PAP English II
Richland High School
Instructor: Trudie Byers, PhD
Overview:
This course is designed to prepare students for the AP English Language and Composition class
that they will take their junior year as well as the AP English Literature and Composition class
that they will take their senior year. Thus, two distinct strands will run throughout the class:
(1) A study of classical rhetoric coupled with modern methods of argumentation and reading of
nonfiction pieces will prepare students for junior year.
(2) A study of classical literature coupled with expository and analytical writing will prepare
students for senior year.
Of course, we also need to be working on those skills that are needed to be successful on the
STAR. Last year, only 4% of you achieved an advanced rating on the STAR, so obviously we
need some more work. We will be focusing on expository and persuasive writing in order to
meet the demands of this test. The good news is that both of these writing strategies will be
useful on the AP language exam. And writing in a timed situation is one of the most difficult of
all the AP testing issues—both in English and History.
Primary Texts: Holt McDougal Literature, grade 10
Easy Writer, Andrea Lunsford
Words Fail Me, Patricia O’Conner
Vocabulary for the College Student, Harold Levine
First Semester
Unit One: Review of Literary Devices (Throughout this document PSAT and PLAN readiness
standards have been italicized).
Literary Emphasis: Summer Reading: The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd, To Kill a
Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Compare characteristics of novel vs. those of nonfiction
Comparing and contrasting ideas presented in two passages
Making connections between information in different parts of a passage.
Review plot, setting, mood and characterization
symbolism
Writing: Exposition (elaboration):
Subtlety of Meaning
Using their reading journals from the summer reading assignment, students will
write a comparison of the “mother figures” in the two books.
Subject, Audience, Organization, First Few Words
Using examples to support your ideas
Grammar Conventions:
Verbals (Gerunds, Infinitives, Participles)
Introduction of parallel structure (EW 96-98)
Vocabulary:
FORE(Page 139)
OUT(Page 142)
UP(Page 157)
WITH(page 158)
AB-, A-, ABS(Page 169)
ANTE(Page 173)
POST(Page 173)
beforehand, front, before
beyond, out, more than, longer (faster, better) than
up, upward
back, away, against
from, away, off
before
after
Suggested activities:
1. Introduce students to Aristotle’s triangle and rhetorical circle. Work through
various aspects of triangle as various works of literature are discussed
2. Work in groups to trace any mention of bees in the book, discuss how the
symbol of the bees creates a plot structure for the book.
3. Contrast presentation of T Ray in book and film. Evaluate the complex
relationship between T Ray and Lily
4. Work through chap. 1-4 of Words Fail Me
5. Complete timed writing on topic of remaining true to oneself
6. Take diagnostic test on grammar skills (EW. Find it Fix it). Review types of
verbals and begin using in writing.
7. Evaluate effect of genre on presentation of works using Apartheid d1.
8.
Read “Champion of the World”; discuss the irony of the final sentence.
Define how the story might have been different if it had been written by a
White author.
9. Introduce To Kill a Mockingbird/ discuss the significance of the title.
10. Assign independent reading of novel—students should be identifying ways in
which the title is being used as they read the novel. Complete study guide.
11. Focus on key scenes to determine ways that Harper Lee crafted her novel to
meet her purpose.
12. Discuss possible Mockingbirds in novel, defending ideas with text evidence.
13. Complete timed writing: “The full significance of the title becomes apparent
to the reader only gradually. Write an essay showing how the title “To Kill a
Mockingbird” is developed through the author’s use of devices such as
contrast, repetition, allusion, and point of view. Support essay with specific
evidence from the story.”
14. Analyze closing arguments in movies; such as, Amistad, Ghosts of
Mississippi, A Time to Kill, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Identify examples of
logos, pathos and ethos in each. Discuss ways selection of detail, body
language and timing are used to create effective argument.
15. Create closing argument for Atticus or appeal to the state supreme court that
he might have made to have the case reviewed if Tom Robinson had
survived.
16. Use research skills to create essay on topic of modern day “mockingbirds”.
Key Concepts:
1.
Good literature develops universal themes by making deliberate choices
about how to most effectively employ the tools of writing to support the
purpose, 2.2a
2. Strong arguments take into account the relationship between speaker,
audience and purpose known as Aristotle’s rhetorical triangle. 4.16.d
3. Because authors make deliberate decisions about how to structure a work, a
good reader identifies the structure and relates it to the overall purpose. 9.c
4. A symbol is a concrete object that stands for something beyond itself (often an
abstraction). 2.7a
5. A good analysis explains what (subject) was being described and how
(rhetorical device) it was described as well as why the author chose to
describe it that way (purpose). 2.15a, 4.a3
6. Strong essays have specific well-chosen details and/or examples to support the
thesis. A.5
7. Although the purpose remains the same, genre will affect how it is presented
and received, 9.d, 12.a
8. Poetry relies on the compression of complex ideas into a single moment or
image. Consequently, it requires total engagement from the reader. 9.d, 2.c.
3.a
9. Because it generally gives us a character with whom we can empathize,
fiction tends to allow for an immediate connection to the moral dilemma of a
work. 5.b
10. Anaphora, the repetition of a phrase at the beginning of a sentence, is a way
that an author can link ideas and give them significance. 7.a
11. Although they utilize poetic devices, such as imagery and diction, and often
use repetition for emphasis, essays tend to be quite straightforward in their
message. 9.d, 8.a
12. A strong comparison makes direct connections between the elements being
compared. In literature, this generally involves setting one piece of text
evidence against another. 4.a.5, 9.d
13. Because authors generally write out of their own experience, the context of a
work is significant to both the message and its presentation. 1.2.c
14. Narratives may be active or reflective; the first puts emphasis on what
happened; the second on the significance of the event. 2.6a
15. Irony awakens the reader and thus brings emphasis to the theme of the work.
2.2c, 6a
16. The background of the speaker affects the presentation of an idea as the
speaker’s preconceptions enter into their voice. 1.9d, 4a.5
17. A motif, or reoccurring idea, helps unify the plot, moving it forward and
illuminating the theme. 2.4a
18. A limited omniscient narrator knows the entire story but only sees if from the
viewpoint of a single character. 2.5c
19. A flat character is one that doesn’t develop throughout the course of the work.
A stock character is based on a stereotype. 3.25
20. A dynamic character changes as the story develops or promotes a change in
the way others respond to him. 3.25
21. Good literature develops universal themes which can be applied to
contemporary life as well as the period in which they were produced. 4.15a
Unit Two: Greek Tragedy
Literary Emphasis: Antigone/Sophocles
Elements of Greek Tragedy/focus especially on tragic hero
Text annotation
Review of archetypes (animal symbolism, for masks)
Ode/TPCAST
Guided reading: Aristotle on tragedy, “Modern Hubris”
Writing: Exposition: cause and effect, comparison and contrast
Timed writing /AP prompt “Think all men make mistakes, but a wise man
recognizes his mistake and repairs it; the only sin is pride.”
Revision—focus on analyzing question, creating analytical thesis, using specific
concrete information to support ideas.
Grammar Conventions:
Reciprocal Pronouns, Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Phrases, Active and Passive
Voice
PSAT focus/ agreement (pronoun antecedent, subject verb with intervening nonrestrictive elements or prepositional phrases, parallelism, redundancy)
Vocabulary:
E-, EX(Page 186)
IN-, IM(Page 186)
INTRA(Page 189)
INTER(Page 192)
IN-, IL(Page 203)
BENE(page 205)
MAL-, MALE(Page 205)
DIS-
out, from, away
in, into, on, against, over
within
between
not, un
good, well
evil, ill, bad, badly
opposite of, differently, apart, away
(Page 209)
OB(Page 223)
PER(Page 225)
AM, AMOR
(Page 240)
ANIM
(Page 241)
FIN
(Page 242)
FLU, FLUC, FLUX
(Page 243)
against, in the way, over
through, to the end, thoroughly
love, liking, friendliness
mind, will, spirit
end, boundary, limit
flow
Suggested Activities:
1. Engage students in discussion of purpose of studying classics. Introduce
2. students to concept of archetype as well as Greek roots/prefixes and suffixes.
Use roots to predict meaning of various complex words and to create
nonsense words. Illustrate nonsense vocabulary.
3. Introduce Aristotle’s Rules for Tragedy, LTF p. 687/ complete guided
reading of Aristotle’s poetics
4. Read Antigone- discuss play/ completing reading log.
5. Apply rules for tragedy to play, identifying how each element is handled in
the play.
6. Discuss development of Creon, Antigone, and Ismene. Apply rules for
tragedy to determine which character is the tragic hero. Find textual
evidence to support ideas.
7. Explain the concept of character foil. Create a t-chart to compare Antigone
and Ismene. Explain how Ismene acts to illuminate the strengths and
weaknesses of Antigone.
8. Explain the use of masks in the Greek theatre. Create mask to indicate the
two approaches to the situation illustrated by Antigone and Ismene.
9. Focus on stage directions in Haemen selection of the play in order to
appropriately convey the nature of his presentation.
10. Discuss the function of the blind poet in the play (How to Read Literature,
chap. 22).
11. Complete Interpreting Literary Themes p. 220-223 LTF. 11. Discuss
methods for responding to a quote in writing. Analyze key quote from
Antigone, focusing on full ramifications of quote, and brainstorm possible
situations which would support the quote.
12. Discuss nature of cause and effect writing.
13. Write timed essay in response to Antigone quote using evidence from
research of individuals who have faced similar struggles.
14. Evaluate effectiveness of evidence and creation of cause and effect
relationships.
15. Revise essays to tighten focus create more powerful voice focusing on the
use of parallel structure and paragraph hooks.
16. Read Czeklov’s Antigone. Discuss parallels between it and Sophocles’ play.
17. Complete guided reading for “Modern Hubris”. Discuss other situations
where America’s hubris seems to be getting in the way of progress.
18. Work through chap 6-13 Words Fail Me in preparation for PSAT.
19. Review Grammatical errors which appear most frequently on the PSAT.
20. Read Thoreau’s “Essay on Civil Disobedience.” Apply concept to Antigone.
21. Read Night Thoreau Spent in Jail in small groups.
22. Write director’s notes to reflect decisions made about key dramatic aspects of
scene.
23. Create and perform presentations of isolated scenes.
24. Discuss nature of comparison and contrast essays focusing on block and
topic organizational patterns.
25. Write comparison contrast essay contrasting the views of Antigone and
Thoreau on the relationship between the individual and the government.
Support essay with text evidence from both works.
Key Concepts:
1. Embedding quotes is a way to incorporate text evidence into your writing smoothly and
seamlessly. (fig. 19-b)
2. The protagonist of a Greek tragedy is largely a victim of fate. E2.2b
3. A character foil is a minor character who illuminates the reader’s understanding of major
character through contrast. E2.5b
4. The tone of a well written passage reflects the point of view of the speaker. E 2.5c
5. The various elements of Greek tragedy, although disparate stylistically, all support the
work’s overall theme. E2.4a
6. A motif, or reoccurring idea, helps unify the plot, moving it forward and illuminating the
theme. E2.4a
7. In ancient theatre, masks were used to symbolically accentuate the personalities of
individual characters.e2,7a
8. In tragedies, curses or prophecies act as a plot device as the reader discovers how they
were fulfilled. E2.2b
9. Since literature is a reflection of man’s experience, similar ideas will appear throughout
history. 2.a