PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRICULUM 2014
PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT
PLANNED COURSE CURRICULUM GUIDE
Honors/AP English Language and Composition
Grade 11/12
I.
II.
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND INTENT:
III.
In the AP English Language and Composition course students learn to write in a
variety of modes for a variety of purposes and audiences. We begin with focus on
reading critically selections of expository, analytical, personal, and argumentative
writing by a wide range of authors from several different time periods. Students’
critical reading continues throughout the semester as the selections of reading become
models for the students’ own writing. Later in the semester, student-selected texts
will serve as resources for a researched essay. Students will also analyze and respond
to visual texts such as artwork, advertising, and film as both supplements for written
texts and as texts themselves. Reading selections are mostly American, address a
number of topics from politics to philosophy to memoir, and were chosen based on
the list of suggested authors in the AP English Course Description from The College
Board.
INSTRUCTIONAL TIME:
Class Periods: 6 per 6-day cycle
Length of Class Periods (minutes): 56 minutes
Length of Course: 2 semesters
Unit of Credit: 1.00
Updated: June16, 2014
PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRICULUM 2014
COURSE: Honors/AP English Language
and Composition
STRAND: Literature
GRADE(S): 11/12
TIMEFRAME: One Year
PA ACADEMIC STANDARDS
1.1. Learning to Read Independently
1.2. Reading Critically in All Content Areas
1.3. Reading, Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
1.7. Characteristics and Functions of the English Language
1.9. Information, Communication, and Technology Literacy
ASSESSMENT ANCHORS
R11.A.2 Understand nonfiction appropriate to grade level
R11.B.1 Understand components within and between texts
R11.B.2 Understand literary devices in fictional and nonfiction text
R11.B.3 Understand concepts and organization of nonfiction text
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RESOURCES
Textbook: Prentice Hall Reader, AP Edition
Textbook: Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading and Writing
Textbook: 100 Great Essays
Teacher created materials
Teacher selected materials
Major Works:
Reading Lolita in Tehran
Fast Food Nation
Sesame and Lilies
Fahrenheit 451 or Brave New World
The Crucible or Frankenstein
The Things They Carried or The Canterbury Tales
The Awakening or Beowulf
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest or Hamlet
The Great Gatsby
Visual Text: The Village, a film by M. Night Shyamalan
Vocabulary lists
Tools for Teaching Content Literacy
English Department Wiki Page – http://pvenglish.wikispaces.com
Pleasant Valley High School Library Website http://webpages.pvbears.org/hslibrary/index.htm
Online discussion group
Teacher Faculty Web Page
PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRICULUM 2014
OBJECTIVES
The Learner Will:
 Read, comprehend, interpret, analyze, and evaluate four major works
(1.1.11.A,D;
1.2.11.A-E; 1.3.11.A-D; 1.7.11; 1.9.11.A)
 Read, comprehend, and respond to essential content across all genres
(1.2.11.A,B,C,E; 1.9.11.A,B)
 Analyze literary elements and devices (1.3.11.A-D)
 Analyze inferences and conclusions based on and related to an author’s
implicit and
explicit assumptions and beliefs about a subject (1.2.11.D)
 Use context clues, knowledge of root words, and word origins as well as
reference
sources to decode and understand new words (1.1.11.B)
 Apply meaning and knowledge of words and their relationships to other
words
across content areas (1.1.11.C)
 Demonstrate an appropriate rate of silent reading based upon
specific grade level texts (1.1.11.E)
 Analyze the role and place of standard American English in speech,
writing, and literature (1.7.11)
ESSENTIAL CONTENT
Explore the following Essential Questions:
How does knowledge of rhetorical strategies inform both reading and
writing?
What is the relationship between writer, context, audience, and
argument?
What are the different rhetorical modes and when is each used?
How is a new argument synthesized?
 Read, comprehend, interpret, analyze, and evaluate rhetorical elements in
Reading Lolita in Tehran, Sesame and Lilies, In Cold Blood, and Fast
Food
Nation
 Compare various nonfiction genres to each other and to major works as
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PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRICULUM 2014
they
relate to rhetoric
 Identify and analyze: appeal, argument, arrangement, audience,
connotation,
cultural memory, delivery, denotation, ethos, genre, invention,
language,
logos, occasion, pathos, persona, purpose, rhetoric, speaker, subject,
style, syntax, tone
 Research, read, and present a critical analysis of a major work of Western
philosophy
 Address 20-30 vocabulary words within context of major works
 Provide time for sustained silent reading and/or explicit literacy
instruction
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
 Introduce and explore Essential Questions
 Incorporate the use of supplemental essays, memoir, biographies,
articles,
and visuals for exploring Essential Questions and analyzing rhetorical
relationships
 Model analysis and evaluation of rhetorical strategies in short works and
in major works as follows:
context, arrangement, and purpose in Reading Lolita in Tehran
occasion, delivery, and juxtaposition in Sesame and Lilies
invention, genre, and syntax in In Cold Blood
persona, cultural memory, and exemplification in Fast Food Nation
 Utilize think alouds, talking to the text, metacognitive reflections, double
entry
journals, the question game, anticipation guides, SOAPSTone,
Yes/No
But, and Triangle of Appeals
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ASSESSMENTS
Tests and quizzes
Portfolios
Journals
Essays and papers
Teacher observed question/answer sessions
PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRICULUM 2014
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Homework
CORRECTIVES/EXTENSIONS
Correctives:
 Explicit modeling followed by systematic, guided practice of each skill
 Incorporate reading apprenticeship activities
Extensions:
 Integrate technology
 Student-generated authentic projects and/or discussions
PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRICULUM 2014
COURSE: Honors/AP English Language
and Composition
STRAND: Writing
GRADE(S): 11/12
TIMEFRAME: One Year
PA COMMON CORE STANDARDS
1.4 Writing
Students write for different purposes and audiences. Students write clear
and focused text to convey a well-defined perspective and appropriate
content.
ASSESSMENT ANCHORS
C.E.1.1
Write informative pieces that describe, explain, or summarize information or
ideas.
C.P.1.1
Write persuasive pieces that include a clearly stated position made
convincing through appropriate methods.
C.E.2.1
Revise writing to improve style, meaning, word choice, and sentence variety.
C.E.3.1
Use conventions of standard written language.
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RESOURCES
AP Central Web Site
AP Free Response Essay Prompts
Textbook: Prentice Hall Reader, AP Edition
Textbook: Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading and Writing
Teacher created/selected materials
Student selected materials
College Board Writing Rubric
pdesas.org
OBJECTIVES
The Learner Will:
 Prepare an inquiry-based research paper that synthesizes an argument, following
discipline-specific research format and documentation, using information,
organizational skills, primary and secondary sources, and traditional and
PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRICULUM 2014
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emerging library technologies
Reflect on and self-evaluate writing
Develop a comprehensive writing portfolio
Respond to AP argument and analysis prompts in a timed setting
Respond to AP style synthesis prompts in formal short papers
Develop arguments with consideration of audience, purpose, and subject.
Construct analyses of classic and contemporary writing
Develop and practice style using various writing strategies
ESSENTIAL CONTENT
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Timed essays
Synthesis papers
Examination of a variety of argument constructs
Writing in the nine rhetorical modes: argumentation, exemplification,
compare-contrast, narration, division-classification, process analysis, causeeffect, description, and definition
Differentiate between active and passive voice and use each appropriately
Recognize different points of view and use appropriately
Recognize the use of persona and be able to develop one
Be able to self-evaluate writing and use evaluation for improving writing
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INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
Examine, discuss, and evaluate several examples of synthesis research
questions and responses
Examine, discuss, and evaluate several examples of analysis questions
and responses
Examine, discuss, and evaluate several examples of argument questions
and responses
Model various forms of note taking
Explicitly teach a variety of methods of constructing argument
Explicitly teach writing a proper analysis
Peer review
Reference individual research planner checklists for classroom and
library activities
PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRICULUM 2014
ASSESSMENTS
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Timed essays
Formal short papers
Culminating research paper
Homework assignments
Teacher directed verbal review
Student self-evaluations
Portfolios
CORRECTIVES/EXTENSIONS
Correctives:
 Explicit modeling followed by systematic, guided practice of each skill
 Reinforcements of skills
 Re-teaching
Extensions:
 Provide opportunity for further inquiry
 Convert research paper into technology-enhanced research presentation
 Apply research to authentic, real-world scenarios
PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRICULUM 2014
COURSE: Honors/AP English Language
and Composition
STRAND: Speaking & Listening
GRADE(S): 11/12
TIMEFRAME: One Year
PA ACADEMIC STANDARDS
1.6. Speaking and Listening
1.7. Characteristics and Functions of the English Language
1.9. Information, Communication, and Technology Literacy
ASSESSMENT ANCHORS
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RESOURCES
Teacher created materials
Student selected materials
Yale University Rethinking the Western Tradition Web pages
Project Guggenheim Web pages
Supplemental texts
English Department Wiki Page – http://pvenglish.wikispaces.com
Pleasant Valley High School Library Website http://webpages.pvbears.org/hslibrary/index.htm
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OBJECTIVES
Demonstrate speaking skills formally and informally (1.6.11.A,B; 1.7.11)
Demonstrate critical listening skills (1.6. 11.A)
Integrate technology to encourage critical thinking and student engagement (1.9.
11.A)
Deliver a formal speech that adheres to the standards for formal presentation
(1.6. 11.A,B; 1.7.11)
Participate in small and large group discussions, presentations, and
question/answer sessions to hone skills in speaking and listening within group
settings (1.6. 11.A,B; 1.7.11)
PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRICULUM 2014
ESSENTIAL CONTENT
Present a formal speech of at least 8 minutes on a Western philosopher and
philosophical text from the series Rethinking the Western Tradition
Deliver at least one informal/impromptu speech of at least 4 minutes that
explains a rhetorical strategy
Take accurate notes during discussions and presentations
Utilize notes to prepare for and generate classroom discussions
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INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
Lecture
Technology presentations
Discussion forums
Group problem-solving
Modeling
Integrate Technology and 21st Century Skills
ASSESSMENTS
Notebook quizzes following lectures and presentations
Discussion journals
Teacher formal and informal observations
Teacher and peer reviews
PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRICULUM 2014
CORRECTIVES/EXTENSIONS
Correctives
 Explicit modeling followed by systematic, guided practice of each skill
Extensions
 Student generated debates, discussions, presentations, and/or
question/answer session
PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRICULUM 2014
COURSE: Honors/AP English Language
and Composition
STRAND: Research
1.2.
1.4.
1.8.
1.9.
GRADE(S): 11/12
TIMEFRAME: One Year
PA ACADEMIC STANDARDS
Reading, Analyzing, and Interpreting Text
Types of Writing
Research
Information, Communication, and Technology Literacy
ASSESSMENT ANCHORS
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RESOURCES
AP Central Web Site
Textbook: Prentice Hall Reader, AP Edition
Textbook: Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading and Writing
Language Arts Task Force Research and Assessment Guide
MLA Handbook
PVHS Library web pages and links
Library Research Planner
Student selected materials
College Board Writing Rubric
OBJECTIVES
The Learner Will:
 Prepare an inquiry-based research paper, following MLA, APA, or Chicago
format and documentation, using information, organizational skills, primary and
secondary sources, and traditional and emerging library technologies
(1.4.11.B,C; 1.8.11.A,B,C; 1.9.11.A)
 Differentiate fact from opinion across a variety of texts by using complete and
accurate information, coherent arguments, and points of view (1.2.11.B)
 Distinguish between essential and nonessential information across a variety of
sources, identifying the use of proper references or authorities and propaganda
PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRICULUM 2014
techniques where present (1.2.11.C)
ESSENTIAL CONTENT
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Follow the process for conducting research of: compiling a working
bibliography, evaluating sources, taking notes, outlining, and writing drafts
Develop, with teacher guidance, an essential question
Answer the essential question to formulate a thesis statement that addresses
purpose and audience
During the research process, submit a working annotated bibliography for the
purpose of review by teacher and possible revision by student
Differentiate between summarizing, paraphrasing, direct quoting, and using
one’s own ideas to prevent intentional and unintentional plagiarism
Use a variety of tools to produce an individual researched essay on a studentselected topic with a minimum of six sources and five pages
Plan and incorporate a minimum of three library visits
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INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES
Examine, discuss, and evaluate several examples of synthesis research
questions and responses
The classroom teacher and librarians will collaborate and co-teach
throughout the process of planning, conducting, and documenting
research
Model various forms of note taking
Peer review
Reference individual research planner checklists for classroom and
library activities
ASSESSMENTS
Teacher and peer evaluation
The final paper
Pre-research activities
PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT CURRICULUM 2014
CORRECTIVES/EXTENSIONS
Correctives:
 Explicit modeling followed by systematic, guided practice of each skill
Extensions:
 Provide opportunity for further inquiry
 Convert research paper into technology-enhanced research presentation
 Apply research to authentic, real-world scenarios