Students will begin the course with a diagnostic assessment that will consist of released AP Language and Composition exams and a discussion of course expectation and goals.
Over the summer students read Hard Times by Charles Dickens. Students will be asked to reread assigned selections of the text and respond to various writing prompts in relation to those sections. Prompts will range from personal responses to language analysis and comparison and will provide a basis for class discussions. We will examine the text as an argument, discussing the various elements of social criticism within the novel, keeping in mind that Dickens was a huge proponent of social improvement and progress. Study of this text will focus on language usage, and how certain words and constructions have particular effects on the reader/listener. In doing so, students will begin forming a foundation for close reading of various texts. In connection with the novel, we will also examine other social criticism of the day. Students will ultimately write an essay that addresses various rhetorical and argumentative aspects of the novel, as well as connections to the contemporary social criticism, and which will go through a revision process.
Students will continue into the Renaissance Era with such authors as Shakespeare, Machiavelli, Elizabeth I, More, and Montaigne. Students will begin by reading and discussing Elizabeth I’s “Letter to the Troops at Tilbury” and some of More’s letters from the Tower of London. Students will discuss how both authors use language in these texts, how the language and rhetorical devices reflect the purpose and inform the reader’s understanding of the speaker. Students will read William Shakespeare’s Macbeth as part of the junior curriculum; however, because Shakespeare is a master of the English language students will pay particular attention to how he uses language to convey his themes and ideas. Students will read Shakespeare’s Macbeth concurrently with selections from Machiavelli’s The Prince, which will ultimately result in a comparison essay that will undergo the writing process, including peer editing, written teacher-based feedback on multiple drafts, and teacher-led conferences throughout the process. Students will be expected to provide illustrative details from both texts and must find a balance between general and specific details to include. Students will examine selections of Montaigne’s Essays and discuss the ways in which this form differs from previous forms of writing (drama and verse), as well as the limitations and advantages of this form.
Quarter 2: Deepening rhetorical analysis skills and identifying argumentative technique
While students will continue to focus on rhetorical analysis in the second quarter, they will also begin to explore the intersection between rhetorical strategies, language usage and argument, focusing discussions and writing especially on tone, diction, imagery, syntax, speaker, audience and purpose.
After tackling Renaissance literature, students will begin to examine writing from the 17th and 18th centuries, also known as the Age of Reason. As the name of the period suggests, writing from this era tends to be more scientific, relying primarily on rational thought and often mirroring the scientific method. Students will engage in discussions, both written and verbal, of various essays, journals, and poems from the period and from various parts of the Western world. Through the discussion of this literature students will gain a stronger understanding of how cultural philosophies and prevailing modes of thinking can influence the writing of an era – how language is shaped by culture. Also, because this writing tends to be highly rational, students will begin to understand various ways in which a writer can craft an argument, whether it is through a poem, a creative non-fiction piece, or an essay. Students will begin with close reading and analysis of a selection from Locke’s “On Property,” a selection of Mary Astell’s “Some Reflections upon Marriage,” and an argument through poetry between Anne Finch and Alexander Pope. For all of these texts, discussion will focus on the development of argument; the relationship among speaker, audience and purpose; and the effectiveness of the argument. After careful analysis and discussion, students will write a short response to one of the arguments in which they affirm, qualify, or refute the writer’s claims.
After reading Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” – one of the most well-structured arguments in the history of British literature – students will create a satire of their own that addresses a contemporary issue or problem. After analyzing Swift’s satirical style, as well as how he structures his argument, students will be able to mimic both his style and structure in their own essays. This essay, like others throughout the year, will undergo a planning and revision process that includes written and oral teacher-based feedback.
Students will read selections from two diaries of the period: Defoe’s A Journal of the Plague Year and Pepys’s The Diary. They will examine the differences in these two “personal” texts. Both texts were written for vastly different audiences and for different purposes. Students will analyze, first through discussion and then through writing, how the language conveys these differences. This essay will be a timed, in-class essay structured much like an AP exam question. Additional authors to students will study from this time period include Boswell, Johnson, Donne, Milton, Jefferson, Paine, de Crevecoeur, Addison and Steele, and Swift.
As a segue from Rationalism to the 19th century students will read selections from Burke’s Reflections on the Revolution in France and Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Men, examining how both authors structure their arguments, how well Wollstonecraft responds to Burke’s ideas, and how both writers incorporate the emerging philosophy of Romanticism into their arguments. Ultimately, students will engage in a discussion of the connection between language and purpose in these texts, a discussion that will provide the basis of an argumentative essay in which they must address both broad ideas from the texts as well as specific details to support their points. Students will be expected to both paraphrase and directly quote the texts themselves in this essay. Before and after writing this essay, students will meet for one-on-one teacher-led conferences to discuss ideas and then to discuss the success of their essay, as well as strengths and weaknesses in their writing.
Towards the end of the quarter, students will move on to the 19th century, a time of great change in the Western world, change that is reflected in the writing of the era. Students will then revisit Victorian writing, writing that engages heavily in social criticism and heavily influences the society itself. Discussion on the various types of non-fiction writing from this period will focus primarily on purpose and how the connections between purpose, language, speaker, and specific populations within 19th century European and American societies are developed, as well as the extent to which these texts are effective in their purpose. Authors to be discussed include Carlyle, Macaulay, Arnold, Mill, Lamb, Emerson, Thoreau, Ruskin, Shaw, Wilde, Darwin, Mayhew, Muckrakers such as Chambers, Bly and Wells, and suffragettes such as Pankhurst, Fawcett, Parker, Anthony, Stanton, and Mott, as each comments on the society around him/her and conveys a particular voice as speaker.
Quarter 3: Developing argumentative technique, the synthesis essay, contemporary issues and research skills
Students will begin their examination of the 20th century by reading and discussing various modes of nonfiction writing as employed by both American and European authors, including narration, description, process, comparison/contrast, definition, classification/division, and cause/effect. Reading selections will primarily deal with the themes of gender, identity, self-worth, expectation, beauty, competition, and mortality. After reading several texts that employ these methods, students will write multiple in-class essays on the various topics covered. Each of these essays will go through a minimum of three drafts and will include both peer and teacher feedback. Students will also complete a reflection on the process of writing these essays. Through this unit, students will grasp that “arguments” can be presented in a variety of methods.
After reading texts relating to a variety of ideas, students will choose a social or political issue from the 20th century to further examine. In examining this issue, students will complete research to locate non-fiction texts and an image from the time period (primary sources), as well as a modern comment on the issue (secondary source) to analyze in depth. Students will use print library resources, as well as online, academic databases to complete their research. Students will compose a researched essay that follows MLA format and includes citations and a bibliography, in which they make a claim about the issue and argue its validity, using the chosen texts as support for their claims. In many ways, this assignment will act as an introduction and a pre-cursor to the synthesis essay, while still providing students an opportunity to strengthen their skills in rhetorical and argumentative analysis and presentation, as well as in following MLA format and conducting effective research.
Students study of 20th century texts will continue with a closer investigation of the longer nonfiction work Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now, by Maya Angelou. Students will complete various informal responses to the text, which will lead to a longer essay that fully explores Angelou’s argument. In the development of this essay, students will take part in individual teacher-led conferences to discuss ideas and to hammer out particular strengths and weaknesses observed in drafts of the essay.
Quarter 4: Final preparation for the exam, AP English Literature Preparation
After careful study and gained understanding of the synthesis essay – through various examples of released AP exams – students will work in small groups to conduct research, gather materials and create a synthesis essay prompt. In order to create such a prompt, students must have a strong understanding of the texts themselves and must be able to evaluate the sources in order to choose the most appropriate texts. Students must be able to articulate the key points of the issues represented and form a question that addresses these ideas. Students will present an evaluation of their texts and prompt, providing an explanation of the key ideas that should be addressed in a response to the prompt they have created as well as suggestions as to how the sources should be utilized.
As students begin final preparations for the AP Language and Composition Exam, they will not only write practice timed essays, but they will also create outlines for responses to various AP prompts, reinforcing the thought process necessary for analyzing the language of texts and forming effective arguments. Also, students will compose an annotated bibliography that allows them to reflect on texts they have read and from which they can draw for responses to the argumentative essay.
In the weeks before the exam, students will participate in individual teacher-led conferences to discuss the student’s growth as a reader and writer throughout the year. This conference will allow students and teacher to address any individual concerns before the exam date. Also, this will provide students the opportunity to reflect on the work they have done and will hopefully instill confidence in the students to achieve success on the exam.
As a culmination of the ideas encountered this year, and as a segue into AP Language and Literature, students will read George Orwell’s 1984, locate criticism of the novel, and compose a critical literary analysis in which they discuss the novel, using critical sources, and ultimately make an original argument about the text.
Miscellaneous:
Vocabulary: Vocabulary support for particularly challenging texts will include rating knowledge of key unfamiliar and semi-familiar words, predicting meanings based on context, and writing original sentences. Familiar strategies such as annotation and using context will be reviewed early on and will be used extensively by students throughout the year. Special emphasis will be placed on recognizing common roots, prefixes, and suffixes as a strategy for tackling seemingly difficult words. Periodic vocabulary quizzes will be given, and vocabulary will also be covered on quarter and semester exams.
Grammar and Style: Grammar issues will be addressed on both a personal and class basis. Teacher will make note of specific issues evident in many students’ work and address them with the class as a whole. Issues that appear to be particular to specific students will be addressed on an individual basis. Special emphasis will be put on the importance of developing an awareness of sentence openings and lengths and a general preference for variety (though not formulaic variety) with regard to these elements of composition. Occasional sentence-combining exercises that ask students to consider appropriate coordination and subordination will complement this work. Periodic grammar/style lessons, handouts and quizzes will be presented and assigned as needed.
AP Practice Tests: To help students prepare to do their best on the AP Exam, there will be three Saturday practice tests offered in the weeks before the AP Exam (4/9/16, 4/30/16, and 5/7/16). Each student is required to attend one mandatory practice test (whichever date works best for him or her). This practice test will count as a 100-point grade for the class, and will result in a zero if not completed. If a student is unable to attend any of the three Saturday practice tests (with valid documentation), that student will be given a take-home practice exam to complete and to hand in before the actual AP Exam. If the take-home practice exam is not completed and turned in before the actual AP Exam, that student will receive a zero out of 100 for the practice exam.
Texts:
Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007
Shea, Scanlon, and Aufses. The Language of Composition. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2013.
Lunsford, Andrea A. and John J. Ruszkiewicz. Everything’s an Argument. Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007.
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th Ed. New York: Modern Language
Association of America, 2009.
Murfin, Ross and Supryia M. Ray. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1998.
Peterson, Linda H., ed. The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Non-fiction Prose. 10th
ed. New York: Norton, 2000
Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes: The British Tradition. Prentice Hall Literature.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, 2005.
Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2002
Angelou, Maya. Wouldn’t Take Nothing For My Journey Now. Ontario/New York:
Bantam Books, 1993
Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Signet, 1981.