AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
SYLLABUS FOR 2012-2013
INSTRUCTOR NAME:
Cheryl A. Rosenbaum
E-MAIL ADDRESS: rosenbac@highlands.k12.fl.us
WEBSITE: http://highmail.highlands.k12.fl.us/~rosenbac/
TEXTS/SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIALS:
The Elements of Literature, Fifth Course published by Holt McDougal 2009. Online version found at my.hrw.com
My Username is _____________________. My password is _________________________.
Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide, 10 th Edition by Laurie G. Kirsner; Stephen R.
Mandell, published by Bedford/St. Martins, 2006.
One Child by Torey Hayden, published by Element Books, 2004.
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, published by Broadway, 1999.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, published by Yale University
Press, 2001.
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, published by Vintage, 1991.
Walden by Henry David Thoreau, published by Princeton University Press, 2004.
Rosey’s Guidebook for Success in AP English Language and Composition
Rosey’s AP Reading Passages for Practice Sessions
Rosey’s AP Multiple Choice Questions for Practice Sessions
PURPOSE OF COURSE: A study of the forms of written discourse, as illustrated in contemporary and historical
essays and other non-fiction writings. An AP class is designed to train students in methods of forceful expression,
logical thinking, and intelligent reading. This course includes intensive study and practice in the mechanics of
composition, including a research paper.
INTENDED OUTCOMES:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
After successfully completing this course, the student will be able to:
Analyze, both orally and in writing, representative selections of appropriate non-fiction writing.
Use selected grade-level and content-area vocabulary.
Write for a variety of purposes and audiences using all stages of the writing process.
Produce several documented papers.
Understand major trends in the development of the English language.
COURSE OUTLINE
This outline will give you a general overview of all major assignments and readings for the entire school year.
It does not include the due dates for our independent reading initiative (also known as Read like a Rock Star),
nor does it include the due dates for your JQ (which is explained on a later page). Additional readings,
essays, tests, or homework assignments might be added during the course of the year if the teacher
determines they are needed.
First Nine Weeks Focus: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS
Week One (Aug 20-24):
-Go over rules/syllabus/notebook/AP packet/They Say, I Say Templates/Honor Policy
-Put book recommendation on an apple and share with the class
-Show Stephen Fry’s “Typography” Video and discuss
-Show and go over Christina Perri’s “Jar of Hearts” as an introduction to rhetorical analysis
-Turn in Summer Reading Packet by 11:59 pm on the first day of class to www.turntin.com and go over it
-Post to Discussion Board of www.turnitin.com on My Favorite Summer Reading Book is… (and why) and respond
to someone else’s comment.-worth 15 points
-Quiz on Summer Reading- worth 75 points
-Go over Kincaid essay/packet; Pick out 2nd AP Rhetorical Analysis essay to go over and discuss
-Go over PACAW Chart on Kincaid Essay
-Show short video on Appalachian Trail
-Assign and work on A Walk in the Woods DIDST Group Activity- each group is assigned a chapter- must
summarize chapter and analyze individual passages from that chapter for Diction, Imagery, Detail, Syntax, and
Tone, then ask questions dealing with the DIDST of those passages
Week Two (Aug 27-31):
-Read The Onion satirical AP essay; students brainstorm ideas for introduction, rhetorical strategies on chart paper,
read student samples and score, discuss
-Introduction to MLA (Modern Language Association) style and what is expected when writing in MLA style, such
as using parenthetical citations and a works cited page
-Write 1st AP essay on rhetorical strategies- worth 50 points
-Practice/grade sample essays on AP Essay #1
-Show “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” and analyze, discuss
-Read, discuss from Patterns “College Pressures”
Week Three (Sept 4-7):
-Take AP Multiple Choice Practice #1
-Peer editing of AP Essay #1
-Read sample essays on another rhetorical analysis prompt
-Measure reading rate
-Assign and work on Literary Terms Assignment #1 (definitions from book)
-Go over summer reading quiz
-Begin Group Presentations for A Walk in the Woods
-Assign One Child Autobiographical Essay
-Read, discuss from Patterns “Sex, Lies, and Conversation”
Week Four (Sept 10-14):
-Take AP Practice Multiple Choice Test #2
-Assign and work on Literary Terms Assignment #1 (definitions from book)
-Continue Woods Group Presentations
-Share one vignette from One Child essay with class; turn in essay
-Read, discuss article on “like” and how you overuse the word “like,” or other slang; give spontaneous speech on the
word like
Week Five (Sept 17-21):
-Do AP MC Practice #3
-Continue Woods Group Presentations
-Finish discussion, activities for A Walk in the Woods
-Work on One Child Index- pick out four quotes per chapter and analyze using DIDST
-Turn in Literary Terms Assignment #1
-Assign Literary Terms Assignment #2- -you will be assigned a few words to illustrate for the class and share with
them--due next week
-Do Kobald’s Bag Activity
-Read, discuss, journal from Patterns: “The Dog Ate My Disk” and “How to Survive a Bad Date”
Week Six (Sept 24-28):
-Assign excerpts and index assignment from Walden to be read independently; it is very important to read
this book thoroughly, since your research project this year is based on this book!
-Show and annotate Coldplay’s “The Scientist” as a continued study of rhetorical analysis
-Do AP MC Practice #4—begin to come up with your own multiple choice questions (we will do 3 with an A-C)
-Do AP Essay #2 on A Walk in the Woods
-Turn in literary terms assignment #2 and One Child Index
-Do Kobald’s Bag Activity
-Go over Topics of Discussion for One Child
-Participation in the 12th Annual National Literary Term Bee (winners get a goody bag and their name on the
announcements)
- Patterns: Read, discussion on “Only Daughter”
Week Seven (Oct 1-5):
-Do AP MC Practice #5
-Peer editing of AP Essay #2
-Take Literary Terms Quiz
-Begin watching America’s Heart and Soul; work on study guide as you watch
-Go over Sebring’s Heart and Soul Assignment
-Go over Topics of Discussion for Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
-Go over background information on Frederick Douglass
- Patterns: Read, discussion on “Swollen Expectations”
-Index on Economy Excerpt from Walden due October 5 at 11:59 pm to www.turnitin.com
Week Eight (Oct 9-12):
-Do AP MC Practice #6
-Present Sebring’s Heart and Soul Assignment
-Go over AP Essay #2; Do SOS on AP Essay #2
- Patterns: Read, journal, discussion of “National I.D. Cards”
-Index on Where I Lived, and What I Lived for and Reading Excerpts from Walden due October 12 at 11:59 pm to
www.turnitin.com
Week Nine (Oct 15-19):
-Notebook due this week
-Do AP MC Practice #7
-Assign and work on final draft/peer editing of AP Essay #1 or #2 and submit it to www.turnitin.com
-Summer Reading Test (worth 200 points)
- Patterns: Read, discussion on “The Draft”
-Submit best/favorite JQ of this nine weeks to discussion board of www.turnitin.com and comment on someone
else’s best/favorite JQ
-Index on Solitude and Brute Neighbors Excerpts from Walden due October 19 at 11:59 pm to www.turnitin.com
Second Nine Weeks Focus: Argument and Synthesis Essays:
Week One (Oct 22-26):
-AP Multiple Choice Practice #8
-Go over writing tips for argument essay-Discussion of Rogerian, Toulmin, Aristotle, Simple Arrangement, They
Say, I Say Arguments
-Go over argument essay questions from old AP exams; discuss in a group and score; brainstorm ideas if you had to
answer essay
-Go over essays in Summer Reading Packet, including:
-Passage #1: Analyzing Diction in The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson
-Passage #2: Analyzing Imagery in Once More to the Lake by E.B. White
-Passage #3: Analyzing Detail in Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts by Bruce Catton
-Passage #4: Analyzing Syntax in Ain’t I a Woman by Sojourner Truth
-Passage #5: Analyzing Tone in Chief Joseph’s I Am Tired of Fighting
-Passage #6: Analyzing Logos, Pathos, and Ethos in Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King,
Jr.
-Go over Socratic Seminar on Summer Reading Packet; if time, also assign Summer Reading Packet Group
Activity—Summary/ Analysis (of DIDST and Argumentation techniques) of each essay; students will “teach”
essays to the class by asking questions related to DIDST and argumentation for each essay
-Complete final draft/peer editing of AP Essay #1 or #2 and submit it to www.turnitin.com
-Index on Spring and Conclusion Excerpts from Walden due October 26 at 11:59 pm to www.turnitin.com
Week Two (Oct 29-Nov 2):
-AP MC Practice #9
-Present Summer Reading Packet Group Activity
-Write AP Essay #3 on Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (on rhetorical strategies) and AP Essay #4Argument Essay on Summer Reading Packet- worth 150 points
-Complete Socratic Seminar on Summer Reading Packet-worth 50 points
-Halloween Scarevenger Hunt
-Index on Civil Disobedience Excerpt from Walden due November 2 at 11:59 pm to www.turnitin.com
Week Three (Nov 5-9):
-Read like a Rock Star Independent Reading Assigned (However, it is possible this date will not perfectly coincide
with SHS’s start date for RLARS)
-AP MC Practice #10
-Go over writing tips for synthesis essay and read sample essays (p. 168)
-Work on and present synthesis group activity
-Walden Test (worth 100 points)
-Assign and work on synthesis research paper on Walden/ “Civil Disobedience”
-Assign Walden art activity- due Friday
-Work on Walden utopian activity and group review activity
-Patterns: Read, discuss “The Wife Beater” and “Chinese Space, American Space”
Week Four (Nov 12-16):
-AP MC Practice #11
-Present utopian activity and group review activity on Walden
-AP Essay #5- Argument essay on Walden
-Group Activity: Create AP Multiple Choice Quiz on Walden
-Socratic Seminar on Walden
-Research paper topic is due (beginning of week)
-Paper proposal due to Discussion Board of www.turnitin.com / teacher conference on paper proposal (end of week)
-Read, discuss “Thanks to Modern Science” and “Star Spangled Stupidity”
-Reading Log #1 on Read like a Rock Star Book is due to www.turnitin.com at 11:59 pm on November 16
Week Five (Nov 26-30):
-AP MC Practice #12
-Annotated Works Cited and brainstorming of research paper is due (beginning of week)
-Reading Log #2 on Read like a Rock Star Book is due to www.turnitin.com at 11:59 pm on November 30
Week Six (Dec 3-7):
-AP MC Practice #13
-Rough Draft of research paper is due (end of week)
-Work on independent reading activities on RLARS book
-Reading Log #3 on Read like a Rock Star Book is due to www.turnitin.com at 11:59 pm on December 7
Week Seven (Dec 10-14):
-AP MC Practice #14
-Present project and other independent reading activities on RLARS book
-Peer editing of research paper is due (end of week)
-Reading Log #4 on Read like a Rock Star Book is due to www.turnitin.com at 11:59 pm on December 14
Week Eight (Dec 17-19):
-AP MC Practice #15
-Begin watching The Crucible
-Final Draft of research paper is due
-Do self-analysis of multiple choice results from semester
-Finish and share independent reading activities on RLARS book
-Fill out PACAW chart on another rhetorical analysis essay
-Play Scattegories Game to review for literary terms
Week Nine (January 8-11):
-Finish watching The Crucible
-Take a test on The Crucible
-Reading Time for Synthesis Essay on Midterm Exam
-Complete final draft/peer editing of AP Essay #4 or #5 and submit it to www.turnitin.com
-Notebook due this week
-Submit best/favorite JQ of this nine weeks to discussion board of www.turnitin.com and comment on someone
else’s best/favorite JQ
Exam Week: Week Ten (Jan 14-18):
- -The entire week will be spent taking the exam, which is 20% of your semester grade. You will take an actual AP
exam this week; it will be broken down so you are timed exactly as it is on the “real” AP exam.
Third Nine Weeks Focus: Grammar, Sentence Structure, and Style Review for Essay Writing
Week One (Jan 22-25):
-AP MC Practice #17
-Week-long review of midterm exam
-Read sample essays from exam by AP students; review rubric
-Complete final draft and peer editing of essay on midterm and submit it to www.turnitin.com
-Do Sentence Structure Activity—Analysis of one essay done this year looking at use of verbs, sentence length,
types of sentences used, etc.
-Do 10 exercises on five grammar or formatting concepts you struggle with from The Handbook of Writers, such as
use of commas, semi-colons, or subject/verb agreement
-Do Essay Highlighting Assignment (p. 281)
-Quiz on MLA Documentation
-Put writings from previous semester into writing folder
-Patterns: Read, discuss “The Ways We Lie”
Week Two (Jan 28-Feb 1):
-AP MC Practice #17
-Turn in grammar exercises from The Handbook of Writers
-Go over comparison/contrast packet, including:
-Thanksgiving Cartoon from The New Yorker
-Read 2012 AP Language Argument Essay and discuss
-Read compare/contrast essay questions from 1999 and 2003 AP exam—as a group, analyze excerpt, write
down three key ways to develop essay, and come up with thesis; then read sample AP essays from previous
AP students on these questions
-Find two passages to compare/contrast and do group activity on it
-Write “How I Feel About Myself as a Writer and Rhetorician After This First Semester in AP Language” and
submit it to Discussion Board of www.turnitin.com/ Comment on Someone Else’s Writing
-Patterns: Read, discuss “Two Ways to Belong in America”
Week Three (Feb 4-8):
-AP MC Practice #18
-Finish and present group activity on comparison/contrast
-Do AP Essay #9 on comparison/contrast
-Patterns: Read, discuss “Dearly Disconnected” and “Ground Zero”
Week Four (Feb 11-14):
-AP MC Practice #19
-In a circle, go over questions from “When I Was Thirteen” and share with the class
-Complete Official Valentine’s Day and Anti-Valentine’s Day Activities
-Begin reading The House on Mango Street--As we read in class, annotate your copy of the book paying particular
attention to Cisneros’ use of DIDST. You need to underline and annotate at least one aspect of DIDST per page.
This will be collected when we take the test.
Week Five (Feb 18-22):
-Read like a Rock Star Independent Reading Assigned—you must choose from the list starting on p. 286
(However, it is possible this date will not perfectly coincide with SHS’s start date for RLARS)
-AP MC Practice #20
-Continue reading, discussion, and annotation of The House on Mango Street
Week Six (Feb 25-March 1):
-AP MC Practice #21
-Finish reading, discussion, and annotation of The House on Mango Street
-Assign and work on packet related to The House on Mango Street
Week Seven (March 4-8):
-Take AP Style Exam on The House on Mango Street, including:
-AP Essay #10- a synthesis essay on issues relating to The House on Mango Street
-AP Essay #11- a rhetorical essay based on a passage from The House on Mango Street
-AP Essay #12- an argument essay based on an issue relating to The House on Mango Street
-Multiple Choice Passages with excerpts from The House on Mango Street
-Patterns: Read, discuss “Tortillas” and “Innovation”
Week Eight (March 18-22):
-AP MC Practice #22
-Work on The House on Mango Street project
-Turn in The House on Mango Street project and food for Cultural Food Celebration
-Begin work on RLARS activities, including:
-Great Test Makers Are Great Test Takers
-Really Creative Writing
-Inner Artist
Week Nine (Mar 25-28)
-Notebook due this week
-Review of The House on Mango Street Exam, including writing final draft/peer editing of one of the AP essays and
submitting it to www.turnitin.com
-Quiz on Read like a Rock Star book
-Submit best/favorite JQ of this nine weeks to discussion board of www.turnitin.com and comment on someone
else’s best/favorite JQ
Fourth Nine Weeks Focus: Getting Ready for the Exam
Week One (April 1-5):
-AP MC Practice #23
-Read from Of Plymouth Plantation, discuss, do ques (relating to Plain Style of writing)
-Read “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, discuss, do ques (group activity imagining you were parishioners
listening to the sermon)
-Read from Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography and Poor Richard’s Almanack, discuss, and do ques.
-Create “Life’s Little Instruction Book” in a group-come up with 25 witty sayings similar to Franklin’s- be prepared
to share with the class
-Read Dave Barry’s take on the Constitution from his book Hits Below the Beltway (p. 292) and come up with 10
Other Amendments to his Constitution
-Assign Persuasive Speech (instructions on p. 299; “The Speech to the Virginia Convention” is on p. 121 of
Elements of Literature)
Week Two (Apr 8-12):
-AP MC Practice #24
-Watch Last of the Mohicans and complete study guide on it; discuss
-Work on Life’s Little Instruction Book, turn in, and share your favorite piece of advice
-Read Thomas Paine’s “The Crisis” and Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Virginia Convention”; discuss
argumentation techniques used in each
-Work on own Persuasive Speech; do research; you must turn in speech to www.turnitin.com and turn in sources
when completed
Week Three (Apr 15-19):
-AP MC Practice #25
-Present persuasive speeches
-Do AP Style Exam on American Revolutionary Literature, including:
-AP Essay #15—Rhetorical Analysis based on excerpt from American Revolutionary Literature
-AP Essay #16—Argument Essay based on quote from American Revolutionary Literature
-AP Essay #17—Synthesis Essay based on issue from American Revolutionary Literature
-Multiple Choice Questions from passages from American Revolutionary Literature
Week Four (Apr 22-26):
-AP MC Practice #26
-Read excerpts from Ralph Waldo Emerson, discuss, analyze for DIDST, SOAPS (p. 240-248 in Elements of
Literature book)
-Do Emerson Quoting Activity- pick 5 favorite Emersonian quotes from handout—explain why you like it and how
it relates to your life (p. 307)
-Assign Emersonian/Thoreauvian Song Presentation and research song; present to the class
-Go outside and write weekly journal inspired by nature
Week Five (Apr 29-May 3):
-AP MC Practice #27
-Give Song Presentations
-Assign and do skit on literary terms
-Work on Two Group Activities; we will research them this week and present next week
1. Find passage to analyze dealing with English between 1500-1600—group will photocopy passage for
class and come up with7-9 questions—these will be shared next week
2. Hand out AP Essay packet from 1995-1998- each group will be assigned an essay to “teach” to the
class---you will read the passage to the class, ask class to brainstorm ideas for developing essay, then share
a sample essay on the topic written by your group
Week Six (May 6-10):
-AP MC Practice #28
-Analysis of multiple choice errors done this year-look in writing folder, go over old passages, write a journal entry
on how you have grown and what you need to do to continue to improve
-Quiz on Literary Terms (Yes! Again!)
-Present group activities on Early English Language passage and AP Essay to class
-7th Annual Amazing Race will be on Wednesday, May 8th and Thursday, May 9th
EXAM WILL BE FRIDAY, MAY 10TH AT 8:00 A.M. IN THE SMITH CENTER
Week Seven (May 13-17):
-Assign Poetry Alive! Activity- will be presented next week in class—pick a poem that you will be able to bring
alive for the class through your acting and props
-Assign Writing Portfolio; this will be due the day of the exam
Week Eight (May 20-24):
-Notebook due this week
-Poetry Alive! presented in class
-Watch To Kill a Mockingbird
-Do Socratic Seminar on To Kill a Mockingbird
-Submit best/favorite JQ of this nine weeks to discussion board of www.turnitin.com and comment on someone
else’s best/favorite JQ
Week Nine (May 28-31):
-Watch Seabiscuit
-Do Comparison/Contrast Activity on To Kill a Mockingbird and Seabiscuit
-Go over AP Literature Exam Question on To Kill a Mockingbird
Week Ten (June 3-6)
-Turn in Writing Portfolio for Exam
COURSE EXPECTATIONS
1. You will be expected to be WELL PREPARED FOR AND TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE in class
sessions. IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND SOMETHING, ASK! It is preferable that you speak up and are
wrong than for you not to speak at all. You will need to have all reading and work done at the assigned time or else.
Since so much of what we learn in here will be through group discussion, peer editing, and other such cooperative
learning activities, this is the year to come out of your shell!
2. Late work is not accepted.
3. Make-up work is your responsibility. When you return from an EXCUSED absence copy a classmate’s
agenda or my agenda for the days you missed. Then speak to me about making up the work. If you do not speak to
me, I will simply assume you want a 0 for the assignment we did the day you were absent. I will not remind you if
you need to make-up a test or quiz. You need to get your make-up work into me in a reasonable amount of time.
For example, if you were absent on Monday, get your make-up assignment on Tuesday, and turn it in on
Wednesday.
4. If a student knows ahead of time that he or she will be absent on a day when an assignment is due
(for example, a pre-arranged absence or field trip), it is the student’s responsibility to turn in the assignment
prior to the due date, or send the assignment to the teacher with another student or a parent. Any work may
be taken to the school’s office and put in the teacher’s mailbox.
If a student misses class the day an assignment is due but is on campus at any time during that day
(for example, missing part of the day due to a half-day field trip), the student is responsible for bringing the
assignment to the teacher or getting it to the teacher. Failure to do so will result in a grade of 0.
GRADING
All grades are done on a point system. In-class assignments and some homework assignments are given a
check plus (10 points), a check (8 points), check minus (5 points), or 0; if it is to be worth more I will warn you
ahead of time. Creative writings are usually worth 25 points. Quizzes are worth 50-75 points (KEEP IN MIND
THAT POP QUIZZES ARE ALWAYS A POSSIBILITY). A participation grade is worth 100 points per nine
weeks. Tests are worth 100 points or more. Notebooks are worth at least 130 points each time they are collected.
Essays and projects are worth 75-250 points.
Remember the grade you make in this class is not a reflection of what grade you will make on the AP Exam. In the
past students have made an “A” in class, then failed the test. Conversely, students have made an “F” in class, then
passed the test. Since you do not find out your test results until July, it is my policy to not make the exam part of
your class grade.
NOTEBOOKS
You are required to have a notebook that you bring to class every day. Blank paper must be kept in the notebook for
daily agendas, journal entries, lecture notes, and writing assignments. All other class handouts must be kept in the
notebook. I would get a thick 3 ring binder, since I have such a plethora of valuable papers to give to you. The
notebook is worth between 130-170 points each time it is collected, and it will be collected on: October 18 or 19,
January 10 or 11, March 27 or 28, and May 23 or May 24. (NOTE: THE DAY IT IS DUE DEPENDS ON
THE DAY YOUR CLASS MEETS; THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE A CHOICE OF WHEN TO
TURN IT IN.)
Requirements for the Notebook
1. Notebook must be a folder with pockets and three brackets.
2. The notebook must contain notebook paper divided by tabs into sections:
A) NOTES- This is where your guidebook goes. If I give you notes it will generally be given to you as
handouts with space for your comments
B) VOCABULARY WORK- must keep a current vocabulary log of at least FIVE new words you
encounter in your English class each week. These can be from in-class readings, novels, or other places
you would encounter new words for your English class. You will need to write down the word, the source
and page # of the sentence wherein you found the word, and the definition of each word. For example:
exhorter—from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, p. 33; definition= person who
encourages through personal testimony, explaining and interpreting the scriptures, employs his/her
talents as a teacher, leading groups and conducting prayer services.
In addition, all vocabulary must be completed in your own handwriting. You will be graded down if you
have less than the required words. (For example, if I collect the notebook at the end of the 2 nd week of
class, you should have at least 10 words. If it is the end of the 18 th week of class, you should have at least
90 words.)
C) ASSIGNMENTS--includes homework and in-class work.
3. The front of the notebook must be clearly marked in the upper right hand corner with the following:
A) Name
B) Subject
C) Period
4. Pockets should be labeled “Handouts” in front and “Tests and Quizzes” in back.
FORMATTING OF PAPERS (including in-class writings, assignments, formal essays, and JQs)
All papers turned in must have the following in the upper left hand corner of the paper:
A) Your Name*
B) Ms. Rosenbaum
C) Class Name- Period
D) Date Due
All papers must have a title for the assignment centered on the page. The title should not be underlined, in bold, or
in italics. You should have a creative, appropriate, and specific title for each assignment.
Any typed assignment for this class should be done in Times New Roman 12 point font, be double spaced, have one
inch margins around the entire page, and have a heading in the upper right hand corner with your last name and page
number of the assignment. (See the last two pages of this syllabus for how to format a paper in this class.)
All formal essays, JQs, and many other assignments will be turned into www.turnitin.com. You will do peer editing
of essays using turnitin. The discussion board feature of turnitin will also be used for certain situations. Finally, all
papers will be graded directly on turnitin using its GradeMark feature. Unless I tell you otherwise, you will not need
to print off a copy of any assignment turned in to turnitin. I will warn you ahead of time what assignments should
be turned into www.turnitin.com.
You need to sign-up for the class by going to www.turnitin.com and entering the following:
Class id: 5035191
Password: awesome
*Note: Since you are allowed to be anonymous as you peer edit a classmate’s essay on turnitin, I will allow you to
make up a pseudonym when you submit a draft of an essay that will be peer edited on www.turnitin.com. I will
warn you ahead of time if what you submit will be peer edited.
JQ RULES AND DUE DATES
Your JQ will be due every Friday this school year by 11:59 pm to www.turnitin.com. Since this is a college class,
you are responsible for submitting these to www.turnitin.com even if you are not in school that day. You may work
on these ahead of time, as every single journal is already listed on www.turnitin.com.
You will need to write a journal of at least 200 words per week on one or more of the topics I give you on the
following pages OR on a topic I give after we read an article in Patterns for College Writing. You also need to
submit an at least 50 word response on a quote I give you on the following pages. You can defend, challenge, or
qualify your opinion of the quote by giving examples from your life, from history, and/or from literature. Each JQ is
worth 10 points, so this will really help your overall grade. This will be calculated as part of your notebook grade.
At the end of every nine weeks you will pick out our best JQ and you will submit it to the Discussion Board of
www.turnitin.com. You will also comment on at least one other person’s JQ on the Discussion Board.
The following are your due dates for each JQ:
JQ # 1 due August 24
JQ # 2 due August 31
JQ # 3 due September 7
JQ # 4 due September 14
JQ # 5 due September 21
JQ # 6 due September 28
JQ # 7 due October 5
JQ # 8 due October 12
JQ # 9 due October 19
JQ # 10 due October 26
JQ # 11 due November 2
JQ # 12 due November 9
JQ # 13 due November 16
JQ # 14 due November 30
JQ # 15 due December 7
JQ # 16 due December 14
JQ # 17 due January 11
JQ # 18 due January 18
JQ # 19 due January 25
JQ # 20 due February 1
JQ # 21 due February 8
JQ # 22 due February 15
JQ # 23 due February 22
JQ # 24 due March 1
JQ # 25 due March 8
JQ # 26 due March 22
JQ # 27 due March 29
JQ # 28 due April 5
JQ # 29 due April 12
JQ # 30 due April 19
JQ # 31 due April 26
JQ # 32 due May 3
JQ # 33 due May 10
JQ # 34 due May 17
Your choice of journal topics is as followed, and you should only write the number of the topic in your JQ:
1. Write a character sketch based on a picture of someone in a newspaper or magazine. Include a copy of the picture
with your sketch.
2. Fill in the blank. ______ is the type of relative who _______. Tell the story to prove it.
3. Find something interesting in the room. Write about it.
4. Make a list of the strangest things you have seen.
5. List minor pet peeves.
6. What do you love about some of the things you hate?
7. Make a list of interesting occupations. Choose one and write about why this is a good or bad job. Do not use he
name of the profession, just describe the work involved.
8. Write a convincing and original excuse for not having to do work today.
9. Write a family tradition or ritual that is specific to your family.
10. What does being old mean?
11. What does being young mean?
12. Make a list of 30 ugly things.
13. Make a list of 30 beautiful things.
14. Describe something ugly as if it were beautiful.
15. Describe something beautiful as if it were ugly.
16. Make a list of events or actions you are fairly sure you will never experience. Write about one of those events.
17. List difficult decisions you have made.
18. List five things you fear about getting older.
19. List five things you love about getting older.
20. List simple pleasures in life.
21. Describe a town or city you have stayed in. What can you say about it that most people don’t notice?
22. Describe a holiday/s you would like to see created.
23. What are ideas or tasks that you feel are too difficult or overwhelming to tackle—even though you would like
to?
24. Look at a photograph. What is happening just outside the photograph? (Include the photo with your journal)
25. What are some secrets you have kept in the past and are now brave enough to confess? If you don’t wish to
confess real secrets, make up some confessions, but be sure to indicate at the start these are made up!
26. Write about the color of hunger.
27. Imagine you are suddenly blind. Describe a familiar place and the things that you think you would suddenly
begin to notice that you haven’t before.
28. On the street I used to live on…
29. I am confused when…
30. When I was young, I used to believe…
31. Write a letter to who you were 5 years ago (or choose another year in the past or future).
32. Sit in a public place and describe the people walking by. What do you think they are thinking about? What is
on their minds? What type of house do they go home to? What is their favorite food? What secrets do they have?
33. Describe an important family member/s.
35. Write about your favorite holiday. Explain reasons why.
36. Write a creative and original explanation for the dent in your mom/dad’s car.
37. What do you eat when you feel upset? Mad? Happy?
38. My craziest experience in a restaurant or mall.
39. An unforgettable dream.
40. The hardest thing I’ve ever done.
41. My worst vacation.
42. My best vacation.
43. My first encounter with a bully.
44. A visit to the hospital, doctor’s office, or dentist’s office
45. My favorite senior citizen
46. When I am a parent I will never…
47. When I am a senior citizen I will never--48. Coping with brothers and sisters
49. The toys I’ll never give up
50. A typical evening at home
51. A friend who moved away
52. Morning madness
53. I couldn’t believe it when my mother volunteered me for that job
54. When I was a discipline problem.
55. Putting my foot in my mouth
56. A meaningful gift I’ve given or received
57. What if school sports were dropped
58. We all make mistakes
59. Tell us a family story
60. Why read?
61. Why write?
62. Why do I deserve the job?
63. What do I worry about?
64. Something this school really needs is…
65. I take some things too seriously.
66. Why are some people so cruel?
67. What animals can teach humans.
68. What invention would you like to see in your lifetime?
69. Sometimes, adults seem…
70. Why appearance is not important
71. Describe someone’s hands…let us know who they are through the description
72. Describe someone’s car so that we know their personality without being told
73. Use all of these words in a poem: crash, crumpled paper, straw, gravel
74. List minor events that have been meaningful in your life.
75. What most people don’t know about me is…
76. List A-Z. I remember…
77. Write about something that was a special treat.
78. Games you played as a child.
79. How to get along with…
80. Take a literature book, open to any page, point to any line quickly and use that line as the first in our story or
poem.
81. A time you were lost mentally
82. A time you were lost physically
83. A chance I didn’t take
84. If an ATM could be custom made what would you have it spew out instead of money?
85. Your most interesting feature
86. At what age was the best time of your life?
87. Your favorite possession that was not purchased
88. 20 things you recently learned (outside of schoolwork)
89. A narrow escape
90. A list of firsts
91. Things I question or am curious about
92. A time you surprised yourself
93. To get noticed I once…
94. If you could keep only ten memories what would they be?
95. Imagine everyone lived to be 25 years old
96. Write about deceit
97. Write about a person named Margaret Malloy
98. Imagine if books were illegal
99. Nothing is the same now that it is…
100. Other people are frightened by…
101. The best thing to work toward in life is…
102. When I stepped out onto the back porch, the moon…
103. A teenage girl invited to her first sleepover
104. Choose one of these lines of dialogue to include in your piece:
A) You know what else children don’t know?
B) I saw it first.
C) Look, somebody has got to make a decision.
D) Gee, let me guess, you’re not supposed to be in here, are you?
E) Well, to be honest, I threw it away.
F) That is precisely why we lost.
G) No, no, a thousand times, no.
105. Danger
106. First grade
107. Walls
108. Parade
109. Divorce
110. Loneliness
111. Broken bone
112. Promises
113. Describe a storm with all of your senses.
114. Write a piece that focuses on one particular sense.
115. Make a list of smells from your childhood. Whenever I smell_____, it reminds me of_______.
116. What different colors mean to me.
117. Make a list of tastes you love.
118. Make a list of tastes you hate.
119. Make a list of sounds you love.
120. Make a list of sounds you hate.
121. Describe unusual colors you have seen.
122. Create a list of ten great character names. If you can, give a brief description of each.
123. Write an A-Z story. (First sentence starts with A, next with B, etc.)
124. Write a story using only one syllable words.
125. Describe your unique family sayings and their meaning.
126. Write a description of your family’s kitchen.
127. Describe a scene from a person who is in love without using the word love.
128. Write about someone you dislike. Then, write about the person you dislike from their point of view.
129. Describe a scene from a person who just returned from war.
130. Write a fairy tale the way you want it told.
131. Write a story from the perspective of a woman having an argument with a man. Then, try writing the mind of a
man having an argument with a woman.
131. What have you seen on television that is disturbing? Why?
132. Write about a fear you once had that now you consider silly.
133. Make a list of 50 things you want to do in your lifetime.
134. What is your favorite time of the year and why?
135. Which is better—eating our or cooking at home?
136. Has technology simplified or complicated our lives?
137. Is violence in television, movies, or video games a problem?
138. What if public education was no longer required or free?
Your choice of quotes is as followed, and you should only write the letter of your quote in your JQ:
A) No longer forward nor behind/I look in hope and fear;/But grateful take the good I find,/The best of now and
here.- John G. Whittier
B) It is not work that kills men, it is worry. Work is healthy; you can hardly put more on a man than he can bear. But
worry is rust upon the blade. It is not movement that destroys the machinery, but friction.-Henry Ward Beecher
C) Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.-Benjamin Franklin
D) Imagine every day to be the last of a life surrounded with hopes, cares, anger and fear. The hours that come
unexpectedly will be much the more grateful.-Horace
E) The mind that is anxious about future events is miserable.-Seneca
F) Let us be of good cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those that never happen.-James
Russel Lowell
G) How much pain have cost us the evils that have never happened.-Thomas Jefferson
H) Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the
influences of each.-Henry David Thoreau
I) I never think of the future - it comes soon enough.-Albert Einstein
J) Try not to become a man of success but a man of value.-Albert Einstein
K) If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.
Now put foundations under them.- Henry David Thoreau
L) If you would create something, you must be something.-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
M) Life has no smooth road for any of us; and in the bracing atmosphere of a high aim the very roughness stimulates
the climber to steadier steps, till the legend, over steep ways to the stars, fulfills itself. -W. C. Doane
N) No great man ever complains of want of opportunities.-Ralph Waldo Emerson
O) Men do less than they ought,/unless they do all they can.-Thomas Carlyle
P) Along with success comes a reputation for wisdom.- Euripides
Q) Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the
man with the wrong mental attitude. - Thomas Jefferson
R) We are all motivated by a keen desire for praise, and the better a man is, the more he is inspired to glory.-Cicero
S) A failure is a man who has blundered, but is not able to cash in on the experience.- Elbert Hubbard
T) There is only one success--to be able to spend your life in your own way.- Christopher Morley
U) The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise of ordinary qualities. These may
for the most part be summed in these two: common-sense and perseverance.- Owen Feltham
V) Failures do what is tension relieving, while winners do what is goal achieving.- Dennis Waitley
W) The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but
rather a lack in will.-Vince Lombardi
X) I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure--which is: Try to please
everybody.-Herbert Bayard Swope
Y) Try not to become a man of success but a man of value.-Albert Einstein
Z) Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.-Helen Keller
AA) Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.- Ralph Waldo Emerson
BB) After the game, the king and the pawn go into the same box.- Italian Proverb
CC) Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think.- La Bruyere
DD) The whole of life is but a moment of time. It is our duty, therefore to use it, not to misuse it.- Plutarch
EE) The boundaries which divide life from death/ are at best shadowy and vague./Who shall say where one ends,/
and the other begins?-Edgar Alan Poe
FF) One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure.-William Feather
GG) There are no classes in life for beginners: right away you are always asked to deal with what is most difficult.Rainer Maria Rilke
HH) As I grow to understand life less and less, I learn to love it more and more.-Jules Renard
II) We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided each by a private chart, of which there is
no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.- Ralph Waldo Emerson
JJ) The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.-Arthur C.
Clarke
KK) We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.-Aristotle
LL) The best way out is always through.- Robert Frost
MM) Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall.- Confucius
NN) We are still masters of our fate. We are still captains of our souls.- Winston Churchill
OO) Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish
to be. ~Thomas à Kempis
PP) What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. It is always the same step, but you have to take it.
~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
QQ) Don't wait for the Last Judgment. It happens every day. ~Albert Camus
RR) Good for the body is the work of the body, and good for the soul is the work of the soul, and good for either is
the work of the other. ~Henry David Thoreau
SS) Anyone can carry his burden, however hard, until nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one
day. Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, till the sun goes down. And this is all life really means.
~Robert Louis Stevenson
TT) Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously
accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. ~Victor Hugo
UU) Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, a touch that never hurts. ~Charles Dickens
VV) We have a choice every day - to act on yesterday's good intentions or get an early start on tomorrow's regrets.
~Robert Brault
XX) I thought growing up was something that happened automatically as you got older. But it turns out it's
something you have to choose to do. ~From the television show Scrubs
YY) In this age, which believes that there is a short cut to everything, the greatest lesson to be learned is that the
most difficult way is, in the long run, the easiest. ~Henry Miller
ZZ) Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up. ~Robert Frost
AAA) There are two kinds of light - the glow that illuminates, and the glare that obscures. ~James Thurber
BBB) The best way to predict your future is to create it. ~Peter Drucker
CCC) Never make your home in a place. Make a home for yourself inside your own head. You'll find what you
need to furnish it - memory, friends you can trust, love of learning, and other such things. That way it will go with
you wherever you journey. ~Tad Williams
DDD) A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone. ~Henry David Thoreau
EEE) The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness;
third, common sense. ~Thomas Edison
FFF) A good example is the best sermon.- Benjamin Franklin
GGG) When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around.
But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.- Mark
Twain
HHH) Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and just annoys the pig.- Anonymous
III) The unexamined life is not worth living.- Socrates
JJJ) The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.- Mark Twain
LLL) How many people know how to use the computer on their desk but don’t know how to use the computer in
their head?- Unknown
MMM) Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it’s the only
thing that ever has.- Margaret Mead
NNN) The greatest thing you'll ever learn is to love and be loved in return. ~ Natalie Cole
OOO) I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.- Mother
Teresa
PPP) Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason.- Jerry Seinfeld
QQQ) I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word I am saying.- Oscar Wilde
RRR) You grow up the day you have your first real laugh—at yourself. –Ethel Barrymore
SSS) Santa Claus has the right idea; visit people once a year.- Victor Borge
TTT) Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.- Mark Twain
UUU) If we’re not supposed to eat animals, how come they’re made out of meat?- Tom Snyder
VVV) Always forgive your enemies. Nothing annoys them so much.- Oscar Wilde
WWW) In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.Oscar Wilde
YYY) It is very easy to endure the difficulties of one's enemies. It is the successes of one's friends that are hard to
bear.-Oscar Wilde
ZZZ) My one regret in life is that I am not someone else.-Woody Allen
AAAA) Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased with tales;
so is the other.- Sir Francis Bacon
BBBB) It is possible to provide security against other ills, but as far as death is concerned, we live in a city without
walls.- Epicurus
CCCC) If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we aren’t really living.- Gail Sheehy
DDDD) Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.- Leo Tolstoy
EEEE) Hatred, which could destroy so much, never failed to destroy the man who hated and this was an immutable
law.- James Baldwin
FFFF) Like the greatest virtue and the worst dogs, the fiercest hatred is silent.- Jean Paul Richter
GGGG) You cannot hate other people without hating yourself.- Oprah Winfrey
HHHH) Evil is wrought by want of thought, as well as want of heart.- Thomas Hood
IIII) The family is one of nature’s masterpieces.- George Santayana
JJJJ) The greatest thing in family life is to take a hint when a hint is intended—and not to take a hint when a hint
isn’t intended.- Robert Frost
LLLL) The first half of our lives our lives is ruined by our parents and the second half by our children.- Clarence
Darrow
MMMM) The miserable have no other medicine/But only hope.- William Shakespeare
NNNN) The intelligent man finds almost everything ridiculous, the sensible man almost nothing.- Johann
Wolfgang van Goethe
OOOO) The only point in making money is, you can tell some big shot where to go.- Humphrey Bogart
PPPP) Knowledge is the eye of desire and can become the pilot of the soul- Will Durant
QQQQ) Language is the roadmap of a culture. It tells you where its people have came from and where they are
going.- Rita Mae Brown
RRRR) Thanks to words, we have been able to rise above the brutes, and thanks to words, we have sunk to the level
of the demons.- Aldous Huxley
SSSS) Words are loaded pistols.- Jean-Paul Sarte
TTTT) Money often costs too much.- Ralph Waldo Emerson
UUUU) I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if
we only tune him in.- George Washington Carver
VVVV) Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake.- Wallace Stevens
RULES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Follow directions first time given.
Be prepared: in seat, on time, with materials.
Show respect for the rights, property, and feelings of others.
Stay on task.
Speak only at appropriate times.
NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES
1st time--Warning
2nd time--One detention
3rd time--Two detentions and parental contact
4th time--Referral to office
Severe Clause--Immediate Referral to office
REWARDS
-Verbal praise
-Written praise
-Phone calls/emails to parents
-Stickers/candy
GRADING SCALE
90-100= A
80-89= B
70-79= C
60-69= D
0-59= F
ASSISTANCE
If at any time you need help, please feel free to make an appointment to speak with me or e-mail me. Remember—
you can do it! You are AP!