English 11AP / Honors
Mrs. Richard
krichard@niskyschools.org
Course Description
An AP
course in English Language and Composition engages students in becoming skilled
readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical
contexts and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes.
Both their writing and their reading assignments should make students aware of
the interactions among the writer’s purpose(s), the audience’s expectation(s),
and the subject matter as well as the way generic conventions and the resources
of language contribute to effectiveness in writing.
In
this course, students will compose in a variety of forms—narrative,
exploratory, expository, argumentative—and on a variety of subjects from
personal experiences to public policies, from imaginative literature to popular
culture. We will examine the expository, analytical, and argumentative writing
that forms the basis of academic and professional communications as well as on
the personal and reflective writing that fosters writing facility in any
context. Students will move beyond such programmatic responses as the
five-paragraph essay. Although such formulaic approaches may provide minimal
organization, they often encourage unnecessary repetition and fail to engage
the reader. Students will be encouraged to place their emphasis on content,
purpose, and audience and to allow this focus to guide their organization.
Imitation exercises, journal keeping, collaborative writing, and in-class
responses are just some of the types of assignments students can expect on a
daily basis. In addition, students will read a wide variety of prose styles
from many disciplines and historical periods to gain an understanding of the
connections between interpretive skills in reading and writing.
Stylistic
development is nurtured by emphasizing the following:
- a wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively;
- a variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination;
- a logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis;
- a balance of generalization and specific illustrative detail; and
- an effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure.
What do you need to
succeed?
Attendance is mandatory in order to maintain a good
grade.
Turn in work on time and make up missed work. If you
have an excused absence, you have as many days as you were out to make up the
work for that absence. I will not remind you to make up your work. THIS IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY. If
your work is not completed in the allotted time, a 0 will be recorded for that
assignment. If you cut a class, a 0 will be recorded for that assignment.
Tests and quizzes
must be made up within one week of the absence. A grace period of three days is provided for
FINAL DRAFTS of most essay assignments with a deduction of one letter grade per
day. Major papers, such as research
papers, will not be accepted after their
final due dates.
I do not accept late
homework.
See me if you need
help. Most problems can be solved
through dialogue. If you do not speak to
me about a problem, I will not know you have it and consequently will not be
able to help you. Let me know ahead of
time that you plan to stop in for help.
Keep track of
important dates: due dates,
conference dates, test dates, etc. Your
daily agenda logs should help you with this.
Show initiative. You chose to take an AP-level course because
you believe that you have great potential.
Live up to your potential—the learning doesn’t stop at my door. Think, question, and observe the world around
you! Read for reading’s sake, research
and answer your own questions, show me that you can use your initiative to
succeed not only in my class, but in all areas of your life.
Behave maturely:
think before you speak, listen to what classmates have to say, help others when
the occasion calls for it, act honestly.
Success in life is determined by more than a transcript. Successful people are capable of building
meaningful relationships with people of all walks of life.
Tentative Units of Study
Throughout the Year
Terms and Vocabulary: You will look up meanings on your own, and we
discuss the variations in class.
Vocabulary quizzes occur every regularly. Terms will be integrated throughout the
course.
Outside Reading: You
will read approximately one book a month to offer collateral support and interest.
Introduction to Close Reading and Rhetorical Awareness
Unit One: Language as a reflection of time and place
Materials:
The Great Gatsby excerpts from Hemingway VS Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Old Man and the
Sea Midnight in Paris
Ernest Hemingway Woody
Allen
Various short stories by Hemingway
Description:
The unit asks students to perceive language and cultural
values as reflective of time and place.
The issues raised in and by the literature offer an avenue to explore
how values emerge and change and the guises we assume depending on the
situation we find ourselves in. Other
ideas entertained include irony, rationalization, symbolism.
Writing Assignments:
Fitzgerald and Hemingway:
An Exercise in Associative Learning.
Choose one.
- Write a playlet featuring dialogue between one character from each author. Keep the language consistent with the character and have the conversation be relevant to them as well.
- Write an essay evaluating how Nick and the unnamed narrator fulfill their roles as narrators. This is not just a retelling but an analysis. What are their characteristics and perspectives as narrators; how do we see and interpret them?
- Effective language use makes successful writing; evaluate the ways in which the authors choose and select the language of the texts to create memorable stories and characters.
Unit Two—Language as
Political and Social Tool
Materials:
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” “Half-Hanged Mary”
Jonathan Edwards Margaret
Atwood
The Crucible and “Have
you now or have you ever”
Arthur Miller
film version of The
Crucible
Description:
This unit asks students to recognize the importance of point
of view and intention. An
overview of literary history will reflect on changes in cultural values and
references. Discussions will include
simulation of older language, scapegoat, propaganda, mass communication,
language decision of film vs. drama, tone, irony and Hefelian dialectic. After establishing a sense of the Puritans in
their own terms, students reflect on how a 19th century Romantic and
a 20th century modernist portray this small, but crucial
settlement. In discussing these literary
perceptions, the ideas implicit in the Hegelian dialectic are explored and
contemporized. In small groups discuss
the differences in Miller’s play and screenplay and try to account for what
motivated the changes in terms of time and medium.
Writing Assignments:
The Crucible
represents a multiple shift for the reader.
The play is written in the 1950’s about an event in 1692. Like most writers Miller is influenced by
forces at play in his own life and time, while he finds something inherently
arresting about the events of the play’s time.
We are going to engage in diverse research, trying to gather
information in an appropriate (translation:
accurately documented) manner. You
will discuss the literature in small groups, looking for appropriate areas of
inquiry. Individually, you will evaluate the information and create an
annotated bibliography.
This assignment traditionally brings forth issues with
suitable sources (not citing a seventh grade research paper), MLA format in
citation and works cited, and differentiation of original, paraphrased, and
quoted materials.
Unit 3: Language of Thought
Materials:
Transcendentalism:
- Emerson, “Self-Reliance”
- Thoreau, “Civil Disobedience” and excerpts from Walden
- Whitman, excerpts from “Song of Myself”
The Narrative of the
Life of Frederick Douglass selections
from Our Nig
Frederick Douglass Harriet
E. Wilson
Description:
Discussion of sentence types, structure, and purpose. Discussion of what makes some reading more difficult—demands
of language and sentence design. The
texts explore the concept of individuality in both theoretical and actual
contexts, in both non-fiction and fiction.
Tone, allusion, and symbolism will be central issues of language. Contrasts of poetic and prosaic language will
be discussed, emphasizing the condensed yet freer dimension of poetry. We write a chain poem as a class exercise;
each person writes the first line of a poem and passes the poem so that every
person writes one line of the poem, creating 20+ poems.
Writing Assignments:
Through a close reading of texts students will look at how
arguments are constructed in narrative structures. Students will respond using annotations and
rhetorical analysis, working toward a paper that compares the structures
utilized by at least two authors.
Unit 4:
What is the impact of the gender roles that society creates and
enforces?
Materials:
“Letters” “Barbie
Doll”
Abigail
Adams Marge
Piercy
Declaration of Sentiments
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
The Awakening The Yellow Wallpaper
Kate
Chopin Charlotte
Perkins Gilman
Description:
This
unit will ask students to explore the condition of women’s lives, in of
themselves, in relation to each other and to men. We will look at how conditions changed
historically. Through a selection of
diverse texts and research of contemporary issues, students will be encouraged
to develop their own ideas in regards to women and feminist theory.
Writing Assignment:
After
investigating gender rolls in pop culture, students will write a researched
argumentative paper based on a gender issue. The paper will incorporate a
balance of paraphrasing, summary, and quotations from multiple sources.
Students will use these sources to analyze and synthesize ideas as support for
their own argument. Students must use MLA-style citations throughout the paper
and include a works cited page.
Unit
5: Applying research and rhetorical
strategies to the “real world”
Materials:
Woodrow Wilson: “War Message”
Ronald Reagan: “”Remarks at the Annual Convention of the
National Association of Evangelicals”
Hillary Clinton: “Remarks to the U.N. 4th World
Conference on Women Plenary Session”
Spiro Agnew:
“Television News Coverage”
Emma Goldman:
“Address to Jury”
Excerpts from Joseph Campbell’s The Power of Myth
Naviance; JSTOR, ABC-CLIO, and EBSCO
College essay exemplars
Description:
For this unit of study, students will complete a college search which
will culminate in rhetorical analysis, an annotated bibliography, an original
speech , and two college essays.
Students will read, discuss, and model
expository, narrative, and persuasive writing as they work to complete the
writing assignments. In addition, they
will utilize aspects of logos, ethos, pathos to strengthen their writing and
manipulate their audience.
Writing
Assignments:
Students
will complete a portfolio that includes:
A resume
An annotated bibliography of 4-6 entries
An original speech that discusses how their
bliss translates to life, college, and career
Two college essays (utilizing two modes of
writing) that address either a topic from the Common Application or a college
of their choice
A letter of introduction to the teachers
chosen for college recommendation letters
Teaching Strategies
Even
though students in an AP English Language and Composition course may be strong
readers and writers, they still need a bank of strategies to draw from as they
encounter challenging text. The most effective strategies are those that teach
students to infer and analyze.
Subject-Occasion-Audience-Purpose-Speaker-Tone
(SOAPSTone)
This is a text-analysis strategy which can
also help students craft a more thoughtful thesis.
•
Speaker – the individual or collective voice of the text
•
Occasion – the event or catalyst causing the writing of the text to occur
•
Audience – the group of readers to whom the piece is directed
•
Purpose – the reason behind the text
•
Subject – the general topic and/or main idea
•
Tone – the attitude of the author
Overview-Parts-Title-Interrelationships-Conclusion
(OPTIC)
The following steps are used to help
students approach visual texts:
•
Overview – write down a few notes on what the visual appears to be about
•
Parts – focus on the parts of the visual. Write down any elements or details
that seem important
•
Title – highlight the words of the title of the visual (if one is available)
•
Interrelationships – use the title as the theory and the parts of the visual as
clues to detect and specify the interrelationships in the graphic
• Conclusion
– draw a conclusion about the visual as a whole. What does the visual mean?
Summarize the message of the visual in one or two sentences.
Rhetorical Analysis – Active Reading
For each reading assignment, students must annotate
for the following:
•
Thesis or claim
•
Tone or attitude
•
Purpose
•
Audience and occasion
•
Evidence or data
•
Appeals: logos, ethos, pathos
•
Assumptions or warrants
•
Style (rhetorical mode, rhetorical devices)
Stephen Dunning Small-Group Revision
Process
After
students have written a first draft, they form small groups of four. Each student brings four copies of his/her
piece to be shared with the group.
- Decide on a timer for the group. Each person has 10-15 minutes to share their piece.
- The first person passes out his/her piece to the group. (S)he reads the piece aloud while the others follow along, annotating questions/concerns/suggestions to help the writer in the revision process.
- After the oral reading, the author sits back and listens to the discussion among the other three. The author may not speak but should take notes during this time.
- The other three members of the group discuss the piece as if the author were not present. The focus should be on ideas, rather than mechanical issues. Grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors should be noted on the paper. The discussion should last approximately ten minutes.
- The author of the paper should thank the other members of the group when finished and collect all papers.
- Repeat this process for all members of the group.
Gradual Release of Responsibility: Collaborative Group Activities
- Roaming Team Leader
Students team in groups of
six. After a topic discussion, one
student from each group moves to another group, i.e., #2 from each group. Roaming leader moves counter- clockwise
through groups, spending approximately 3-5 minutes in each group. He/She debriefs his/her discussion ideas to
next group, moving through all groups.
- Pair-Square
Partners pair up with another
partner group to discuss a topic or reading.
- Say Something
Students form trios and alternately
read a difficult portion from text.
After each reading, the listeners synthesize and summarize what they
heard in the reading. The second person
may not repeat what has already been stated.
- Seasonal Partners/Quartets
Students write down someone’s name
for each season of the year by roaming around the room and asking for
signatures. Keep list. At varying times, students will meet with
their fall, summer, spring, or winter partner.
This can also be done with times of the day (12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and
9:00)
- Quiz/Quiz/Trade
Students write a multiple-choice
question about the author’s use of rhetorical devices in a reading and write on
a 3x5 card. Each student debriefs their question with another student. After both have debriefed, students trade
cards and find another partner. Students
then debrief their new card and switch again.
The process can be repeated according to time allotment.
- Each Teach (Jig Saw)
Each student within a group of 3 Each person teaches his/her article to the
rest of the group. This can be done by exchanging information with one other
student, followed by each partner team teaching another partner team.
- Paired Verbal Fluency (for activating prior knowledge)
Following a homework reading
assignment, students form quartets. Students number off; the first student
takes a specific number of seconds to talk about the topic. When time is called, switch to #2. This new student continues to summarize the
reading, but no information may be repeated.
Each student is allowed an increasing number of seconds to talk
(20-40-60-80). Good for adding more
information to prior knowledge. To synthesize information, reverse the number
of seconds allowed (80-60-40-20). This is an excellent opening activity for
reviewing the homework reading assignment.
- 3-2-1
Students read an article and write
3 ideas they found interesting, 2 ideas they can apply to their personal lives,
and 1 question they still have. An
alternate activity is to make connections: 3 text-to-text, 2 text-to-self, and
1 text-to-world connections.
- Silent Discussion
After reading a selection or
participating in an activity, each student writes a reflection or synopsis of
what he/she just experienced. After
approximately 2 minutes, partners switch notebooks (or paper). Each student reads his/her partner’s response
and then silently responds to the writing.
After 1 minute, switch again.
Vocabulary Acquisition
– Robert Marzano’s Six-Step Process
Step
1: Explain
Provide
student-friendly description, explanation, or example of new term.
Step
2: Restate
Ask
students to restate description, explanation, or example in their own words.
Step
3: Show
Ask
students to construct picture, symbol, or graphic representation of term.
Step
4: Discuss
Engage
students periodically in structured vocabulary discussions that help them add
to their knowledge of the terms in their vocabulary notebooks.
Step
5: Refine and reflect
Periodically
ask students to return to dialectic notebooks to discuss and refine entries.
Teaching the Art of Style
Because
style is a major component of writing skill, students will learn and apply the
use of verbals, phrases, and clauses to improve the quality and sophistication
of their writing. Primarily, students will model authors’ style, transferring
this knowledge to their own writing. In addition, students will learn figures
of rhetoric in a piece of writing, particularly schemes and tropes.
Schemes: parallelism,
isocolon, antithesis, zeugma, anastrophe, parenthesis, ellipsis, asyndeton,
polysyndeton, alliteration, anaphora, epistrophe, anadiplosis, antimetabole,
chiasmus, erotema, hypophora, epiplexis.
Tropes: metaphor,
simile, synecdoche, metonymy, antonomasia (periphrasis), personification,
anthimeria, litotes, irony, oxymoron, and paradox.
Suggested
Reading List
Fiction1984 by George Orwell
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg
Grendel by John Gardner
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Ordinary People by Judith Guest
Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
Non Fiction
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
I Never Promised You A Rose Garden by Hanna Green
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
The Color of Water by James McBride
Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
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