Best of AP Nonrequired Reading
2nd Semester
14 weeks until exam time!
The AP Central website lists the following as “major desired outcomes” for the AP
Language and Composition course:
• Read from a variety of historical periods and disciplines
• Identify audience, purpose, and strategies in texts
• Analyze the types of arguments that writers use
• Write formally and informally for a variety of audiences
• Write expository, analytical, and argumentative essays
• Understand their own writing process and the importance of revision
• Recognize techniques in visual as well as verbal arguments
• Synthesize ideas and information from various sources
• Know how to interpret information presented in notes and citations
• Use the conventions of standard written English
In addition, students should gain rhetorical knowledge which they will apply in their own
writing in order to:
• Focus on a purpose
• Respond to the needs of different audiences
• Respond appropriately to different kinds of rhetorical situations
• Use conventions of format and structure appropriate to the rhetorical situation
• Adopt appropriate voice, tone, and level of formality
• Understand how genres shape reading and writing
• Write in several genres
Second semester plan
1. You will read and analyze 3 selections per week. A “week” is defined as 5 days of
meetings: M, T, W, Th, F. That means a “week” will actually take two “real-time” weeks
to complete.
2. Within that 5-meeting cycle, I will choose two of the readings and you will be free to
choose the third one. This third selection must come from one of the classroom
anthologies, or the author must be on the AP recommended reading list. Alternatively, it
may come from a website I have recommended to you.
3. For each selection that you read, you will be asked to analyze and write about it in
different ways. The requirements will vary depending on what our emphasis is, so that
we are “unpacking” the reading selections differently and you are learning lots of
strategies for analysis.
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4. Most of the items that you read will be shorter works. The exceptions are the nonfiction
books, and the handbook. There will be different rules and requirements for analysis of
longer works versus shorter ones.
5. Your analyses and conclusions will be recorded in a Writer’s Notebook or on a Google
document that you maintain. I will collect some or all of these at the end of each 5-day
cycle. Make sure everything has been completed on the last day of class (either a
Thursday or Friday) that we meet in a 5-day (one “week”) cycle.
6. As you are reading and commenting on each selection, you will also be involved in four
major writing assignments.
MAJOR WRITING ASSIGNMENT 1: A rhetorical analysis based on a released essay question
MAJOR WRITING ASSIGNMENT 2: An argument essay based on a released essay question
MAJOR WRITING ASSIGNMENT 3: A synthesis essay based on a released essay question
MAJOR WRITING ASSIGNMENT 4: A book review for your second nonfiction selection
Recommended Essays and Texts for AP English Language
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/courses/teachers_corner/26290.html
Some typical class activities:
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Warm-up: respond to a prompt or quote on the board- 5-minute quick-write.
TED Talk: see Appendix G: for details.
Discussions and questions related to weekly reading selections and analysis.
Exercises on syntax, tone, images, diction, and other rhetorical aspects, from the book
Voice Lessons.
Discussion and questions related to weekly vocabulary words and their application.
Peer and teacher conferences to get feedback on major writing assignments.
Search strategies for finding new material to evaluate.
Sharing and discussion of current events as it relates to your “KNOW STUFF”
assignments.
Taking practice tests (in parts) and discussing strategies for multiple choice and essay
sections.
Writing activities that focus on one part of the essay; for example, the introduction, a
supporting paragraph, or conclusion. OR, focusing on the sentence level: working on
structural variety and claim/data/warrant. OR, focusing on the “word” level to choose the
right vocabulary in order to convey the exact meaning, tone, voice, and emphasis
intended.
Small group or whole-class discussions on given topics, such as released exam
questions, sample responses, and scores; OR a writing tip you learned from your
handbook; OR something related to the nonfiction book you’ve chosen
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EXPECTATIONS
I will expect you to keep up with assignments, whether you “think” I am going to collect them or
not. I will not announce in advance whether or not I am going to collect something. Come to
class prepared. Late work will be accepted, but there will be a penalty to pay if you want to
receive credit (more on this later, to be added in to the blog)
Please bring the following to class every day:
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3-ring binder with dividers to hold readings and organize them—or another system of
folders that works for you (or, if you are using Google docs, a laptop). You need to be
able to hand in assignments while continuing to work on others—for this reason, a spiral
notebook from which you can rip things out but not return them is not recommended.
assigned readings with annotations,
a collection of pens- different colors (NOT highlighters), pencils, erasers, white-out, and
agenda/assignment book
Recommended but not required:
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a laptop (if requested, I can reserve one for you at the EVL; bring your own if you can)
We will meet on a Saturday morning sometime this semester. Attendance is optional but, of
course, highly recommended. Date TBA.
NOTES
When conducting your weekly research, you must use either APA or MLA citation style.
For the annotated bibliography, you must use APA citation style. This is in keeping with the
senior independent study projects, which are required to be documented in APA style.
EVALUATION
40%= Writer’s notebook: this is where you keep all of your notes, quick-writes, responses,
“Know Stuff” assignments, analyses, and observations. A binder (3-ring) is best, so that you can
take out & hand in whatever I ask for, AND you can continue to work on assignments if I happen
to collect the entire binder. Some collections are posted on Sharepoint (such as the Friday
“packets”); other collections (of notes or other daily assignments) will be unannounced. I will
check to see that you are making your best effort and keeping up to date. Sometimes I will
grade one or two assignments very closely; other times I will just glance at several pages and
assign a completion grade. Optional: You may maintain a Google document for any or all of the
above assignments, but in that case you must bring a laptop to class every day and ensure that
you know how to organize, save, and share these.
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30%= Essays: This refers to the 3 practice exam essays which are written in class, plus your
book review.
20%= Tests and quizzes: This refers to the graded practice multiple choice tests and the
vocabulary/quotes quizzes. Quotes from the Phoebe Scholar Packs may also be included on
the vocabulary quizzes, so even though you do not need to create any more Quotes Notecards,
you should continue to study those quotes.
10%= Other: this includes class presentations, preparedness, participation, attitude,
punctuality, improvement, effort, willingness to go above and beyond (aka extra credit)
See Appendix I: for more tips on how to get a great grade and make the most of this class.
WEEKS 1-3: Critical Reading, Rhetorical Analysis Overview, Weekly “Know Stuff”
Assignment, & Major Paper #1 (Rhetorical Analysis)
We will begin with a review of the AP Language & Composition course goals and exams and
take a closer look at the meaning of rhetorical analysis
We will also finalize the Toulmin analysis assignment of the nonfiction book you read over the
winter break.
In addition, students will:
● Take a practice essay (multiple choice section only). GRADED
● Read and annotate the following essay about rhetoric:
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/repository/ap06_englang_roskelly_50098.pdf
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Visit the webpage below and click on four links questions, scoring, and
samples/commentary for the FRQs in any of the years posted. Take notes on what you
see, paying special attention to patterns in the concepts and skills you will be practicing
in order to prepare for the exam:
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/members/exam/exam_questions/2001.html
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Read and annotate the following essay about rhetoric (I will give you a copy in class):
http://www.drw.utexas.edu/roberts-miller/handouts/rhetorical-analysis
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Check out this website about critical reading. Take notes as you read. Please click on
every link (listed across the top) and read all the pages as assigned.
http://www.criticalreading.com/index.html
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Click on this link http://www.writingcentre.ubc.ca/workshop/tools/rhet4.htm and the links
below to read more about critical reading and writing. Take notes.
Critical Reading
Critical Writing
A Sample
Analysis of sample
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We will focus on the rhetorical analysis essay, looking at sample questions, answers,
and feedback to the sample responses. We will discuss strategies for writing a rhetorical
analysis, and finally, students will write a timed rhetorical analysis in class. Please see
Appendix J: for details on this assignment
What Else You Should Be Doing:
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Read the “Know Stuff!” handout (Appendix C:)and be aware that you will be expected to
complete TWO of these at the end of every 5-day cycle. That means you do one per
real-time week-- but don’t turn them in except on the last day (Thurs. or Fri. of a 2-week
meeting period).
Review the AP Vocabulary list (Appendix F:). Make notecards for the first 5 words as
instructed. You will be quizzed on these beginning in week 7. I may also include some of
your quotes on these quizzes. Students are expected to define 5 new words per week
(so, 10 words every 5 days of class), and are responsible for knowing all the words
defined. Phoebe Scholar Pack quotes may also be included on these quizzes.
Due at end of week 2: Toulmin analysis of nonfiction book
Due at end of week 3: Your notes on the above readings
Weeks 4-7: Analysis of TONE and Major Paper #2 (Argument Essay)
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The process for annotating, researching, and analyzing readings will be reviewed.
Students will take a practice essay (multiple choice section only). GRADED
In class, we will use exercises from the book Voice Lessons in order to review diction,
imagery, details, language, and sentence structure (syntax).
As a class, we will read the following together:
(weeks 4-5)
"Inaugural Address" by Barack Obama
"Should Batman Kill the Joker?" by Mark D. Whit and Robert Arp
(weeks 6-7)
"The Declaration of Independence" by Thomas Jefferson
“The Island of Plenty" by Johnson C. Montgomery
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Individually, students will choose a third piece for weeks 4 & 5, and one for weeks 6 & 7, to
read, annotate, research, and analyze.
For each piece, the student will:
1. Annotate it according to the guidelines listed here:
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/197454.html
2. Conduct research for ONE reading per cycle (research one of three each time),
according to the guidelines listed on the AP Research handout Appendix
A:
3. Analyze it using the DIDLS approach (Appendix D:) and write a summary/reaction
paragraph for it Appendix L
Due at end of week 5: three selections annotated, analyzed with DIDLS (& one researched),
plus summary/reaction paragraph for each
Due at end of week 7: three selections annotated, analyzed with DIDLS (& one researched),
plus summary/reaction paragraph for each
What else should you be doing:
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Reading all links that are provided for you and take notes in your Writer’s Notebook (or
print out the articles and annotate them. Keep them in an orderly binder or folder.
Selecting the second nonfiction book you plan to read; begin reading and annotating it
(must be finished by week 8)
Selecting and reading a writer’s handbook to evaluate (must be finished by week 10).
Please see Appendix B: for a list of options.
Reading news articles and completing a “KNOW STUFF” assignment once a week
Making vocabulary notecards as directed in Appendix F: studying for vocabulary and
quotes quizzes (see Sharepoint calendar for quiz dates).
Weeks 8-11: Visual Analysis and Synthesis Essay
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In class, we will go over some terms, concepts, and methods for visual analysis as well
as establish the criteria for website evaluation.
Students must bring in a visual image from popular culture such as a print
advertisement, press photo, album cover, magazine/book cover, or a movie poster. We
will select a few to analyze together in class.
Individually, students will choose a third piece (one for weeks 8-9 and one for weeks 1112) to read, annotate, research, and analyze. It can be another visual, or it may be
prose.
Students will take a practice essay (multiple choice section). GRADED
We will focus on the synthesis essay, looking at sample questions, answers, and
feedback to the sample responses. We will discuss strategies for writing an synthesis
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essay, and finally, students will write an synthesis essay in class. Please see Appendix
J:
Individually, students will choose one other piece (must be prose, NOT a visual) for weeks 8-9
and one for weeks 10-11 to read, annotate, research, and analyze.
For each piece, the student will:
1. Annotate it according to the guidelines listed here:
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/197454.html (for
prose), OR use the guidelines in Appendix E: for visuals
2. Conduct research on one selection per cycle (one out of three) according to the
guidelines listed on the AP Research handout Appendix
A:
3. Analyze each item using the SPATER approach for visuals or DIDLS Approach
(Appendix D:) for prose; write a summary/reaction paragraph for each prose item (but
not the visuals).
Due at end of week 9: three selections annotated, researched, and analyzed with DIDLS or
SPATER, plus summary/reaction paragraph for prose item
Due at end of week 11: three selections annotated, researched, and analyzed with DIDLS or
SPATER, plus a summary/reaction paragraph for prose item
What else should you be doing:
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Reading all links that are provided for you and take notes in your Writer’s Notebook (or
print out the articles and annotate them. Keep them in an orderly binder or folder.
Selecting the second nonfiction book you plan to read; begin reading and annotating it
(must be finished by week 8)
Reading your writer’s handbook (must be finished by week 12).
Reading news articles and completing a “KNOW STUFF” assignment once a week
Making vocabulary notecards as directed in Appendix F: studying for vocabulary and
quotes quizzes (see Sharepoint calendar for quiz dates).
Weeks 12-14: Prose Analysis
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Students will take a practice essay (multiple choice section only). GRADED
In class, we will use exercises from the book Voice Lessons in order review diction,
imagery, details, language, and sentence structure (syntax), and we will review the
strategies to use for rhetorical analysis
Individually, students will choose a third piece to read, annotate, research, and analyze.
It can be another visual, or it may be prose.
As a class, we will read the following together:
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"What’s Eating America" by Michael Pollan
"The Allegory of the Cave" by Plato
Individually, students will choose a third piece for weeks 12-14 to read, annotate, research, and
analyze.
For each piece, the student will:
1. Annotate it according to the guidelines listed here:
http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/teachers_corner/197454.html
2. Conduct research on ONE of the three selections, according to the guidelines listed on
the AP Research handout Appendix
A:
3. Analyze it using the DIDLS Approach Appendix
worksheet Appendix
D: or the rhetorical analysis
L (TBD later)
Due at end of week 14: three selections annotated, researched, and analyzed with DIDLS (or
rhetorical analysis worksheet).
What Else You Should Be Doing:
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Reading news articles and completing a “KNOW STUFF” assignment once a week.
Preparing a presentation based on information in your reader’s handbook
Reading your nonfiction book and your writer’s handbook.
Making vocabulary notecards as directed in Appendix F:(last time); studying vocabulary
and quotes for last quiz
WEEK 15 and beyond: WRAP-UP
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Book reviews for the second nonfiction book selection
AOB that needs to be finalized
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January 2011
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
11
16
17
23
24
Wednesday
12
Students return
18
19
25
26
In-class essay: Rhetorical
In-class essay: Rhetorical
Analysis
Analysis
(Feb) 1
(Feb) 2
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
13
14
15
20
21
Toulmin Analysis due
Toulmin Analysis due
27
28
Notes on readings due
Notes on readings due
22
29
Multiple choice practice test 1 Multiple choice practice test 1
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You must choose your 2nd
30
nonfiction book and a writing
(Feb) 3
(Feb) 4
handbook by the end of this
week
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FEBRUARY 2011
S
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
S
30
31
1
2
3
4
5
Know Stuff #1 completed
Know Stuff #1 completed
Vocab. Notecards 1-5 completed
Vocab. Notecards 1-5
completed
6
7
13
8
9
10
11
Know Stuff 2 completed
Marking pd. 5 begins
holiday- no classes
Vocab. Notecards 6-10
Know Stuff 2 completed
completed
Vocab. Notecards 6-10 completed
3 Analysis Due
3 Analysis Due
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14
15
16
17
18
holiday- no classes
Multiple choice practice test
Multiple choice practice
Quiz over vocabulary words 1-10
Quiz over vocabulary words
19
2
test 2
Know Stuff 2 completed
1-10
Vocab. Notecards 11-15 completed
Know Stuff 2 completed
Vocab. Notecards 11-15
completed
20
27
21
22
24
25
In-class essay: The
In-class essay: The
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3 Analysis Due
3 Analysis Due
26
Argument
Argument
Know Stuff 3 completed
Know Stuff 3 completed
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March 1
2
3
4
CWW 11th & 12th grades
CWW 11th & 12th grades
CWW 11th & 12th grades
CWW 11th & 12th grades
CWW 11th & 12th grades
5
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10
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MARCH 2011
Sun
27
Mon
28
Tue
1
Wed
2
Vocabulary quiz 2: 20 words
plus quotes
Thu
3
Vocabulary quiz 2: 20 words
plus quotes
KNOW STUFF 5 and notecards
for 21-25 completed
Fri
4
KNOW STUFF 5 and
notecards for 21-25
completed
Sat
5
6
7
8
9
10 3 analyses due
KNOW STUFF 6 and notecards
for 26-30 completed
11 3 analyses due
KNOW STUFF 6 and
notecards for 26-30
completed
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13
14 Finish
writing
handbook by
the end of this
week
15 Quiz 3: 30
words plus
quotes
16 Quiz 3: 30 words plus
quotes
17 KNOW STUFF 7 and
notecards for 31-35 completed
In-class: SYNTHESIS essay
18 KNOW STUFF 7 and
notecards for 31-35
completed
In-class: SYNTHESIS essay
End of MP 6
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20
21
23 MC practice test 3
3 analyses due
KNOW STUFF 8 and notecards
for 36-40 completed
24 3 analyses due
KNOW STUFF 8 and notecards
for 36-40 completed
25 3-Way Conferences: no
classes for HS students
26
27
28 Finish NF
book by end
of week
30 Student-led writing tips
31 Student-led writing tips
Quiz 4: 40 words plus quotes
KNOW STUFF 9 and notecards
for 41-45 completed
1 Student-led writing tips
Quiz 4: 40 words plus
quotes
KNOW STUFF 9 and
notecards for 41-45
completed
2
22 MC practice
test 3
29 Student-led
writing tips
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APRIL 2011
Sun
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Sat
27
28
29
30
31
1
2
Student-led writing tips
Quiz 4: 40 words plus
quotes
KNOW STUFF 9 and
notecards for 41-45
completed
3
4
10
5
6
Student-led writing tips
Quiz 4: 40 words plus
quotes
KNOW STUFF 9 and
notecards for 41-45
completed
7
8
KNOW STUFF 10 and
notecards for 46-50
completed
KNOW STUFF 10 and
notecards for 46-50
completed
9
11
12
13
14
15
Quiz: 50 words plus
Quiz: 50 words plus
MC practice test 4
MC practice test 4
3 analyses due (last time)
quotes
quotes
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18 Easter Break
19 Easter Break
20 Easter Break
21 Easter Break
22 Easter Break
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Staff development
day: no classes for
students
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3 analyses due (last time)
Marking pd 7 begins
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Appendix A:
Research on AP Readings
● Choose a broad topic (or two), such as the author, subject, time period, or intended
audience for the piece you are reading, and type them at the top of a word
document…save. If the reading had some challenging vocabulary, you may also
choose “vocabulary” as a topic (no need to use citations for definitions).
● Under each topic, write down questions that you THINK you may want to answer about that
topic in the process of your research. …save.
● Find at least 3 good (credible, reliable…) sources that seem to answer one or more of your
questions. I suggest starting with Wikipedia, click on the links to see if any of them look
promising, then try a wider search using Google or another suggested website. At
times, I will require that you use the school’s EBSCO databases for at least one of your
sources.
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List these on the word document, under each broad topic, in either APA or MLA
format, whichever you have decided to use.
Also include a hyperlink to any of those that are web-based….save (NOTE for APA
the hyperlink will be a part of the citation anyway, but MLA does not require this
anymore... make sure you include it so you can go back to it later if necessary).
● Based on your search for sources and the information you encountered (or not), narrow
your list of questions to 5 really good ones (HINT: combine one or two simpler
questions into a more complex one-also why, how, and what questions are better than
who, where, when…).
● Now, go back to your source list and begin taking notes. Here is the EASIEST WAY.
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Open two windows, the source (if on Internet) and the word document you have been
building
As you read the source, list information you find that goes with your questions. List the
facts/info as bullet points directly UNDER the source listing in the document.
Do this for EVERY source (try to get 3-4 facts minimum from each source or add
sources if some have limited information).
Besides listing facts that address your questions, take notes on any other information
you find interesting
EXAMPLE
TOPIC: Lady Mary Wortley Montagu
a. Where was she from and what is she famous for?
b. Is she related to anyone famous?
c. Who were her daughter and granddaughter?
d. What type of relationship did she have with her daughter & granddaughter?
e. What happened to her that made her hold these opinions about marriage?
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f. To whom was she married?
g. What type of education did she have?
SOURCES
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. (2010, October 3). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Retrieved October 18, 2010, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lady_Mary_Wortley_Montagu&oldid=388533231
1. Father tried to get her to marry someone else
2. Father was an Earl
3. Family supposedly was friends with Shakespeare-- he used their name in R & J b/c he
liked it
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, 1689-1762. (2006, February 22). In The Montague Millenium:
1000 Years of Worldwide Family History. Retrieved October 18, 2010, from
http://www.montaguemillennium.com/familyresearch/h_1762_mary.htm
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Son, Edward, born 1713; daughter, Mary, born 1718
had a bad relationship with son
wanted her granddaughters to get an education but not to marry
husband, Edward Wortley Montagu, was known for passing early copyright laws
he was past 30 when he married her (considered old for that time)
at this time, many women did not survive the first 10 years of marriage
won her future husband over by being smart and interesting
Once said: “The one thing that reconciles me to the fact of being a woman is the reflexion that
it delivers me from the necessity of being married to one."
Little, J. (Host), & Brown, S. (Guest). (2006, April 6). Lady Mary Wortley Montagu [Audio file].
Retrieved October 18, 2010, from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/02/2007_14_fri.shtml
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challenged convention; was a “woman before her time”
had a well-known circle of friends
husband was not aristocratic enough acc. to her father
had to elope-- this was a big scandal
lived apart from husband in Europe for 15 years (very scandalous for a woman at that time)
was chasing a younger man in Europe
loved the food, dress, culture of Turkey
most famous for bringing smallpox innoc. to Europe; persuaded royal family to use it; used it
on her own son as well
● was close to Alexander Pope but had a sudden fallout w/ him; reason is unknown
TOPIC: Vocabulary
What do the following words mean:
● epistle: a specially long, formal letter
● plagiary: the crime of literary theft (plagiarism)
● solicitude: a feeling of excessive concern
● inveterate: chronically: in a habitual and longstanding manner
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Appendix B:
Suggested Readings: Nonfiction, & Writing Handbooks
(please see me if you want to read a book not listed here)
Writing Handbooks
Books available in the library:
The Everyday Writer - Andrea A. Lunsford
The Craft of Revision - Donald M. Murray
Pocket Style Manual- Diane Hacker
Elements of Style- Strunk & White
Free online handbooks:
http://records.viu.ca/~johnstoi/arguments/argument1.htm
http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/college_writing.html
http://tip.gallaudet.edu/englishworks.xml
http://www.bartleby.com/141/
http://www.umuc.edu/ewc/onlineguide/welcome.shtml
Nonfiction Books:
Freakonomics, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
Everything Bad Is Good For You, Steven Johnson
Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich
Banker to the Poor, Muhammad Yunus
The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman
The Trouble with Islam, Irshad Manji
The World Without Us, Alan Weisman
The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan
The Shock Doctrine, Naomi Klein
Fifteen Days, Christie Blatchford
The Logic of Life, Tim Harford
Generation Rx, Greg Critser
Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, James
Loewen
The Gift: Creativity and the Artist in the Modern World, Lewis Hyde
28: Stories of AIDS in Africa, Stephanie Nolen
Long Way Gone: Memoir of a Boy Soldier, Ishmael Beah
Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan
Fat Land (Greg Critser)
The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Michael Pollan
Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer
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Cod: The Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, Mark Kurlansky
Salt: A World History, Mark Kurlansky
Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich
Kaffir Boy, Mark Mathebane
Black Like Me, John Griffin
Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell
John Adams, David McCullough
Collapse, Jared Diamond
The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion
Blood Done Sign My Name, Timothy Tyson
The Selfish Cell, Richard Dawkins
Anatomy of a Face, Lucy Greely
A Sense of the World, How a Blind Man Became History’s Greatest Traveler, Jason Robert
The Secret Life of Lobsters, Trevor Corson
Enrique’s Journey, Sonia Nazario
The Soloist, Steve Lopez
The Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade, Thomas Lynch
Brother, I’m Dying, Edwidge Danticat
How to Talk about Books You Haven’t Read, Pierre Bayard
The Forever War, Dexter Filkins
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a man who would cure the world,
Tracy Kidder
Strength in What Remains, Tracy Kidder
Zeitoun, Dave Eggers
Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? Michael J. Sandel
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Appendix C:
Know Stuff!
In order to be critical members of society (and successful in this course/the AP exam), you have
to know what is going on in the world around you. You also need to know that “just the facts”
can be sometimes considerably more or less than the facts, depending on what the news
source would like you to believe.
Assignment:
1. Find a current news item – NOT an opinion piece.
2. Write a short (one or two paragraphs) rhetorical analysis of the item, focusing on the
elements discussed in the “Understanding Misunderstandings” article. Be sure to include
an analysis of the writer’s/article’s bias. Tthis should be about 5-10 sentences and
should be supported with evidence from the text.
3. You must rotate among conservative, liberal, and non- U.S. news sources.
4. Two of these are due after each 5-day meeting cycle—so, they will be due on either
Thursday or Friday every other week. Try to do one per “real-time” week; do not wait
until Wed/Thurs night to complete two of these assignment.
5. You may choose a news source not on the list, but it must be reputable – if in doubt, just
clear it with me first.
Conservative:
Wall Street Journal
The New Republic
Christian Science Monitor
Fox News
Foreign:
Al Jazeera (Qatar)
NRC Handelsblad (Dutch)
Deutche Welle (German)
BBC (British)
Liberal:
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
NPR
Salon
Slate
MSNBC
CNN(?)
The New York Times
Newsweek
NBC/CBS/ABC
Note: A writer may have bias. A writer may be biased toward or against something. A biased writer must
be read carefully.
Source: Chapman, Rita. Know Stuff! Retrieved from
http://schools.webster.k12.mo.us/education/projects/projects.php?sectionid=4892&
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Appendix D:
D-I-D-L-S
Directions: Analyze each selection that you read by commenting on each of the following
aspects. Write 3-5 sentences for each, citing specific examples from the text where possible.
DICTION
The author’s choice of words and their connotations
What words appear to have been chosen specifically for their effects?
What effect do these words have on your mood as the reader?
What do they seem to indicate about the author’s tone?
IMAGERY
The use of descriptions that appeal to sensory experience
What images are especially vivid? To what sense do these appeal?
What effect do these images have on your mood as a reader?
What do they seem to indicate about the author’s tone?
DETAILS
Facts included or those omitted
What details has the author specifically included?
What details has the author apparently left out? (NOTE: This is only for analysis. Do
not write about these omitted details in an essay.)
What effect do these include and excluded details have on your mood as a reader?
What do these included and excluded details seem to indicate about the author’s tone?
LANGUAGE
Characteristics of the body of words use (slang, jargon, scholarly language, etc.)
How could the language be described?
How does the language affect your mood as a reader?
What does the language seem to indicate about the author’s tone?
SYNTAX
The way the sentences are constructed
Are the sentences simple, compound, declarative, varied, etc.?
How do these structures affect your mood as a reader?
What do these structures seem to indicate about the author’s tone?
Adapted from AP Language & Composition course handout
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Appendix E:
SPATER: A method for analyzing visual media (cartoons, photographs,
drawings, advertisements, video, other visuals)
Directions: Please number and label each response. Each section should be two-three
sentences minimum. Provide specific textual support and analysis for each response.
1. S – Subject: Analyze the subject of the image. Explore the possibility of a larger, implied
subject beyond just the immediate, obvious subject itself. Discuss the context / occasion
of the image.
2. P – Purpose: Define the implied and /or explicit purpose of this image. Remember that
purpose must go beyond informing and must be connected to a specific action. Examine
any political implications of the image. Could the image be considered propaganda?
Analyze how the image furthers an agenda.
3. A – Audience: Identify the forum (magazine, newspaper, website) for which the image
was created. Analyze how the original placement of the image is connected to audience.
Determine whether the audience has changed and / or expanded over time. Describe
the characteristics of the primary and secondary audience.
4. T – Tone: Analyze the tone that the creator (photographer / artist / cartoonist) of the
image has toward his / her subject. Explain how the tone is communicated to the
audience.
5. E – Effect: Analyze the intended effect the image has on the audience. Explore the
possible unintended effects of the image.
6. R - Rhetorical Devices / Strategies: Analyze the rhetorical devices (strategies) and
appeals (ethos, logos, pathos) implied or made explicit in the image. Explain how those
appeals function.
Grading Rubric: 30 points
Superior
(8 - 10)
Acceptable
(6- 7)
Inadequate
(0 - 5)
1. _____________/10 Depth of Analysis
2. _____________/10 Understanding of Rhetorical Functions
3. ____________/ 10 Appropriateness of Textual Support
source: Retrieved from
http://www3.hoover.k12.al.us/schools/hhs/faculty/ccooley/Documents/AP%20English%2011/soa
pstone-spater.pdf
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Appendix F:
Top MC Terms from Released AP Language Exams (and how many
times they appeared on the exams)
CULLED FROM MULTIPLE CHOICE TESTS: RELEASED EXAMS (2007, 2001) AND CliffsAP ENGLISH
LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION—TOTAL OF EIGHT M.C. TESTS
Directions: You must define 5 terms for every weekly cycle. Please put the word and its
definition on the front side of a notecard. On the back, put an example. Add other examples as
you encounter them in your readings. This list repeats some terms. When you come to a word
that you’ve already defined, skip it and do the next word. These words will appear on your
Phoebe Scholar Pack quizzes.
TERMS: (too numerous to count)
simile and metaphor
colloquial
personification
understatement and overstatement
paradox
syllogism
parallel construction
rhetorical purpose
hyperbole
can be inferred—asked several times on every test
allusions—historical and literary mostly
ad-hominem (surprisingly, the only fallacy mentioned in these tests)
TERMS USED 2-5 TIMES
irony
anecdote
analogy
allegory
aphorism
appeals—mostly authority and pity
oxymoron
innuendo
rhetorical question
euphemism
satire
antithesis
apostrophe
alliteration
juxtapose
cause and effect
TERMS USED ONCE
motif
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stream-of-consciousness
invective
organization of essay
point-of-view
onomatopoeia
connotation
jargon
parody
diatribe
VOCABULARY—MANY OF THESE ARE TONE WORDSnumber indicates how many times word used
infidel
pernicious
ambivalence
zealous
diatribe
voracious
condescending (3)
cloistered
burlesque
integrity
prudent
fervent
gratuitous
cynical
despotism
punctilious
pedestrian
exhort
hypocrisy
bellicose
didactic
vanquish
emulate
petulant
ignominy
pedantic(2)
consecrate
embellishment
complacent
languid
vex
feign
pious (2)
mordant
callous
dyspeptic
tacit
doggerel
dogmatic
pragmatic
GRAMMAR—SYNTAX TERMS
adverbial clauses
modifiers
antecedent
subordinate clauses
participial phrases
predicate nominative
SENTENCE: loose, periodic, compound, complex, simple
LITERATURE TERMS AND VOCABULARY—CULLED FROM RELEASED EXAMS (1994,
1999, 2004), AND 5 STEPS TO A 5.
TERMS
(too numerous to count)
simile & metaphor (including extended)
irony (including dramatic)
understatement & overstatement
hyperbole
making inferences
TERMS USED 2-5 TIMES
parallel structure
rhetorical questions
personification
apostrophe
analogy
shifts in point-of-view
circular reasoning
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synecdoche
paradox
satire
contrast (including ironic)
cause and effect
epigram
colloquial
oxymoron
conceit
iambic pentameter
elegy
free verse
VOCABULARY (NUMBERS INDICATE TIMES USED)—INCLUDES TONE WORDS
parapet
advocate
degradation pensive
philanderer
implacable
vitriolic
discern
exhortative (2)
pedantic (3)
ambivalent (1)
epiphany
denigrating
imperious
apoplectic
caricature
ambiguity
didactic
effusive
bulwark
animistic
mendacious pompous
deluded
dissipation
discursive
secular (2)
sardonic (2)
supercilious
capricious
scrutiny
condescending
omniscient
GRAMMAR AND SYNTAX
direct object
appositive
modification
simple sentence
complex structure
indirect object
qualifiers
pronoun
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Appendix G:
Video Analysis Guide
Directions: Use the following topics to guide your thinking as you view today’s video. I will
instruct you to focus on only a few topics. Discuss these with your group, and respond to the
questions specified by me. Please write your answers in your Writer’s Notebook or on a Google
document.
Name of document or text (if no title is provided, give a descriptive name; for example,
"Energizer Commercial"):
Author (if no author is specified, give name of company, sponsor, etc.):
Implied author:
Implied audience:
Intended audience:
Purpose (this is the purpose you believe the author/advertiser had in mind when he/she created
the text. The purpose of an Internet company's television ad might be to get you to remember
and go to their web page later. Texts can have more than one purpose.):
A. Verbal Strategies
Strategy
Figurative language
(metaphor, simile,
symbolism, etc.):
Patterns of opposition:
Appeal to emotion or
self-interest:
Logical fallacy (false
analogy, false use of
authority, non sequitur,
red herring, post hoc,
ergo propter hoc, straw
man, guilt by association,
ad hominem attack, etc.):
Appeal to authority (use
of research, statement of
credibility of author, etc.):
Rhetorical devices
Effect (intended, real, or both)
23
(tropes)
C. Aural Strategies
Strategy
Narrator (gender, type of voice,
etc.):
Music/soundtrack:
Sound effects:
Effect (intended, real, or both)
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Appendix H:
Homework Policy
● Homework due dates are posted on Sharepoint, and reminders will appear on the
Homework/Discussion page of my blog as well.
● All homework is due at the beginning of class. If it not completed when you walk in the door
on that day, it is late.
● Please do not attempt to finish incomplete homework in class. You will miss out on new &
important information, and since it is already late, you are not gaining anything by
attempting to turn it in during the middle or end of class.
● Some homework will be checked for completion; at other times I will collect and grade it for
content.
● Late work: Work that is turned in after the due date can still receive full credit. However, for
each late assignment, there is “interest” to pay. “Interest” refers to an extra assignment
you will have to complete and turn in along with the original assignment. As long as you
do the assignment, with interest, before the quarterly deadline, it will be given full credit.
● “Interest” for different types of assignments will be posted on my blog. If you need to make up
an assignment for which no interest has been created, please let me know.
● If your grade drops to 2.2, you will be expected to do remediation. In most cases, a low grade
is the result of missing assignments. To remediate, determine which assignments are
missing and complete them, along with the interest. Assignments may also be redone,
with interest, if you want to try for a higher grade.
● At the end of each quarterly deadline, I will enter a grade of “1” for any missing assignments.
This grade will not change. The deadline is set. If you wait until the day before the
deadline and attempt to make up missing or poorly done assignments, and you do not
do the “interest” correctly, there are not more chances. Plan ahead.
● Because all homework assignments are posted on my blog, you are expected to keep up
even if you are absent for any reason. Coming to school after a day’s absence, and
expecting an extra day to turn in something that was collected while you were gone is
unacceptable most of the time. I will make exceptions to this rule on a case-by-case
basis-- for example, if you were so sick you could not possibly do any work; if you did not
have access to a computer or the Internet during your absence; etc.
● Please do not forget that if/when you do not understand how to do something, I expect you to
problem-solve. Problem-solving might mean using some of the links provided for you on
my blog, calling a friend, or emailing me at mrsterry.thomas@gmail.com I will usually get
back to you within 12 hours or less.
Responsible Use of Technology
● I am a big proponent of technology and using it to enhance your school experience.
● In this class, plan to use, or learn to use the computer as well as possible. You should be
comfortable uploading documents & images, using word processing programs, using
Google docs, bookmarking websites, searching for information on the Internet, and
following basic “netiquette”. If you are not, you need to ask me how to do something
when the time comes. Not knowing how is not an excuse.
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● I encourage you to bring a laptop to class. Keep in mind that once you enter the classroom,
your computer is no longer an entertainment tool-- it is an educational one. Anyone who
uses the laptop inappropriately in class will lose the privilege for the day (after the first
offense); for the week (after the second offense), and for the year (third offense). If this
happens, you will be stuck learning with Stone-Age tools such as dead tree products and
pencils.
● The same holds true for Blackberries and other hand-held devices. I recognize that many
students use their Blackberries for sending themselves reminders, taking photos of the
whiteboard, and even word processing. While I would prefer that you not do this-- I’d
prefer that you actually copy the notes on the board, write the reminders in your agenda,
or use a full-size keyboard for word processing, I’m not interested in policing these
behaviors. So, yes, you can use your Blackberry for school-related tasks. However, if
you choose to use it inappropriately, the consequences for first, second, and third
offenses as described above will apply.
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Appendix I:
Ways to Demonstrate Initiative and Intellectual Curiosity
● Search for and share related readings each week
● During class, look up unfamiliar words in the dictionary or on the computer immediately
● Don’t ask me to repeat directions, things written on the Sharepoint calendar or on the white
board--Try 3 Then Ask Me—check before asking out loud
● Wait until I finish speaking and THINK before asking clarifying questions
● Read for pleasure no matter how busy you are—even just 15 minutes
● Take advantage of my email mrsterry.thomas@gmail.com or tthomas@cng.edu
● Make an appointment to work with me during or after school
● Come into class and open your notebook to the homework
● Stop talking during announcements
● Approach me at a good time to find out what you missed when absent instead of mobbing me
at the beginning of class when I have to take attendance, organize, and complain about
the computer not working again
● Start thinking symbolically and look for patterns
● Sit next to someone new or unfamiliar
● Keep a tally of how many times you contribute during class on a scrap paper—you will be
surprised at the results
● Dazzle with your sense of humor, not just verbally but in papers
● Stop being modest and show off how smart you are in discussion, in papers and on tests
● Use more sophisticated vocabulary in conversation and in drafts
● Multitask when you can but recognize when it is better to focus on one thing and then do it
● Be kind even when you really don’t want to—see other points of view
● Maintain perspective—it’s hardly ever about YOU
● Pay attention to everything around you—observe, read, listen to people, TV, radio, movies,
magazines, newspapers, internet, nature; watch jeopardy, play Trivial Pursuit, will
yourself to remember
● Be interested. As my high school math teacher used to say, “Interested people are
interesting; bored people are boring.” He was right.
Adapted from: Schmidt, K. (2011). Essential handouts. Retrieved from
http://vrhsroom414.wikispaces.com/Essential+Handouts
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Appendix J:
In-Class Timed Essays
The Argument Essay
After looking at several released exam questions of this type, students will be given a passage
and essay question (from a released exam) and will be asked to write an argument (defend,
refute, or qualify) of it in class. A scoring guide will be provided along with the question. After the
essays have been graded, you will have the option of conferencing with me to discuss ways that
they could improve this essay. You may re-submit it to me for re-grading within a given time
period (as indicated on the Sharepoint calendar).
The Rhetorical Analysis Essay
After looking at several released exam questions of this type, students will be given a passage
and essay question (from a released exam) and will be asked to write a rhetorical analysis of it
in class. A scoring guide will be provided along with the question. After the essays have been
graded, you will have the option of conferencing with me to discuss ways that they could
improve this essay. You may re-submit it to me for re-grading within a given time period (as
indicated on the Sharepoint calendar).
The Synthesis Essay
After looking at several released exam questions of this type, students will be given a synthesis
essay prompt (from a released exam) and will be asked to write an essay in class. A scoring
guide will be provided along with the question. After the essays have been graded, you will have
the option of conferencing with me to discuss ways that they could improve this essay. You may
re-submit it to me for re-grading within a given time period (as indicated on the Sharepoint
calendar).
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Appendix K
Basic Questions for Rhetorical Analysis
Source: Burton, Silva Rhetoricae, http://rhetoric.byu.edu
Directions: Answer each question as completely as possible. Always provide an example or evidence from the text (“how do you know?” when
possible).
What is the rhetorical situation?
What occasion gives rise to the need or opportunity for persuasion?
What is the historical occasion that would give rise to the composition of this text?
Who is the speaker?
How does he or she establish ethos (personal credibility)?
Does he/she come across as knowledgeable? fair?
Does the speaker's reputation convey a certain authority?
What is his or her intention in speaking?
To attack or defend?
To exhort or dissuade from certain action?
To praise or blame?
To teach, to delight, or to persuade?
Who make up the audience?
Who is the intended audience?
What is the content of the message?
Can you summarize the main idea?
What are the principal lines of reasoning or kinds of arguments used?
What topics of invention are employed? (definition, division, comparison, relationship, circumstances and
testimony? In the "relationship" topic of invention, a rhetorician might investigate cause and effect, or contradictions
between things as a way to frame an argument.)
How does the author or speaker appeal to reason? To emotion?
What is the form in which it is conveyed?
What is the structure of the communication; how is it arranged?
What figures of speech (schemes and tropes) are used?
What kind of style and tone is used and for what purpose?
How do form and content correspond?
Does the form complement the content?
What effect could the form have, and does this aid or hinder the author's intention?
Does the message succeed in fulfilling the author's or speaker's intentions?
For whom?
Does the author/speaker effectively fit his/her message to the circumstances, times, and audience?
What does the nature of the communication reveal about the culture that produced it?
What kinds of values or customs would the people have that would produce this?
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Appendix L
Rhetorical Analysis Summary & Reaction Paragraph
Directions: Use the argument template below to explain what argument is being presented in each essay, what rhetorical
strategies are used, and what you think about that argument. Support your own viewpoint and be prepared to identify
what rhetorical strategies you are using. For this assignment, do not attempt to fill in the blanks below. Use a separate
piece of paper and write out the sentences below in full.
The general argument made by author X in her/his work _____________(title)_____________ is
that ________________________. More specifically, X argues that ______________________.
She/He writes, “____________________.” In this passage, by ______________________, X is
suggesting that ___________________. Another argument made by X is that _______________.
This argument is developed by _______________________. A third argument is that _________;
this argument makes use of ___________________________. In conclusion, X’s belief is that
__________________________.
In my view, X is wrong/right, because __________________________________. More
specifically, I believe that ______________________________. For example, ____________.
Although X might object that __________________________________, I maintain that
_______________________. Therefore, I conclude that ___________________________.
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