AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION Course Description

School Characteristics:

The high school in which I teach is a suburban public school which is accredited by the Southern Association of Secondary Schools and recognized as a member of the College Board. Our enrollment as of this date is 2,856. Last year’s senior class had 566 students. Our ethnic population consists of the following groups: 3% Asian, 4% African-American, 22% Hispanic, 71% Anglo and other. Most of our students will go on to higher education upon graduation: 91% are college bound; 64% will attend 4-year institutions, 36% will go either to a 2 year or Technical School. The faculty consists of 141 teachers. Of these, 45% have Masters Degrees; 1% has Doctoral Degrees. Four of us are Nationally Certified Teachers.

It is our school policy to insure that our AP classes reflect the diversity of our student population.

The school provides English Teachers with the necessary equipment to practice for the free response sections of the exam including the media equipment to view visuals: CD players, VHS and DVD players, class computers and projectors. We also have access to a computer lab with Internet for research and composition.

The school provides each student with textbooks for use inside and outside of the classroom. Each student has a copy of a reader: The Bedford Reader, Reading For Writers and/or Frames of Mind. Each student also has a personal copy of the Glencoe Language Arts Grade 11 Grammar and Language Workbook

In May 2006, four hundred and sixty-eight (468) students took nine hundred and twenty-seven (927) exams in twenty- five (25) subjects. Students scored a three (3) or better on fifty-eight percent (58%) of these exams.

College Credit:Students who choose to take AP English Language and Composition are in an Advanced Placement (AP) course. The school districts’ grading system is based on a 4 point scale, but AP courses are weighed on a 5 point scale. Any student taking this class is encouraged to take the AP English Language and Composition Exam in May. College credit will be determined by the student’s performance on this exam. Policies differ from one university to another. Therefore, it is the student’s responsibility

to secure in writing the policy of the college of his choice. Each student must make arrangements with the counselor to pay a registration fee in order to take the exam.

Course Objectives:

The purpose of this course is to help students “write effectively and confidently in their college courses across the curriculum and in their professional and personal lives.” (CollegeBoard AP English Course Description, May 2007, May 2008. p. 6) Therefore, students will be expected to read critically, think analytically, and communicate clearly both in writing and speech. The goals for students are as follows:

analyze and interpret samples of good writing, identifying and explaining an author’s use of rhetorical strategies and techniques;

apply effective strategies and techniques in their own writing; create and sustain arguments based on readings, research, and/or personal experience; demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English as well as stylistic maturity in their own writings; write for a variety of purposes; write in a variety of genres and contexts, both formal and informal, employing appropriate conventions; produce expository and argumentative compositions that introduce a complex central idea and develop it with appropriate, specific evidence, cogent explanations, and clear transitions; move effectively through the stages of the writing process, with careful attention to inquiry and research, synthesizing, drafting, revising, editing, and review: write thoughtfully about their own process of composition; revise a work to make it suitable for a different audience; analyze image as text; and evaluate and incorporate reference documents into researched papers

(CollegeBoard AP English Course Description, May 2007, May 2008. p. 9)

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Grades/Assessments

Essays 30% : Most essays will first be written as an in-class essay and graded as a rough draft. Rough drafts will be self-edited and peer-edited before students type the final copies. Final copies make up 30% of the six weeks’ grade. Rough drafts, and editing assignments are part of the daily work which will be 20% of the six weeks’ grade. Students must submit all drafts with final copies. Graded final copies will be kept in a portfolio.

Essays Scores will be as follows:Score Grade for Rough Drafts Grade for Final Copies 9 100 1008 95 907 90 856 85 755 80 704 75 603 70 502 65 401 60 30

Tests 25%: Most tests consists of multiple-choice questions over reading selections. These questions ask students to analyze rhetorical devices and their function given passages. Some passages will be from texts which students have previously read and studied, but some passages will be from new material that the student will be analyzing for the first time.

Quizzes 25%: Quizzes are primarily to check for reading and basic understanding of a text. Each unit has at least one quiz over vocabulary from the readings. Also, each unit has at least one quiz over grammatical and mechanical concepts reviewed in daily tasks as well as from the discussions and/or annotations of syntax from the readings.

Daily 20%: Daily assignments consist of a variety of tasks. Some of these tasks involve individual steps leading to a larger product, such as plans, research, drafts, and edits for an essay. Other daily tasks consist of grammar reviews, vocabulary exercises, annotation of texts, and fluency writing. Most lessons will begin with a warm-up or anticipatory task. These will focus on a grammatical or writing concept that connects to the day’s reading assignment. (Items for these mini-lessons are

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from PSAT/NMSQT Practice Tests, SAT Preparation Booklets, Harbrace College Handbook, and Glencoe Grammar and Composition Handbook) Students do these exercises during the first 5 minutes of the class period.

Course Organization

The course is organized by themes. (See Fall and Spring Semesters pages 5 - 31)Each unit requires students to acquire and use rich vocabulary, to use standard English grammar, and to understand the importance of diction and syntax in an author’s style. Therefore, students will be expected to develop the following:

a wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively; a variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination; 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.(CollegeBoard AP English Course Description, May 2007, May 2008. p. 8)

For each reading assignment students must identify the following: Thesis or Claim Tone or Attitude Purpose Audience and Occasion Evidence or Data Appeals: logos, ethos, pathos Assumptions or Warrants Style (How the author communicates his message: rhetorical mode, rhetorical devices always including diction and

syntax.

FALL SEMESTER

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INTRODUCTIONAP Course DescriptionClass rules and ResponsibilitiesGrading SystemRhetorical Terms (Definitions)

Rhetorical ModesRhetorical Devices

READING RHETORICAL MODES RHETORICAL DEVICES___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Verlaan, Saskia. “Perspectives on Fear” Narration Imagery

Description Figurative LanguageComparison/ContrastDefinitionExample

Cofer, Judith Ortiz. “The Myth of the Latin Woman: Classification StereotypeI Just Met a Girl Named Maria” Comparison/Contrast Allusion

Exposition ExemplificationDescriptionNarrative

O’Brien, Tim. “How to Tell a True War Story” Narrative AssertionDescription Point of View

RepetitionImagery

VIEWING

Picasso, Pablo. Weeping Woman. ARS, NY.

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Picasso, Pablo. Guernica. Museo Reina Sofia.CNN Video Extension (Comp21) Frames of Mind.

ASSESSMENTS

Quizzes: Students will be given a quiz over most readings. These will check for understanding of meaning and strategies.Quiz: Vocabulary from readingsQuiz: Grammar (from warm-up exercises, syntax discussions, and/or reading annotations)Test: Definitions of Rhetorical Modes and Devices Composition: Letter

Prompt: Write a letter to a future teenage relative (son, daughter, niece, nephew). Reflect on September 11, 2001. Try to capture that day in a story of self-contained dramatic moments. (Review Obrien’s selection.) Keep the narrative dramatic and free of commentary. Allow people and dialogue into your story. Let the story represent how 9/11 affected you.

Composition: Memoir Prompt: Select a moment from memory, an experience that has stayed with you. In a well written essay, recreate that experience, and then analyze it, figuring out what it means to you.

Original Visual: Prompt: Create a 5” object, sculpture, or painting that reflects the central idea of your memoir. These will be displayed in the class.

UNIT 1: OBLIGATIONS WITHIN A SOCIETY FOUNDATION FOR THE AMERICAN MINDSET

READING RHETORICAL MODES RHETORICAL DEVICES _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Plato. “Death of Socrates: Crito” from Phaedo Argumentation/ Argumentative dialogues

Persuasion Rhetorical questionsConflictAnalogy

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Irony _________________________________________________________________________________________________________Plato. “Allegory of the Cave” from The Republic Comparison/Contrast Allegory

Argumentation/ Symbolism Persuasion Abstract concepts Narration

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________Cicero. “On Duties” Argumentation/ Allusion

Persuasion Analogy________________________________________________________________________________________________________Machiavelli, Niccolo. From The Prince Comparison/Contrast Contrast

Argumentation/ Juxtaposition Persuasion Antithesis

IronyParadox

____________________________________________________________________________________________Hobbes, Thomas. From Leviathan Argumentation/ Diction; Connotation

Persuasion RepetitionCause/Effect Parallel Structure

Rhetorical questionAnalogy

____________________________________________________________________________________________Dekanawida. From The Iroquois Constitution Exposition Example

IllustrationSymbol

_____________________________________________________________________________________________READINGS ON CURRENT EVENTS

Theme related articlesArticles that reflect claims or central ideas made by the authors studied in this unitSubmissions from students with teacher’s approval

______________________________________________________________________________________________VIEWING

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David, Jacques –Louis. The Death of Socrates (oil on canvas in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY)

Theme related photos, video clips, and/or cartoons from current periodicals will be discussed as these become available. Students may contribute selections for viewing with teacher’s approval.

ASSESSMENTS

Quizzes: Students will be given a quiz over most readings. These will check for understanding of meaning and strategies.Quiz: Vocabulary from readingsQuiz: Grammar (from warm-up exercises, syntax discussions, and/or reading annotations)Composition: Argumentative/Persuasive Essay over Hobbes or Machiavelli

Prompt: Reading Niccolo Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes, one gets a similar view of mankind but with radically different suggestions for its management. Using your own critical understanding of contemporary society as evidence, write a carefully argued essay that explains your support of either Machiavelli or Hobbes.

Composition: Comparison/ContrastPrompt: Compare and contrast The Iroquois Constitution to U.S. Democracy and/or the U.S. Constitution.

Composition: Synthesis EssayPrompt: What is the individual’s duty to his government? What is the government’s duty to the individual? In an

essay that synthesizes and uses for support at least four of the readings from this unit, discuss the obligations of individuals within a society. Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations. Refer to the sources by author’s last names or by titles. Avoid mere paraphrase or summary.

UNIT 2: OBLIGATIONS WITHIN A SOCIETY – DOCUMENTS AND SPEECHES

READING RHETORICAL MODES RHETORICAL DEVICES__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Henry, Patrick Argumentation Rhetorical Questions

“Speech in the Virginia Convention” AllusionSyntax: parallel structure, repetitionClaim/Thesis

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RefutationAppealsDeductive reasoning

Paine, Thomas Persuasion Aphorisms from “The Crisis, Number 1” Appeals

Argument by AnalogyJefferson, Thomas Argumentation/Persuasion Audience

The Declaration of Independence OccasionSyntax: repetition, parallel structure… fragment (creating tone shift)Tone shiftRationalism qualitiesDiction, ConnotationsStructure

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Stanton, Elizabeth Cady Perssuasion/Argumentation Occasion Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions Analogy

Parallel document (to Jefferson)____________________________________________________________________________________________________________Lincoln, Abraham Persuasion/Argumentation Occasion

The Gettysburg Address Structure ProgressionRepetitionDiction, connotationsAllusion

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________King, Martin Luther Argumentation/Persuasion Appeals

I Have A Dream Narration Allusion Description Imagery Example Syntax: Repetition, parallelism Comparison/Contrast Transcendental qualities

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Cause/Effect

READINGS ON CURRENT EVENTS

Theme related articlesArticles that reflect claims or central ideas made by the authors studied in this unitSubmissions from students with teacher’s approval

VIEWING"Trumbull, John. The Declaration of Independence. Mural in the Capitol Building Washington, D.C.

Patrick Henry Arguing “the Parson’s Cause”. (c. 1830) Oil Painting thought to be the work of George Cooke. The Virginia Historical Society, Richmond

“The Horse America Throwing his Mater” (1779) Political cartoon of King George. Library of Congress.

King, Martin Luther. I Have a Dream. Video Clip (American Rhetoric.com)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) Video clip “Mr. Jefferson Smith takes the constitutional oath of office” American Rhetoric.com

Theme related photos, video clips, and/or cartoons from current periodicals will be discussed as these become available. Students may contribute selections for viewing with teacher’s approval.

ASSESSMENTS

Quizzes: Students will be given a quiz over most readings. These will check for understanding of meaning and strategies.Quiz: Vocabulary from readingsQuiz: Grammar (from warm-up exercises, syntax discussions, and/or reading annotations)Test: American Documents and SpeechesComposition: Compare/Contrast

Prompt: Compare Paine’s paper with Henry’s speech as persuasive works. In your composition, consider claim, occasion, audience, data or evidence, assumptions, and conclusions.

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Composition: Compare/Contrast Prompt: Compare I Have a Dream to The Gettysburg Address and The Declaration of Independence.

Composition: Compare/ContrastPrompt: Compare Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence to Stanton’s Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions

Composition: Synthesis EssayPrompt: What is the individual’s duty to his government? What is the government’s duty to the individual? In an

essay that synthesizes and uses for support at least four of the readings from this unit, discuss the obligations of individuals within a society. Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations. Refer to the sources by author’s last names or by titles. Avoid mere paraphrase or summary. (Yes, same prompt, different sources.)

UNIT 3: NATURE OF MAN

INDEPENDENT READING: Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath.Students will do an annotated reading of this novel. They are responsible for identifying and understanding the elements about

the plot chapters: characterization, setting, initial incidents, conflicts, climaxes, resolutions, and conclusions. The intercalary chapters which are essays commenting on society in general rather than on the characters in particular, will be considered in greater depth. (See readings below for Intercalary chapters.)

READING RHETORICAL MODES RHETORICAL DEVICESGrapes of Wrath Chapter 1 Description Imagery

(the corn) Cause/Effect SymbolismPersonification

Grapes of Wrath Chapter 3 Narration Allegory(the turtle) Description Symbolism

Imagery__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Grapes of Wrath Chapter 5 Argumentation/Persuasion Extended Metaphor

(plea for change) Exposition PersonificationCause/Effect Analogy

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SymbolismDialect

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Grapes of Wrath Chapter 7 Argumentation/Persuasion Point of View

(salesmen) Classification Claim-Assumption-Warrant (commercial)Colloquialism

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Grapes of Wrath Chapter 9 Argumentation/Persuasion Imperative Sentences

(tenants forced to sell) Narration Point of View__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Grapes of Wrath Chapter 11 Comparison/Contrast Imagery

(horse vs tractor) Description Romantic qualities vs Realistic ones__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Grapes of Wrath Chapter 12 Description Parallel Structure

(Highway 66) Example RepetitionRefrain

Personification__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Grapes of Wrath Chapter 14 Argumentation Syntax: types of sentences,(poetic & philosophic) Definition (of Man) fragments, parallel structure,

Cause/Effect repetition, prepositional phrases…ImageryParadox

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Grapes of Wrath Chapter 17 Argumentation/Persuasion Claim – Data – Warrant

(needs of man) Example Transcendental qualities

Grapes of Wrath Chapter 19 Argumentation/Persuasion Claim – Data – Warrant(repetition of history) Example Rationalism qualaities

Cause/EffectGrapes of Wrath Chapter 21 Cause/Effect Syntax: parallel structure, repetition…

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(anger fermenting) Irony__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Grapes of Wrath Chapter 25 Cause/Effect Irony

(reason for title) SyntaxAllusionTone shiftRealism qualities

Grapes of Wrath Chapter 29 Description Imagery(winter in California) Example Irony

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Thoreau, Henry David Argumentation Appeals

From “Civil Disobedience” Cause/Effect AnecdoteEvidence

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Perkins, Joseph Argumentation Syntax: conditional clause…

“Homeless: Expose the Myths” CoherenceConnotation “Myth”

Quindlen, Anna Argumentation Effect“Homeless” Example Assumptions

Definition (of home) ClichéEighner, Lars Process Analysis Irony

“On Dumpster Diving” Narrative Satire (mild)Allusions (to Steinbeck)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ericsson, Stephanie Classsification Figurative language

“The Ways We Lie” Definition StereotypesExample HyperboleNarration Generalization (General to Specific)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ascher, Barbara Lazear Example Generalization

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“On Compassion” Description Supporting examples Cause/Effect Allusion

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________READINGS ON CURRENT EVENTS

Theme related articlesArticles that reflect claims or central ideas made by the authors studied in this unitSubmissions from students with teacher’s approval

VIEWINGPhotographs from the Depression 1930s

Theme related photos, video clips, and/or cartoons from current periodicals will be discussed as these become available. Students may contribute selections for viewing with teacher’s approval.

ASSESSMENTS

Quizzes: Students will be given a quiz over most readings. These will check for understanding of meaning and strategies.Quiz: Vocabulary from readingsQuiz: Grammar (from warm-up exercises, syntax discussions, and/or reading annotations)Test: The Grapes of Wrath Composition: Journal Entry

Prompt: Using Ascher’s essay as a springboard, consider a personal experience that involved misfortune. Have you ever had to beg on the street, been evicted from your home, or had to scrounge for food? Have you ever been asked for money by beggars, worked in a soup kitchen, or volunteered at a shelter or public hospital? Write about such an experience in your journal.

Composition: Letter to the Editor of a local newspaperPrompt: Write a letter to the school or city newspaper expressing your views on the treatment of homeless people in our city. Offer a suggestion or solution to this situation.

Composition: SynthesisPrompt: How does an individual judge right from wrong? What is the role of the individual in confronting injustice?

In an essay that synthesizes and uses for support at least five intercalary chapters from Grapes of Wrath as well as three other selections from this unit’s readings, write an essay in which you discuss the role of the individual in confronting injustice. Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations. Refer to the sources by author’s last

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name or by title. Avoid mere paraphrase or summary.

For the Grapes of Wrath Unit, students will write rough drafts or in-class essays for at least five of the following compositions and polish two of their drafts for final essays.

Composition: AnalysisPrompt: Read Chapter 5 from Grapes of Wrath. In a well-developed essay, identify the theme this chapter, and explain how Steinbeck supports his main idea. Use short embedded quotations or paraphrase from the chapter as evidence for your thesis.

Composition: AnalysisPrompt: Read Chapter 11 from from Grapes of Wrath. Identify Steinbeck’s attitude towards the tractor and the horse. Explain how this contrast develops the theme of this chapter.

Composition: Comparison/ContrastPrompt: In Chapter 17 of Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck comments on the birth of civilization from physical needs to governmental issues. In “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau discusses the function of government. In a well- developed essay, compare and contrast Steinbeck’s idea of government to Thoreau’s beliefs. Be sure to use evidence from both selections.

Composition: AnalysisPrompt: Explain how Steinbeck establishes his claim or thesis in chapter 19.

Composition: AnalysisPrompt: Chapter 25 gives the reason for the title of Grapes of Wrath. Explain how Steibeck develops his claim or thesis in

this chapter. Be sure to use evidence from the text.Composition: Argumentation

Prompt: In Chapter 27, Steinbeck comments on honesty. Identify the theme of this chapter, then qualify, defend, or challengeSteinbeck’s claim and assumptions.

Composition: AnalysisPrompt: In Chapter 29, Steinbeck returns to the theme that if people are angry, they will take action. Explain how he uses

realism to illustrate the horrid conditions which angered the people.

UNIT 4: MAN VS SOCIETY

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INDEPENDENT READING: Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter.Students will do an annotated reading of this novel. They are responsible for identifying and understanding its elements:

characterization, setting, initial incidents, conflicts, climaxes, resolutions, and conclusions.

READING RHETORICAL MODES RHETORICAL DEVICES__________________________________________________________________________________________________________The Scarlet Letter Ch.1 Description Figurative language

“The Prison Door” ImagerySymbolismSyntaxRomanticism qualities

The Scarlet Letter Ch.2 Description Syntax: Periodic Sentence“The Market-Place Narration Analogy

Comparison/ContrastStaples, Brent. “Just Walk on By: Examples Stereotype

Black Men and Public Space” Cause/Effect AnecdoteDiction, ConnotationCoherenceTransitions

Edwards, Jonathan. “Sinners Argumentation/Persuasion Figurative LanguageIn the Hands of an Angry Comparison Syntax (rhythm becomes God” meaning)

DictionAudience and Occasion Appeals

Goodman, Ellen Exposition Connotation“Putting in a Good Word for Guilt” Definition Diction

Contrast ColloquialismSimileSyntax: grammatical ellipsis,

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Parallel structure…InferenceAssumptionJuxtaposition

Davidson, James West, and Mark Exposition EvidenceHamilton Lytle. “The Visible Cause/Effect Diction, ConnotationAnd Invisible Worlds of Salem” Narration

Gelsey, Zara Argument/Persuasion Analogy“The FBI is Reading Over Your Example

Shoulder” EffectClaim – Data – WarrantThesis – Evidence – Assumption

READINGS ON CURRENT EVENTS

Theme related articlesArticles that reflect claims or central ideas made by the authors studied in this unitSubmissions from students with teacher’s approval

VIEWING

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Starring Daniel Day Lewis and Winona Ryder.

Senator Joseph McCarthy attacks Edward R. Murrow on CBS video clip American Rhetoric.com

Good Night and Good Luck video clip American Rhetoric.com

Theme related photos and/or cartoons from current periodicals will be discussed as these become available. Students may contribute selections for viewing with teacher’s approval.

ASSESSMENTS

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Quizzes: Students will be given a quiz over most readings. These will check for understanding of meaning and strategies.Quiz: Vocabulary from readingsQuiz: Grammar (from warm-up exercises, syntax discussions, and/or reading annotations)Test: The Scarlet LetterComposition: Analysis

Prompt 1: Read the following passage (paragraph 3 “I might be, … martyrdom.” from The Scarlet Letter Chapter 5 “Hester at Her Needle.” Then write an essay showing how Hawthorne depicts Hester’s inner turmoil. Consider such rhetorical devices as diction, figurative language, syntax, irony, and tone.

ORPrompt 2: Read the following passage (paragraph 7 “Hester sought not, … wrong, beneath.”) from The Scarlet Letter

Chapter 5 “Hester at Her Needle.” Then write an essay analyzing the author’s use of clothing to reveal Hester’s self-perception, the attitude of Hester’s neighbors, and the nature of her daughter’s conception. Consider such rhetorical devices as diction, imagery, syntax, irony, and tone.

Composition: Comparison/ContrastPrompt: Read the following passages from The Scarlet Letter. Passage 1 is from Chapter 2 “The Market-Place.” (paragraph

11 “The young woman… by herself.”) Passage 2 is from Chapter 3 “The Recognition.” (Paragraphs 1 and 2 “From this intense… his lips.”) Then write a carefully reasoned and fully elaborated analysis of Hawthorne’s attitude toward these two characters. Consider allusion, irony, imagery, syntax, organization of details, and other rhetorical devices.

Composition: AnalysisPrompt: Read Chapter 9 “The Leech” from The Scarlet Letter. Then write an essay analyzing how Hawthorne uses setting,

allusion, metaphor, irony, diction, and tone to reveal character.Composition: Analysis

Prompt: Read Chapter 22 “The Procession” from The Scarlet Letter. Then write an essay analyzing how Hawthorne uses rhetorical devices, including irony and extended metaphor, to reveal the conclusion.

Composition: Argumentation Letter to the editor.Prompt: Using Jonathan Edward’s sermon as a model, write a letter to the editor of our school newspaper using fear tactics to

deter your audience from doing something.Composition: Comparison/Contrast

Prompt: Both Jonathan Edwards and Ellen Goodman deal with the idea of guilt in their writings. In an essay, define guilt. Then compare and contrast the rhetorical strategies each author uses to deliver his/her message about guilt.

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Composition: Journal EntryPrompt 1: Write a journal or diary entry reflecting on a time when you felt isolated from society.

ORPrompt 2: What does guilt imply about free will and choice? If we had no free will and choice, how would guilt likely

affect us?Composition: Letter to the Editor

Prompt: Write a letter to the local newspaper expressing you views on the treatment of a minority group or outsider in your community. What suggestions or solutions do you have to offer?

Composition: SynthesisPrompt: Who are considered outsiders in our society? Why are they in this position? How does society treat them? Should

society be more tolerant of them? Using at least five sources from this unit, including The Scarlet Letter, write an essay which discusses the position of the outsider in society. Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations. Refer to the sources by author’s last names or by titles. Avoid mere paraphrase or summary. Refer to the sources by the author’s last name or title. Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations.

RESEARCH PAPER: THE DOCUMENTED ESSAY

Task and Prompt: Choose a current event that reflects one of the themes that we studied this semester. Research the topic through different types of sources (newspapers, magazines, news stories, interviews, online

sources, radio broadcasts, visuals, …). Take careful notes, making sure that you cite your sources accurately using MLA format. Develop an argument about this topic. Establish a claim. Then integrate a variety of sources into a coherent, well-written essay. Use the sources to support your position; avoid mere paraphrase or summary. Your argument should be central.

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Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations, using MLA format. (Give credit where credit is due.) Create a Works Cited page using MLA format. Plagiarism will result in a zero.

FINAL EXAM

Students will have two hours to take their final exam; it is worth 25% of the semester average. (There are eighteen weeks in a semester. Each six weeks’ grading period is worth 25% of the semester average.)

Part 1: Multiple ChoiceThis section is interpretation of new material. Students will read four passages and answer forty-five to fifty-five questions. Reading selections and questions are similar to those on released AP English Language Exams.

Part 2: Free ResponseStudents will have one hour to write an in-class essay. The prompt will ask for rhetorical analysis, comparison/contrast, or argumentation. This essay will be graded on the AP Rubric or 9 point scale.

SPRING SEMESTER

INTRODUCTIONAP Course Description Class rules and ResponsibilitiesGrading SystemRhetorical Terms (Definitions)

Rhetorical ModesRhetorical Devices

UNIT 1: ETHICS

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INDEPENDENT READING: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby.Students will do an annotated reading of this novel. They are responsible for identifying and understanding the elements about the plot chapters: characterization, setting, initial incidents, conflicts, climaxes, resolutions, and conclusions.

GROUP STUDY AND PANEL PRESENTATIONS: The class will be divided into six groups and each group will consider, discuss, and present one of the following topics in greater depth. Each group will also be responsible for connecting and synthesizing the novel to essays which we will read for this unit.

Materialism and the corruptive effect of wealth Subversion of the American Dream Disillusionment Deceit Hypocrisy Substance abuse and illegal trafficking,

READING RHETORICAL MODES RHETORICAL DEVICESBurgess, Anthony. Persuasion/Argumentation Exaggerations

“Is America Falling Apart?” HyperboleToneClaimAppealsEvidence

Buckley, William F. Argumentation/Persuasion Purpose“Why Don’t We Complain?” Toulmin Model

Claim-Assumption-Warrant ExamplesAppealsIrony

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wechsler, Henry and Charles Deutsch Argumentation/Persuasion Purpose and George Dowdall. Comparison/Contrast Evidence

“Too Many Colleges Are Still in Denial Definition Diction/connotation

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About Alcohol Abuse” Audience (2nd Person in Paragraph 24)Data

Note: Pair this opinion essay with the scientific paper (especially the chart and tables) also by Wechsler. (See Viewing at the end of this unit.)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Konner, Melvin Argumentation Language (of science)

“Why the Reckless Survive” Definition (of Man) fragments, parallel structure, Cause/Effect repetition, prepositional phrases…

ImageryParadox

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kondracke, Morton M. Argumentation Parallels“Don’t Legalize Drugs” Cause/Effect Concession

Appeal to logicEvidence (evaluating statistics)Deduction (paragraphs 6 & 7)

______________________________________________________________________________________________________Vidal, Gore. Argumentation Appeal (Ethos; consider the author)

“Drugs” Cause/Effect Point of ViewJournalistic paragraphs

Lutz, William.“The World of Doublespeak.” Classification Thesis

Examples AssumptionsDefinition Euphemism

Quotations as evidence ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________Ericsson, Stephanie Classification Figurative language

“The Ways We Lie” Definition Stereotypes

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Example HyperboleNarration Generalization (General to Specific)

(Note: Although we studied this essay in the fall semester, we will review it because it fits our topic.)King, Martin Luther Argumentation/Persuasion Appeals

I Have A Dream Narration Allusion Description Imagery Example Syntax: Repetition, parallelism Comparison/Contrast Transcendental qualities Cause/Effect

(Note: Although we studied this essay in the fall semester, we will review it as a contrast to the subversion of the American Dream

READINGS ON CURRENT EVENTS

Theme related articlesArticles that reflect claims or central ideas made by the authors studied in this unitSubmissions from students with teacher’s approval

VIEWING

“Health and Behavioral Consequences of Binge Drinking in College: A National Survey of Students at 140 Campuses”by Henry Wechsler, Andrea Davenport, George Dowdall, Barbara Moeykens, and Sonia Castillo.Chart of Binge DrinkersTable of Drinking Styles of StudentsTable of Risk of Alcohol-Related Problems Table of Alcohol-Related Driving BehaviorTable of Students Experiencing Secondary Binge Effects

Hopper, Edward. Nighthawks. 1942. oil on canvas. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago.

Tooker, George. The Subway. 1950. Egg tempera on composition board. Collection of Whitney Museum of American Art.

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(Note: See Readings For Writers p. 233)

Theme related photos, video clips, and/or cartoons from current periodicals will be discussed as these become available. Students may contribute selections for viewing with teacher’s approval.

ASSESSMENTS

Quizzes: Students will be given a quiz over most readings. These will check for understanding of meaning and strategies.Quiz: Vocabulary from readingsQuiz: Grammar (from warm-up exercises, syntax discussions, and/or reading annotations)Test: The Great Gatsby

Composition: Journal EntryPrompt: Using Konner’s essay as a springboard, consider a personal experience that involved reckless behavior. Describe your own or someone else’s irrational behavior and speculate about its causes.

Composition: Letter to the Principals at our high school based on survey findings.Prompt: Interview a sample of people on the campus about their drinking (or substance abuse) habits, and write a piece aimed at our high school principal and our six assistants principals about whether they are in denial about drinking (or substance abuse) on our campus. Offer a suggestion or solution to this situation.

Composition: Comparison/ContrastPrompt: Read the essays by Ericsson and Lutz. Consider the similarities/differences that are evident between liars and doublespeakers. Then write a well developed essay to compare/contrast the two. Be sure to use evidence from both essays to support your assertion.

Composition: SynthesisPrompt: How does a person lose sight of his dreams? How does a person become disconnected? Read F. Scott Fizgerald’s

novel, The Great Gatsby and Joyce Carol Oates poem’ “Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, 1942.” Also, view and analyze Edward Hopper’s painting, Nighthawks. Then write a well developed essays on the effects of disillusionment and/or isolation on an individual.

Prompt: How do the problems of alcohol and prohibition relate to modern problems with drugs? Using the essays by Vidal and Kondracke as well as one other essay or article on this topic, defend, challenge, or qualify the concept of legalizing illegal drugs.

Prompt: What is the American Dream? What ethics and/or values should an individual consider in his pursuit of this dream?

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In an essay that synthesizes and uses for support evidence from The Great Gatsby as well as three other selections from this unit’s readings, write an essay in which you discuss how an individual can degrade/ruin/or subvert the ideal concept of the American Dream in pursuing his personal dream. Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations. Refer to the sources by author’s last name or by title. Avoid mere paraphrase or summary.

UNIT 2: ADVERTISING, MEDIA, AND IMAGE

READING RHETORICAL MODES RHETORICAL DEVICES _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DeLillo, Don. “Videotape” Cause/Effect Point of View (2nd Person Persona)

Description Narrator (Voice)RepetitionParallel Structure

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Roberts, Doug. “Disability in the Media” Division/Analysis Examples

Cause/Effect__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Mairs, Nancy. “Disability” Comparison/Contrast Diction; Connotations

Description MetaphorCause/Effect SimileArgument/Persuasion Examples

Understatement____________________________________________________________________________________________Gould, Stephen Jay. Mixed Methods Audience

“A Biological Homage to Mickey Mouse Narration Diction; SynonymsDescription ImageryComparison/Contrast

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Process AnalysisDivision/AnalysisCause/EffectDefinition

____________________________________________________________________________________________Postman, Neil “Amusing Ourselves to Death” Argumentation/Persuasion Media Criticism

Winn, Marie. “Television: The Plug-in Drug” Argumentation/Persuasion ThesisToulmin Model Appeals

Division/Analysis Effect of QuotationsRhetorical QuestionsRepetition

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________READINGS ON CURRENT EVENTS

Theme related articlesArticles that reflect claims or central ideas made by the authors studied in this unitSubmissions from students with teacher’s approval

______________________________________________________________________________________________

VIEWING

Finch, Christopher. The Art of Walt Disney: From Mickey Mouse to the Magic Kingdom. (1975, rev. 2004)Graphs

“The Evolution of Mickey Mouse” in Bedford p. 619.“Humans feel Attraction for Animals with Juvenile Features…” in Bedford p. 620Commercials and Advertisements: Students may contribute selections for viewing with teacher’s approval.

Theme related photos, video clips, and/or cartoons from current periodicals will be discussed as these become available.

ASSESSMENTS

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Quizzes: Students will be given a quiz over most readings. These will check for understanding of meaning and strategies.Quiz: Vocabulary from readingsQuiz: Grammar (from warm-up exercises, syntax discussions, and/or reading annotations)Test: AP Multiple Choice Interpretation of New Material

Composition: Analysis of “Videotape”Prompt: In a well-developed essay, analyze DeLillo’s use of repetition in “Videotape.” Consider the effect of repetition as this device echoes the theme.

Composition: Journal EntryPrompt: Reflect on how some documentary footage of a disaster or crime affected you. Then write a journal entry about the effects of this footage. Consider how your responses were affected by how often you saw the footage? Why do you think you responded as you did?

Composition: ClassificationPrompt: Write an essay by method of classification in which you sort one of the following subjects into categories f your own. Make clear your purpose and the basis of your classification. Explain each class with definitions and examples (You may find it helpful ton make up a name for each group.) Check your classes to be sure they neither gap nor overlap.Possible topics:

Talk shows Stand-up Comedians News ShowsComic strips Movie Monsters Sports announcersCommercials Album/CD Covers Book CoversMovies for Teens or Men or Women

Composition: Visual/Media/Advertisement AnalysisPrompt: Read “Thinking Critically About Visual Images” (Bedford pp. 26-30). Choose a video clip, video commercial, or advertisement. Analyze how the artist/director established the assertion. Be prepared to present your analysis along with the visual to the class. (Note: If your visual is on-line, be careful to copy the full URL of the image so that you can go quickly to the source.)

Composition: Synthesis Essay The following prompt is the Sample Question from the College Board on Television and its influence in U.S. presidential elections.(Note: See English Language and Composition Course Description. May 2007, May 2008.)

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Introduction: Television has been influential in United States presidential elections since the 1960’s. But just what is this influence, and how has it affected who is elected? Has it made elections fairer and more accessible or has it moved candidates from pursuing issues to pursuing image?Prompt: Read the given sources. Then in an essay that synthesizes at least three of the sources for support, take a position that defend, challenges, or qualifies the claim that television has had a positive impact on presidential elections. Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations. Refer to the sources by author’s last names or by titles. Avoid mere paraphrase or summary.

UNIT 3: INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH: DOCUMENTED ESSAY

For this unit, students will choose a sci-fi novel that discusses an issue of science or technology which interests them. Students will read the novel and annotate the scientific aspects (biological, geological, technological…). Next, students will research non-fiction scientific sources about these aspects from the novel. Then in a well developed documented essay, students will discuss whether or not the author has incorporated credible science into his fiction. Along with pre-writings, outlines, drafts, and Works Cited, the final copy should include at least one visual (image, graph, or chart). The final copy may be a documented essay or a documented power point presentation.Task and Prompt:

Choose a SCI-FI novel that that discusses an issue of science or technology which interests you. Annotate the scientific aspects discussed in the novel (biological, geological, technological…) Research the scientific aspects through different types of sources (scientific journals, newspapers, magazines,

news stories, interviews, online sources, radio broadcasts, visuals, …). Take careful notes, making sure that you cite your sources accurately using MLA format. Develop an argument about whether or not the science is credible in this piece of fiction. Establish a claim. Then integrate a variety of sources into a well-written essay or a documented power point presentation. Use the sources to support your position; avoid mere paraphrase or summary. Create or use a visual (image, graph, table..) to support your position. Your argument should be central. Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations, using MLA format. (Give credit where credit is due.) Create a Works Cited page using MLA format. Plagiarism will result in a zero.

Suggested Fiction for this project (Note: Students will receive a fuller list of titles.)

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Cook, Robin. Acceptable Risk BlindsightChromosome 6ContagionVector

Shelly, Mary. FrankensteinHuxley, Aldous. Brave New World

Crichton, Michael. CongoJurrasic ParkState of FearTimeline

Koontz, Dean. WatchersOrwell, George. 1984

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UNIT 4: HUMOR AND SATIRE

READING RHETORICAL MODES RHETORICAL DEVICES__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Perelman, S.J. “Insert Flap ‘A’ and Throw Away Process Analysis Exaggeration

HyperboleAbsurditySarcasmMock-SeriousnessDiction: Unusual Word Choice

Swift, Jonathan Argumentation/Persuasion Humorous Devices“A Modest Proposal” Cause/Effect Irony

SatireHyperboleUnderstatementDiction: Unusual word choice

Garner, J.F. “The Three Little Politically Narrative ParodyCorrect Pigs” Mock-Seriousness (Allusions)

excerpt from Politically Correct Diction: Unusual Word ChoiceBedtime Stories Absurdity

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________READINGS ON CURRENT EVENTS

Theme related articlesArticles that reflect claims or central ideas made by the authors studied in this unitSubmissions from students with teacher’s approval

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VIEWINGFrom Television

The Daily Show with John StewartThe Colbert Report

Theme related photos and/or cartoons from current periodicals will be discussed as these become available. Students may contribute selections for viewing with teacher’s approval.

ASSESSMENTS

Quizzes: Students will be given a quiz over most readings. These will check for understanding of meaning and strategies.Quiz: Vocabulary from readingsQuiz: Grammar (from warm-up exercises, syntax discussions, and/or reading annotations)Test: AP Multiple Choice Interpretation of New Material

Composition: AnalysisPrompt: Carefully read the letter (January 30, 1801) from Charles Lamb to the English romantic poet William Wordsworth Then paying particular attention to the tone of Lamb’s letter, write an essay in which you analyze the techniques Lamb uses to decline Wordsworth’s invitation.(Note: This prompt is Question 1 from the 1998 AP English Language and Composition Test)

Composition: AnalysisPrompt: Carefully read the excerpt from a letter (Bath, October 4, 1746) written by the eighteenth-century author Lord Chesterfield to his young son, who was traveling far from home. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze how the rhetorical strategies that Chesterfield uses reveal his own values. (Note: This prompt is Question 1 from the 2004 AP English Language and Composition Test)

Composition: AnalysisPrompt: Read the article from The Onion, a publication devoted to humor and satire. Then write an essay in which you analyze the strategies used in the article to satirize how products are marketed to consumers.(Note: This prompt is Question 2 from the 2005 AP English Language and Composition Test)

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Composition: Comparison/Contrast and AnalysisPrompt: View a parody feature film and the original movie or movies that it ridicules (for example George Lucas’ Star Wars and Mel Brooks’ Star Balls). Then compare the two and discuss how the director/screen play writer uses humorous devices to create the parody

Composition: Creative Writing of a ParodyPrompt: Choose a popular movie, book, TV Show, or song. Then using humorous rhetorical devices develop a scripted scene for a parody. (A scene from a movie or a chapter from a book will suffice.) Be prepared to share your production with the class.

FINAL EXAM

Students will have two hours to take their final exam; it is worth 25% of the semester average. (There are eighteen weeks in a semester. Each six weeks’ grading period is worth 25% of the semester average.)

Part 1: Multiple ChoiceThis section is interpretation of new material. Students will read four passages and answer forty-five to fifty-five questions. Reading selections and questions are similar to those on released AP English Language Exams.

Part 2: Free ResponseStudents will have one hour to write an in-class essay. The prompt will ask for rhetorical analysis, comparison/contrast, or argumentation. This essay will be graded on the AP Rubric or 9 point scale.

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Works Cited

Texts

2005 Official Student Guide to the PSAT/NMSQT. College Board

50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. Samuel Cohen, Editor. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004

Adventures in American Literature. Pegasus Edition. Dallas: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers, 1989.

CollegeBoard AP English Course Description, May 2007, May 2008.

Davidson, James West, and Mark Hamilton Lytle. “The Visible and Invisible Worlds of Salem.” After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection (Vol. 1) New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1982. 28-55.

DiYanni, Robert, and Pat C. Hoy II. Frames of Mind. United States: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2005.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1925.

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers Sixth Edition. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2003.

Glencoe Grammar and Composition Handbook. United States: Glencoe, 2000.

Hodges, John C. et al. Harbrace College Handbook. Thirteenth Edition. Austin: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.1998.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Penguin Books, 1983.

Jolliffe, David, and Hephzibah Roskelly. Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in reading and Writing. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2005.

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Kennedy, X. J., et al. The Bedford Reader. (9) New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006.

The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction Prose. Linda H. Peterson, General Editor, John C. Brereton, Joan E. Hartman (Eds.). New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2000.

McCuen, Jo Ray, and Anthony Winkler. Readings for Writers. (9) Austin: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998.

SAT Preparation Booklet School Edition 2004-2005. College Board

Shea, Renee H. and Lawrence Scanlon. Teaching Nonfiction in AP English: A Guide to Accompany 50 Essays. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005.

Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. New York: Penguin Books, 1987.

Strunk, William. Elements of Style. Ithaca, N.Y.: Priv. print. [Geneva, N.Y.: Press of W.P. Humphrey], 1918; Bartleby.com, 1999. ISBN 1-58734-060-7

Truss, Lynne. Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. New York: Penguin Group, Inc., 2003.

ImagesDe Nanteuil, Luc. Jacques-Louis David. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, 1990.

http://americanrhetoric.com/

www.google.comImages

http:// www.cagle.com/teacher Political cartoons; 5 new cartoons each week; often with comments by the cartoonist; lesson plans; print for classroom use

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http://www.nytimes.com/pages/cartoons

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/mse/ads“American Advertising: A Brief History” essay identifies questions for analyzing ads; provides sources

http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/sargent/index.html or Google “cartoons Ben Sargent”Political cartoons by a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize

http://keithcarterphotographs.com/images.htmlBlack and white photography by Keith Carter; he holds the endowed Walles Chair of Art at Lamar University Beaumont, Texas.

CDs

Clauss, Patrick. I.claim. CD-ROM ISBN 0-312-44015-4packaged with any Bedford/St. Martin’s textbookbfwpub.com/techsupport or techsupport@bfwpub.com

DiYanni, Robert, and Pat C. Hoy. Frames of Mind: A Rhetorical Reader With Occasions for Writing (with Comp21 CD-Rom and Info Trac) Published by Thomson Heinle & Heinle, 2005.ISBN: 0838460895

Fine Art Transparencies

Museo de Arte. Glencoe Spanish Fine Art TransparenciesPart of ISBN: 0-07-868664-4

Musee de l’art. Glencoe French Fine Art TransparenciesPart of ISBN: 0-07-868660-1Literature: The Reader’s Choice American Literature. ISBN 0-02-817719

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