Mr. Hoerster
Syllabus
2009-2010
AP English III
Junior A.P. English Language and Composition
*Text must be purchased prior to the first day of the trimester
Course Objectives:
A.P. Junior English is a composition-based course that uses
American Literature as a basis for developing critical thinking and
writing skills. This course revolves primarily around nonfiction
readings that are selected to give students the opportunity to
analyze the authors’ use of rhetorical strategies. Yet, the course
will also present visual imagery as a source, not only in relation to
written text, but also to be analyzed as an entity unto itself.
Recognizing the critical elements within the works, students will
have to write formally and informally, in several forms (e.g.,
imitation, collaboration, narration, expository, analytical and
argumentative essays) about what they have come to understand.
Students will focus their attention on the content, audience, and
purpose to guide the organization of their writing. Risk taking is
encouraged. Knowing that there is a lot of ground to cover,
students will be expected to complete several independent reading
and writing assignments.
Novels (fiction and nonfiction):
 *Into the Wild, Krakauer
 Catcher in the Rye, Salinger
 *Life of Pi, Martell
 *Choice of Summer Reading
Supplemental Text:
 *The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric, Shea, Scanlon and
Aufses
 The Prentice Hall Reader, selected chapters
 The People’s History of the United States: 1492-Present, Howard Zinn
 The Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels
 Language and Politics (selected chapters), Chomsky
 Revisiting America (selected chapters), Wyle
 “The Meaning of the Fourth of July to the Negro,” Douglas
 “Are We Mature Enough to End Black History Month?” Williams
 “The War Prayer,” Twain
 The Art of War, Sun Tzu
 “The Misunderstanding of the Sex Worker,” Hoerster
Additional Resources:
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The Onion
The Bible (as literature)
Cool Hand Luke
Harold and Maude
Crimson Tide
Dead Poets Society
Big Fish
Do the Right Thing
Evaluation:
The evaluation of the student’s work is based on but not limited to:
1. homework (vocabulary, sentence structure, etc.)
2. quizzes (vocabulary, content, etc)
3. tests (in-class/take home free response, multiple choice, etc.)
4. in-class presentations
5. journals (personal, reflective, etc.)
6. papers (expository, analytical, argumentative, etc.)
7. paper writing process (pre-writing, drafting, peer editing, etc.)
8. in-class participation
9. research (recognizing MLA style and Hacker’s, Rules for
Writers)
10. workshops (individually scheduled teacher/student paper
analysis regarding organization, coherence, etc.)
This is the breakdown of the overall percentages each category is
worth…
20%-tests/presentations
20%-papers/writing process/etc.
20%-journals/homework
15%-quizzes/misc.
25%-participation
The summer reading assignments will be evaluated in class
discussions, examinations and in several writing assignments. The
summer writing assignment will be worth an additional 10% of the
student’s final, trimester one, grade.
Classroom Materials:
 Several blue or black pens
 Several no. 2 pencils
 1 inch, three ring binder
 Loose leaf paper
 Spiral-bound notebook
 Three hole punch (optional, yet valuable)
Course Outline:
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Unit One: Summer Assignment Revisited
-Review summer asssignment
-Small group work with short presentations
AP Multiple Choice, One and One A
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Unit Two: An Introduction to Rhetoric (The Language of Composition)
The Rhetoric of Advertisement Paper/Project
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Unit Three: Close Reading (The Language of Composition)
Create Your Own Caption Cartoon/AP Multiple Choice Two and Two A
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Unit Four: Synthesizing Sources (The Language of Composition)
Unit Two, Three and Four Multiple Choice Test
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Unit Five: Transcending the Cave
-Allegory of the Cave, Plato [project]
-Into the Wild, Krakauer
-The Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels
-Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. (The Language of
Composition)
-Obama Victory Speech, Barack Obama
-Where I Lived and What I Lived for, Henry David Thoreau (TLC)
-The New Community, Amitai Etzioni (TLC)
-Commencement Speech at Mount Holyoke College, Anna Quindlan (TLC)
-Cool Hand Luke, film
Test/Paper: Rough Draft/Final
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Unit Six: Imperialism, War, Politics and History
-“Discovery” Painting
-A People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn, Chapter One
-Policy of Civilization and Assimilation, Thomas Jefferson (RA)
-A Modest Proposal, Jonothan Swift
-The Destruction of Culture, Chris Hedges (TLC)
-On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau (TLC)
-Ashes, Phillip Lopate, (Revisiting America)
-Address to a Joint Session of Congress, George W. Bush (RA)
-from The New Yorker, Susan Sontag (RA)
-The War Prayer, Mark Twain
-Christmas Brought to Iraq by Force, The Onion
-The Art of War, Sun Tzu [power point]
-Crimson Tide, film
Synthesis Essay/Joining the Conversation
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Unit Seven: The Disenfranchisement of Womyn/Gender Roles
- A People’s History of the United States, Howard Zinn, Chapter 19
-Man Finally put in Charge of Struggling Feminist Movement, The Onion
-Women’s Brains, Stephen Jay Gould (TLC)
-Professions for Women, Virginia Woolf (TLC)
-About Men, Gretel Ehrlich (TLC)
-One of the Girls, Lesley Heywood (The Prentice Hall Reader)
-I Want a Wife, Judy Brady (The Prentice Hall Reader)
-The Female Body, Margaret Atwood (The Prentice Hall Reader)
-Being a Man, Paul Theroux (TLC)
-There is no Unmarked Woman, Deborah Tannen (TLC)
-The Misunderstanding of the Sex Worker, Hoerster
Interview in Small Groups/AP Multiple Choice Three and Three A
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Unit Eight: African American Heritage and History
-A People’s History of the United States, Zinn, Chapters 2, 9, 17
-Harvard Implicit Test
-The Atlanta Exposition Address, Booker T. Washington
-The Meaning of the Fourth of July to the Negro, Douglas, F.
-Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr.
-The Chickens Come Home to Roost, Malcolm X
-The Great Need of the Hour, Barack Obama
-I Have a Dream, Martin Luther King Jr. (RA)
-White Privilege, Peggy McIntosh
-The Proslavery Defense, George Fitzhugh (RA)
-Civil Rights Announcement, John F. Kennedy (RA)
-Are We Mature Enough to End Black History Month? Byron Williams
-Dr. Bill Cosby Speaks, Bill Cosby
-Stanford’s Panel Discussion on Affirmative Action
-Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee
Essay/Paper: Rough Draft and Final
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Unit Nine: Education (TLC)
-Dead Poets Society, film
Entering the Conversation/AP Multiple Choice Four and Four A
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Unit Ten: The Novel
-Catcher in the Rye, Salinger
-Harold and Maude, film
-Life of Pi, Martell
-Big Fish, film
Collage/Essay Test
Summer Assignment:
Subject: Junior AP English Language and Composition 2009
Teacher: Mr. Hoerster
Summer Assignment: Reading, response log and term dictionary
Due: June 23rd, July 21st and the first day of class
The Junior AP English course is meant to prepare you for the English Language and Composition
exam you will hopefully be taking in May of your junior year. Because of our brief time together
(only three trimesters) I will be expecting that you do a little extra work over the summer to better
help you prepare for the AP test. The exam in May is one that focuses on non-fiction writing, so
most of the work we cover junior year will be non-fiction. Your summer reading assignment will
also be based on non-fiction work; this will help lay the foundation for ideas we will be more
carefully looking at throughout the upcoming year. The first part of the assignment is to create a
literary term and key word dictionary which will be due the first day of class and will be worth an
extra credit grade. You will also be asked to read three books this summer and complete a
response log for each; you will have some choice regarding the three works, but the work is
mandatory.
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Your first reading response log, due June 23rd, will be a selection from the following
(33.3%of your summer grade):
Black Boy, Richard Wright, or Autobiography of Malcolm X, Alex Haley
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Your next reading response log, due July 21st, will be a selection from the following
(33.3%):
Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser or Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big
Difference, Malcolm Gladwell
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Your next reading response log, due the first day of class, will be a selection from the
following (33.3%):
Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger or Gang Leader for a Day, Sudhir Venkatesh
The Response Log:
I expect every student to be an active reader, a reader who never opens a book without a pen.
Underlining, starring, making notes as you read helps you to better understand the work. A
response log is an effective way to take active reading to another level by keeping a record of
your reading responses‐-positive or negative, sure or unsure. It offers a chance to respond
personally, to ask questions, wonder, predict, or reflect on the characters, people, events, literary
elements, writing techniques, or language of a text. Do not summarize! Instead, record your
textual observations.
1. Your response log must be typed
2. Must have two columns
• Title the column on the left “Quotations from the Text”
• Title the column on the right “Commentary/Responses to the Text”
Responses may start:
• “The imagery reveals…”
• “The setting gives the effect of…”
• “The author seems to feel…”
• “The tone of this part is…”
• “The character(s) feel(s)…”
• “This is ironic because…”
• “An interesting metaphor or symbol is”
• “The detail seems effective/out of place/important because…”
• “An interesting word/phrase/sentence/thought is…”
• “This reminds me of…”
• “Something I notice/appreciate/don’t appreciate/wonder about is…”
• ʺThe author emphasizes________ in order to…”
• Or you may start with something else you feel is appropriate
3. Generally each response to a quotation should be 3‐5 sentences and should include
your analysis of the literary and rhetorical techniques present in the quotations, the
author’s attitude, purpose or tone, and relation to personal experience.
4. You must include a total of ten entries for each reading that range from the beginning
to the end of the given work. Show me that you have read the entire text by responding to
the book from the first to the last page.
5. Make sure that you note the page number for the quotes. Your response log will be
used to determine your comprehension of the text. Be sure that your responses are
thorough and that you complete the journal for a variety of chapters within the book.
Please remember that these logs are not meant to be personal diaries. They are meant to
be read by others and should be related only to the assigned material. You will be sharing
your logs in class, so keep this in mind as you write. When sharing you will have the
opportunity to confirm, clarify, and modify your responses through discussion. You will
also find that your response logs can be helpful in writing literary and rhetorical analysis
of the text.
***I do not expect you to be an expert at analyzing rhetorical techniques (yet), so don’t panic if
you don’t know what to do here. We are going to spend nearly the entire class working with
rhetorical analysis. Focus on using the analytical techniques you learned in your previous
language arts classes.
Sample Response Log: To Kill a Mockingbird
Quotations from the Text
Commentary/Responses to the Text
“‘He might have hurt me a little,’ Atticus
conceded, ‘but son, you’ll understand folks a
little better when you’re older. A mob’s always
made up of people, no matter what. Mr.
Cunningham was part of a mob last night, but
he was still a man…So, it took an eight
year‐old child to bring ‘em to their senses
didn’t it?’” (159‐160)
The tone here is matter‐of‐fact. Atticus admits
that Mr. Cunningham could have harmed him,
but he explains that Mr. Cunningham’s actions
were not entirely his own; he was influenced
by the crowd as is common for many people. It
takes Scout recognizing him and talking to him
to make Mr. Cunningham realize that what he
is doing is wrong.
As with every class assignment, all summer reading work should be original. Do not wait until
the last minute to begin your work. Most students plagiarize because they feel that they do not
have enough time to be honest. I am interested in your original thoughts and ideas, so leave
yourself enough time to carefully and thoughtfully complete this assignment. The first two
assignments are to be e-mailed to me, as a word attachment, no later than the date due, the
third log will be brought into class the first day as a hard copy (you will need to print out hard
copies of the first two logs as well for your AP English Language and Composition binder).
Response Log Rubric:
A+…B+ : Successful‐Synthesis and evaluation of the text
• Features detailed, meaningful passages and quote selections
• Coverage of text is complete and thorough
• Journal is neat, organized, and professional looking; student has followed directions for
organization of the journal
• Uses thoughtful interpretation and commentary; avoids clichés
• Makes insightful personal connections
• Asks thought‐provoking and insightful questions
• A strong interest in the material as evidenced through an awareness of levels of meaning
• Judgments are textually and experientially based
• Predictions are thoughtful and keenly observed
• Character analysis is consistent with the material presented
• Show an understanding of character motivation
• Comparisons and connections are found between text and other literary and artistic works
• Recognizes the author’s writing choices and reasons for those choices (rhetorical, stylistic)
• Recognizes the energy and deliberateness of the writing process
• Awareness that their own personal beliefs may differ from those expressed in the text
• Demonstrates an awareness of point of view
B…C : Adequate‐Some evidence, understanding and appreciation of the text
• Uses less‐detail, but good quote selections
• Adequately addresses all parts of the reading assignment
• Journal is neat and readable
• Follows directions for organizing the journal
• Uses some intelligent commentary
• Addresses some thematic connections
• Includes some personal connections
• Does not summarize, but rather reflects upon the narrative
• Predictions are plausible
• Demonstrates some understanding of character motivation
• Show student’s engagement in the text
C-...F: Unsuccessful‐Literal surface encounter with the text
• Only a few good details from text; quotes may be incomplete or not used at all
• Most commentary is vague, unsupported, or plot summary
• Journal is relatively neat, but may be difficult to read
• Student has not followed all directions for organizing the journal (no columns, no page
numbers, etc.)
• Shows limited personal connection to text
• Asks few or obvious questions
• Address only part of the reading assignment
• Predictions are unrealistic or improbable
• Uses stereotypical responses
• Entries are too short
• Features off‐topic responses
0: Fails to turn in assignment/plagiarism
Literary Terms & Key Words Directions:
Create a “Literary Terms and Key Words Dictionary” by defining the following terms and putting
them in an original sentence. Take extra care to create a dictionary that you may reference
throughout the school year. This is due the first day of class and will be worth extra credit. Extra
credit in my class is the elimination of your lowest grade from the trimester (only applies to work
that was completed and handed in).
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Acerbic
Aesthetics
Allegory
Allusion
Aloof
Analogy
Anecdote
Antagonist
Apologist
Aside
Assonance
Atmosphere
Author’s purpose
Barbarism
Bemused
Biography
Characterization
Churlish
Cliffhanger
Climax
Comedy
Condescending
Conflict
Connotation
Cynical
Denotation
Dialect
Dialogue
Diction
Double Entendre
Drama
Dramatic irony
Elaborate
Epic
Epithets
Essay
Euphemism
Evocation
Exposition
Extended Metaphor
Falling action
Fantasy
Farce
Feigned
Fiction
Figurative Language
First person Point of view
Flashback
Foil
Folksiness
Foreshadow
52. Homogeneity
53. Hook
54. Humor
55. Hyperbole
56. Imagery
57. Importunate
58. Impressionistic
59. Insular
60. Irate
61. Irony
62. Judicious
63. Magical Realism
64. Melodramatic
65. Memoir
66. Metaphor
67. Mood
68. Myth
69. Narrative poem
70. Narrator
71. Nonfiction
72. Nostalgia
73. Onomatopoeia
74. Paradox
75. Parallel Syntax
76. Personification
77. Persuasion
78. Plot
79. Poignant
80. Point of view
81. Protagonist
82. Realism
83. Repetition
84. Reverent
85. Satire
86. Schizoid
87. Science fiction
88. Self-deprecating
89. Setting
90. Simile
91. Speaker
92. Style
93. Symbol
94. Theme
95. Tone
96. Tragedy
97. Tragic flaw
98. Tragic hero
99. Turning point
100. Understatement