Tennessee Christian Preparatory School
2013-2014
AP English Language and Composition Syllabus
Instructor: Mrs. Angie Phipps
Email: aphipps@tcpsk12.org
Class Blog: PhippsAP@blogspot.com
Term: Fall-Spring 2013-2014, 7th period
COURSE DESCRIPTION: AP English Language and Composition is a yearlong elective course in which
students learn to read, write, and speak critically about various topics and genres in nonfiction. Students
will receive training in effective expository, expressive, persuasive, and analytical writing. This course
will focus on reading of essays from disciplines across the curriculum with analysis of audience and
purpose. As this is a portfolio course, emphasis is placed on the writing process. Students will write
reports and reflective essays, argumentative and explanative papers. A documented research paper is
required using MLA. This course will prepare students to take the AP Exam in English Language and
Composition in the spring, and students may be granted college credit or advanced placements as a
result of satisfactory performance on the exam.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: The successful student will become a more proficient writer of essays in various
rhetorical modes, as well as a more sophisticated reader of essays by professional writers in various
disciplines. Other expected student outcomes include the following: learn how to focus, organize, and
develop expository essays; practice critical thinking skills necessary for college work, especially in the
effective interpretation of texts through evidence and inference; become familiar with the formal
elements of literature and how they work; acquire habits of accuracy and clarity in composing sentences
and paragraphs; develop editing skills in grammar, mechanics, and usage appropriate to academic
writing; learn and practice basic methods of academic research.
TOPICS/UNITS OF INSTRUCTION:
A. “In Other Words” – Students will learn the basics of annotation, summary, and paraphrasing,
and write a Précis of a newspaper or magazine article.
B. Narrative Writing – Students will study narrative forms and write a “This I Believe” Essay and an
end-of-course Reflective Essay.
C. Descriptive Writing – Students will study the attributes of effective descriptive writing and write
a Descriptive Essay.
D. Expository Writing – Students will write an informational Research Report on an important
rhetorician (Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Quintilian, St. Augustine, Christine de Pizan, Erasmus, Bacon,
Locke, Douglass, Woolf, Burke, Derrida) and present it to class.
E. Argument Writing – Students will learn about effective argument techniques and write an
original Argument Essay.
F. Synthesis Writing – Students will learn to synthesize and document 3-5 sources and create an
original thesis for the Synthesis Essay.
G. Rhetoric – Students will learn to analyze the rhetorical techniques of texts and images and write
a Rhetorical Analysis of a Text and a Rhetorical Analysis of Media.
H. Research – Students will learn the research process and MLA documentation as they complete
an Annotated Bibliography, Research Report, and presentation on a famous rhetorician.
I. Grammar – Students will keep a language journal and study grammar as assigned.
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2013-2014
J.
Word Study – Students will develop personal vocabulary word lists in order to acquire new
vocabulary words and enhance their reading comprehension.
K. Composition – Students will write multiple drafts of essays, participate in peer reviews and
conferences, write letters of reflection on personal growth, and submit portfolios.
L. Test Prep – Students will be prepped on the AP English exam format, test strategies, and sample
timed tests.
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION:
A. Lecture: Students will be required to take detailed notes on lectures as well as class discussions.
B. Course Readings: Students will be expected to complete course readings outside of class and come
to class prepared to discuss the assigned reading.
C. Socratic Seminars: Students will take an active role in Socratic discussions both in-class and online
through our class Blog over lecture material and course readings. Students should prepare for
discussions by writing at least two thought-provoking questions about the readings to stimulate
discussion.
D. Electronic Group Discussion (Blog): Students will be required to read articles and essays, view
videos or images, and respond to discussion questions posted online. Students are expected to
participate in our Blog chats by responding to the original questions posted as well as respond to
others’ responses. This will serve as an extension of our in-class discussions as well as explore the
medium of electronic writing.
E. Journal Response: Students are required to keep a critical response journal in which they will write
critical responses to our readings as well as questions or quotations posed in class. Critical responses
will examine specific attributes of our texts—author’s purpose, intended audience, subject, style,
and rhetorical choices made. At least one 250-word journal response is required each week. A
single-subject or two-subject spiral notebook will serve as our response journal.
F. Language Journal: Students are required to keep a language journal in which they become acute
observers of the language which surrounds us. Language journal entries may be observations of
everyday speech, sayings, clichés, idioms, text messages, email, social media (Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, etc.), visual arguments, written language, or any other general observations about our
language. At least one 250-word language journal entry is required per week. Language journal
entries may be kept in the same notebook as critical reading responses, but use the opposite sides
of the notebook for clarity (simply flip the notebook and enter from the “wrong” or back side).
G. Word Study: In addition to the language journal, students will participate in informal word study
throughout the year which consists of two parts: vocabulary development and mastery of literary
terms. Vocabulary Words: Each quarter, students are required to submit a list of 50 personal
vocabulary words previously unknown--words may be found in any of our shared readings or
readings found outside of class--with 1) definition, 2) source, and 3) quotation/sentence to
demonstrate how it was used. I will collect 25 words at mid-quarter and the remaining 25 words at
the end of each quarter. Vocab word lists must be handwritten and legible. Literary Terms: Students
will be given a list of 100 literary terms to study independently. Students will take tests quarterly to
test comprehension and application of literary terms. It is advised to use these literary terms in your
critical response journals and in class discussion to aid in memorization/mastery. A complete list of
literary terms will be given in class and posted on the class Blog.
H. Informal Writing: Students will be given many opportunities to practice writing through informal
assignments such as journal responses, annotations, summaries, paraphrasing, evaluative and
reflective responses, peer responses, etc.
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Tennessee Christian Preparatory School
2013-2014
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
N.
O.
P.
Q.
Précis Writing: Students will learn to write a précis in order to clearly and concisely state an author’s
thesis (or main topic), main points/support, and organization of a text.
Essay Writing: Students will write multiple drafts of essays in various rhetorical modes, including
narration, description, exposition, argumentation, synthesis, and analysis. Students can expect to
write 8 major essays (3-5 pages in length) which will include a research report (5-6 pages).
Peer Review: Students will participate in peer reviews of each other’s essays, responding to what
the author does well, whether the author responds to the requirements of the assignment, and
offer advice for areas of improvement.
Conferences: Students will participate in several informal conferences throughout each quarter as
well as a formal conference each semester to discuss the student’s growth. Conferences are not
graded.
Portfolios: Students will be required to keep a portfolio of his or her informal writing assignments as
well as formal essays and peer reviews. Portfolios will reflect the writing process, revisions, and
student reflection on his or her growth in writing. Portfolios will be due at the end of each grading
quarter.
Presentations: Students will be required to give 10-15 minute presentations on various topics
assigned. Students can expect at least two presentations over the course of the year.
Research: Students will be required to conduct research on a famous rhetorician (list provided) and
complete a 3-part research project: annotated bibliography, research report, and presentation.
Timed Exams: Students will be required to take several timed exams (official AP exams given in
previous years)—both multiple choice and written responses--in order to prepare for the AP exam in
the spring. Students can expect about six 80-minute exams over the course of the year—one of
which is given during the first semester exam time. Exams will not be calculated into the student’s
grade; they are used merely as practice and assessment of a student’s abilities.
Videos: We will periodically watch excerpts of videos addressing various issues and history of the
English Language. Some videos will also be available on the class Blog for viewing outside of class as
well in case of absence or need for review.
ASSESSMENT:
Grading Scale
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
0-59
Grades
A
B
C
D
F
Grades for 1st Quarter
Test on Literary Terms
50 Vocabulary Words
7 Journal Responses
7 Language Responses
Media Fast Reflection
Précis
This I Believe Essay
Descriptive Essay
Portfolio and Letter
Total
Response Journals
Word Study
Essays/Portfolios
Presentations
Informal Writing
50 points
50 points
50 points
50 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
200 points
800 points
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Tennessee Christian Preparatory School
2013-2014
Grades for 2nd Quarter
Test on Literary Terms
50 Vocabulary Words
8 Journal Responses
8 Language Responses
Annotated Bibliography
Research Report
Presentation
Argument Essay
Portfolio and Letter
Total
50 points
50 points
50 points
50 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
100 points
200 points
800 points
BOOKS AND MATERIALS:
1. Norton Reader, Linda Peterson & John Brereton, 11th Shorter ed.
2. They Say, I Say, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein
3. Eats, Shoots & Leaves, Lynne Truss
4. Amusing Themselves to Death, Neil Postman
5. Strunk & White: Elements of Style
6. Hodges Harbrace Handbook
7. Videos: excerpts from Story of English, Do You Speak American?
8. Handouts
CLASS POLICIES AND PROCEDURES:
Attendance: Students should make every effort to attend class regularly. If a student misses a class or
part of a class, it is his or her responsibility to enquire about missed notes and work. If you are absent on
the day an assignment is due, you must email me a copy of the completed assignment.
Participation: While participation is not graded, all students are expected to participate in class
discussions and peer reviews as well as other group work. Students who participate regularly are more
knowledgeable and confident in their opinions and voice.
Grading: There will be no exceptions made for late work. Assignments are due on dates given in the
schedule. If you are absent on the date an assignment is due, it is your responsibility to get the
assignment turned in via email or sent with another student. In the case of a family hardship or serious
illness, assignments may be turned in the day the student returns to school.
Academic Integrity: No student may attempt to pass off others’ ideas as his or her own. Any attempt to
plagiarize will be brought to the attention of the administration and student expulsion is possible as well
as receiving an F for the assignment. All students are asked to write “Honor Pledge” on each of their
formal essays and reports as well as sign their names.
QUARTERLY SCHEDULE:
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Tennessee Christian Preparatory School
2013-2014
1st QUARTER: Expressing Views on Cultural Critiques & Language Awareness
August 19- October 16, 2013
Through a close analysis of texts and media treating various cultural critiques as well as developing an
awareness of language, students will become critical consumers of media and persuasive language. The
focus of this unit is on developing a voice and opinion on the topics of culture and media. Students will
take part in a 24-hour media fast, as described in Amusing Ourselves to Death, and write a 2-3 page
Reflection Paper analyzing their own struggles and obstacles to avoid media. Students will learn to
critically read texts for their intended audience, purpose, main idea, and evidence and write a detailed
précis of an article concerning a current issue in our culture. Students will be asked to write two
narrative essays in which they construct a detailed narrative reflecting on specific beliefs and events in
their lives in a 3-5 page “This I Believe” essay and a 3-5 page descriptive essay about an important
memory.
Readings:
Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death
Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots & Leaves
Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, They Say, I Say
Neil Postman, “Virtual Students. Digital Classroom”
Lewis Thomas, “Notes on Punctuation”
George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language”
John Hart, “How Teachers Make Children Hate Reading”
Brent Staples, “Black Men and Public Spaces”
Anthony Burgess, “Is America Falling Apart?”
Adam Goodheart, “9.11.01: The Skyscraper and the Airplane”
Gloria Anzaldua, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”
Maya Angelou, “Graduation”
Frederick Douglass, “Learning to Read”
Toni Morrison, “Strangers”
Langston Hughes, “Salvation”
Anne Fadiman, “The His’er Problem”
Garrison Keillor, “How to Write a Letter”
Wayne C. Booth, “Boring from Within: The Art of the Freshman Essay”
Eudora Welty, “Clamorous to Learn”
Video Excerpts:
Story of English
Do You Speak American?
Assignments:
Write a 2-3 page Reflection Paper on 24-hour media fast
Write a 2-3 page Précis of an article about culture or current events
Write a 3-5 page Narrative about forming your own beliefs: “This I Believe”
Write a 3-5 page Descriptive Essay about an important memory
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Tennessee Christian Preparatory School
2013-2014
2nd QUARTER: Research in Ethics, Religion, and Philosophy
October 22-December 20, 2013
Through an analysis of texts treating philosophical, religious, and ethical questions and issues, students
will evaluate and critique the varying viewpoints on major issues of faith, knowledge, truth, and
government. The focus of this unit is on refining research skills and developing an opinion on ethical
issues. Students will also refine their research skills by completing an annotated bibliography and
research report on a famous rhetorician using MLA format. Students will write an argument paper, using
some of the readings as well as their own sources, in which they argue for the existence of God.
Readings:
Plato, Republic
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics & Rhetoric
Plato, “Allegory of the Cave”
Henry David Thoreau, “Where I Lived and What I Lived For”
Martha Nussbaum, “The Idea of World Citizenship in Greek and Roman Antiquity”
Gilbert Highet, “The Mystery of Zen”
Jean-Paul Sartre, “Existentialism”
Michel de Montaigne, “That One Man’s Profit is Another Man’s Loss”
Niccolo Machiavelli, “The Morals of the Prince”
Thomas Jefferson (et al.), “The Declaration of Independence”
Elizabeth Cady Stanton, “Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions”
Carl Becker, “Democracy”
E.B. White, “Democracy”
Martin Luther King Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
St. Thomas Aquinas, “Truths about God”
John Locke, from “An Essay Concerning Human Understanding”
John Stuart Mill, from On Liberty and The Subjection of Women
Alexis de Tocqueville, “The Principle of the Sovereignty of the People in America”
Bible, New Testament readings
Video Excerpts:
Western Philosophy, 2006
Assignments:
Write an Annotated Bibliography of a Famous Rhetorician’s works (3 works minimum)
Write a 5-8 page Research Report on a Famous Rhetorician
Create Power Point Presentation of Rhetorician
Write a 3-5 page Argument Essay in Defense of God
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Tennessee Christian Preparatory School
2013-2014
3rd QUARTER: Logical Arguments on Science and Nature
January 6-March 14, 2014
Through varied readings on topics and issues in science and nature, we will learn to identify an author’s
claims and evidence as well as identify fallacious arguments. The focus of this unit is on developing
logical arguments and evidence on topics of science and nature. Students will write a 3-5 page essay in
which they develop a logical argument on issues in science and nature. Through an argument-driven
synthesis of sources, students will develop a thesis which takes into account various sources on topics of
science and/or nature.
Readings:
Henry David Thoreau, Walden
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature
William Golding, “Thinking as a Hobby”
Issac Asimov, “The Eureka Phenomenon”
Harvey Mansfield, “The Partial Eclipse of Manliness”
Scott Russell Sanders, “Looking at Women”
Anna Quindlen, “Between the Sexes, a Great Divide”
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, “On the Fear of Death”
Jonathan Rauch, “In Defense of Prejudice”
Michael Levin, “The Case for Torture”
Tom Regan, “The Case for Animal Rights”
Paul Fussell, “Thank God for the Atom Bomb”
Jacob Bronowski, “The Nature of Scientific Reasoning”
Steven Weinberg, “Can Science Explain Everything? Anything?”
Stephen Jay Gould, “Darwin’s Middle Road”
Aldo Leopold, “The Land Ethic”
Katha Pollitt, “Does a Literary Canon Matter?”
Jonathan Swift, “A Modest Proposal”
Video Excerpts:
“Nature v. Nurture Debates Documentary”
“Panel Debates the Impact of Human Action on Climate Change”
Assignments:
Write a 3-5 page Argument Essay on science and/or nature
Write a 4-6 page Synthesis Essay on science and/or nature
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Tennessee Christian Preparatory School
2013-2014
4th QUARTER: Visual Arguments and Rhetoric of History and Politics
March 17-May 31, 2014
Through various readings on history and politics as well as famous speeches, students will identify
rhetorical strategies and styles through the process of writing a 3-5 page rhetorical analysis essay on a
nonfiction text and a 3-5 page rhetorical analysis essay on visual media. We will view some videos of
famous speeches from history in conjunction with our readings as well as some biographical and
autobiographical texts.
Readings:
Adolf Hitler, Mien Kampf
Winston Churchill, Their Finest Hour
Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl
Francis Bacon, “Of Youth and Age”
Mary Wollstonecraft, from A Vindication of the Rights of Women
Abraham Lincoln, “Gettysburg Address”
Chief Seattle, “Letter to President Pierce, 1855”
Walt Whitman, “Death of Abraham Lincoln”
Philip Gourevitch, “After the Genocide”
Henry David Thoreau, “The Battle of the Ants”
Barbara Tuchman, “’This is the End of the World’: The Black Death”
David McCullough, “Recommended Itinerary”
George Orwell, “Shooting and Elephant”
“Cherokee Memorials”
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, “Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation”
Martin Luther King, Jr., “I Have a Dream”
Ronald Reagan, “Remarks at the Brandenburg Gate”
Adolph Hitler, “Declaration of War against the US, 1941”
Video Excerpts:
BBC, The Dark Charisma of Adolph Hitler, 2012
“Reagan: Tear Down this Wall”
“Abraham Lincoln – the Gettysburg Address”
“MLK - I Have a Dream”
“FDR – A date will live in infamy”
Assignments:
Write a 3-5 page Rhetorical Analysis of a Nonfiction Text
Write a 3-5 page Rhetorical Analysis of Visual Media
Complete AP English Language and Composition Exam
MISSION STATEMENT: Tennessee Christian Preparatory School provides a quality college preparatory education,
from a Christian worldview, and equips students for tomorrow’s challenges by educating the mind and the soul.
VISION STATEMENT: Tennessee Christian Preparatory School will serve students and families by providing a quality
college preparatory education from a Christian world view.
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