AP Language: Syllabus
I. COURSE DESCRIPTION
Students in this introductory college-level course read and carefully analyze a broad and challenging range of nonfiction prose selections, deepening their awareness of rhetoric and how language works. Through close reading and frequent writing, students develop their ability to work with language and text with a greater awareness of purpose and strategy, while strengthening their own composing abilities. Course readings feature expository, analytical, personal, and argumentative texts from a variety of authors and historical contexts. Students examine and work with essays, letters, speeches, images, and imaginative literature. Students frequently confer about their writing in the Writing Center as well as in class. Summer reading and writing are required. Students prepare for the AP® English Language and Composition Exam and may be granted advanced placement, college credit, or both as a result of satisfactory performance.
Course reading and writing activities should help students gain textual power, making them more alert to an author’s purpose, the needs of an audience, the demands of the subject, and the resources of language: syntax, word choice, and tone. By early May of the school year, students will have nearly completed a course in close reading and purposeful writing. The critical skills that students learn to appreciate through close and continued analysis of a wide variety of nonfiction texts can serve them in their own writing as they grow increasingly aware of these skills and their pertinent uses. During the course, a wide variety of texts (prose and image based) and writing tasks provide the focus for an energetic study of language, rhetoric, and argument.
As this is a college-level course, performance expectations are appropriately high, and the workload is challenging. Students are expected to commit to a minimum of five hours of course work per week outside of class. Often, this work involves long-term writing and reading assignments, so effective time management is important. Because of the demanding curriculum, students must bring to the course sufficient command of mechanical conventions and an ability to read and discuss prose.
The course is constructed in accordance with the guidelines described in the AP English Course Description.
Course Organization
The course is organized by themes. Each unit requires students to acquire and use rich vocabulary, to use standard English grammar, and to understand the importance of diction and syntax in an author’s style. Therefore, students are expected to develop the following through reading, discussion, and writing assignments:
• a wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively;
• a variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination;
• logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis;
• a balance of generalization and specific illustrative detail; and
• an effective use of rhetoric including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure
For each reading assignment students must identify the following:
• Thesis or Claim
• Tone or Attitude
• Purpose
• Audience and Occasion
• Evidence or Data
• Appeals: Logos, Ethos, Pathos
• Assumptions or Warrants
• Style (how the author communicates his message—rhetorical mode and rhetorical devices, which always include diction and syntax)
• Organizational patterns found in the text (i.e., main idea detail, comparison/ contrast, cause/effect, extended definition, problem/solution, etc.)
• Use of detail to develop a general idea
II. Possible Textbooks
The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric (Bedford)
The Art of Voice: Language & Composition (McGraw Hill)
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
The Stranger by Albert Camus
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
As I Lay Dying byWilliam Faulkner
**Various short historical and biographical video clips as well as excerpts from films and television programs will be used to provide context and information related to units of study.
III. MATERIALS
IV. AP GOALS: Students will be able to...
V. UNITS OF STUDY
Semester One:
A. Introduction: AP English Course Description, Class Rules and Responsibilities, Grading System, Rhetorical Terms (Definitions), Rhetorical Modes, Rhetorical Devices
These three short essays function to encourage students to fully engage their writing:
• “Why I Write” by Joan Didion
• “Introduction,” Best Essays of 1992, by Susan Sontag
• “The Essayist” by E.B. White
All essays begin with a proposal that outlines the author’s thesis, identifies the plan to develop that thesis, and explains the types of appeals the author will use. The proposal stage also allows students to ask questions of the teacher about the paper. A proposal/outline is never more than a page long and allows teachers to offset a potentially off-track draft for students. It also forces students to engage in the prewriting stage of the process. All students are expected to submit a proposal/outline, and at least 2 drafts of each formal essay. Once the process is complete, every student writes a critical reflection on the process of writing that paper . This reflection must include the problems the student encountered in any stage of the process, the strengths in the writing, the growth the student perceives, the risks he or she took and what their outcomes were, and what the student will bring to the next writing assignment as a result of what was learned in this one. Every draft is considered a separate piece of writing. We agree with Donald Murray that writing is revision—seeing again.
Journal:
Students will establish a journal, in which they will write a minimum of 400 words/week, a combination of literary critiques, and also creative writing/free choice entries. The purpose of this journal is to get students in the habit of writing about their reading, and also to practice writing as a routine to improve syntax and vocabulary usage, as well as sustained and focused written production.
B. Summer Reading Discussion & Essay: Huck Finn
Student will establish a discourse about the themes of Huck Finn, the satires of society the diction and dialects used to portray the characters, and the question of underlying racism in the text. By a close reading of passages that students have annotated over the summer, students will better understand the value of rereading a text to enhance meaning and see nuances in the text missed on a first reading. Students will begin to work on developing a thesis and having strong textual evidence to justify their claims.
C. Narrative & Language
Students will develop an understanding of how important language is to narrative. We will look at the subtle connotations of words and how to manipulate these to create tone, mood, and purpose in our own writing, as well as look at the diction of other author's writing and the effects on the text. Students will read narratives of myriad perspectives and cultures, and will examine how the language plays a role in contributing to its overall effectiveness. We will read short stories, as well as Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and In Cold Blood, comparing these two true crime stories in their use of language, characterization, and imagery to engage the audience.
Reading:
Viewing:
Assessments:
• Quizzes: Students are given a quiz on most readings. These check for understanding of meaning and strategies.
• Quiz: Vocabulary from readings
• Quiz: Grammar (from warm-up exercises, syntax discussions, and/or reading annotations)
• Test: Definitions of rhetorical modes and devices
• Test: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
• Test: In Cold Blood
• Composition: Memoir
• Prompt: Select a moment from memory, an experience that has stayed with you. In a well-written essay, re-create that experience, and then analyze it, figuring out what it means to you.
• Original Visual:
• Prompt: Create a 5-inch object, sculpture, or painting that reflects the central idea of your memoir. These will be displayed in the classroom. Write a short essay in which you either explain how your sculpture reflects the main idea of your memoir, OR explain how the sculpture serves as an alternative form of text that “says” the same thing as your memoir.
• Composition: Comparing Themes Of In Cold Blood and Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil
Prompt: Analyze the similarities and differences between these two works on non-fiction. Compare and contrast how each author used language to recreate history and also entertain, inform, and persuade the audience. Evaluate which author was more successful, in your opinion, and use textual evidence to support your claims.
D. Rhetorical Devices & Persuasive Strategies
Students will learn Logical Fallacies, and look closely at how ethos, logos, and pathos are used to persuade an audience. We will look at current media and news, historical and modern speeches, as well as visuals from the world around us, interpreting ways that we are being persuaded at many levels. Students will examine more closely how to find a credible source and how to sift through fact and bias to find an objective argument and weave their own thesis from these various sources. Students will practice the synthesis essay, and they will look closely at topics of choice in groups to create their own essential question and set of articles, which other class members will have to answer.
Readings:
Viewings:
Prompt: With the advent of the internet, there are many unregulated social media sites that have become a catalyst for teen bullying and have resulted in many suicidal incidents in the U.S. How much of an impact does the internet have on this current issue, and how much regulation should be effected to halt this damaging effect? Using at least three sources, synthesize expert opinions on this topic, and identify your own perspective on how this dilemma can be addressed.
Composition: Synthesis Essay.
Assessments:
• Quizzes: Students are given a quiz on most readings/visual examples. These check for understanding of meaning and strategies.
• Quiz: Vocabulary from readings
• Quiz: Grammar (from warm-up exercises, syntax discussions, and/or reading annotations)
• Timed Writing (40 minutes)
• Practice AP Exams
Final Exam Sem 1:
Students have two hours to take their final exam; (it is worth 20 % of the semester average)
Part 1: Multiple Choice
This section is interpretation of new material. Students read four passages and answer 45 to 55 questions. Reading selections and questions are similar to those on the AP Released English Language Exam.
Part 2: Free Response
Students have one hour to write an in-class essay. The prompt asks for rhetorical analysis, comparison/contrast, or argumentation. This essay is graded on the AP rubric, or nine-point scale.
Semester Two
A. What is the connection between fiction and non-fiction?
In this unit, we will examine closely the connection between real and fantasy, truth and hyperbole, and at which point this line begins to blur. We will read Siddharta, and examine it base in truth and Herman Hesse's own contributions to the story. We will look closely at the argument, even in fiction, and rhetorical methods used to teach in storytelling.
Readings:
• Siddharta Herman Hesse
• "A Million Little Lies: Exposing James Frey's Fiction Addiction"
• Panel Discussion with Barry Lopez and Joyce Carol Oates, C-SPAN About Books Production
• “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates
• “The Pied Piper of Tucson: He Cruised in a Golden Car, Looking for the Action” from Life magazine
• Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Chopra (film adaptation of the Joyce Carol Oates story)
• *Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean
• “Fate” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
• *The Souls of Black Folks by W. E. B. DuBois
• *Benito Cereno by Herman Melville
• *Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Viewings:
Prompt: What is the connection between fiction and non-fiction? Where is the line and when does it matter?
Composition:
Causal Argument Composition Skills: Understanding cause and effect; developing specific causal claims; understanding and using warrants; developing relationships among claims, supporting reasons, warrants, and evidence; figurative language and argument; language choice to create tone and voice and a variety of sentence structures.
Assessments:
• Quizzes (vocab, grammar, reading comprehension)
• Timed Writing - AP Prompts
B. Research Paper: The Documented Essay
Task and Prompt:
• Choose a current event that reflects one of the themes that we studied this semester.
• Research the topic through different types of sources (newspapers, magazines, news stories, interviews, online sources, radio broadcasts, visuals, etc.), evaluating sources for credibility and appropriateness.
• Take careful notes, making sure that you cite your sources accurately using MLA format.
• Develop an argument about this topic.
• Establish a claim.
• Then integrate a variety of sources into a coherent, well-written essay.
• Use the sources to support your position; avoid mere paraphrase or summary.
• Your argument should be central.
• Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations using MLA format. (Give credit where credit is due.)
• Create a Works Cited page using MLA format.
• Plagiarism will result in a zero.
Final Exam Sem. 2:
Students have two hours to take their final exam; (it is worth 20 % of the semester average)
Part 1: Multiple Choice
This section is interpretation of new material. Students read four passages and answer 45 to 55 questions. Reading selections and questions are similar to those on the AP Released English Language Exam.
Part 2: Synthesis
Students have one hour to write an in-class essay. The prompt asks for rhetorical analysis, comparison/contrast, or argumentation. This essay is graded on the AP rubric, or nine-point scale.
Students in this introductory college-level course read and carefully analyze a broad and challenging range of nonfiction prose selections, deepening their awareness of rhetoric and how language works. Through close reading and frequent writing, students develop their ability to work with language and text with a greater awareness of purpose and strategy, while strengthening their own composing abilities. Course readings feature expository, analytical, personal, and argumentative texts from a variety of authors and historical contexts. Students examine and work with essays, letters, speeches, images, and imaginative literature. Students frequently confer about their writing in the Writing Center as well as in class. Summer reading and writing are required. Students prepare for the AP® English Language and Composition Exam and may be granted advanced placement, college credit, or both as a result of satisfactory performance.
Course reading and writing activities should help students gain textual power, making them more alert to an author’s purpose, the needs of an audience, the demands of the subject, and the resources of language: syntax, word choice, and tone. By early May of the school year, students will have nearly completed a course in close reading and purposeful writing. The critical skills that students learn to appreciate through close and continued analysis of a wide variety of nonfiction texts can serve them in their own writing as they grow increasingly aware of these skills and their pertinent uses. During the course, a wide variety of texts (prose and image based) and writing tasks provide the focus for an energetic study of language, rhetoric, and argument.
As this is a college-level course, performance expectations are appropriately high, and the workload is challenging. Students are expected to commit to a minimum of five hours of course work per week outside of class. Often, this work involves long-term writing and reading assignments, so effective time management is important. Because of the demanding curriculum, students must bring to the course sufficient command of mechanical conventions and an ability to read and discuss prose.
The course is constructed in accordance with the guidelines described in the AP English Course Description.
Course Organization
The course is organized by themes. Each unit requires students to acquire and use rich vocabulary, to use standard English grammar, and to understand the importance of diction and syntax in an author’s style. Therefore, students are expected to develop the following through reading, discussion, and writing assignments:
• a wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively;
• a variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination;
• logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis;
• a balance of generalization and specific illustrative detail; and
• an effective use of rhetoric including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure
For each reading assignment students must identify the following:
• Thesis or Claim
• Tone or Attitude
• Purpose
• Audience and Occasion
• Evidence or Data
• Appeals: Logos, Ethos, Pathos
• Assumptions or Warrants
• Style (how the author communicates his message—rhetorical mode and rhetorical devices, which always include diction and syntax)
• Organizational patterns found in the text (i.e., main idea detail, comparison/ contrast, cause/effect, extended definition, problem/solution, etc.)
• Use of detail to develop a general idea
II. Possible Textbooks
The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric (Bedford)
The Art of Voice: Language & Composition (McGraw Hill)
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
The Stranger by Albert Camus
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
As I Lay Dying byWilliam Faulkner
**Various short historical and biographical video clips as well as excerpts from films and television programs will be used to provide context and information related to units of study.
III. MATERIALS
- A composition notebook
- Pencil, eraser, and pen
- The current text in use
- Self-determination and goals
IV. AP GOALS: Students will be able to...
- write in several forms (e.g., narrative, expository, analytical, and argumentative essays) about a variety of subjects (e.g., public policies, popular culture, personal experiences).
- write essays that proceed through several stages or drafts with the revision incorporating, as appropriate, feedback from teachers and peers.
- write in informal contexts (e.g., imitation exercises, journal keeping, collaborative writing, and in-class responses) designed to help them become increasingly aware of themselves as writers and/or aware of the techniques employed by the writers they read.
- produce one or more expository writing assignments.
- produce one or more analytical writing assignments.
- produce one or more argumentative writing assignments.
- analyze nonfiction readings (e.g., essays, journalism, political writing, science writing, nature writing, autobiographies/biographies, diaries, history, criticism) that are selected to give students opportunities to explain an author’s use of rhetorical strategies or techniques. If fiction and poetry are also assigned, their main purpose should be to help students understand how various effects are achieved by writers’ linguistic and rhetorical choices.
- analyze how visual images relate to written texts and/or how visual images serve as alternative forms of texts.
- demonstrate research skills and, in particular, the ability to evaluate, use, and cite primary and secondary sources.
- produce one or more projects such as the researched argument paper, which goes beyond the parameters of a traditional research paper by asking students to present an argument of their own that includes the synthesis of ideas from an array of sources.
- cite sources using a recognized editorial style (e.g., Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, American Psychological Association (APA), etc.).
- through drafting, students revise their work that help the students develop a wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately; develop a variety of sentence structures; develop logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence (such techniques may include traditional rhetorical structures, graphic organizers, and work on repetition, transitions, and emphasis); develop a balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail; and that help the students establish an effective use of rhetoric including controlling tone and a voice appropriate to the writer’s audience.
V. UNITS OF STUDY
Semester One:
A. Introduction: AP English Course Description, Class Rules and Responsibilities, Grading System, Rhetorical Terms (Definitions), Rhetorical Modes, Rhetorical Devices
These three short essays function to encourage students to fully engage their writing:
• “Why I Write” by Joan Didion
• “Introduction,” Best Essays of 1992, by Susan Sontag
• “The Essayist” by E.B. White
All essays begin with a proposal that outlines the author’s thesis, identifies the plan to develop that thesis, and explains the types of appeals the author will use. The proposal stage also allows students to ask questions of the teacher about the paper. A proposal/outline is never more than a page long and allows teachers to offset a potentially off-track draft for students. It also forces students to engage in the prewriting stage of the process. All students are expected to submit a proposal/outline, and at least 2 drafts of each formal essay. Once the process is complete, every student writes a critical reflection on the process of writing that paper . This reflection must include the problems the student encountered in any stage of the process, the strengths in the writing, the growth the student perceives, the risks he or she took and what their outcomes were, and what the student will bring to the next writing assignment as a result of what was learned in this one. Every draft is considered a separate piece of writing. We agree with Donald Murray that writing is revision—seeing again.
Journal:
Students will establish a journal, in which they will write a minimum of 400 words/week, a combination of literary critiques, and also creative writing/free choice entries. The purpose of this journal is to get students in the habit of writing about their reading, and also to practice writing as a routine to improve syntax and vocabulary usage, as well as sustained and focused written production.
B. Summer Reading Discussion & Essay: Huck Finn
Student will establish a discourse about the themes of Huck Finn, the satires of society the diction and dialects used to portray the characters, and the question of underlying racism in the text. By a close reading of passages that students have annotated over the summer, students will better understand the value of rereading a text to enhance meaning and see nuances in the text missed on a first reading. Students will begin to work on developing a thesis and having strong textual evidence to justify their claims.
C. Narrative & Language
Students will develop an understanding of how important language is to narrative. We will look at the subtle connotations of words and how to manipulate these to create tone, mood, and purpose in our own writing, as well as look at the diction of other author's writing and the effects on the text. Students will read narratives of myriad perspectives and cultures, and will examine how the language plays a role in contributing to its overall effectiveness. We will read short stories, as well as Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and In Cold Blood, comparing these two true crime stories in their use of language, characterization, and imagery to engage the audience.
Reading:
- "Me Talk Pretty One Day" Davis Sedaris
- "Shooting an Elephant" George Orwell
- "Beauty: When the Dancer is the Other Self" Alice Walker
- "Indian Education" Sherman Alexie
- Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil John Berendt
- In Cold Blood Truman Capote
Viewing:
- Self-Portraiture
- Sculpture from Bonaventure Cemetery
- CNN video extension (Comp21), Frames of Mind.
Assessments:
• Quizzes: Students are given a quiz on most readings. These check for understanding of meaning and strategies.
• Quiz: Vocabulary from readings
• Quiz: Grammar (from warm-up exercises, syntax discussions, and/or reading annotations)
• Test: Definitions of rhetorical modes and devices
• Test: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
• Test: In Cold Blood
• Composition: Memoir
• Prompt: Select a moment from memory, an experience that has stayed with you. In a well-written essay, re-create that experience, and then analyze it, figuring out what it means to you.
• Original Visual:
• Prompt: Create a 5-inch object, sculpture, or painting that reflects the central idea of your memoir. These will be displayed in the classroom. Write a short essay in which you either explain how your sculpture reflects the main idea of your memoir, OR explain how the sculpture serves as an alternative form of text that “says” the same thing as your memoir.
• Composition: Comparing Themes Of In Cold Blood and Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil
Prompt: Analyze the similarities and differences between these two works on non-fiction. Compare and contrast how each author used language to recreate history and also entertain, inform, and persuade the audience. Evaluate which author was more successful, in your opinion, and use textual evidence to support your claims.
D. Rhetorical Devices & Persuasive Strategies
Students will learn Logical Fallacies, and look closely at how ethos, logos, and pathos are used to persuade an audience. We will look at current media and news, historical and modern speeches, as well as visuals from the world around us, interpreting ways that we are being persuaded at many levels. Students will examine more closely how to find a credible source and how to sift through fact and bias to find an objective argument and weave their own thesis from these various sources. Students will practice the synthesis essay, and they will look closely at topics of choice in groups to create their own essential question and set of articles, which other class members will have to answer.
Readings:
- Current Events in the news: TV, newspaper, and online news sources
- The Onion
- Editorials/Opinion Papers
- Obituaries/Advice Columns
- Advertisements/Commercials
- "The King's Speech"
- "The Myth of the Latin Woman: I just met a girl named Maria" by Judith Ortiz Cofer
Viewings:
- Political cartoons
- Obama Speech
- JFK & RFK Speeches
- Other Speeches
Prompt: With the advent of the internet, there are many unregulated social media sites that have become a catalyst for teen bullying and have resulted in many suicidal incidents in the U.S. How much of an impact does the internet have on this current issue, and how much regulation should be effected to halt this damaging effect? Using at least three sources, synthesize expert opinions on this topic, and identify your own perspective on how this dilemma can be addressed.
Composition: Synthesis Essay.
Assessments:
• Quizzes: Students are given a quiz on most readings/visual examples. These check for understanding of meaning and strategies.
• Quiz: Vocabulary from readings
• Quiz: Grammar (from warm-up exercises, syntax discussions, and/or reading annotations)
• Timed Writing (40 minutes)
• Practice AP Exams
Final Exam Sem 1:
Students have two hours to take their final exam; (it is worth 20 % of the semester average)
Part 1: Multiple Choice
This section is interpretation of new material. Students read four passages and answer 45 to 55 questions. Reading selections and questions are similar to those on the AP Released English Language Exam.
Part 2: Free Response
Students have one hour to write an in-class essay. The prompt asks for rhetorical analysis, comparison/contrast, or argumentation. This essay is graded on the AP rubric, or nine-point scale.
Semester Two
A. What is the connection between fiction and non-fiction?
In this unit, we will examine closely the connection between real and fantasy, truth and hyperbole, and at which point this line begins to blur. We will read Siddharta, and examine it base in truth and Herman Hesse's own contributions to the story. We will look closely at the argument, even in fiction, and rhetorical methods used to teach in storytelling.
Readings:
• Siddharta Herman Hesse
• "A Million Little Lies: Exposing James Frey's Fiction Addiction"
• Panel Discussion with Barry Lopez and Joyce Carol Oates, C-SPAN About Books Production
• “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates
• “The Pied Piper of Tucson: He Cruised in a Golden Car, Looking for the Action” from Life magazine
• Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Chopra (film adaptation of the Joyce Carol Oates story)
• *Young Men and Fire by Norman Maclean
• “Fate” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
• *The Souls of Black Folks by W. E. B. DuBois
• *Benito Cereno by Herman Melville
• *Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Viewings:
- Salvador Dali
- Picasso
- Monet
- Contemporary Photography
Prompt: What is the connection between fiction and non-fiction? Where is the line and when does it matter?
Composition:
Causal Argument Composition Skills: Understanding cause and effect; developing specific causal claims; understanding and using warrants; developing relationships among claims, supporting reasons, warrants, and evidence; figurative language and argument; language choice to create tone and voice and a variety of sentence structures.
Assessments:
• Quizzes (vocab, grammar, reading comprehension)
• Timed Writing - AP Prompts
B. Research Paper: The Documented Essay
Task and Prompt:
• Choose a current event that reflects one of the themes that we studied this semester.
• Research the topic through different types of sources (newspapers, magazines, news stories, interviews, online sources, radio broadcasts, visuals, etc.), evaluating sources for credibility and appropriateness.
• Take careful notes, making sure that you cite your sources accurately using MLA format.
• Develop an argument about this topic.
• Establish a claim.
• Then integrate a variety of sources into a coherent, well-written essay.
• Use the sources to support your position; avoid mere paraphrase or summary.
• Your argument should be central.
• Remember to attribute both direct and indirect citations using MLA format. (Give credit where credit is due.)
• Create a Works Cited page using MLA format.
• Plagiarism will result in a zero.
Final Exam Sem. 2:
Students have two hours to take their final exam; (it is worth 20 % of the semester average)
Part 1: Multiple Choice
This section is interpretation of new material. Students read four passages and answer 45 to 55 questions. Reading selections and questions are similar to those on the AP Released English Language Exam.
Part 2: Synthesis
Students have one hour to write an in-class essay. The prompt asks for rhetorical analysis, comparison/contrast, or argumentation. This essay is graded on the AP rubric, or nine-point scale.
VI. METHODS OF ASSESSMENT & GRADING POLICIES
1. Daily Classwork (30% of final grade)
Attendance, Participation, Groupwork, Oral Presentation
2. Written Work (50 % of final Grade) including...
Homework/Shorter Pieces (~20 % of final grade)
Formal Essays (~30% of quarter grade)
4. Independent Book - due each quarter - 350 points each
(10% of grade)
5. Final Exam -
(10% of Grade)
VII. CLASS PROCEDURES
You are expected to attend this class every day. Each class period will consist of a bell assignment, direct instruction, class discussion & reading, writing responses, and independent work time. If you are absent, you must make up the time and/or the class work missed. You have the number of days that you were absent to make-up the work that you missed without penalty. CHECK THE INTERNET for missed class assignments & links.
Be on time to class. If you are late, you will automatically lose 5 points. The later you are, the more the deduction.
Breaks: You will receive 6 bathroom passes per semester. At the end of the semester, unused passes are worth for 5 extra credit points each OR 50 points for all six unused passes. DON'T LOSE THEM!!
*If you are found wandering campus without permission, you will automatically lose a minimum of 5 points.
LATE WORK WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER ONE WEEK!!
Work Quality (READ CAREFULLY!).
Extra Credit. Students may earn extra credit by:
Cell phones. Cell phones should be kept OFF and AWAY unless they have been approved by a teacher for class use. Appropriate uses: music during silent writing time IF the playlist is not changed; looking up words on dictionary; online research; taking notes; homework recording/photo of whiteboard...
*If you are seen using your phone inappropriately, you will automatically lose a minimum of 5 points.
**If you show me consistent effort and progress throughout the class, participate in oral class discussions, contribute to group projects, and complete all of the assignments thoroughly and timely, you will earn an A. You will lose points for missing assignments, refusal to participate, incomplete, sloppy, or lazy work. Additionally, you will lose points for tardiness, excessive absences, or behavior that disrupts the learning environment. On the other hand, if you show steady improvements, I will weight your grade in a more favorable direction.
VIII. BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS
CONSEQUENCES:
1. verbal warning & LOSE POINTS from daily tally (in 5 point increments)
2. conference after class
3. phone call home
4. referral to principal & behavior contract
*Consequences for misuse of your personal technology
1. warning (and loss of points)
2. teacher confiscation
3. technology for parent pick-up in office
**Consequences for misuse of Cypress technology
1. First offense - loss of technology for the day & technology behavior contract
2. Second Offense - Loss of technology at Cypress permanently
How can parents know what is going on in class?
Parents and students can check homework assignments, up-coming tests, and project due dates on my website & check their grades on Illuminate (which will be updated by Friday of each week, at the least).
All missed work can be made up by accessing the website and handing in missed journal entries, readings, and assignments. Parents are also welcome to call or email the teacher anytime.
Please email me to acknowledge that you have been fully informed of classroom policies, procedures, and expectations, and you agree to follow these to the best of your ability.
Thank you & looking forward to the year ahead!! [email protected]
Student Signature: _______________________________________________________ Date: ________________________
Parent Signature: _________________________________________________________ Date: ________________________
1. Daily Classwork (30% of final grade)
Attendance, Participation, Groupwork, Oral Presentation
2. Written Work (50 % of final Grade) including...
Homework/Shorter Pieces (~20 % of final grade)
Formal Essays (~30% of quarter grade)
4. Independent Book - due each quarter - 350 points each
(10% of grade)
5. Final Exam -
(10% of Grade)
VII. CLASS PROCEDURES
You are expected to attend this class every day. Each class period will consist of a bell assignment, direct instruction, class discussion & reading, writing responses, and independent work time. If you are absent, you must make up the time and/or the class work missed. You have the number of days that you were absent to make-up the work that you missed without penalty. CHECK THE INTERNET for missed class assignments & links.
Be on time to class. If you are late, you will automatically lose 5 points. The later you are, the more the deduction.
Breaks: You will receive 6 bathroom passes per semester. At the end of the semester, unused passes are worth for 5 extra credit points each OR 50 points for all six unused passes. DON'T LOSE THEM!!
*If you are found wandering campus without permission, you will automatically lose a minimum of 5 points.
LATE WORK WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AFTER ONE WEEK!!
- You will get 4 LATE PASSES for each semester - by attaching the late pass to the assignment (within a week), you may turn in these 4 assignments for full credit
- After you use these 4 passes, all subsequent late work will be counted no more than 1/2 credit
Work Quality (READ CAREFULLY!).
- All written work must have a heading: title in the middle; name, date and class # in the upper right hand corner; neatly written or typed (12 pt font, double-spaced) (includes journal & homework)
- All FINAL ESSAYS must be typed in a simple 12-point font, double spaced, with a heading in the upper right hand corner (or MLA format)
- All FINAL DRAFT essays must be turned in with an edited rough draft attached to the back of the final draft (regardless of whether or not essay is edited in class, by teacher, family member, or peer) - Attach peer edit sheet between drafts
- For information and how to’s for MLA formatting visit the following link: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/
Extra Credit. Students may earn extra credit by:
- BOOM POINTS - added to their daily tally when showing wit, wisdom, insight, and empathy for others
- Submitting Book Reports Early (minimum 1 week before deadline)
- Additional Independent Book Reports (submit by the end of each quarter)
- Additional Pieces in their Independent Book Reports (submit by the end of each quarter
Cell phones. Cell phones should be kept OFF and AWAY unless they have been approved by a teacher for class use. Appropriate uses: music during silent writing time IF the playlist is not changed; looking up words on dictionary; online research; taking notes; homework recording/photo of whiteboard...
*If you are seen using your phone inappropriately, you will automatically lose a minimum of 5 points.
**If you show me consistent effort and progress throughout the class, participate in oral class discussions, contribute to group projects, and complete all of the assignments thoroughly and timely, you will earn an A. You will lose points for missing assignments, refusal to participate, incomplete, sloppy, or lazy work. Additionally, you will lose points for tardiness, excessive absences, or behavior that disrupts the learning environment. On the other hand, if you show steady improvements, I will weight your grade in a more favorable direction.
VIII. BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS
- Arrive on time and begin working immediately
- Bring all necessary materials (including homework) every day.
- LISTEN to the person addressing the class
- FOLLOW procedures and routines
- RESPECT each other
- USE POSITIVE LANGUAGE to express thoughts
- HELP maintain a clean classroom & safe environment
- CELL PHONES are OFF and AWAY unless they have been approved by a teacher for class use
CONSEQUENCES:
1. verbal warning & LOSE POINTS from daily tally (in 5 point increments)
2. conference after class
3. phone call home
4. referral to principal & behavior contract
*Consequences for misuse of your personal technology
1. warning (and loss of points)
2. teacher confiscation
3. technology for parent pick-up in office
**Consequences for misuse of Cypress technology
1. First offense - loss of technology for the day & technology behavior contract
2. Second Offense - Loss of technology at Cypress permanently
How can parents know what is going on in class?
Parents and students can check homework assignments, up-coming tests, and project due dates on my website & check their grades on Illuminate (which will be updated by Friday of each week, at the least).
All missed work can be made up by accessing the website and handing in missed journal entries, readings, and assignments. Parents are also welcome to call or email the teacher anytime.
Please email me to acknowledge that you have been fully informed of classroom policies, procedures, and expectations, and you agree to follow these to the best of your ability.
Thank you & looking forward to the year ahead!! [email protected]
Student Signature: _______________________________________________________ Date: ________________________
Parent Signature: _________________________________________________________ Date: ________________________