1

11 Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Syllabus

Course Description The purpose of the Advanced Placement 11 Language and Composition course is to enable students to read complex texts with understanding and to write prose of sufficient richness and complexity to communicate effectively with mature readers. This course will prepare students, as readers, to demonstrate how diction, imagery, figures of speech, and sentence structure contribute to some total effect. Not only will the AP student read selected texts and passages from the canon of American Literature but also be prepared to read and analyze passages of nonfiction, visuals, photographs, films, advertisements, comic strips, charts, and graphs. Students will be given multiple opportunities to work with a variety of rhetorical modes by examining the purposes of professional writers and authors in relation to audience, subject, and context. This course will prepare students, as writers, to go beyond the basic five paragraph essay. Students will be given multiple opportunities to write about a variety of subjects from a variety of disciplines and to demonstrate awareness of audience and purpose. Students will synthesize a series of source material – incorporating readings in order to establish a position to form a cohesive, supported argument and accurately cite primary and secondary source material. The course is designed to be taken by those students who have already developed their own writing skills by completing previous writing intensive classes such as English 10 Honors and who wish to further develop an awareness of style and rhetoric.

What is a successful AP English Language and Composition Student? College Student

Intellectually curious

Comfortable working independently at a quick pace and writing with frequency under a variety of conditions.

Committed to a minimum of five hours of course work per week outside of class.

Effective time management due to long-term writing and reading assignments.

Sufficient command of mechanical conventions, an ability to read and discuss prose, and a strong work ethic.

Willing to dismantle stereotypes in thinking and language and construct persuasive arguments using appropriate evidence.

Working toward taking the AP Language and Composition Exam in May 2018

And where are they going? Able to read and analyze anything for meaning and style.

Able to write in an authentic voice.

Able to demonstrate mastery of skills with a passing score on the AP test in May.

Critical Content The course requires students to:

Write in several forms (e.g., narrative, expository, analytical, and argumentative essays) about a variety of subjects (e.g., public policies, popular culture, personal experiences).

Write essays that proceed through several stages or drafts with the revision incorporating, as appropriate, feedback from teachers and peers.

Write in informal contexts (e.g., imitation exercises, journal keeping, collaborative writing, and in-class responses) designed to help them become increasingly aware of themselves as writers and/or aware of the techniques employed by the writers they read.

2

Produce one or more expository writing assignments. Topics should be based on readings representing a wide variety of prose styles and genres and might include such topics as public policies, popular culture, and personal experiences.

Produce one or more analytical writing assignments. Topics should be based on readings representing a wide variety of prose styles and genres and might include such topics as public policies, popular culture, and personal experiences.

Produce one or more argumentative writing assignments. Topics should be based on readings representing a wide variety of prose styles and genres and might include such topics as public policies, popular culture, and personal experiences.

Read nonfiction readings (e.g., essays, journalism, political writing, science writing, nature writing, autobiographies/biographies, diaries, history, criticism) that are selected to give students opportunities to explain an author’s use of rhetorical strategies or techniques. If fiction and poetry are also assigned, their main purpose should be to help students understand how various effects are achieved by writers’ linguistic and rhetorical choices.

Analyze how visual images relate to written texts and/or how visual images serve as alternative forms of texts.

Demonstrate research skills and, in particular, the ability to evaluate, use, and cite primary and secondary sources.

Produce one or more projects such as the researched argument paper, which goes beyond the parameters of a traditional research paper by asking students to present an argument of their own that includes the synthesis of ideas from an array of sources.

Cite sources using a recognized editorial style (e.g., Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, American Psychological Association (APA), etc.).

The AP teacher will provide instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments that will help

students to develop:

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,

transition, and emphasis.

A balance of generalization of specific, illustrative detail.

An effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and

achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure.

Course Materials Students will possibly be using selections from the following materials: Aufses, Robin Dissin, Renee H. Shea, Lawrence Scanlon, and Kate Aufses. Conversations in American Literature: Language, Rhetoric, Culture. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2015. Print. Clark, Roy Peter. How to Write Short: Word Craft for Fast Times. New York. Little, Brown and Company, 2013.

Print. Cohen, Samuel. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004. Print. Heinrichs, Jay. Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of

Persuasion. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2017. Print. Penfield, Elizabeth. Short Takes: Model Essays for Composition. 6th ed. New York: Longman, 1999. Print. Prentice Hall Literature: The American Experience. Volumes 1 and 2. Boston, MA: Prentice Hall, 2007. Print. Yagoda, Ben. How to Not Write Bad. New York: The Penguin Group, 2013. Print. Zinsser, William. On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction. 30th Anniversary ed. New York: HarperCollins, 2006. Print.

3

Other works that may be referenced: Kennedy, X. J., Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Jane E. Aaron. The Bedford Reader. 11th ed. New York: St. Martin's,

2012. Print. Lunsford, Andrea A. The Everyday Writer. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. Print. Lunsford, Andrea A, John J. Ruszkiewicz and Keith Walters. Everything’s an Argument with Readings. 4th ed.

Bedford St. Martins, 2008. Print. Murfin, Ross and Supryia M. Ray. The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms. New York: Bedford Books, 1997. Print. Murphy, Barbara L. and Estelle M. Rankin. 5 Steps to a 5: AP English Language. 2015 ed. Chicago: McGraw-Hill, 2015. Print. Roskelly, Hephzibah, and David A. Jolliffe. Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading and Writing. AP ed. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005. Print. Swovelin, Barbara V. Cliffs AP English Language and Comoposition. 3rd ed. New Jersey: Wiley Publishing Inc., 2006. Print.

Along with these textbooks, students will be reading from some of the possible novels First semester The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer Other non-fiction supplemental texts

Second semester The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Teacher Choice Supplemental texts

Students will also be expected to have the following in class1-1/2 to 2” 3 ring binder with dividers One Spiral notebook One Composition notebook Pens and pencils Highlighters Jump drive

*Students will be responsible for keeping all class materials organized in their binder and Google drive. The binder should be brought to class everyday so that students are prepared. I will check binders periodically to make sure that all materials are present and organized. Binders will also be used for end of semester portfolios.

Course Policies

Course will follow policies as outlined in Bolingbrook High School handbook.

Essay revisions are accepted within three weeks of receiving grade.

Any students plagiarizing will be subject to consequences according to Bolingbrook High School policy.

Assessment and Student Evaluation A—100-90% C – 79-70% B—89-80% D—69-60% F— 59-0%

4

Student grades will be determined by the following: Formatives (10%): Homework Classwork Summatives (90%): Essays Reading Tests Writing Portfolio Semester Final: 25%

5

Course Procedures: General Course information: Each unit length will vary, and each unit will have a specific focus in reading and writing. During each unit students will read a variety of short stories and non-fiction works that either augment the theme of the novels being read or serve as examples for the writing being done in class. Our first weeks will be devoted to understanding how to close read and shaping an argument. Thereafter, we will work through units by analyzing readings and writing for a variety of purposes. For each reading, students will be required to annotate texts or use a variety of strategies to show an understanding of the text, the rhetorical strategies employed by the author, and the many ways that a text can be read. From time to time, AP multiple choice tests or quizzes on the novels will be given, but the majority of knowledge on the novel will be assessed through discussion or writing. For each mode of writing, students will be required to write in class or write developed essays. In the beginning of the semester, the instructor will work through many steps of the writing process. Each essay will look at a different genre of writing in which students will need to include what they have learned through the themes of the readings as well as incorporate the stylistic elements required of the particular genre of writing. There will be time in class to conference with the instructor as well as with peers in peer reviews. General writing requirements: Students will focus on different types of essays. A large focus will be on the three essays (rhetorical analysis, synthesis, argumentative) on the AP test in May. In the beginning of the semester, specific steps will be taken in order to understand the purpose of the particular essay and understand how to create a coherent and strong essay. Students will become more independent through each approach to the essay. Students will write several argumentative, synthesis, and rhetorical analysis essays throughout the duration of a semester. They will also write a narrative essay, descriptive essay, compare and contrast essay, definition essay, problem/solution essay, and author analysis essay. Some essays will also require the student to include at least one visual element that adds to the discussion at hand. Students will look at professional models to see how visuals add to the overall message of the writing.

All essays will include multiple drafts to be viewed in conference with the teacher and peers. Students will meet multiple times with the teacher as well as peers during the writing process to complete various revisions on varying levels, including the vision of the paper, the organization, style, and proofreading.

Students will also be required to submit a reflection with every final draft that discusses the rhetorical choices made and why. This reflection may also include a discussion on the grade they will receive and why. They will also have an opportunity to ask questions and request additional feedback on specific areas. Teacher feedback will include general content issues as well as comments on the specific revision strategy the students are working on in class. In order to keep improving, various revision strategies will be utilized. After the final grade, students can still revise three more times for a revised grade within three weeks of receiving first final grade. Students must meet one on one with the instructor before revising to be able to receive an improved grade. All revisions must show changes with underlining or highlighting. Some essays will be graded on the ability to analyze for an understanding of the text as well as specific writing components. Rubrics will be used to direct student revisions. All timed writings will be graded according to the 9 point AP scale by both teacher and/or peer to incorporate student learning of the grading scale and an opportunity to internalize the requirements of the writing portion of the AP exam. Some of these essays will be graded exclusively by the teacher; others will be graded by peers and

6

used as a learning opportunity to decide what grade certain essays will receive as well as providing rationale as to why a particular essay would receive that score. As the wise Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed but that our power to do has increased.” In all assignments, students must employ the techniques of the required editorial style in any citations used. MLA will be the primary style used by students, but they must also become familiar with APA. Semester Long Projects Throughout each semester students will also be working on semester long projects. Online Discussion Boards: Students will be responsible for participating in online discussion board conversations. Because we have so many different items to cover, many discussions will take place over Google Classroom. This is a way to write less formally and discuss ideas with peers as well as practicing analysis and argument. The discussion topics will vary and focus on anything from in class discussion to the current reading and/or writing assignments. Often students will need to answer/discuss the topic (using quotes to support ideas and digging deeper) AND respond to a peer’s response. This process will help to improve analysis skills as well as writing skills and will be graded on those areas. Writing Notebook: Students will employ the notebook to practice and incorporate writing style, skills, responses, vocabulary, and other ideas pertinent to the unit. This will be graded periodically throughout the semester. Elements of the notebook will be incorporated into summative assessments. Vocabulary: Students will be responsible for keeping track of words and will be required to use the vocabulary words in their writings. There will be a mid-term and final over vocabulary words. Writing Portfolio: Students will be required to save and organize all of their essays (including planning, shaping, drafting, revising, and editing) throughout the semester. At the end of the fall semester, students will analyze their own writing choices and growth as a writer (over winter break). They will discuss three strengths in their writing and three areas for improvement. They are required to use examples from their own writing. The writing portfolio will be graded on evidence and content. Author Analysis Essay Preparation: During first semester, students will compile a collection of nonfiction writing pieces from one author. Students will research the author and learn their writing style which will help in corresponding with their author through email. Students will spend several weeks compiling work from the same journalist and analyze these writing pieces for a variety of items, including the rhetorical strategies and techniques used. For each article, students will write a one-page synopsis of the article which includes a summary, a discussion of the strategies and techniques used, and how effective those strategies and techniques were. MLA citation must be included for the article of choice. The collection must include the synopsis as well as a copy of the article with key strategies and technique highlighted. Students should not only analyze the written work but also analyze how the visual elements add to the overall message of the work. One article will be turned in every week.

Synthesis Project: During second semester, students will have a better understanding in synthesis writing by creating their own synthesis prompt. This group project will focus on research techniques, credibility of sources, and considering all sides and points of an argument. Students will be required to submit an annotated bibliography. Students will be assessed on research, organization, and MLA.

Rhetorical Analysis Show me Project: During second semester, students will have a better understanding of rhetorical analysis by teaching the class language choices from an important passage from a novel.

7

8

first Semester Course Planner

First Unit: Course Orientation, Introduction to Close Reading, and Rhetorical Awareness (August-September) This unit will set up the basis and foundation for the entire year. Throughout this first unit, we will take steps in understanding rhetoric. We will specifically focus on the rhetorical context – purpose, audience, and strategies – as we focus on close reading. The summer reading will be the focus throughout this unit. Major Paper #1 (In Class) – Analysis of summer reading essay Students will select a passage from teacher selected passages of their summer reading that allows them to discuss the purpose and apply skills taught in the first couple of weeks of class. We will use examples in class in order to approach this essay confidently. After numerous exercises, students will closely read and plan (author’s purpose and effectiveness of 3-4 strategies the author uses to convey their purpose) during one class period and then write the essay in class for another class period. Second Unit: Knowledge of diction and the importance of audience and purpose (September-October) This unit focuses close reading and analysis around The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger and non-fiction pieces. Students will continue to analyze using all of the rhetorical strategies we have previously learned with a specific focus on word choice and how audience and purpose are linked to it. Students will continue to hone their analysis and writing skills through the novel as well as through an independent author research and rhetorical analysis project. Students will also take a multiple choice analysis test at the end of the novel to demonstrate their close reading and analysis skills. Major Assessment #2 (Developed) – Email to Author In preparation for the author analysis essay, students will formulate interview questions and contact their author of choice in order to have a better understanding of the author. They will learn how to write a formal email. Major Assessment #3-8 (Developed) – Non-fiction Analyses for Author Analysis Essay Throughout September and October, students will reread their six chosen articles and analyze for language. They will annotate article, write out MLA citation, give a short summary of the article, determine purpose, and analyze 3-4 strategies in the article. These reviews will aide in the author analysis essay. Major Paper #9 (Developed) – Rhetorical Analysis Essay Students will write a 750-1000 word essay that effectively analyzes the diction used in a passage from The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger or from related reading. They will develop their analysis with evidence and explanations that are appropriate and convincing. Students will need to accurately pinpoint diction strategies and discuss the effectiveness or ineffectiveness to the author’s purpose.

Major Paper #10 (Developed) – Descriptive Essay Students will be challenged to write a one page essay that describes an important place or item and conveys the author’s tone toward the important place or item by carefully crafting description through diction. The main focus of this essay will be awareness of diction and its purpose and audience, organization/cohesiveness, and ample sensory details. Major Assessment #11-12 (In class) – Reading Tests Students will take two reading tests to indicate their understanding of The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. These assessments will be AP multiple choice questions.

9

Major Assessment #13 (In class) -- Vocabulary Mid-Term Test Students will be assessed on 25 vocabulary terms.

Third Unit: A deepening appreciation for diction and basic syntax (November-December) This unit focuses close reading and analysis around Into the Wild by Jon Krauker and other non-fiction pieces. Students will continue to analyze using all of the rhetorical strategies we have previously learned with a specific focus on advanced word choice and basic understanding of syntax and how speaker and occasion are linked to diction and syntax. Students will continue to hone their analysis and writing skills. Major Paper #14 (Developed) —Author Analysis Essay The semester long project of analyzing one journalist’s work over the course of the semester will lead to this essay. The essay will analyze, as a whole, this author’s most effective strategies and the impact they have on the reader. This essay will be 1000-1250 words and will include a proper works cited page and citations for all sources used. Students will also discuss the types of writings and topics that the author focuses on and how the techniques change according to topic, audience, context, and occasion – this section was formatively assessed earlier in the semester. Major Paper #15 (In class) – Rhetorical Analysis Essay Students will write a 750-1000 word essay that effectively analyzes the syntax used in a passage from Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer or from related reading. They will develop their analysis with evidence and explanations that are appropriate and convincing. Students will need to accurately pinpoint syntax strategies and discuss the effectiveness or ineffectiveness to the author’s purpose. Major Paper #16 (Developed) – Teacher Choice Genre Essay Students are required to write in several forms. Each teacher will choose the appropriate genre for the unit. Students will write 750-1000 word essay narrative focused on rhetorical choices or an argument (compare/contrast, definition, cause/effect, etc.) focused on rhetorical choices. Students will incorporate SOAPS as well as diction and syntax choices.

Major Assessment #17 (In class) – Vocabulary Final Students will be tested on 50 vocabulary terms. Major Assessment # 18-19 (In class) – Reading Tests Students will take two reading tests to indicate their understanding of Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. These assessments will be AP multiple choice questions.

**During novel units, summative quizzes will be given to check reading and comprehension.

Major Assessment #20 (In class) – Final Students will take an AP multiple choice assessment worth 25% of their grade.

10

Second Semester Course Planner

Fourth Unit: Introduction to argument (January) Students will learn the key elements of writing an effective argument and how SOAPS attributes to this writing. Students will understand claims of fact, claims of policy, claims of value, illogical fallacies, first-hand versus second-hand evidence, inductive versus deductive reasoning, etc.

Major Assessment #1 (Developed) – Writing Reflection Portfolio At the end of first semester, students were given an assignment during winter break to turn in as we return in January 2018. They were required to collect all of their essays (including planning, shaping, drafting, revising, and editing) first semester. Students analyze their own writing choices and growth as a writer. They will discuss three strengths in their writing and three areas for improvement. They are required to use examples from their own writing to prove their strengths and areas for improvement. The writing portfolio will be graded primarily on evidence and discussion of skills attained and skills still needed.

Major Paper #2 (Developed) – Argumentative Choice Essay To provide students with some choice as well as the opportunity to learn about more genres of writing, students will have the choice to write in any argumentative genre: compare/contrast, problem/solution, definition, etc. Students will need to create an argument (a topic discussed in class), decide on a purpose and audience, and use SOAPS to shape their argument. This paper will be 750-1000 words and the focus will be on supporting their argument with evidence from their reading, observations, or experiences. The main focus of this argumentative essay is thesis, examples, reasoning, and organization.

Fifth & Sixth Unit: The Compilation (February-April) This unit focuses close reading and analysis around The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and non-fiction readings to aide in better understanding The Great Gatsby. Students will continue to analyze using all of the rhetorical strategies we have previously learned – bringing them altogether and how speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, and subject are linked. Students will continue to hone their analysis and writing skills. Major Assessment #3 (Developed) – Synthesis Prompt Annotated Bibliography To ensure students understand that their sources are credible and helpful for their synthesis prompt, they will be required to create an annotated bibliography which allows them to assess researched articles as well as their usefulness to their final project.

Major Assessment #4 (Developed) – Synthesis Prompt Project In order to understand the synthesis prompt, students will choose a topic to research and build their own synthesis prompt. Students will research the different perspectives and different sides of the argument and include articles for others to use as evidence. They will make choices on prompt question, background to include, articles and visuals to include, etc.

Major Assessment #5-6 (In class) – Reading Tests Students will take two reading tests to indicate their understanding of The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald. These assessments will be AP multiple choice questions.

Major Paper #7 (Developed)— Synthesis Essay Students will write an essay that effectively evaluates an AP prompt. The students will develop their argument by effectively using sources to develop a position, find specific quotes from the sources to support it, and cite them accurately.

11

Major Assessment #8 (In class) -- Vocabulary Mid-Term Test Students will be assessed on 50 vocabulary terms (25 new/25 old). Major Assessment #9 (Developed/In class) – Rhetorical Analysis Group Forum Project Students will complete a group forum style rhetorical analysis of an assigned passage of The Great Gatsby. Students will identify 3-4 rhetorical choices the author makes and explain the effect of these choices on the overall effect of the text. This project will be a 10-15 minute live presentation and must include numerous textual references. Students will be graded on their annotations, analysis of the text, their ability to create clear reasoning for their evidence, and connection to the overall purpose and effect.

Major Paper #10 (Developed) – Argumentative Choice Essay To provide students with some choice as well as the opportunity to learn about more genres of writing, students will have the choice to write in any argumentative genre: compare/contrast, problem/solution, definition, etc. Students will need to create an argument (a topic discussed in class), decide on a purpose and audience, and use SOAPS to shape their argument. This paper will be 750-1000 words and the focus will be on supporting their argument with evidence from their reading, observations, or experiences. The main focus of this argumentative essay is thesis, examples, reasoning, and organization. Major Paper #11 (In class) – Argumentative Essay Students will write a 750-1000 word essay that defends, challenges, or qualifies an AP prompt. Students will support their argument with evidence from their reading, observations, or experiences. The main focus of this argumentative essay is thesis, examples, reasoning, and organization. Major Paper #12 (In class)— Synthesis Essay Students will write an essay that effectively evaluates an AP prompt. The students will develop their argument by effectively using sources to develop a position, find specific quotes from the sources to support it, and cite them accurately.

Major Paper #13 (In class) – Rhetorical Analysis Essay Students will write an essay that effectively analyzes an AP prompt. They will develop their analysis with evidence and explanations that are appropriate and convincing. Students will need to accurately pinpoint diction and/or syntax strategies and discuss the effectiveness or ineffectiveness to the author’s purpose. Seventh Unit: Advanced Syntax (April – May) This unit focuses close reading and analysis around non-fiction student novel choices. Students will continue to analyze using all of the rhetorical strategies we have previously learned with a specific focus on advanced syntax and how speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, and subject are linked to it. Students will continue to hone their analysis and writing skills. Major Paper #14 (In class)— Synthesis Essay Students will write an essay that effectively evaluates an AP prompt. The students will develop their argument by effectively using sources to develop a position, find specific quotes from the sources to support it, and cite them accurately.

Major Paper #15 (In class) – Argumentative Essay Students will write an essay that defends, challenges, or qualifies an AP prompt. Students will support their argument with evidence from their reading, observations, or experiences. The main focus of this argumentative essay is thesis, examples, reasoning, and organization.

12

Major Paper #16 (In class) – Rhetorical Analysis Essay Students will write an essay that effectively analyzes an AP prompt. They will develop their analysis with evidence and explanations that are appropriate and convincing. Students will need to accurately pinpoint diction and syntax strategies and discuss the effectiveness or ineffectiveness to the author’s purpose. Major Paper #17 (Developed) – Argumentative Choice Essay To provide students with some choice as well as the opportunity to learn about more genres of writing, students will have the choice to write in any argumentative genre: compare/contrast, problem/solution, definition, etc. Students will need to create an argument (a topic discussed in class), decide on a purpose and audience, and use SOAPS to shape their argument. This paper will be 750-1000 words and the focus will be on supporting their argument with evidence from their reading, observations, or experiences. The main focus of this argumentative essay is thesis, examples, reasoning, and organization. Major Assessment #18 (In class) – Vocabulary Final Students will be tested on 100 vocabulary terms from throughout the year. Major Assessment #19 (In class) – Writing Portfolio At the end of the semester, students will be required to reflect on the goals set from first semester. Students will revise one essay for style and add commentary that reflects on their improvements and how those choices are effective. The writing portfolio will be graded on students’ ability to revise for style and reflect on changes and growth as a writer that particular semester. Major Assessment #20 (In class) – Final Students will take an AP multiple choice assessment worth 25% of their grade. **During novel units, summative quizzes will be given to check reading and comprehension.

13

Please return by Tuesday, August 22, 2017 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Please sign below acknowledging that you have received and read the syllabus and agree to follow the guidelines stated. Your student should keep this syllabus in his/her notebook for reference. Please feel free to contact me throughout the semester with any questions or concerns. __________________________________________ __________________________ Student Signature Date __________________________________________ Student Name printed ________________________________________ ___________________________ Parent/Guardian Signature Date __________________________________________ ____________________________ Best phone number to contact you at Best time to contact you ___________________________________________ E-mail address (parent/guardian) ____________________________________________, Bolingbrook, IL _________________ Mailing Address