ENGLISH 11
Ms. Woodruff, instructor
Course Overview
This course is a rigorous college-level course for juniors who are ready to study at that level. The course emphasizes writing, critical thinking, and literary and rhetorical analysis. Students study several genre within American, contemporary and classical literature including letters, diaries, autobiographies, editorials, essays, historical pieces, memoirs, journals and news media. Students will have opportunities to identify and explain author’s use of rhetorical strategies and techniques, with writing being a major component of this course. This is a preparatory course for those intending to take the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition exam in May. This overview reflects the most recent AP English Language and Composition Curricular and Resource Requirements published by the College Board.
Strategies and TasksWeekly Throughout the Semester
Dialectical Reading Journals (DRJ)
Students respond to readings by writing at least a half page of text. They must reflect on immediate response without discussion, called First Response. They must include some evidence of evaluating the strategies used in the reading as well as their sense of the effectiveness of the strategy. They may respond about the content of the piece itself and the author’s style as well.
Creative and Inventive Writing
Once or twice a week students spend 10-15 minutes responding to creative writing exercises, such as “Before and After” and “What would you do if…” In the first exercise, I read an action statement. Students must write either what happened before this action or what happened after. This lesson aids in writers’s identification of their own creative styles and forces them to think of possibilities within a given situation. The second exercise gives them practice pen on paper in a free-write free-thought writing given a situation. For example, students will respond to the prompt, “What would you do if you had to spend an hour with someone you have never liked?” These short writings afford students opportunities to explore their style, discover their writing abilities, and enhance their skills at articulating thought to paper.
News Commentaries
Every week, students must view a TV news show, not local but CNN or some world news. The focus in the First Marking Period is to listen and write a summary of the news piece. They will respond to how they feel about the piece. In the Second Marking Period, the news commentaries must be based on a controversial issue and the responses to the news are specific to rhetorical strategies. Students must take a position and offer a solution and/or action based on the contents of the news piece and their own informed opinions.
Vocabulary Building and literary terms
Each week, students are introduced to new vocabulary words in the readings. In addition to the text vocabulary development, students learn ACT vocabulary words, since most are getting ready to take that test. Beyond a definition, students also explore EACH word’ s effectiveness by using it in responses and papers. The expectation is that I see some of these words in their daily work. Also, students learn literary terms in non-fiction genre and rhetorical and figurative language terms throughout the semester as we recognize them within the various readings. They learn to analyze their usefulness and power within text.
Language and Grammar Exercises
Using ACT exercises, students practice the rules of Standard English. Students complete a section independently; then, we discuss the answers and I teach the rules as needed and necessary. We do this once every few weeks. Other grammar lessons I teach are correct forms of pronouns, verbs, and adjectives; sentence structures; subordination and coordination; phrases and clauses; punctuation rules; and parallelism errors.
Directed Discussions: The Circle Sit
Every few weeks when we have a formal writing assignment, chairs are arranged in a circle. At the beginning of the year, students are given the Discussion Guidelines to which they easily adhere. This is the time when students must share their writing piece. It is an opportunity to listen and respond to each other reflectively and respectfully. Students evaluate each other based on a rubric for that specific assignment. This peer feedback experience is worth its weight in gold. I try to keep instructor nods and queries at a minimum but jump in when guidance and teaching are needed. One example exercise is to type up some of the introductions to the current essay and duplicate them for all students to analyze and evaluate as a class group. Another method for evaluating introductions is to have every student read his introduction and discuss how that is developed throughout the essay.
Assessments
Students are assessed on their varied daily assignments and on their vocabulary. Their writings are assessed based on an accompanying rubric. Occasionally, students must assess themselves and give themselves a grade before they submit to me. They must evaluate using the rubric and in addition to a letter grade, they write a defense for their efforts to meet the requirements of the assignment.
Timed Writings
Students practice writing under the pressure of time at least twice during the First Marking Period. In the Second Marking Period, they complete a timed writing every two weeks. The prompts come from the 2004, 2005 and 2006 AP English Language and Composition free-response test items.
Writing Narrative, Expository, Argumentative Essays
Throughout the course, students read instructional material about these modes of essays. Then they read essays written in these modalities. They analyze the style and techniques used in each modality. Then they practice using the strategies they’ve learned in their own process-written essays. Students process-write an essay for each modality studied.
The Synthesis Essay: A Researched Argument Project
This is the researched argument paper. Students research a controversial contemporary topic of high interest and passion. They use at least five (5) sources, one of which is a field research source. Using examples from Readings for Writers, Twelfth Edition, “The Research Paper”, students learn to plan, organize, draft, and outline their researched argument. They learn the MLA’s correct format for parenthetical citations and the Works Cited page. The final product is a 6-8 page paper with a formal outline and cited resources. They present their findings to the class where they are encouraged to invite their parents, guardians, etc.
Grading
The standard scale for The AP Language and Composition course is below. All assignments are graded using this scale and point-weighted according to level of difficulty.
Expectations for Writings
All formal papers and essays are process-written . That means you have a pre-writing—a list, brainstorm, focused free-writing, idea sketch, etc.—a rough draft with evidence of editing and my initials on one of those before the final copy is typed in MLA style format.
A final copy that receives a C or lower may resubmit the work after a conference with me to discuss the “problems”. Resubmits must be turned in with the original work within ONE week. Keep yourself organized because I accept NO LATE WORK.
In-class writing assignments and daily work must be neat, legible, dated, and labeled to receive full credit. Do not scribble or sloppily cross out words. Use a single line to correct your work.
Any plagiarism on any work will result in NO GRADE. Copying anyone’s words and passing them off as your work constitutes plagiarism. Don’t put us in a precarious position; write your own things.
Course Planner: Block schedule--class meets daily for 90 minutes
First Marking Period: Introduction to the study of rhetoric
and narratives
Note: The above “Strategies and Tasks” are accomplished daily/weekly/intermittently throughout the semester. They are not repeated below, but are integrated into the lessons.
Readings and Writings
For all readings, the text includes varied writing experiences and analysis questions, including writing strategies and issues surrounding the literary piece. Students complete these for each reading. Each essay also includes at least two writing assignments, “free responses”, connected to the literary piece. Students have a choice of the informal writing for these assignments.
First Three Weeks—Instruction and Narratives
In the first few days of the course, I give a Pretest, a former AP multiple-choice exam. Students get a good idea of what to expect from the course once they have experienced this exam. It has a sobering effect; it shows them what they don’t know how to do; what they’ll learn to do; and what things they can do better with focused, accelerated instruction.
Instructional: Chapters 1-4 in Readings for Writers
The first 4 chapters in the main text, Readings for Writers, include instruction about rhetoric, voice, tone, audience, and thesis construction. Chapters include writing exercises designed to develop students’ abilities to recognize these elements in literature and practice using them in their own writings. Essays exemplifying the instructional elements accompany each of these chapters. These essays are not included in the bulleted list.
Patterns of Development: The Rhetoric Modes—an introduction to the Modes
Guidelines for Critical Reading—an introduction to close and critical reading
What Is Rhetoric?—an introduction to levels of English, audience, purpose, and the writing process
What is a Writer’s Voice?
What Is a Thesis?
Narratives
I Have a Dream, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Letter to My Husband, Clementine Churchill
Have a Cigar, James Herriot
My Name is Margaret by Maya Angelou
Shame by Dick Gregory
What Does Islam Say about Terrorism?
“Postscript” to Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia by Carmen bin Laden
A Narrative of the Captivity by Mary Rowlandson
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas by Frederick Douglas
Formal Essay Assignment: Students write an essay discovering a theme that lies within these texts (using at least three in their papers) and discussing the authors’ rhetorical styles in creating the theme in these narrative pieces.
Weeks Four and Five—reading a novel
Novel Study
During the reading, students analyze not only author’s style but also the societal and political paradigms of the time. They analyze characterization, theme, comic relief, irony, conflict, intra- and interpersonal dynamics, minor character roles, imagery, etc. They write, take quizzes, participate in discussion circles, and journal.
Formal Essay
Students read and study the 25-page Introduction. Along with the author’s autobiographical information is a description of the extent of his/her field and library research experiences in preparation for the writing of this book. Students use the Introduction information to write an essay in which they must detect in the book the influences of the author’s life and her research. Students develop an appreciation for research and an understanding of the biographical influences within a text. This has an astounding effect on their sensibility about writing.
Weeks Six through ten—Description, Cause and Effect, Comparison/Contrast
That Lean and Hungry Look
The Libido for the Ugly by H.L. Mencken
Hell by James Joyce
Body Image by Cindy Maynard
Black Men and Public Space by Brent Staples
What is Hip Hop? by Jay Ford
Formal Essay Assignments: Students write expository essays and must focus on at least two elements and analyze how the author enhances his/her message through the use of rhetorical devices in the message’ s delivery. They also process-write comparative pieces using two or more of the stories and analyzing authors’ writing styles and techniques.
Second Marking Period: Illustration/Exemplification, Argumentation and Persuasion, Causal Analysis, Visual Arts, Research, AP Practice
Readings and Writings
For all readings, the text includes varied writing experiences and analysis questions, including writing strategies and issues surrounding the literary piece. Students complete these for each reading. Each essay also includes at least two more informal writing assignments, “free responses”, connected to the literary piece. Students choose which writing they’ll do for each of these assignments.
Week Eleven—Illustration/Exemplification
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall by John Leo
Drugs by Gore Vidal
Don’t Legalize Drugs by Morton Kondracke
Formal Essay Assignment: Spring boarding off one of the stories, students write a personal response essay. They form an opinion and use personal anecdotes and examples to support their thesis.
Week Twelve—Writing about Visual Images
In the text are instructional pages for studying visual images such as news photographs, cartoons and advertisements. After reading and practicing with these exercises, students look in magazines and newspapers for visual images and analyze their purpose, theme, artistic message, language, and other elements of reality/fantasy and persuasion. The text also has an Image Gallery based on specific topics throughout the book. These are color plates accompanied by analytical questions and a writing assignment.
The Writing Assignment: Students choose two plates from the Image Gallery to analyze and write about. We discuss them and students share their responses. This is a powerful experience for all of us.
Weeks Thirteen-- Fifteen—Causal Analysis and Argumentation/Persuasion
A Peaceful Woman Explains Why She Carries a Gun by Linda M. Hasselstrom
Why I Went to the Woods by Henry David Thoreau
The New Feminism by Kate Gubata
I Want a Wife by Judy Syfers-Brady
Sex Predators Can’t Be Saved
Homeless: Expose the Myths
The Homeless Lack a Political Voice, But Not American Ideals by Matt Lynch
Formal Writing Assignment: This essay segues into the researched argument paper. Students process-write an argumentative essay based on one of the topics from this section. They will include data from one of the essays or some information they gathered. This mini-researched essay prepares them for the longer argumentative writing project.
Week Sixteen-Seventeen—Reading a play
Students will read The Crucible, and study it’s connections to American History. Students will conduct a research project on McCarthyism, and how the scare tactics of the era apply to our modern day experience.
Research Project:
Students will research Witch Hunts and McCarthyism and prepare a powerpoint or poster presentation that explains their role in our history and makes connections to today.
Week Eighteen and Nineteen—Presentations and Final exam
The Research Presentation: Students give a formal presentation of five to six minutes on their research papers. This is an opportunity for the “audience” to evaluate the student’s presentation. Each student will receive 3 students feedback sheets and the teacher’s based on a presentation rubric. The student listeners are encourage to ask questions at the end of the presentation. Also, they are encouraged to invite their parents.
The Final Exam: We spend a few days reflecting and reviewing the course’s activities and assignments. Students take a final exam, which is made up of a combination of teacher-generated questions, former AP multiple-choice test questions, and vocabulary.
Teacher Texts
Anderson, Robert, Robert E. Probst., John Malcolm Brinnin, and John Leggett, eds. Elements of Literature, Fifth Course. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2003.
Butler, Octavia. Kindred. Boston: Beacon Press, 1979.
McKuen-Metherell, Jo Ray, and Anthony Winkler. Reading for Writers, Twelfth Edition. Boston: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2007.
Warriner, John E. English Grammar and Writing, Fourth Course. Orlando: Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1986.
Teacher Resources
College Board. AP English Language and Composition Course Description. New York: The College Board, 2006.
College Board. AP English Language and Composition Former AP Exam. 2006.
Hacker, Diane. A Writer’s Reference, Fourth Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1999.
Langan, John. College Writing Skills, Fifth Edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2000.
Literature for Composition, Ed. Sylvan Barnett et al. 7th ed. New York: Longman, 2005.
Murphy, Barbara, Estelle Rankin. 5 Steps to a 5: AP English Language. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002.
Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing, Custom Edition, Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2003.
Work load and academic expectations:
We are here to learn, please conduct yourself accordingly.
Classroom Activities:
Expectations:
All assignments must be submitted at the time they are due. Homework comes in at the beginning of class ONLY. No late papers are accepted.
Return to Syllabus Page
Ms. Woodruff, instructor
Course Overview
This course is a rigorous college-level course for juniors who are ready to study at that level. The course emphasizes writing, critical thinking, and literary and rhetorical analysis. Students study several genre within American, contemporary and classical literature including letters, diaries, autobiographies, editorials, essays, historical pieces, memoirs, journals and news media. Students will have opportunities to identify and explain author’s use of rhetorical strategies and techniques, with writing being a major component of this course. This is a preparatory course for those intending to take the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition exam in May. This overview reflects the most recent AP English Language and Composition Curricular and Resource Requirements published by the College Board.
Strategies and TasksWeekly Throughout the Semester
Dialectical Reading Journals (DRJ)
Students respond to readings by writing at least a half page of text. They must reflect on immediate response without discussion, called First Response. They must include some evidence of evaluating the strategies used in the reading as well as their sense of the effectiveness of the strategy. They may respond about the content of the piece itself and the author’s style as well.
Creative and Inventive Writing
Once or twice a week students spend 10-15 minutes responding to creative writing exercises, such as “Before and After” and “What would you do if…” In the first exercise, I read an action statement. Students must write either what happened before this action or what happened after. This lesson aids in writers’s identification of their own creative styles and forces them to think of possibilities within a given situation. The second exercise gives them practice pen on paper in a free-write free-thought writing given a situation. For example, students will respond to the prompt, “What would you do if you had to spend an hour with someone you have never liked?” These short writings afford students opportunities to explore their style, discover their writing abilities, and enhance their skills at articulating thought to paper.
News Commentaries
Every week, students must view a TV news show, not local but CNN or some world news. The focus in the First Marking Period is to listen and write a summary of the news piece. They will respond to how they feel about the piece. In the Second Marking Period, the news commentaries must be based on a controversial issue and the responses to the news are specific to rhetorical strategies. Students must take a position and offer a solution and/or action based on the contents of the news piece and their own informed opinions.
Vocabulary Building and literary terms
Each week, students are introduced to new vocabulary words in the readings. In addition to the text vocabulary development, students learn ACT vocabulary words, since most are getting ready to take that test. Beyond a definition, students also explore EACH word’ s effectiveness by using it in responses and papers. The expectation is that I see some of these words in their daily work. Also, students learn literary terms in non-fiction genre and rhetorical and figurative language terms throughout the semester as we recognize them within the various readings. They learn to analyze their usefulness and power within text.
Language and Grammar Exercises
Using ACT exercises, students practice the rules of Standard English. Students complete a section independently; then, we discuss the answers and I teach the rules as needed and necessary. We do this once every few weeks. Other grammar lessons I teach are correct forms of pronouns, verbs, and adjectives; sentence structures; subordination and coordination; phrases and clauses; punctuation rules; and parallelism errors.
Directed Discussions: The Circle Sit
Every few weeks when we have a formal writing assignment, chairs are arranged in a circle. At the beginning of the year, students are given the Discussion Guidelines to which they easily adhere. This is the time when students must share their writing piece. It is an opportunity to listen and respond to each other reflectively and respectfully. Students evaluate each other based on a rubric for that specific assignment. This peer feedback experience is worth its weight in gold. I try to keep instructor nods and queries at a minimum but jump in when guidance and teaching are needed. One example exercise is to type up some of the introductions to the current essay and duplicate them for all students to analyze and evaluate as a class group. Another method for evaluating introductions is to have every student read his introduction and discuss how that is developed throughout the essay.
Assessments
Students are assessed on their varied daily assignments and on their vocabulary. Their writings are assessed based on an accompanying rubric. Occasionally, students must assess themselves and give themselves a grade before they submit to me. They must evaluate using the rubric and in addition to a letter grade, they write a defense for their efforts to meet the requirements of the assignment.
Timed Writings
Students practice writing under the pressure of time at least twice during the First Marking Period. In the Second Marking Period, they complete a timed writing every two weeks. The prompts come from the 2004, 2005 and 2006 AP English Language and Composition free-response test items.
Writing Narrative, Expository, Argumentative Essays
Throughout the course, students read instructional material about these modes of essays. Then they read essays written in these modalities. They analyze the style and techniques used in each modality. Then they practice using the strategies they’ve learned in their own process-written essays. Students process-write an essay for each modality studied.
The Synthesis Essay: A Researched Argument Project
This is the researched argument paper. Students research a controversial contemporary topic of high interest and passion. They use at least five (5) sources, one of which is a field research source. Using examples from Readings for Writers, Twelfth Edition, “The Research Paper”, students learn to plan, organize, draft, and outline their researched argument. They learn the MLA’s correct format for parenthetical citations and the Works Cited page. The final product is a 6-8 page paper with a formal outline and cited resources. They present their findings to the class where they are encouraged to invite their parents, guardians, etc.
Grading
The standard scale for The AP Language and Composition course is below. All assignments are graded using this scale and point-weighted according to level of difficulty.
Expectations for Writings
All formal papers and essays are process-written . That means you have a pre-writing—a list, brainstorm, focused free-writing, idea sketch, etc.—a rough draft with evidence of editing and my initials on one of those before the final copy is typed in MLA style format.
A final copy that receives a C or lower may resubmit the work after a conference with me to discuss the “problems”. Resubmits must be turned in with the original work within ONE week. Keep yourself organized because I accept NO LATE WORK.
In-class writing assignments and daily work must be neat, legible, dated, and labeled to receive full credit. Do not scribble or sloppily cross out words. Use a single line to correct your work.
Any plagiarism on any work will result in NO GRADE. Copying anyone’s words and passing them off as your work constitutes plagiarism. Don’t put us in a precarious position; write your own things.
Course Planner: Block schedule--class meets daily for 90 minutes
First Marking Period: Introduction to the study of rhetoric
and narratives
Note: The above “Strategies and Tasks” are accomplished daily/weekly/intermittently throughout the semester. They are not repeated below, but are integrated into the lessons.
Readings and Writings
For all readings, the text includes varied writing experiences and analysis questions, including writing strategies and issues surrounding the literary piece. Students complete these for each reading. Each essay also includes at least two writing assignments, “free responses”, connected to the literary piece. Students have a choice of the informal writing for these assignments.
First Three Weeks—Instruction and Narratives
In the first few days of the course, I give a Pretest, a former AP multiple-choice exam. Students get a good idea of what to expect from the course once they have experienced this exam. It has a sobering effect; it shows them what they don’t know how to do; what they’ll learn to do; and what things they can do better with focused, accelerated instruction.
Instructional: Chapters 1-4 in Readings for Writers
The first 4 chapters in the main text, Readings for Writers, include instruction about rhetoric, voice, tone, audience, and thesis construction. Chapters include writing exercises designed to develop students’ abilities to recognize these elements in literature and practice using them in their own writings. Essays exemplifying the instructional elements accompany each of these chapters. These essays are not included in the bulleted list.
Patterns of Development: The Rhetoric Modes—an introduction to the Modes
Guidelines for Critical Reading—an introduction to close and critical reading
What Is Rhetoric?—an introduction to levels of English, audience, purpose, and the writing process
What is a Writer’s Voice?
What Is a Thesis?
Narratives
I Have a Dream, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Letter to My Husband, Clementine Churchill
Have a Cigar, James Herriot
My Name is Margaret by Maya Angelou
Shame by Dick Gregory
What Does Islam Say about Terrorism?
“Postscript” to Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia by Carmen bin Laden
A Narrative of the Captivity by Mary Rowlandson
The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas by Frederick Douglas
Formal Essay Assignment: Students write an essay discovering a theme that lies within these texts (using at least three in their papers) and discussing the authors’ rhetorical styles in creating the theme in these narrative pieces.
Weeks Four and Five—reading a novel
Novel Study
During the reading, students analyze not only author’s style but also the societal and political paradigms of the time. They analyze characterization, theme, comic relief, irony, conflict, intra- and interpersonal dynamics, minor character roles, imagery, etc. They write, take quizzes, participate in discussion circles, and journal.
Formal Essay
Students read and study the 25-page Introduction. Along with the author’s autobiographical information is a description of the extent of his/her field and library research experiences in preparation for the writing of this book. Students use the Introduction information to write an essay in which they must detect in the book the influences of the author’s life and her research. Students develop an appreciation for research and an understanding of the biographical influences within a text. This has an astounding effect on their sensibility about writing.
Weeks Six through ten—Description, Cause and Effect, Comparison/Contrast
That Lean and Hungry Look
The Libido for the Ugly by H.L. Mencken
Hell by James Joyce
Body Image by Cindy Maynard
Black Men and Public Space by Brent Staples
What is Hip Hop? by Jay Ford
Formal Essay Assignments: Students write expository essays and must focus on at least two elements and analyze how the author enhances his/her message through the use of rhetorical devices in the message’ s delivery. They also process-write comparative pieces using two or more of the stories and analyzing authors’ writing styles and techniques.
Second Marking Period: Illustration/Exemplification, Argumentation and Persuasion, Causal Analysis, Visual Arts, Research, AP Practice
Readings and Writings
For all readings, the text includes varied writing experiences and analysis questions, including writing strategies and issues surrounding the literary piece. Students complete these for each reading. Each essay also includes at least two more informal writing assignments, “free responses”, connected to the literary piece. Students choose which writing they’ll do for each of these assignments.
Week Eleven—Illustration/Exemplification
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall by John Leo
Drugs by Gore Vidal
Don’t Legalize Drugs by Morton Kondracke
Formal Essay Assignment: Spring boarding off one of the stories, students write a personal response essay. They form an opinion and use personal anecdotes and examples to support their thesis.
Week Twelve—Writing about Visual Images
In the text are instructional pages for studying visual images such as news photographs, cartoons and advertisements. After reading and practicing with these exercises, students look in magazines and newspapers for visual images and analyze their purpose, theme, artistic message, language, and other elements of reality/fantasy and persuasion. The text also has an Image Gallery based on specific topics throughout the book. These are color plates accompanied by analytical questions and a writing assignment.
The Writing Assignment: Students choose two plates from the Image Gallery to analyze and write about. We discuss them and students share their responses. This is a powerful experience for all of us.
Weeks Thirteen-- Fifteen—Causal Analysis and Argumentation/Persuasion
A Peaceful Woman Explains Why She Carries a Gun by Linda M. Hasselstrom
Why I Went to the Woods by Henry David Thoreau
The New Feminism by Kate Gubata
I Want a Wife by Judy Syfers-Brady
Sex Predators Can’t Be Saved
Homeless: Expose the Myths
The Homeless Lack a Political Voice, But Not American Ideals by Matt Lynch
Formal Writing Assignment: This essay segues into the researched argument paper. Students process-write an argumentative essay based on one of the topics from this section. They will include data from one of the essays or some information they gathered. This mini-researched essay prepares them for the longer argumentative writing project.
Week Sixteen-Seventeen—Reading a play
Students will read The Crucible, and study it’s connections to American History. Students will conduct a research project on McCarthyism, and how the scare tactics of the era apply to our modern day experience.
Research Project:
Students will research Witch Hunts and McCarthyism and prepare a powerpoint or poster presentation that explains their role in our history and makes connections to today.
Week Eighteen and Nineteen—Presentations and Final exam
The Research Presentation: Students give a formal presentation of five to six minutes on their research papers. This is an opportunity for the “audience” to evaluate the student’s presentation. Each student will receive 3 students feedback sheets and the teacher’s based on a presentation rubric. The student listeners are encourage to ask questions at the end of the presentation. Also, they are encouraged to invite their parents.
The Final Exam: We spend a few days reflecting and reviewing the course’s activities and assignments. Students take a final exam, which is made up of a combination of teacher-generated questions, former AP multiple-choice test questions, and vocabulary.
Teacher Texts
Anderson, Robert, Robert E. Probst., John Malcolm Brinnin, and John Leggett, eds. Elements of Literature, Fifth Course. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2003.
Butler, Octavia. Kindred. Boston: Beacon Press, 1979.
McKuen-Metherell, Jo Ray, and Anthony Winkler. Reading for Writers, Twelfth Edition. Boston: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2007.
Warriner, John E. English Grammar and Writing, Fourth Course. Orlando: Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, Inc., 1986.
Teacher Resources
College Board. AP English Language and Composition Course Description. New York: The College Board, 2006.
College Board. AP English Language and Composition Former AP Exam. 2006.
Hacker, Diane. A Writer’s Reference, Fourth Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1999.
Langan, John. College Writing Skills, Fifth Edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2000.
Literature for Composition, Ed. Sylvan Barnett et al. 7th ed. New York: Longman, 2005.
Murphy, Barbara, Estelle Rankin. 5 Steps to a 5: AP English Language. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002.
Ramage, John D., John C. Bean, and June Johnson. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing, Custom Edition, Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing, 2003.
Work load and academic expectations:
We are here to learn, please conduct yourself accordingly.
Classroom Activities:
- Listening to lectures
- Participating in discussion
- Watching films
- Working on computers
- Participating in group activities
- Working independently
- Taking tests
- Writing essays
- Writing journals
- Grammar activities
- Reading literature and responding to it
- Projects
- Presentations
Expectations:
- Take notes on reading and lectures
- Raise hand to speak
- Stay in seats
- Everyone participates
- Speak in a low tone when working in groups
- Complete all tasks on time
All assignments must be submitted at the time they are due. Homework comes in at the beginning of class ONLY. No late papers are accepted.
Return to Syllabus Page