AP English Language and Composition
Syllabus
Mr. Baer/ARTLAB
Course Objectives: Aligning itself with the objectives of the College Board AP Central,
this course is designed “to enable students to read complex texts with understanding and
to write prose of sufficient richness and complexity to communicate effectively with
mature readers” while “enabl[ing] students to write effectively and confident in their
college courses across the curriculum and in their professional and personal lives.”
Additionally, this course will satisfy the required breadth of material consistent with two
semesters of non-fiction writings, including full-length works, essays, opinions and
editorials, speeches, and supplemented by works drawn from the canon of American
literature. To meet these objectives, students will be able to:
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sustain discussions of topics in language, non-fiction, and American
literature and frame cogent arguments in debates about issues addressed in
American literature.
work with a variety of rhetorical situations, both textually and visually,
identifying elements of persuasion. This process includes working with
stylistic analysis of rhetorical non-fiction, fiction, and visual media from a
variety of genres, evaluating elements of the rhetorical triangle (ethos,
logos, pathos), SOAPSTone, PAPA, and the contributions of style (syntax,
diction, etc.) to the overall purpose of the material.
respond personally and reflectively to a range of literature, focusing
primarily on non-fiction and American literature. They will learn to
independently analyze, summarize, and interpret the works they encounter,
expressing their responses in expository, persuasive, and creative writing.
research within an area of inquiry and publish essays of personal interest
for a variety of audiences. They will master the recursive writing process
and will develop the knowledge and strategies needed for editing their own
and others’ work in peer critiques, while effectively using conventions of
citation as recommended by the Modern Language Association (MLA), the
University of Chicago Press (The Chicago Manual of Style), and the
American Psychological Association (APA).
recognize the cultural context of language, both past and present,
especially understanding the various conventions within language that
reflect that context. They will learn to identify the characteristics and
efficacy of various levels of discourse.
apply their writing, speaking, reading, and listening skills in completing
independent projects within their areas of inquiry.
synthesize a variety of print and non-print sources, identifying purpose and
bias, emphasizing the a collaborative model of analysis in establishing
common ground while articulating opposing viewpoints for the purpose of
creating a single summary work.
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gain familiarity with the types of questions and expectations for answers
on the AP Language and Composition Exam.
Grading System
Our grading scale is as follows.
90-100% = A
80-89.99% = B
70-79.99% = C
60-69.99% = D
50-59.99% = Fail
A weighted grading scale is used in order to ensure equity in grading across a variety of skillsets.
Tests and Essays:
Timed-Writes:
Reading Checks:
Class Participation:
Homework:
40%
30%
10%
10%
10%
Timed-Writes:
Tests and Essays:
This applies exclusively to AP timed-writes.
This includes all multiple choice tests, unit tests, non-AP in-class
essays, and take-home essays. This may also include group work
presented for test credit. Students are notified ahead of time when
group work will be counted towards this category; however, group
assignments counted as tests are always graded individually.
This includes all in-class “pop quizzes”. These are functionally a
participation grade based on whether or not the reading has been
completed from the previous night’s assignment – thus reflecting
the student’s ability to participate in class discussion and activities.
This includes work done in small groups, individually, or non-test
presentations (i.e. informal group or individual presentations,
Socratic Forums, etc.) that you are given class time to complete.
Reading Checks:
Class Participation:
Methods
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Teacher-directed lessons in which teacher teaches through lecturing, modeling,
demonstrating, and teaching skills for writing and for reading comprehension.
Students collaborate in small groups on a regular basis. These groups discuss the literal
and interpretive levels of texts and make connections from the text to their previous
learning and experiences. The groups report back to the class as a whole.
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Students evaluate peer interpretations and arguments through discussion and debate
and provide feedback through peer editing groups.
Students independently choose an American author whom they need or want to know
more about and select literary and nonliterary works by the author and about the
author. They make regular journal entries and note cards, responding to their readings
within their chosen areas of inquiry.
Students write and review the questions and answers to sample AP Language and
Composition Exams.
Students write essays that respond to their reading in non-fiction and American
literature.
Lastly, we will meet outside of school hours, after school weekly and on a series of
Saturday mornings throughout the school year to practice strategies for taking the AP
Language exam and to take mandatory practice AP tests.
Key Concepts
Levels of Discourse:
Recognizing that language works differently on different cultural levels, students
are exposed to the following definitions and asked then to apply them to their
reading. They are required to find a variety of levels within their areas of inquiry.
Discourse:
Codes:
Levels of Discourse:
Colloquial:
the accepted mode of communication within a given
culture, including semantic codes as well as
accepted ways of validating assertions.
the elementary ideological structures, schema, truth
values, and attitudes that make up a world view.
the various cultural levels at which language takes
on distinctive traits and functions. There are three
identifiable levels:
the sub-cultural level marked by a specific, shared
code which is in flux.
Communication at this level emphasizes the
senderreceiver relationship and language functions
primarily emotively, vocatively, or imperatively.
Examples: street talk, teen talk, various dialects
(Twain, Hurston), sample AP passages.
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Standard:
Formal:
Style Analysis:
the pop-cultural level marked by a general,
standardized code (standard grammar, dictionary
denotations) which changes slowly.
Communication at this level emphasizes the
context and circumstances of the language act, and
language acts primarily as a transparent vehicle,
referring denotatively to some object.
Examples: journalism, high school essays, sample
AP passages.
the power-cultural level (“the discourse of the
discipline”) marked by a specific, standardized code
shared by an exclusive group in authority.
Communication at this level emphasizes the
correctness of the code and propriety of the channel.
Communication which occurs outside of this code or
proper channel is not taken seriously. Language
tends to be ritualized and formulaic, operating on a
metalingual level.
Examples: dissertations, essays, sample AP
passages.
Tools by which authors make their purpose known.
Examples: Non-fiction, opinions and editorials,
speeches, debates, essays, sample AP Passages.
Rhetorical Analysis:
Recognizing that print and non-print sources utilize a variety of interwoven
strategies in creating an argument, students will master the tools of rhetorical
analysis, emphasizing the effects each element plays on the creation of meaning
as a whole.
Speaker
The voice that tells the story. Before beginning to write, decide
whose voice is going to be heard. Whether this voice belongs to a
fictional character or to the writers themselves, one should
determine how to insert and develop those attributes of the
speaker that will influence the perceived meaning of the piece.
Occasion
The time and the place of the piece; the context that prompted the
writing. Writing does not occur in a vacuum. All writers are
influenced by the larger occasion: an environment of ideas,
attitudes, and emotions that swirl around a broad issue. Then
there is the immediate occasion: an event or situation that catches
the writer's attention and triggers a response.
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Audience
The group of readers to whom this piece is directed. As one
begins to write, determine the audience that is being addressed. It
may be one person or a specific group. This choice of audience
will affect how and why one writes a particular text.
Purpose
The reason behind the text. Consider the purpose of the text in
order to develop the thesis or the argument and its logic. One
should ask, "What do I want my audience to think or do as a
result of reading my text?"
Subject
Be able to state the subject in a few words or phrases. This step
helps to focus on the intended task throughout the writing process.
Tone
The attitude of the author. The spoken word can convey the
speaker's attitude and thus help to impart meaning through tone of
voice. With the written word, it is tone that extends meaning
beyond the literal, and one must learn to convey this tone in his or
her diction (choice of words), syntax (sentence construction), and
imagery (metaphors, similes, and other types of figurative
language). The ability to manage tone is one of the best indicators
of a sophisticated writer.
In addition, students master elements of classical rhetorical modes and
argumentation.
Logos: Appeals to reason
Such an appeal attempts to persuade by means of an argument “suitable to the
case in question,” according to Aristotle. Appeals to logos most often use the
syllogism and enthymeme.
Induction:
Deduction:
Narrative:
Argument by induction builds from evidence and observation to a
final conclusion. Most people recognize induction as the basis for
scientific method. Simple induction moves from "reasons" and
examples to conclusion and does not require scientific observation
or eyewitness reports.
Argument by deduction builds from accepted truths to specific
conclusions. The syllogism and enthymeme are examples of
deductive arguments. We may also structure deductive arguments
based on cultural or social truths leading to specific conclusions.
Stories and anecdotes should not be considered innocent moments
of entertainment in political communication. Narrative argues
partly by denying its ability to persuade. Remember the powerful
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use Ronald Reagan made of anecdotes. He perfected the form for
the modern presidency, and every president since has followed his
lead.
Pathos: Appeals to the emotions of the audience
Such an appeal attempts to persuade by stirring the emotions of the audience and
attempts to create any number of emotions, including: fear, sadness, contentment,
joy, pride. Pathos does not concern the veracity of the argument, only its appeal.
Students are therefore exposed to a wide variety of devices of pathos including
fallacies of logic.
Ethos: Appeals exerted by the character of the writer/speaker
Such an appeal attempts to persuade by calling attention to the writer’s/speaker’s
character. It says in effect: “I’m a great guy so you should believe what I’m
telling you.” Ethos does not concern the veracity of the argument, only its appeal.
Major Papers
This course assigns four major papers over the course of the year. Papers are aligned with
State standards and the College Board AP Central objectives.
Paper #1 - Rhetorical Analysis: Style
Students are asked at the beginning of the year to choose an author of
American culture that they need or want to know more about. They then read at
least two major works by that author (about 1000 pages of text), formal criticism of
the author’s work, the author’s biography, and the intellectual climate of the
author’s era for the next twelve weeks.
Each student decides on the author to be investigated and a tentative list of
works to be studied. After ensuring that the works represent a suitable range, the
student engages in exploratory research and activities that meet the criteria and
help students to actively respond to the readings.
At the beginning of the second quarter, students begin to narrow their
individual investigations to thesis statements. Then they write a paper clearly
demonstrating their mastery of this author and his/her works. They spend the rest
of the semester continuing directed research and publishing a formal research
paper, consisting of three parts: biography, general emphasis of the author’s work,
and a detailed analysis of one of his/her works. Style is explored as a rhetorical
tool in a “long form” of stylistic devices as well as the effects of each on the work
as a whole (see “Strategies”)
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Paper #2 - Rhetorical Analysis: Purpose and Effect (using Barbara Ehrenreich’s
Nickel and Dimed (On Not Getting By) in America)
Following the completion of Nickel and Dimed in America, including
class lecture, large and small group work, and class discussion, students select a
major topic of their choice that supports the book’s central argument. Students
must demonstrate an analysis of the purpose of that topic’s inclusion in the work
and how it supports the author’s principal argument and helps to deliver the
intended effect, supporting their work with appropriate references from the text,
and citing according to MLA standards. Students practice the recursive writing
process with appropriate teacher and peer-feedback at several stages of the
writing process.
Paper #3 – Rhetorical Elements: Logos, Ethos, and Pathos (using Alex Haley’s The
Autobiography of Malcolm X)
After reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X, students analyze the
interaction of author, audience, purpose, and the use of logos, ethos, and pathos,
including tone, in the development of Malcolm X’s rhetorical strategies pertaining
to human rights and social justice. The final paper demonstrates the stages of the
writing process, from prewriting to publication.
Paper #4 - Argumentation: Employing Models, Patterns of Development, & Style
The final paper is a three-to-five page sustained argument on a relevant
issue of local or global relevance, employing rhetorical strategies of the students’
choosing necessary to sustain that argument. Students continue to develop their
skills in rhetorical analysis and composition by using either the Classical,
Rogerian, or Toulmin Models, employing specific patterns of development best
suited to the argument, and utilizing various stylistic approaches with diction and
syntax. Emphasis is placed on organizational structure, appropriate evidence, and
well-developed commentary. An oral presentation intended to introduce, narrate,
confirm, refute, and conclude the writer’s argument is presented to the class with
a multi-media presentation.
Paper #5 - Rhetorical Analysis: Synthesis, Persuasion, and Qualification
This research paper requires a demonstration of the skills learned while
studying for the AP English Language test. First, the student selects an issue of
controversy: of local or global interest. The student must research sources that
represent a balanced discussion of the issue. In this review of various forms of nonfiction, students include a variety of sources: objective, positions in the affirmative
and negative, and longer non-fiction that explores either the specific issue or the
greater implications of that issue.
The first part of the paper asks students to synthesize the sources for the
reader. Students objectively summarize the totality of their sources. The second
part of the paper explores the rhetorical strategies of each side. Focusing on the
specific devices used by each side, students analyze and evaluate the rhetorical
use of ethos, logos, and pathos in persuasion. They examine trends in diction use,
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specific appeals, interpretation of data, creation of visual media, or any other tool
used to create an argument. Finally, students form an opinion on the issue, and
support it with evidence from their research. In doing so, they attempt to find
common ground, considering their concessions to the opposition in order to find a
win/win scenario.
Course Syllabus
First Semester
WEEK TOPIC
MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS/READINGS
1
Introduction and Summer Reading
Course Overview: Style Analysis,
Reading Comprehension, American
Literature. Always Running
discussion, followed by test and essay
on the work.
2
Introduction to Term Paper (Paper #1)
and American Literature
Discuss “Live with an Author”
project, and have students sign-up for
author of their choice: no duplication.
Discuss Always Running and The
American Dream. Reading
Comprehension- AP Passage.
3
“Farewell Speech” by Lou Gehrig
Discuss persona, impression &
details, author’s attitude. Based on
the tone and information in the speech,
write a two-page essay analyzing use
of rhetorical elements.
3a
Nickel and Dimed/Intro to AP skills/
Writer’s Workshop
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AP Style Analysis and Nickel and
Introduction to Barbara Ehrenreich,
and Style Analysis. Return Always
Running essays and discuss.
Analyze use of conventions (word
choice and sentence structure) in
essays. Assign American Dream test
(There are unit tests after every major
topic). Assign Stylebook #1.
Discuss AP Passage, “The Rattler.”
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Dimed
Students write paragraphs focused on
diction and syntax in response to the
story. Read Nickel and Dimed and
discuss.
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Style Analysis, Reading Comprehension
and Term paper. Assign Paper #2
(Analysis of Theme).
Students write “point of view”
paragraph in response to “The
Rattler.” Reading comprehension
(AP Passage); continue Research
Workshops.
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Style Analysis, Reading Comprehension,
Tone
Students write “detail” paragraph on
story. Reading comprehension;
Nickel & Dimed quiz/test. Start
Rhetorical Forms unit.
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Opinion-Editorial/Style Analysis
AP preparation
Discuss different paragraphs in Style and
Analysis. Diction & Syntax editing
and revision. Reading
Comprehension/Timed Writing (AP
prompt). Opinion-Editorial: Write
response using logos, ethos, pathos.
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“Letter to Phyllis” by Einstein
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Vocab, “Rhetorical Forms” Unit/AP Introduction of Rhetorical Forms/
Prep
Style Book due (enclosed), and
reading comprehension (AP)
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Rhetorical Forms/Visual Rhetoric/
Response Analysis first draft is due.
Rhetoric in Literature Peer editing in class, followed by
peer/teacher examination of first
draft. Sentence and paragraph
editing & revision that support
evidence & commentary. Visual
Rhetoric discussion. Introduction to
Rhetoric in Literature.
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Rhetoric in Literature
The Iliad by Homer - Priam’s Plea to
Achilles. Rhetorical Analysis.
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AP Preparation/Rhetorical Forms
Unit
Essay workshop based on
organization using diction & syntax
strategies. Introduction of
Write an oral response and
present it to the class.
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Arrangement. Study of The
Classical Model & Patterns of
Development.
12a
“Not By Math Alone” by Sandra
Response: Identify and analyze five
Day O’Connor & Roy Romer
parts of Classical Model used to organize the
authors’ argument and explain its effect in support of the argument.
“We Can Afford to Give Parents
A Break” by Jody Heyman
Heyman’s essay.
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Response: Employing Patterns of
Development, analyze their use in
.
13a
American Literature
Assign Paper #3: Rhetorical Analysis
Read The Autobiography of Malcolm
X
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AP Preparation
Essay based on AP Passage
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Term Paper/Malcolm X
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Term Paper/Malcolm X
Oral presentations of term papers.
Students read and respond to
questions on Malcolm X. Analysis
of sentence structure and word
choice in Malcolm X and application
in writing.
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Term Paper/Malcolm X
Oral presentations of term papers
continue. Discussions of Malcolm X
followed by test, and group work to
reinforce several aspects of rhetorical
elements employed by Malcolm X.
How speaker/writer uses word
arrangement for effect.
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Holiday homework: A Modest Proposal
Analyzing persona. Style analysis
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Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
Analyze the rhetorical failure of the
marriage proposal of Mr. Collins.
Response: Write a successful
marriage proposal in the style of Jane
Austen, using appeals, elements of
“Live with an Author Project” due/
Essay on the book
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the Classical Model, and patterns.
Focus on sentence structure variety.
19a
Into the Wild/Rhetorical Analysis
Read and keep journals on
Into the Wild and revise an AP essay,
“Fireside Poets.” Read short texts on
the death of Princess Diana.
20
“Message to President Franklin Pierce”
Seattle contrasts, and juxtapositions serve
Response: Explain how repetition, by Chief
the message’s rhetorical purpose.
20a
Final examination review
Final Examination on syntax,
diction, and their use in conveying
purpose and the desired effect of the
author using a series of rhetorical
texts.
Second Semester
1
Into the Wild, AP Preparation
Discuss Into the Wild and complete
dialectical journals, Reading
Comprehension. Into the Wild Test.
2
Analyzing Style/AP Prep
Start Style Analysis Unit/Essay
Workshop: Diction/Syntax Analysis.
Application of schemes
(parallelisms, juxtapositions, &
antitheses)
3
“The Atlanta Exposition Address”
by Booker T. Washington
Response: Discuss the importance
of occasion and audience. Identify
appeals to both logos and pathos and
argue which is more prevalent.
3a
Style Analysis Unit/AP Prep
Read selected essays from text,
timed writing (AP prompt), and
reading comprehension (AP Passage)
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4
Close Reading Techniques/
Practice Annotation & Graphic
Organization through analysis of
“Los Angeles Notebook” by Joan
Didion/AP Prep presentation and
reading. AP Passages. Assign
Stylebook #2.
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AP Preparation/Walt Whitman
Reading Comprehension (AP Model
passage), Timed Writing (AP
Prompt) and Writer’s Workshop.
Discuss Poetry as Rhetoric.
5a
“When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer”
by Walt Whitman
Response: What is the effect of
syntax, diction, and conventions on
the implied relationship between
science and nature?
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AP Preparation, Assign Paper #4
(Argumentation)
Prompt).
Reading Comprehension (AP
Passage) and Timed Writing (AP
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AP Preparation and Fast Food Nation
Review essays with peer
discussion. Introduce
Fast Food Nation.
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AP Preparation and Fast Food Nation Essay workshop with teacher/peer revision on
sentence structure & diction. Continue reading Fast Food Nation.
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AP Preparation/Close Reading
Reading Comprehension (AP
Passage), and read Fast Food Nation
and introduce Synthesis Unit.
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Fast Food Nation concluding discussion/
AP Prep
Finish Fast Food Nation, Test/AP
essay (AP prompt)
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Synthesis Unit/Writing About Close Types of Support, Developing
Reading/AP Prep
Support/Choosing Sources/JFK
Inaugural Speech & Effects of
Diction & Syntax/Selected AP
essays in preparation for AP
exam.
12
AP Preparation/Synthesis Unit - Assign
Paper #5
Reading Comprehension (AP) and
Timed Writing (AP)/Relationship of
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Sources to Audience/Practice AP
Exam (Saturday session).
13
AP Preparation/Mini-Poetry Unit
Reading Comprehension (AP) and
Timed Writing (AP)/Poetry Analysis
(including Emily Dickinson & TS
Eliot)
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AP Preparation
AP Review, Reading
Comprehension (AP), Timed Writing
(AP)
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AP Preparation
Students take AP Test
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Introduction to AP Literature
& Composition
Short Fiction &
Poetry/Poetry Analysis (Emily
Dickinson & T.S. Eliot)
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Synthesis Unit /
Poetry Close Reading.
Synthesis Paper Due/ Mini-Poetry Unit
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Kate Chopin’s “Story of
Hour”/Mini-Poetry Unit
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Gail Godwin’s ”A Sorrowful Woman”/
Mini-Poetry Unit
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Finals
Read and discuss “Story of an Hour” an
Elements of Literature/Poetry
Analysis Response
Discuss “A Sorrowful Woman”.
Write essay comparing and
contrasting two poems of choice for
tone, imagery, & symbolism.
Write a response to the short stories
by Chopin & Godwin identifying the
literary elements that make the main
characters sympathetic.
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Strategies
The following strategies are used to facilitate completion of the course objectives as well as
success on the AP examination:
Timed-writing
Students regularly practice timed-writing strategies: pacing, structure, and
execution, engaging in one 40-45 minute timed-write, on average, every nine days
during the first semester and every seven days during the second until the AP test.
Prompts are taken from past AP exams as well as teacher-written prompts
reflecting material used in class with prompts parallel to those used on the AP
exam. Students regularly engage in peer-evaluation following the timed-writes as
well as reflective analysis of their performance.
Formal Essays and the Recursive Writing Process
Students are assigned five major papers over the course of two semesters
which address a variety of skills aligned to state standards and AP Central
Collegeboard objectives (see Major Papers). Each paper emphasis the recursive
writing process: prewriting, outlining, first draft, revision, and publishing. In
addition, their final two papers are presented orally using multi-media technology
to enhance presentations.
Style Analysis
As analysis of style in a variety of modes applies to both literary and
rhetorical analysis, students regularly engage in in-class and homework activities
designed to encourage close-reading skills of fiction and non-fiction work. The
major activity for style analysis runs concurrently with their first major paper,
called a Long Form. The Long Form is a detailed analysis of 15 major literary
elements dealing with an American author of the students’ choosing. The
emphasis explores how the author’s use of style enhances the overall unifying
theme of his/her body of work. Categories of analysis include the following: 1)
the author and his/her times, 2) form, structure, and plot (including organization,
techniques such as flashbacks or dream sequences, stream of consciousness,
sequence, and compare and contrast beginning and ending, 3) point of view
(narrative perspective), 4) character (flat/round, static/dynamic,
protagonist/antagonist, role of minor characters), 5) setting, 6) diction (informal,
formal, neutral, metaphoric and/or ironic devices, plain, ornate, concise, strong,
sound devices including cacophonous ("plosives": b, d, g, k, p, t) or euphonious
("liquids": l, m, n, r, soft v and f, th and wh), 7) syntax: (sentence structure)
analysis of sentence and phrase patterns, loose, periodic, inverted, convoluted,
and the contribution to tone, 8) imagery, 9) symbolism, 10) figurative language
(tropes such as metaphor, simile, personification, and allusion, 11) ironic devices
(verbal, situational, or dramatic irony, paradox, oxymoron, euphemism,
hyperbole, and understatement), 12) tone (playful, serious, angry, ironic, formal,
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somber, satiric, and combinations of many more), 13) theme, 14) significance of
the title, and 15) memorable quotes.
Discussion
Students regularly engage in whole class discussion as well as small group
work. Elements of effective discussion are practiced early and often in a
structured Socratic Forum. This process involves active listening, cooperative
questioning, and verbal and non-verbal validation with the opportunity for peer
criticism.
Informal Writing
In addition to journaling and warm-up activities emphasizing issues brought
out in literature, students engage in reflective writing with two formal assignments
in the form of dual-entry (T-graph) logs for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
and “The Bear”, Students record thirty passages of thematic or poetic significance,
commenting on the overall literary contribution and power of each selection.
Students engage in small group discussion in which observations and effects of
their selections are engaged.
Oral Expression
In accordance with state standards, Students engage in group and
individual presentations regularly throughout the year. A variety of formats are
used to encourage individual participation as well as fostering group interaction.
Several assignments require the use of multi-media artifacts, most significantly
the use of computer-aided presentation tools such as PowerPoint. Assessment
includes verbal and physical evaluation as well as content.
Vocabulary Development
In addition to regular vocabulary work derived from class texts, students
complete two “stylebooks” in this course. The objective of this is to recognize the
effective word usage and sentence structure of America's great authors, and to
begin to incorporate into their own compositions the language and sentence
structures of masterful writing.
While reading the literature for this course, students record unfamiliar
vocabulary words and the number of the page on which they read the
words. On a piece of notebook paper, they write the title of the work on
the top line, number the unfamiliar words, the page number on which they
are found, and their definitions. They skip a line, then copy the author's
sentence, underlining the word(s). They skip another line, then write their
own sentence, using the word(s) correctly, and imitating the author's
sentence structure.
Evaluation is done formally twice a semester, but the work should
keep it current with weekly readings. For full credit upon collection,
students must have a minimum of five entries per week.
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Visual Argumentation (non-print sources)
Students engage in class discussion and lecture using multi-media to present a
variety of non-print sources including graphs, charts, political and editorial cartoons,
primary and secondary source photography and artifacts, artwork, and advertisements.
Works are deconstructed for their rhetorical strategies and biases.
Students create a rhetorically effective advertisement based on visual strategies
of rhetoric. Following the creation of the original advertisement, students write an essay,
respond to the following prompt: “Evaluate the rhetorical techniques used in the
advertisement. Shape your essay as if it were a timed-write: succinct introduction, body
paragraphs that expand upon specific techniques, solid observations and effects, and a
strong connection to purpose.”
Assessments
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Students will engage in debates, structured and unstructured discussions, sustain
independent and mutually respectful discussions, and present formal position papers
with confidence and poise.
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Students will actively maintain a reading journal from assigned reading in their area
of inquiry. They will submit a paper written in response to their exploratory reading
and another in response to a work of American literature, both selected from within
the area of inquiry. One of these papers will be a formal research paper, using the
MLA Style Sheet.
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Students will actively participate in discussions both about American literature and
style analysis based on the material, publishing original position papers or cogent
responses to others’ papers on a regular basis.
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Students will be exposed to AP free choice questions of the last ten years:
responding to several selected topics as time permits and reading and planning a
response to others.
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Students will successfully complete AP Language and Composition materials,
answering over half of the multiple-choice questions correctly and scoring over 5 on
each of the three types of essays. Students will take the national AP Language and
Composition Exam.
Course Texts
Class Resources:
Shea, R.H., Scanlon, L., & Aufses, R.D. The Language of Composition:
Reading – Writing - Rhetoric. Boston-New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s,
2008.
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Aaron, Jane E., and Kennedy, Dorothy & X.J. The Bedford Reader. 9th Ed. Boston-New
York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006.
Lunsford, Andrea, John Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters. Everything's an
Argument. 3rd ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2004.
Graff, G., Birkenstein, C., & Durst, R. They Say, I Say. 2nd Ed. London-New
York: W.W. Norton, 2012
Nonfiction Readings Across the Curriculum, Prentice Hall, 2000.
Additional Texts:
Nickel and Dimed (On Not Getting By) in America - Ehrenreich, Barbara
Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, & Climate Change – Kolbert, Elizabeth
Into the Wild – Krakauer, Jon
Cesar Chavez: Autobiography of La Causa – Levy, Jacques
The Autobiography of Malcolm X – Malcolm X with Alex Haley
Always Running – Rodriguez, Luis
Fast Food Nation – Schlosser, Eric
A Modest Proposal – Swift, Jonathan
Various pieces of American non-fiction, fiction, and poetry
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