AP English Language and Composition Syllabus
This rigorous college-level class has two goals. The first goal is the development of college-level reading and writing.
The ability to read complex texts and write about them will prepare you for whatever major you pursue. Your grade in this class is heavily weighted on the writing of this course. The second goal is the preparation for the AP exam in May.
Most colleges accept will only accept a 4 or 5 (about 20% of students receive this score nationwide). Unlike an AP Biology class where you can review all your notes and readings to prepare, success on this exam requires building the skills of analysis throughout the school year and applying them to readings of nonfiction and fiction.
Supporting Services: The school provides the following support services to students in the AP English Language and Composition course: AVID strategies, special seminars, and tutoring with peers and community members.
Textbooks, Materials and other Resources:
This course asks students to examine critically the higher-level texts that are presented to them. This course
focuses on nonfiction writings in the areas of philosophy, political theory, social issues, persuasive and expository essays, and literary criticism. The fiction and poetry selected are used to develop analysis of literary devices and
application of literary terminology as well as expand the themes of the unit.
A Memory Stick—this is essential for organizing a portfolio both at school and for your own use at home of the materials, PowerPoints, study tools.
Provided Textbooks:
Shea, Renée Hausmann., Lawrence Scanlon, and Robin Dissin.Aufses, eds. The Language of Composition:
Reading, Writing and Rhetoric. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. Print.
Spatt, Brenda, ed. Writing from Sources. Boston: Bedford/st Martins, 2010. Print.
Use: These texts are used of thematic development in terms of the discussion of education, politics, race, gender and social issues in the community.
Cohen, Samuel. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. 2nd Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Marten’s, 2004. Print.
Recommended not Required Purchases: Cracking the AP English Language and Composition Exam. The Princeton Review. A group purchase for the class can be organized.
Use: This AP-recommended text has a series of AP Prompts and M/C Questions to provide students with structure practice to prepare for the AP exam.
Novels:
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 2003.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes were Watching God. New York: Perennial Classics. 1990.
Johnson, James Weldon. Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 2003.
Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: Plume, 1987.
Shakespeare, William. King Lear. New York: Folger’s Shakespeare Library, 1993.
Use: Contemporary American Literature and Application of Literary Criticism.
Writing, Writing, Writing!!
Students can expect to write frequently during class and outside of class. In order to hone your writing under pressure, AP Writing Prompts will be used regularly. These prompts have been selected to enhance your knowledge about the Period of Literature we are studying at the time.Within each unit, you will have a number of writing tasks, including some of the following:
MLA Annotated Bibliographies—One page examination of the writer’s argument
SOAPS and DIDLS—Rhetorical and Stylistic Devices Analysis Papers and Blogs
Quote-Response Logs for Socratic Seminars
Synthesis Essays
Literary Analysis Essays
Expository Essays
Persuasive Essays
Substantial Revision of Essays
AP Essay Prompts
Term Papers:
The first semester’s major term paper s will focus on 1) the examining of effective education, 2) the defining of American values, and 3) the discussion of themes developed in the novel, Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, in relation to the African-American Autobiography literature circle text you selected and the critical essays provided by the teacher. All of these papers will develop students ability to use multiple sources to support their ideas.
The second semester has three term papers. The first on Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Awakening will focus on a comparison or contrast gender themes in the novels and in the supplemental readings. The second will be self-directed research project: differentiation in choice of topics and approaches will be offered: a problem-solution paper on an issue facing the world or their community, an investigation and representation of controversial issue, or a research paper on a topic related to the college major they are pursuing. In addition, students will teach the class through the use of a music video which informs the public. The third will be an extended use of literary criticism, focusing on the psychological or mythological themes in Song of Solomon or King Lear.\
Homework:
Students can expect a minimum of 6 hours of homework per week. This is the recommendation from the College Board that replicates the rigor of a college class. Reading and Writing are daily assignments. Time management is a key factor to success in this class and in college. Look carefully at your commitments. An AP class, a varsity sport, a leadership role in student government, applying to college and scholarships are all time-consuming activities. Think of your commitments in terms of 3 major tasks to have a challenging but not overwhelming school year.
If you have mastered the art of time management, more commitments to rigor are encouraged.
For each quarter, agendas are provided. In addition, you will receive a number of handouts and study
materials. Attendance is important. Students should speak to teacher before planned absences to get information about assignments. If you have a homework question when you are at home, contact Ms. Moriconi via
email ([email protected] or [email protected]). I check these emails when I am at home more frequently than my work email. In addition, you will submit all major papers electronically to me and to
turnitin.com (both of which are often required at university).
Binder: You should have a binder designated for this class. Keep up with the homework. Assignments are given to build your skills as you move towards unit projects and essays. You should organize your binder in 4 sections: Vocabulary and Literary Terminology; AP Strategies; Essays and Prompts; Classwork/Daily Homework.
Grading Scale
Homework and Class Activities: 20%
Blog Grade: 10%
AP Prompts, Quizzes, and M/C Diagnostics 30%
Projects, Papers, and Blog Grade: 40%
Each quarter is weighted as 45% of the grade. The final exam (AP test and cumulative vocabulary grade for semester) is worth 10%.
Course Content Outline and Assessment:
Throughout each unit, the different strategies of organization in terms of purpose and audience are introduced and reviewed: Narration and Description, Process Analysis, Comparison and Contrast, Division and Classification, Definition, Cause and Effect, and Persuasion and Argument. In addition, practice with AP Exams (M/C Practice and AP Prompts), SAT Exams (Critical Reading and Critical Writing), and specific instruction on SAT vocabulary, Literary and
Rhetorical Terminology and Conventions will occur throughout the year.
First Semester
Quarter One:
Unit One : Persuasion and Argumentation (4 Weeks)
Students will understand the principles of argument and persuasion. They will be able to assess the effectiveness of an argument and recognize the elements that make it effective or ineffective. Students will recognize that persuasive techniques can be applied to many types of media and texts, including speeches, advertisements, political cartoons, editorial and opinion pieces, graffiti, billboards, photographs, etc. Students will develop the initial tools for rhetorical analysis. Activities are geared to support the learning of the vocabulary that will strengthen both their analysis and their writing. AVID and AP Critical Reading Strategies are developed. Students will become familiar with the Rhetorical Triangle, and SOAPS and DIDLS as mnemonic devices to develop initial analysis of an assigned reading. The AP exam requires students to build skills in reading contemporary and historical texts. The assignments of the unit are designed to promote strategies for tackling both types of texts.
Content:
The main modes of writing will be introduced using wide ranging time periods to reflect the content of the AP English Language and Composition Exam. The focus will be on direction instruction, teacher and peer guided practice, and
independent assessment of students’ abilities to examine the rhetorical and stylistic devices across mediums—poetry, fiction, nonfiction, photography, and paintings.
Speeches and Writings
1.“The Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln
2.“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
3.“Message to the Grass Roots” by Malcolm X
4.“Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
5, . “Letter to Martin Luther King, Jr.” Birmingham Ministers.
6.“The Unfinished Dialogue of MLK Jr. and Malcolm X”
7.“The Quarantine Speech” by Franklin D. Roosevelt
8.“The First Inaugural Address” by JFK
Argument on Torture and Terrorism—AP Synthesis Prompt
1.“The Case for Torture” by Michael Levin
2.“The Case for Torture” by Pat Buchanan
3.“Torture and the Bomber Scenario” by Tim Gorton
4.“It Should be Permissible to Torture Suspected Terrorists to Gather Information” by Clinton R. Van Zandt
5.“It Should Not be Permissible to Torture Suspected Terrorists to Gather Information” by Vincent Iacopino
6.“Torture Should Not be Authorized” by Philip B. Heymann
7.“Yes, It Should be ‘On the Books’” by Alan M. Dershowitz
Media Representation of a Global Issue
1. Save Darfur ad; Newsweek
2. Pledge letter: Habitat for Humanity
3. Pledge letter: World Vision
4. Pledge letter: Doctors without Borders
Developing an Argument with Examples—AP Argument Analysis Prompt
1.“Duty, Honor, Country” by Gen. Douglass MacArthur
2.“The Military vs.Wives”by Laura Dempsey
3.“In Defense of Prejudice: Why Incendiary Speech Must Be Protected” by Jonathan Rauch
Satire
1.A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
2.“War Prayer” by Mark Twain
3.“A Modest Proposal for a ‘Museum of the Plains White Person’” by Rayna Green
4.“Complete Sentences: Turning Students into Prison Inmates” by Margo Freistadt
5.“Nation’s Children Drop to 4th Most Valuable Resource” by National Lampoon
AP Prompts: Students gain practice through direct and independent practice with AP M/C exams and prompts.
Literary Terminology Assessment,
AP Diagnostic Multiple-Choice
Bush, George H.W. “Open Letter to Saddam Hussein.” [Logical Fallacies and Rhetorical Appeals]
Synthesis Essay on Torture and Terrorism
Argument Analysis Prompt
Informal Writing: Students are required to 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 of the techniques employed by the writers they read.)
Critical Reading Questions for Readings
Critical Reading Log Practice Activities
Formal Writing: Students will select an issue in which they have a personal investment, an issue which they hope to change or reform. They will write their own proposal for change, using Swift’s work as the model. They will follow his organizational pattern and experiment with balancing generalizations about the issue with specific, illustrative details to affect change.
Mock Modest Proposal
Writing Process: Students are required to write essays that proceed through several stages or drafts, with revision aided by teacher and peers. The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments both before and after the students revise their work, that help the students develop: 1) A Wide-Ranging Vocabulary used Appropriately and Effectively; 2) A Variety of Sentence Structure Including Appropriate use of Subordination and Coordination; 3) Logical Organization, Enhanced by Specific Techniques to Increase Coherence; 4) A Balance of Generalization and Specific, Illustrative Detail; 5) An Effective Use of Rhetoric, Including Controlling Tone, 6) Establishing and Maintaining Voice, and 7) Achieving Appropriate Emphasis through Diction and Sentence Structure.)
Rewrite of 2 of the lowest scoring AP Prompt Essays using teacher critiqueand AP Rubric.
Research Project: Students engage in sustained research and offer finds in written, oral, or multimedia formats.
Major Works Study PowerPoint
Citation Skills: Students cite sources using MLA editorial style for project on giving examples of rhetorical devices and logical fallacies in advertising (ways of seeing the world).
MLA Format for All Essays.
Works Cited Page for Major Works PowerPoint
Other Instructional Materials (e.g., audiovisual materials, technology, study trips, software, etc.)
http://www.americanrhetoric.comContemporary examples of key rhetorical terms.
http://www.writingcentre.ubc.ca/workshop/tools/rhet1.htm Step-by-Step Writing of a Rhetorical Analysis—George H. Bush letter to Saddam Hussein before the Gulf War.
CueCards on Rhetorical Terminology and Types of Writing (handouts and memory stick)
Unit 2: What is a Quality Education? (5 weeks)
Throughout this unit, students will examine to what extent our schools serve the goals of a true education. Students will
also begin to develop the skills for the synthesis essay as they deepen their knowledge about a topic. Students will also deepen their use of SOAPS and DIDLS, The 7 Critical Reading Strategies, and Questioning the Author.
From The Language of Composition (LOC).
Prose, Francine. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read.” LOC. 89-101. [Central Essay]
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Education.” LOC. 102-109. [Classic Essay]
Alexie, Sherman. “Superman and Me.” LOC. 110-112.
Baldwin, James. “A Talk to Teachers.” LOC. 123-129.
Creative Connections:
Collins, Billy. “The History Teacher” (poetry).LOC. 143.
Cisneros, Sandra. “Eleven”(fiction).LOC. 144-146.
Visual Text NEA, from Reading at Risk (tables).” LOC. 147-149.
Synthesis Conversation: Focus on the American High School. LOC. 150-164.
Horace Mann, from Report of the Massachusetts Board of Education,
Leon Botstein, High School, an Institution Whose Time Has Passed ,
Todd Gitlin, fromThe Liberal Arts in an Age of Info-Glut,
David S. Broder, A Model for High Schools,
Floyd Norris, U.S. Students Fare Badly in International Survey of Math Skills (includes table),
Norman Rockwell, Spirit of Education(painting)
From Writing From Sources (WFS).
Summarizing a Complex Essay:
Gatto, John Taylor. “Against School.” WFS. 90-95.
Sipher,Roger. “So That Nobody Has to Go to School If They Don't Want To.” WFS. 168-169.
Botstein, Leon. “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood.” WFS. 175-177.
Essay Based on a Single Source
Singleton, Carl. “What Our Education System Needs is More Fs.” WFS. 180-182.
Rauch, Jonathan. “Now, For Tonight's Assignment...” WFS. 186-188.
AP Prompts and Practice
Synthesis Essay on Conversation
SAT Vocabulary 1 and Vocabulary 2
Logical Fallacies Quiz
Essay on a Single Source—Writing Samples on Singleton
Informal Writing
7 Critical Reading Strategies Journal and Questioning the Author
Synthesis Outline for Conversation on Education
Accelerating Academic Language—Coplin and Gregory
Formal Writing
Summarizing a Complex Essay—French, Gatto, Sipher, Botstein and Dunn
Writing Process
AP Prompt Revision: Essay Based on a Single Source. (2 Revisions)—Using Rauch or Singleton
Quarter 2
Unit 3: Politics--What is the nature of the relationship between the citizen and the state? (4 Weeks)
This unit focuses on synthesis of documents that serves as precursors to an ongoing discussion of our rights in relationship to government. A comparative approach to political revolutions will be examined: American Revolution, French Revolution and the Russian Revolution. Students engage in a discussion of Utopian and Dystopian views of government as well as present-day critiques of modern government.
Thematic Warm-Up #1: Evaluating Sources Activity. Writing From Sources. 386-402.
Walter Berns, “Making Patriots.”
Robert Goldstein,” Burning the Flag: The Great 1989-1990 American Flag Desecration.”
Stephen Nathanson, from Patriotism, Morality, and Peace
Cecelia O'Leary, “To Die For: The Paradox of American Patriotism.”
Michael Welch, “Flag Burning: Moral Panic and the Criminalization of Protest.”
Wilbur Zelinsky, “Nation Into State: The Shifting Symbolic Foundations of American Nationalism.”
“The Flag Protection Act of 1989 (Joint Resolution of Congress).”
Celestine Bohlen, “O Say Can You See What That Flag Means?”
Norm R. Allen Jr., “True Patriotism.”
“Flag Burning and Other Acts Deemed Disrespectful of American Symbols” (web site).
“The Flag Burning Page.” (web site).
Thematic Warm-Up #2:
Douglass, Frederick. “What the Black Wants.”
Jefferson, Thomas. “Declaration of Independence.”
Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. “Declaration of Resolution and Sentiments.”
Digging Deeper: Politics of a Modern Age
Woolf, Virginia. “Thoughts on Peace during an Air Raid.” LOC. 935-938.
Thoreau, Henry David. “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience.” LOC. 939-956.
Soyinka, Wole. “Every Dictator’s Nightmare.” LOC. 957-961.
Creative Connections
Yevtushenko, Yevgeny. “Conversation with an American Writer” (poetry). LOC.974.
Visual Text Picasso, Pablo. Guernica(painting). LOC. 975.
Visual Text The New Yorker. March 17, 2003 (cover). LOC. 976.
Visual Text Harper’s. April, 2003 (cover). LOC. 976.
Conversation Focus on the politics of imperialism. LOC. 979-995.
George Orwell, Shooting an Elephant (AP M/C Prompt)
Chinua Achebe, The Empire Fights Back
National Park Service, Christiansted: Official Map and Guide (travel brochure)
Eavan Boland, In Which the Ancient History I Learn Is Not My Own (poetry)
Bombay Furniture Co., What Part of You Lives in Bombay? (advertisement)
Subordination in the Complex Sentence Exercises. LOC. 999-1005.
Modern Day Democracy. WFS. 580-629.
Periodicals:
Multiple Authors. Essays from The Nation, 7/15/91. 580-587.
Debating How Best to Love Your Country (The New York Times, 7/1/00). 587-592.
Lukacs,John. “When Democracy Goes Wrong.” (Harper's, 4/05). 593-594.
“The State of Liberalism” and “The State of Conservatism.” New York Times Book Review. October 20, 2010.
Academic Books
de Tocqueville, Alexis. “Democracy in America.” 595-597.
Tolstoi, Leo. “Patriotism, or Peace?” 597-601.
Kristol, Irving. “Urban Civilization and Its Discontents.” 610-611.
Nathanson, Stephen. “Military Service and Unjust Wars.” 616-622.
Viroli, Maurizio. “Patriotism and Nationalism.” 622-627.
McLean, Scott. “The War on Terrorism and The New Patriotism.” 627-629.
AP Prompts and Practice:
M/C Practice—Swift and Orwell
Write Your Own Argument on Thematic Warm-Up #1
Multiple Choice Practice on “Declaration of Independence” and “Declaration of Sentiments
Synthesis Essay Building with Research Materials
Informal Writing:
Critical Questions and Responses as Pre-Lecture Homework
Document of Rights
Quotes and Critical Questions Roundtable—Preparations for Socratic Seminars
Formal Writing:
“This I Believe” Essay Contest Prompt
Annotated Bibliographies in MLA style of Readings for 6 authors read during the unit.
Writing Process:
Synthesis Essay: 5-7 page comparative analysis on how 3-4 authors develop common rights of the individual, the role of government, the critique of oppression, or the solutions offered social and political injustice.
Graphics and Visual Images:
Investigation of the Graphics and Visual Images of protest <http://www.loc.gov> or commentary on social issues http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Keyword?action=list
Analysis of Media included in unit readings
Research Skills and Projects:
Research Notes for Extended Reading
Social Justice PowerPoint: Race, Class, Gender, Religion
Citation Skills: Use of MLA style in citation in Formal Writing and Projects.
Other Instructional Materials:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html Source for online texts, visual graphics and images
http://www.americanrhetoric.com>Teaching rhetorical terminology through political examples.
Unit 4: Exploring the African-American Experience of America (5 Weeks)
This unit seeks to deepen the student’s knowledge of African-American writers. Through the examination slavery, reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement, and the residual racism in the modern age, students will develop the ability to build the themes of the writers as well critique the literary power of the texts that
they read. The second focus of the unit is to model through the sustained focus on the use of variety sources in
their author study project of James Weldon Johnson. Students will utilize the skills of literary criticism as they develop a
critical dialogue between their own analysis and primary and secondary sources. This unit also emphasizes
the inclusion of footnotes, annotated bibliography and sustained development of an expository research paper.
Major Text:
Johnson, James Weldon. Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 2003.
Selected Essays on Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.
African-American Poetry and Essays
Selected poems from Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, and Paul Lawrence Dunbar.
Baldwin, James. “Notes of a Native Son.” 50 Essays. 60-81.[Comparison/Contrast]*
Douglas, Frederick. “Learning to Read and Write.” 50 Essays. 144-150. [Process Analysis]*
Hughes, Langston. “Salvation.” 50 Essays. 203-205. [Narration]"
Hurston, Zora Neale. “How If Feels to be Colored Me.” 50 Essays. 206-210. [Description]*
Staples, Brent. “Just Walk on by: Black Men and Public Space.” 50 Essays. 404-407. [Cause and Effect]*
Malcolm X. “Learning to Read.” 50 Essays. 281-290. [Process Analysis]*
AP Prompts:
All writings from 50 Essays provide students with the ability to practice multiple-choice questions and AP promt questions.
SAT Vocabulary 1-4
FINAL EXAM—AP PROMPTS
Twain, Mark. “Concerning the Deity.” Kaplan. 2005. Multiple Choice Prompt
Thoreau, Henry David. “A Plea for Captain John Brown.” Kaplan. 2005. Multiple Choice Prompt
Cary, Mary Ann Shadd Cary. “Why Establish This Paper.” AP English Language and Composition Exam. 2007
Released Sample Exam. Argument Analysis Prompt.
Green, Alfred M. “Speech in Philadelphia, April 1861.” AP English Language and Composition Exam. 2003. Question 2. Analysis of Persuasion Essay Prompt.
Lincoln, Abraham. “Second Inaugural Address.” AP English Language Essay Prompt 2002. Analysis of Evidence Essay Prompt.
Informal Writing:
SOAPS and DIDLS Close Readings on 3 Chapters/Speeches from Nonfiction Literature Circles
TPCASSTT on Poetry
Socratic Seminar—Themes in Poetry, Essays, and Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.
Formal Writing:
Critical Reading Logs for Novel and Critical Essays—Thesis Paragraph and Outline
Writing Process:
Students will develop a paper that discusses how the themes in Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man with the use of critical sources selected by the teacher [Model for Author Study Paper]. 5-7 pages.
Graphics and Visual Images:
Critique of Uses of Persuasion in documents concerning the contemporary presentation of race in America during the period of their Literature Circle author.
Use of Graphics and Visual Images to represent history. Journal on Audience, Purpose, and Speaker.
Students write a SOAPS and DIDLS analysis of 10 documents.
Research Skills and Projects:
Use of www.loc.gov to examine how the issue of contemporary treatment of race at the time period of their literature circle author through a series of 10 documents with the application of SOAPS and DIDLS
Citation Skills:
Annotated Bibliographies on 2 Critical Essays on Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
Other Instructional Materials:
http://www.findarticles.com> Contemporary Criticism on Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.
Semester Two
Quarter 3
Unit 5: What is the impact of gender roles that society creates and enforces? (6 Weeks)
Through the texts, students will examine the construction of gender through a variety of contemporary essays. They will also develop comparative analysis skills in their discussion of Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Awakening. This unit will also examine how a particular image, idea, story or issue is repeated in poetry, painting, and literature.
Major Texts:
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening.
FromThe Language of Composition (LOC).
Major Essays
Gould, Stephen Jay. “Women’s Brains.”[Central Essay]. LOC. 349-355. [AP M/C Prompt] also in 50 Essays
Woolf, Virginia. “Professions for Women” [Classic Essay]. LOC. 356-362.
Ehrlich, Gretel. “About Men.” LOC. 367-370.
Cofer, Judith Ortiz. “The Myth of the Latin Woman.” LOC.370-377. [AP M/C Prompt] also in 50 Essays
Theroux, Paul. “Being a Man.” LOC. 378-382.
Tannen, Deborah. “There Is No Unmarked Woman.” LOC. 388-393. [AP M/C Prompt] also in 50 Essays
Creative Connections:
Hurston, Zora Neale. “Sweat” (fiction). LOC. 393-402.
Piercy, Marge. “Barbie Doll”(poetry). LOC. 403-404.
Visual Text Guisewite, Cathy. “Cathy” (cartoon). LOC. 405.
Visual Text Broadway, Bill. “New and Newer Versions of Scripture” (table).LOC. 406-407.
Poetry Unit Supplemental
Aldrich, Thomas Bailey. “Echo Song.”
Auden, W.H. “Musee des Beaux Arts.”
Alvarez, Julia. “Ironing Their Clothes.”
Byron, Lord George Gordon. “Euthanasia.”
Crapsey, Adelaide. “Narcissus.”
Daley, Victor James. “Aphrodite.”\
Dove, Rita. “Adolescence—III.”
Eliot, T.S. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.”
Herrick, Robert. “Opheus.”
Plath, Sylvia. “Mirror.”
Sappho.“Hymn to Aphrodite.”
Sexton, Anne. “Self in 1958.”
Sexton, Anne. “Cinderella” and “Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty).” Transformations.
Swinburne, Algernon Charles. “Eurydice—To Victor Hugo.”
Wharton, Edith. “Artemis to Actaeon.”
Wilcox, Ella Wheeler. “A Maid to Her Mirror.”
Williams, William Carlos. “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus.”
Conversation: Focus on Defining Masculinity. 408-417.
Mark Bauerlein and Sandra Stotsky, Why Johnny Won’t Read
Ann Hulbert, Boy Problems (includes table)
David Brooks, Mind over Muscle
Rebecca Walker, Putting down the Gun
Gender Exercises: LOC. 420-426.
Direct, Precise and Active Verbs Exercises. LOC. 498-503.
From 50 Essays
Angier, Natalie. “Men, Women, Sex and Darwin.” 50 Essays. 29-42.
Barry, David. “Lost in the Kitchen.” 50 Essays. 82-84.
Bardo, Susan. “Never Just Pictures.” 50 Essays. 85-92.
Bryson, Bill. “How You Became You.” 50 Essays.93-96.
Cooper, Bernard. “A Clack of Tiny Sparks.” 50 Essays. 120-130.
Sanders, Scott Russell. “The Inheritance of Tools.” 50 Essays. 369-377.
Truth, Sojourner. “Ain’t I A Woman?” 50 Essays. 431-432.
AP Prompts:
Mill, John Stuart. “The Subjection of Women.” Kaplan AP Guide. 2005. Multiple Choice Prompt.
Wollstonecraft, Mary. “Dedication.” Kaplan AP Guide. 2005. Multiple Choice Prompt. [M/C prompt]
Wollstonecraft, Mary. “Introduction to A Vindication of the Rights of Women.” Princeton Review AP English Language
and Composition
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “Politics and Warfare.” 5 Steps to a 5. 2006. Argument Analysis Prompt.
Thatcher, Margaret. Write Your Own Argument Essay Prompt. Kaplan 2005
Informal Writing:
TPCASST/SOAPS and DIDLS Poetry Analysis: Discuss one of the poems presented in the unit in terms of how the poet creates a vision of an “a woman’s world” or “a man’s world.”
Analysis Mode of Writing Practice discussing how modes of writing develop as underlying structures to develop the themes (Comparison/Contrast, Narration and Description, Definition, Cause and Effect, Division and
Classification, Process Analysis, Persuasion and Argument).
Formal Writing:
Synthesis Essay: Discuss the impact of gender roles in terms of marriage, parental relationships, and/or equality in society. Use a mix of nonfiction sources from the unit and individual research to develop the evidence for your position.
Writing Process:
Literary Analysis through Multiple Drafts—Developing Common Themes in Their Eyes Were Watching
God and The Awakening. Integration of primary and secondary sources.
Research Skills and Projects:
Mythological Figures and Archetypes Poetry Presentations
Citation Skills:
Multiple-Sources Research Notes on Common Themes in Fiction and Poetry
MLA Annotated Bibliography of 4 Critical Essays on Novels
Other Instructional Materials:
http://www.online-literature.com>
www.poetry.org additional poetry sites for mythology, archetypes and allegories—poetry and painting
Nelson, Cary ed. “ Modern American Poetry.” An Online Journal and Multimedia Companion to Anthology of Modern American Poetry. Oxford University Press. 2000. 2 February 2007. http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets.htm>[Database of Modern Poetry for Student Presentations]
Unit 6 Social Issues: What is the relationship of the individual to the community? (8 weeks)
Throughout this unit, students will examine the issues emerging as part of the modern, American society. Students will develop position papers on topics and reflect on changing ideals.
Community
Thoreau, Henry David. “Where I Lived, and What I Lived for” (Classic Essay). LOC. 276-282. (AP M/C)
Howard, Jane. “In Search of the Good Family.” LOC. 283-288.
Etzioni, Amitai. “The New Community.” LOC. 289-295.
Alvord, Lori Arviso. “Walking the Path between Worlds .” LOC. 300-306.
Conversation Focus on the Individual’s Responsibility to the Community. LOC. 317-335.
Bertrand Russell, The Happy Life
Peter Singer, The Singer Solution to World Poverty
Garrett Hardin, Lifeboat Ethics: The Case against Helping the Poor
John Betjeman, In Westminster Abbey (poetry)
Parallel Structures Exercises. LOC. 339-345.
Language
Rodriguez, Richard. “Aria.” LOC. 509-528. (Central Essay) (AP M/C Prompt)
Orwell, George. “Politics and the English Language.” LOC. 529-541. (Classic Essay) (AP M/C Prompt)
Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” LOC. 542-546. (AP M/C Prompt)
Thiong’o, Ngugi Wa. “Decolonising the Mind.” LOC. 546-555.
Agosin, Marjorie. “Always Living in Spanish.” LOC. 556-558.
Berkowitz, Peter and McFaul, Michael. “Studying Islam, Strengthening the Nation.” LOC. 559-561.
Hayakawa, S.I. “Bilingualism in America: English Should Be the Official Language.”
LOC. 562-567.
Conversation Focus on Current Language Usage. LOC. 579-589.
Geoffrey Nunberg, How Much Wallop Can a Simple Word Pack?
Daniel Okrent, The War of Words: A Dispatch from the Front Lines
Letters to the Editor in response to Okrent
Courtland Milloy, Pride to One Is Prejudice to Another
Ray Magliozzi, Help Us Overthrow the Tall and Short Mafia
Concise Diction Exercises. LOC. 593-595.
AP Prompts:
Practice Exams assigned as Homework over the Spring Break for preparation
PowerPoint Presentations—Review of Strategies for the exam
Informal Writing:
Daily Critical Reading Logs on essays assigned.
Writing Process:
Change the World Action Plan
Research Skills and Projects:
Using school databases and clearinghouses of academic essays,graphics, videos to create Multimedia Change the World Video
Citation Skills:
MLA Bibliography for all sources used in Change the World Project
Other Instructional Materials:
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit/theory.htmlLinks for various areas of literary theory
http://www.kristisiegel.com/theory.htmOffers a brief summary of theories and suggested further reading
http://www.literatureclassics.com/ancientpaths/litweb.html>Offers timelines, critical approaches, and historical movements
http://www.libraryspot.com/litcrit.htm Provides links to literary criticism and discussion of authors and philosophy
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/english/flackcj/LitIndex.html>Internet resources including how to use literary criticism
http://library.montclair.edu/literature.html>Links to various literary criticism resources as well as comparative literature and literary history
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/su/modlits/LitCrit.html#fulltext> full text resources for literary criticism
Unit 7 Wrapping Up the Year (3 Weeks)
Students will explore the use of literary criticism frames to discuss the Hero’s Journey and Freud’s discussion of personality in their approach to Song of Solomon or the use of politics, religion, psychology and performance in King
Lear. This unit is also designed for independent learning of the novel for those students who PCS before the end of the school year.
Major Texts
Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. Various editions or
Shakespeare, William. King Lear.
Critical Essays on Song of Solomon and King Lear
AP Prompts:
M/C Final Exam
Informal Writing:
Daily Paragraph writing—Application of themes to events in the novel/play
Socratic Seminar Preparation for Daily Discussion
Formal Writing:
MLA Annotated Bibliographies on two critical essays on Song of Solomon or on King Lear..
Writing Process:
Final Critical Essay using primary and secondary sources and discussing Song of Solomon.or King Lear (5-7
pages).
This rigorous college-level class has two goals. The first goal is the development of college-level reading and writing.
The ability to read complex texts and write about them will prepare you for whatever major you pursue. Your grade in this class is heavily weighted on the writing of this course. The second goal is the preparation for the AP exam in May.
Most colleges accept will only accept a 4 or 5 (about 20% of students receive this score nationwide). Unlike an AP Biology class where you can review all your notes and readings to prepare, success on this exam requires building the skills of analysis throughout the school year and applying them to readings of nonfiction and fiction.
Supporting Services: The school provides the following support services to students in the AP English Language and Composition course: AVID strategies, special seminars, and tutoring with peers and community members.
Textbooks, Materials and other Resources:
This course asks students to examine critically the higher-level texts that are presented to them. This course
focuses on nonfiction writings in the areas of philosophy, political theory, social issues, persuasive and expository essays, and literary criticism. The fiction and poetry selected are used to develop analysis of literary devices and
application of literary terminology as well as expand the themes of the unit.
A Memory Stick—this is essential for organizing a portfolio both at school and for your own use at home of the materials, PowerPoints, study tools.
Provided Textbooks:
Shea, Renée Hausmann., Lawrence Scanlon, and Robin Dissin.Aufses, eds. The Language of Composition:
Reading, Writing and Rhetoric. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. Print.
Spatt, Brenda, ed. Writing from Sources. Boston: Bedford/st Martins, 2010. Print.
Use: These texts are used of thematic development in terms of the discussion of education, politics, race, gender and social issues in the community.
Cohen, Samuel. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. 2nd Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Marten’s, 2004. Print.
Recommended not Required Purchases: Cracking the AP English Language and Composition Exam. The Princeton Review. A group purchase for the class can be organized.
Use: This AP-recommended text has a series of AP Prompts and M/C Questions to provide students with structure practice to prepare for the AP exam.
Novels:
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 2003.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes were Watching God. New York: Perennial Classics. 1990.
Johnson, James Weldon. Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 2003.
Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: Plume, 1987.
Shakespeare, William. King Lear. New York: Folger’s Shakespeare Library, 1993.
Use: Contemporary American Literature and Application of Literary Criticism.
Writing, Writing, Writing!!
Students can expect to write frequently during class and outside of class. In order to hone your writing under pressure, AP Writing Prompts will be used regularly. These prompts have been selected to enhance your knowledge about the Period of Literature we are studying at the time.Within each unit, you will have a number of writing tasks, including some of the following:
MLA Annotated Bibliographies—One page examination of the writer’s argument
SOAPS and DIDLS—Rhetorical and Stylistic Devices Analysis Papers and Blogs
Quote-Response Logs for Socratic Seminars
Synthesis Essays
Literary Analysis Essays
Expository Essays
Persuasive Essays
Substantial Revision of Essays
AP Essay Prompts
Term Papers:
The first semester’s major term paper s will focus on 1) the examining of effective education, 2) the defining of American values, and 3) the discussion of themes developed in the novel, Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, in relation to the African-American Autobiography literature circle text you selected and the critical essays provided by the teacher. All of these papers will develop students ability to use multiple sources to support their ideas.
The second semester has three term papers. The first on Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Awakening will focus on a comparison or contrast gender themes in the novels and in the supplemental readings. The second will be self-directed research project: differentiation in choice of topics and approaches will be offered: a problem-solution paper on an issue facing the world or their community, an investigation and representation of controversial issue, or a research paper on a topic related to the college major they are pursuing. In addition, students will teach the class through the use of a music video which informs the public. The third will be an extended use of literary criticism, focusing on the psychological or mythological themes in Song of Solomon or King Lear.\
Homework:
Students can expect a minimum of 6 hours of homework per week. This is the recommendation from the College Board that replicates the rigor of a college class. Reading and Writing are daily assignments. Time management is a key factor to success in this class and in college. Look carefully at your commitments. An AP class, a varsity sport, a leadership role in student government, applying to college and scholarships are all time-consuming activities. Think of your commitments in terms of 3 major tasks to have a challenging but not overwhelming school year.
If you have mastered the art of time management, more commitments to rigor are encouraged.
For each quarter, agendas are provided. In addition, you will receive a number of handouts and study
materials. Attendance is important. Students should speak to teacher before planned absences to get information about assignments. If you have a homework question when you are at home, contact Ms. Moriconi via
email ([email protected] or [email protected]). I check these emails when I am at home more frequently than my work email. In addition, you will submit all major papers electronically to me and to
turnitin.com (both of which are often required at university).
Binder: You should have a binder designated for this class. Keep up with the homework. Assignments are given to build your skills as you move towards unit projects and essays. You should organize your binder in 4 sections: Vocabulary and Literary Terminology; AP Strategies; Essays and Prompts; Classwork/Daily Homework.
Grading Scale
Homework and Class Activities: 20%
Blog Grade: 10%
AP Prompts, Quizzes, and M/C Diagnostics 30%
Projects, Papers, and Blog Grade: 40%
Each quarter is weighted as 45% of the grade. The final exam (AP test and cumulative vocabulary grade for semester) is worth 10%.
Course Content Outline and Assessment:
Throughout each unit, the different strategies of organization in terms of purpose and audience are introduced and reviewed: Narration and Description, Process Analysis, Comparison and Contrast, Division and Classification, Definition, Cause and Effect, and Persuasion and Argument. In addition, practice with AP Exams (M/C Practice and AP Prompts), SAT Exams (Critical Reading and Critical Writing), and specific instruction on SAT vocabulary, Literary and
Rhetorical Terminology and Conventions will occur throughout the year.
First Semester
Quarter One:
Unit One : Persuasion and Argumentation (4 Weeks)
Students will understand the principles of argument and persuasion. They will be able to assess the effectiveness of an argument and recognize the elements that make it effective or ineffective. Students will recognize that persuasive techniques can be applied to many types of media and texts, including speeches, advertisements, political cartoons, editorial and opinion pieces, graffiti, billboards, photographs, etc. Students will develop the initial tools for rhetorical analysis. Activities are geared to support the learning of the vocabulary that will strengthen both their analysis and their writing. AVID and AP Critical Reading Strategies are developed. Students will become familiar with the Rhetorical Triangle, and SOAPS and DIDLS as mnemonic devices to develop initial analysis of an assigned reading. The AP exam requires students to build skills in reading contemporary and historical texts. The assignments of the unit are designed to promote strategies for tackling both types of texts.
Content:
The main modes of writing will be introduced using wide ranging time periods to reflect the content of the AP English Language and Composition Exam. The focus will be on direction instruction, teacher and peer guided practice, and
independent assessment of students’ abilities to examine the rhetorical and stylistic devices across mediums—poetry, fiction, nonfiction, photography, and paintings.
Speeches and Writings
1.“The Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln
2.“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
3.“Message to the Grass Roots” by Malcolm X
4.“Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
5, . “Letter to Martin Luther King, Jr.” Birmingham Ministers.
6.“The Unfinished Dialogue of MLK Jr. and Malcolm X”
7.“The Quarantine Speech” by Franklin D. Roosevelt
8.“The First Inaugural Address” by JFK
Argument on Torture and Terrorism—AP Synthesis Prompt
1.“The Case for Torture” by Michael Levin
2.“The Case for Torture” by Pat Buchanan
3.“Torture and the Bomber Scenario” by Tim Gorton
4.“It Should be Permissible to Torture Suspected Terrorists to Gather Information” by Clinton R. Van Zandt
5.“It Should Not be Permissible to Torture Suspected Terrorists to Gather Information” by Vincent Iacopino
6.“Torture Should Not be Authorized” by Philip B. Heymann
7.“Yes, It Should be ‘On the Books’” by Alan M. Dershowitz
Media Representation of a Global Issue
1. Save Darfur ad; Newsweek
2. Pledge letter: Habitat for Humanity
3. Pledge letter: World Vision
4. Pledge letter: Doctors without Borders
Developing an Argument with Examples—AP Argument Analysis Prompt
1.“Duty, Honor, Country” by Gen. Douglass MacArthur
2.“The Military vs.Wives”by Laura Dempsey
3.“In Defense of Prejudice: Why Incendiary Speech Must Be Protected” by Jonathan Rauch
Satire
1.A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
2.“War Prayer” by Mark Twain
3.“A Modest Proposal for a ‘Museum of the Plains White Person’” by Rayna Green
4.“Complete Sentences: Turning Students into Prison Inmates” by Margo Freistadt
5.“Nation’s Children Drop to 4th Most Valuable Resource” by National Lampoon
AP Prompts: Students gain practice through direct and independent practice with AP M/C exams and prompts.
Literary Terminology Assessment,
AP Diagnostic Multiple-Choice
Bush, George H.W. “Open Letter to Saddam Hussein.” [Logical Fallacies and Rhetorical Appeals]
Synthesis Essay on Torture and Terrorism
Argument Analysis Prompt
Informal Writing: Students are required to 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 of the techniques employed by the writers they read.)
Critical Reading Questions for Readings
Critical Reading Log Practice Activities
Formal Writing: Students will select an issue in which they have a personal investment, an issue which they hope to change or reform. They will write their own proposal for change, using Swift’s work as the model. They will follow his organizational pattern and experiment with balancing generalizations about the issue with specific, illustrative details to affect change.
Mock Modest Proposal
Writing Process: Students are required to write essays that proceed through several stages or drafts, with revision aided by teacher and peers. The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments both before and after the students revise their work, that help the students develop: 1) A Wide-Ranging Vocabulary used Appropriately and Effectively; 2) A Variety of Sentence Structure Including Appropriate use of Subordination and Coordination; 3) Logical Organization, Enhanced by Specific Techniques to Increase Coherence; 4) A Balance of Generalization and Specific, Illustrative Detail; 5) An Effective Use of Rhetoric, Including Controlling Tone, 6) Establishing and Maintaining Voice, and 7) Achieving Appropriate Emphasis through Diction and Sentence Structure.)
Rewrite of 2 of the lowest scoring AP Prompt Essays using teacher critiqueand AP Rubric.
Research Project: Students engage in sustained research and offer finds in written, oral, or multimedia formats.
Major Works Study PowerPoint
Citation Skills: Students cite sources using MLA editorial style for project on giving examples of rhetorical devices and logical fallacies in advertising (ways of seeing the world).
MLA Format for All Essays.
Works Cited Page for Major Works PowerPoint
Other Instructional Materials (e.g., audiovisual materials, technology, study trips, software, etc.)
http://www.americanrhetoric.comContemporary examples of key rhetorical terms.
http://www.writingcentre.ubc.ca/workshop/tools/rhet1.htm Step-by-Step Writing of a Rhetorical Analysis—George H. Bush letter to Saddam Hussein before the Gulf War.
CueCards on Rhetorical Terminology and Types of Writing (handouts and memory stick)
Unit 2: What is a Quality Education? (5 weeks)
Throughout this unit, students will examine to what extent our schools serve the goals of a true education. Students will
also begin to develop the skills for the synthesis essay as they deepen their knowledge about a topic. Students will also deepen their use of SOAPS and DIDLS, The 7 Critical Reading Strategies, and Questioning the Author.
From The Language of Composition (LOC).
Prose, Francine. “I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read.” LOC. 89-101. [Central Essay]
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Education.” LOC. 102-109. [Classic Essay]
Alexie, Sherman. “Superman and Me.” LOC. 110-112.
Baldwin, James. “A Talk to Teachers.” LOC. 123-129.
Creative Connections:
Collins, Billy. “The History Teacher” (poetry).LOC. 143.
Cisneros, Sandra. “Eleven”(fiction).LOC. 144-146.
Visual Text NEA, from Reading at Risk (tables).” LOC. 147-149.
Synthesis Conversation: Focus on the American High School. LOC. 150-164.
Horace Mann, from Report of the Massachusetts Board of Education,
Leon Botstein, High School, an Institution Whose Time Has Passed ,
Todd Gitlin, fromThe Liberal Arts in an Age of Info-Glut,
David S. Broder, A Model for High Schools,
Floyd Norris, U.S. Students Fare Badly in International Survey of Math Skills (includes table),
Norman Rockwell, Spirit of Education(painting)
From Writing From Sources (WFS).
Summarizing a Complex Essay:
Gatto, John Taylor. “Against School.” WFS. 90-95.
Sipher,Roger. “So That Nobody Has to Go to School If They Don't Want To.” WFS. 168-169.
Botstein, Leon. “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood.” WFS. 175-177.
Essay Based on a Single Source
Singleton, Carl. “What Our Education System Needs is More Fs.” WFS. 180-182.
Rauch, Jonathan. “Now, For Tonight's Assignment...” WFS. 186-188.
AP Prompts and Practice
Synthesis Essay on Conversation
SAT Vocabulary 1 and Vocabulary 2
Logical Fallacies Quiz
Essay on a Single Source—Writing Samples on Singleton
Informal Writing
7 Critical Reading Strategies Journal and Questioning the Author
Synthesis Outline for Conversation on Education
Accelerating Academic Language—Coplin and Gregory
Formal Writing
Summarizing a Complex Essay—French, Gatto, Sipher, Botstein and Dunn
Writing Process
AP Prompt Revision: Essay Based on a Single Source. (2 Revisions)—Using Rauch or Singleton
Quarter 2
Unit 3: Politics--What is the nature of the relationship between the citizen and the state? (4 Weeks)
This unit focuses on synthesis of documents that serves as precursors to an ongoing discussion of our rights in relationship to government. A comparative approach to political revolutions will be examined: American Revolution, French Revolution and the Russian Revolution. Students engage in a discussion of Utopian and Dystopian views of government as well as present-day critiques of modern government.
Thematic Warm-Up #1: Evaluating Sources Activity. Writing From Sources. 386-402.
Walter Berns, “Making Patriots.”
Robert Goldstein,” Burning the Flag: The Great 1989-1990 American Flag Desecration.”
Stephen Nathanson, from Patriotism, Morality, and Peace
Cecelia O'Leary, “To Die For: The Paradox of American Patriotism.”
Michael Welch, “Flag Burning: Moral Panic and the Criminalization of Protest.”
Wilbur Zelinsky, “Nation Into State: The Shifting Symbolic Foundations of American Nationalism.”
“The Flag Protection Act of 1989 (Joint Resolution of Congress).”
Celestine Bohlen, “O Say Can You See What That Flag Means?”
Norm R. Allen Jr., “True Patriotism.”
“Flag Burning and Other Acts Deemed Disrespectful of American Symbols” (web site).
“The Flag Burning Page.” (web site).
Thematic Warm-Up #2:
Douglass, Frederick. “What the Black Wants.”
Jefferson, Thomas. “Declaration of Independence.”
Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. “Declaration of Resolution and Sentiments.”
Digging Deeper: Politics of a Modern Age
Woolf, Virginia. “Thoughts on Peace during an Air Raid.” LOC. 935-938.
Thoreau, Henry David. “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience.” LOC. 939-956.
Soyinka, Wole. “Every Dictator’s Nightmare.” LOC. 957-961.
Creative Connections
Yevtushenko, Yevgeny. “Conversation with an American Writer” (poetry). LOC.974.
Visual Text Picasso, Pablo. Guernica(painting). LOC. 975.
Visual Text The New Yorker. March 17, 2003 (cover). LOC. 976.
Visual Text Harper’s. April, 2003 (cover). LOC. 976.
Conversation Focus on the politics of imperialism. LOC. 979-995.
George Orwell, Shooting an Elephant (AP M/C Prompt)
Chinua Achebe, The Empire Fights Back
National Park Service, Christiansted: Official Map and Guide (travel brochure)
Eavan Boland, In Which the Ancient History I Learn Is Not My Own (poetry)
Bombay Furniture Co., What Part of You Lives in Bombay? (advertisement)
Subordination in the Complex Sentence Exercises. LOC. 999-1005.
Modern Day Democracy. WFS. 580-629.
Periodicals:
Multiple Authors. Essays from The Nation, 7/15/91. 580-587.
Debating How Best to Love Your Country (The New York Times, 7/1/00). 587-592.
Lukacs,John. “When Democracy Goes Wrong.” (Harper's, 4/05). 593-594.
“The State of Liberalism” and “The State of Conservatism.” New York Times Book Review. October 20, 2010.
Academic Books
de Tocqueville, Alexis. “Democracy in America.” 595-597.
Tolstoi, Leo. “Patriotism, or Peace?” 597-601.
Kristol, Irving. “Urban Civilization and Its Discontents.” 610-611.
Nathanson, Stephen. “Military Service and Unjust Wars.” 616-622.
Viroli, Maurizio. “Patriotism and Nationalism.” 622-627.
McLean, Scott. “The War on Terrorism and The New Patriotism.” 627-629.
AP Prompts and Practice:
M/C Practice—Swift and Orwell
Write Your Own Argument on Thematic Warm-Up #1
Multiple Choice Practice on “Declaration of Independence” and “Declaration of Sentiments
Synthesis Essay Building with Research Materials
Informal Writing:
Critical Questions and Responses as Pre-Lecture Homework
Document of Rights
Quotes and Critical Questions Roundtable—Preparations for Socratic Seminars
Formal Writing:
“This I Believe” Essay Contest Prompt
Annotated Bibliographies in MLA style of Readings for 6 authors read during the unit.
Writing Process:
Synthesis Essay: 5-7 page comparative analysis on how 3-4 authors develop common rights of the individual, the role of government, the critique of oppression, or the solutions offered social and political injustice.
Graphics and Visual Images:
Investigation of the Graphics and Visual Images of protest <http://www.loc.gov> or commentary on social issues http://litmed.med.nyu.edu/Keyword?action=list
Analysis of Media included in unit readings
Research Skills and Projects:
Research Notes for Extended Reading
Social Justice PowerPoint: Race, Class, Gender, Religion
Citation Skills: Use of MLA style in citation in Formal Writing and Projects.
Other Instructional Materials:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html Source for online texts, visual graphics and images
http://www.americanrhetoric.com>Teaching rhetorical terminology through political examples.
Unit 4: Exploring the African-American Experience of America (5 Weeks)
This unit seeks to deepen the student’s knowledge of African-American writers. Through the examination slavery, reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, the Civil Rights Movement, and the residual racism in the modern age, students will develop the ability to build the themes of the writers as well critique the literary power of the texts that
they read. The second focus of the unit is to model through the sustained focus on the use of variety sources in
their author study project of James Weldon Johnson. Students will utilize the skills of literary criticism as they develop a
critical dialogue between their own analysis and primary and secondary sources. This unit also emphasizes
the inclusion of footnotes, annotated bibliography and sustained development of an expository research paper.
Major Text:
Johnson, James Weldon. Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 2003.
Selected Essays on Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.
African-American Poetry and Essays
Selected poems from Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, and Paul Lawrence Dunbar.
Baldwin, James. “Notes of a Native Son.” 50 Essays. 60-81.[Comparison/Contrast]*
Douglas, Frederick. “Learning to Read and Write.” 50 Essays. 144-150. [Process Analysis]*
Hughes, Langston. “Salvation.” 50 Essays. 203-205. [Narration]"
Hurston, Zora Neale. “How If Feels to be Colored Me.” 50 Essays. 206-210. [Description]*
Staples, Brent. “Just Walk on by: Black Men and Public Space.” 50 Essays. 404-407. [Cause and Effect]*
Malcolm X. “Learning to Read.” 50 Essays. 281-290. [Process Analysis]*
AP Prompts:
All writings from 50 Essays provide students with the ability to practice multiple-choice questions and AP promt questions.
SAT Vocabulary 1-4
FINAL EXAM—AP PROMPTS
Twain, Mark. “Concerning the Deity.” Kaplan. 2005. Multiple Choice Prompt
Thoreau, Henry David. “A Plea for Captain John Brown.” Kaplan. 2005. Multiple Choice Prompt
Cary, Mary Ann Shadd Cary. “Why Establish This Paper.” AP English Language and Composition Exam. 2007
Released Sample Exam. Argument Analysis Prompt.
Green, Alfred M. “Speech in Philadelphia, April 1861.” AP English Language and Composition Exam. 2003. Question 2. Analysis of Persuasion Essay Prompt.
Lincoln, Abraham. “Second Inaugural Address.” AP English Language Essay Prompt 2002. Analysis of Evidence Essay Prompt.
Informal Writing:
SOAPS and DIDLS Close Readings on 3 Chapters/Speeches from Nonfiction Literature Circles
TPCASSTT on Poetry
Socratic Seminar—Themes in Poetry, Essays, and Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.
Formal Writing:
Critical Reading Logs for Novel and Critical Essays—Thesis Paragraph and Outline
Writing Process:
Students will develop a paper that discusses how the themes in Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man with the use of critical sources selected by the teacher [Model for Author Study Paper]. 5-7 pages.
Graphics and Visual Images:
Critique of Uses of Persuasion in documents concerning the contemporary presentation of race in America during the period of their Literature Circle author.
Use of Graphics and Visual Images to represent history. Journal on Audience, Purpose, and Speaker.
Students write a SOAPS and DIDLS analysis of 10 documents.
Research Skills and Projects:
Use of www.loc.gov to examine how the issue of contemporary treatment of race at the time period of their literature circle author through a series of 10 documents with the application of SOAPS and DIDLS
Citation Skills:
Annotated Bibliographies on 2 Critical Essays on Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
Other Instructional Materials:
http://www.findarticles.com> Contemporary Criticism on Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.
Semester Two
Quarter 3
Unit 5: What is the impact of gender roles that society creates and enforces? (6 Weeks)
Through the texts, students will examine the construction of gender through a variety of contemporary essays. They will also develop comparative analysis skills in their discussion of Their Eyes Were Watching God and The Awakening. This unit will also examine how a particular image, idea, story or issue is repeated in poetry, painting, and literature.
Major Texts:
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening.
FromThe Language of Composition (LOC).
Major Essays
Gould, Stephen Jay. “Women’s Brains.”[Central Essay]. LOC. 349-355. [AP M/C Prompt] also in 50 Essays
Woolf, Virginia. “Professions for Women” [Classic Essay]. LOC. 356-362.
Ehrlich, Gretel. “About Men.” LOC. 367-370.
Cofer, Judith Ortiz. “The Myth of the Latin Woman.” LOC.370-377. [AP M/C Prompt] also in 50 Essays
Theroux, Paul. “Being a Man.” LOC. 378-382.
Tannen, Deborah. “There Is No Unmarked Woman.” LOC. 388-393. [AP M/C Prompt] also in 50 Essays
Creative Connections:
Hurston, Zora Neale. “Sweat” (fiction). LOC. 393-402.
Piercy, Marge. “Barbie Doll”(poetry). LOC. 403-404.
Visual Text Guisewite, Cathy. “Cathy” (cartoon). LOC. 405.
Visual Text Broadway, Bill. “New and Newer Versions of Scripture” (table).LOC. 406-407.
Poetry Unit Supplemental
Aldrich, Thomas Bailey. “Echo Song.”
Auden, W.H. “Musee des Beaux Arts.”
Alvarez, Julia. “Ironing Their Clothes.”
Byron, Lord George Gordon. “Euthanasia.”
Crapsey, Adelaide. “Narcissus.”
Daley, Victor James. “Aphrodite.”\
Dove, Rita. “Adolescence—III.”
Eliot, T.S. “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.”
Herrick, Robert. “Opheus.”
Plath, Sylvia. “Mirror.”
Sappho.“Hymn to Aphrodite.”
Sexton, Anne. “Self in 1958.”
Sexton, Anne. “Cinderella” and “Briar Rose (Sleeping Beauty).” Transformations.
Swinburne, Algernon Charles. “Eurydice—To Victor Hugo.”
Wharton, Edith. “Artemis to Actaeon.”
Wilcox, Ella Wheeler. “A Maid to Her Mirror.”
Williams, William Carlos. “Landscape with the Fall of Icarus.”
Conversation: Focus on Defining Masculinity. 408-417.
Mark Bauerlein and Sandra Stotsky, Why Johnny Won’t Read
Ann Hulbert, Boy Problems (includes table)
David Brooks, Mind over Muscle
Rebecca Walker, Putting down the Gun
Gender Exercises: LOC. 420-426.
Direct, Precise and Active Verbs Exercises. LOC. 498-503.
From 50 Essays
Angier, Natalie. “Men, Women, Sex and Darwin.” 50 Essays. 29-42.
Barry, David. “Lost in the Kitchen.” 50 Essays. 82-84.
Bardo, Susan. “Never Just Pictures.” 50 Essays. 85-92.
Bryson, Bill. “How You Became You.” 50 Essays.93-96.
Cooper, Bernard. “A Clack of Tiny Sparks.” 50 Essays. 120-130.
Sanders, Scott Russell. “The Inheritance of Tools.” 50 Essays. 369-377.
Truth, Sojourner. “Ain’t I A Woman?” 50 Essays. 431-432.
AP Prompts:
Mill, John Stuart. “The Subjection of Women.” Kaplan AP Guide. 2005. Multiple Choice Prompt.
Wollstonecraft, Mary. “Dedication.” Kaplan AP Guide. 2005. Multiple Choice Prompt. [M/C prompt]
Wollstonecraft, Mary. “Introduction to A Vindication of the Rights of Women.” Princeton Review AP English Language
and Composition
Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “Politics and Warfare.” 5 Steps to a 5. 2006. Argument Analysis Prompt.
Thatcher, Margaret. Write Your Own Argument Essay Prompt. Kaplan 2005
Informal Writing:
TPCASST/SOAPS and DIDLS Poetry Analysis: Discuss one of the poems presented in the unit in terms of how the poet creates a vision of an “a woman’s world” or “a man’s world.”
Analysis Mode of Writing Practice discussing how modes of writing develop as underlying structures to develop the themes (Comparison/Contrast, Narration and Description, Definition, Cause and Effect, Division and
Classification, Process Analysis, Persuasion and Argument).
Formal Writing:
Synthesis Essay: Discuss the impact of gender roles in terms of marriage, parental relationships, and/or equality in society. Use a mix of nonfiction sources from the unit and individual research to develop the evidence for your position.
Writing Process:
Literary Analysis through Multiple Drafts—Developing Common Themes in Their Eyes Were Watching
God and The Awakening. Integration of primary and secondary sources.
Research Skills and Projects:
Mythological Figures and Archetypes Poetry Presentations
Citation Skills:
Multiple-Sources Research Notes on Common Themes in Fiction and Poetry
MLA Annotated Bibliography of 4 Critical Essays on Novels
Other Instructional Materials:
http://www.online-literature.com>
www.poetry.org additional poetry sites for mythology, archetypes and allegories—poetry and painting
Nelson, Cary ed. “ Modern American Poetry.” An Online Journal and Multimedia Companion to Anthology of Modern American Poetry. Oxford University Press. 2000. 2 February 2007. http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets.htm>[Database of Modern Poetry for Student Presentations]
Unit 6 Social Issues: What is the relationship of the individual to the community? (8 weeks)
Throughout this unit, students will examine the issues emerging as part of the modern, American society. Students will develop position papers on topics and reflect on changing ideals.
Community
Thoreau, Henry David. “Where I Lived, and What I Lived for” (Classic Essay). LOC. 276-282. (AP M/C)
Howard, Jane. “In Search of the Good Family.” LOC. 283-288.
Etzioni, Amitai. “The New Community.” LOC. 289-295.
Alvord, Lori Arviso. “Walking the Path between Worlds .” LOC. 300-306.
Conversation Focus on the Individual’s Responsibility to the Community. LOC. 317-335.
Bertrand Russell, The Happy Life
Peter Singer, The Singer Solution to World Poverty
Garrett Hardin, Lifeboat Ethics: The Case against Helping the Poor
John Betjeman, In Westminster Abbey (poetry)
Parallel Structures Exercises. LOC. 339-345.
Language
Rodriguez, Richard. “Aria.” LOC. 509-528. (Central Essay) (AP M/C Prompt)
Orwell, George. “Politics and the English Language.” LOC. 529-541. (Classic Essay) (AP M/C Prompt)
Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” LOC. 542-546. (AP M/C Prompt)
Thiong’o, Ngugi Wa. “Decolonising the Mind.” LOC. 546-555.
Agosin, Marjorie. “Always Living in Spanish.” LOC. 556-558.
Berkowitz, Peter and McFaul, Michael. “Studying Islam, Strengthening the Nation.” LOC. 559-561.
Hayakawa, S.I. “Bilingualism in America: English Should Be the Official Language.”
LOC. 562-567.
Conversation Focus on Current Language Usage. LOC. 579-589.
Geoffrey Nunberg, How Much Wallop Can a Simple Word Pack?
Daniel Okrent, The War of Words: A Dispatch from the Front Lines
Letters to the Editor in response to Okrent
Courtland Milloy, Pride to One Is Prejudice to Another
Ray Magliozzi, Help Us Overthrow the Tall and Short Mafia
Concise Diction Exercises. LOC. 593-595.
AP Prompts:
Practice Exams assigned as Homework over the Spring Break for preparation
PowerPoint Presentations—Review of Strategies for the exam
Informal Writing:
Daily Critical Reading Logs on essays assigned.
Writing Process:
Change the World Action Plan
Research Skills and Projects:
Using school databases and clearinghouses of academic essays,graphics, videos to create Multimedia Change the World Video
Citation Skills:
MLA Bibliography for all sources used in Change the World Project
Other Instructional Materials:
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Lit/theory.htmlLinks for various areas of literary theory
http://www.kristisiegel.com/theory.htmOffers a brief summary of theories and suggested further reading
http://www.literatureclassics.com/ancientpaths/litweb.html>Offers timelines, critical approaches, and historical movements
http://www.libraryspot.com/litcrit.htm Provides links to literary criticism and discussion of authors and philosophy
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/english/flackcj/LitIndex.html>Internet resources including how to use literary criticism
http://library.montclair.edu/literature.html>Links to various literary criticism resources as well as comparative literature and literary history
http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/su/modlits/LitCrit.html#fulltext> full text resources for literary criticism
Unit 7 Wrapping Up the Year (3 Weeks)
Students will explore the use of literary criticism frames to discuss the Hero’s Journey and Freud’s discussion of personality in their approach to Song of Solomon or the use of politics, religion, psychology and performance in King
Lear. This unit is also designed for independent learning of the novel for those students who PCS before the end of the school year.
Major Texts
Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. Various editions or
Shakespeare, William. King Lear.
Critical Essays on Song of Solomon and King Lear
AP Prompts:
M/C Final Exam
Informal Writing:
Daily Paragraph writing—Application of themes to events in the novel/play
Socratic Seminar Preparation for Daily Discussion
Formal Writing:
MLA Annotated Bibliographies on two critical essays on Song of Solomon or on King Lear..
Writing Process:
Final Critical Essay using primary and secondary sources and discussing Song of Solomon.or King Lear (5-7
pages).