Dear Fall 2010 AP English Language (APE) and Composition/UCONN Honors Student:
Welcome to the class where “Think on paper is our battle cry” (Henry Hotkowski ’06).
I love to write and I love teaching about great writing. I have designed this course, according to College Board standards, to expose you to different characteristics of great writing from different contexts, time periods, genders, and cultures. Be forewarned. This course is not a course in fiction literature (reading novels or poetry). With the exception of our summer work, which is significant, we rarely read full length works. Instead we read speeches, letters, diaries, persuasive essays, personal essays, magazine articles, columns, and excerpts on a variety of subject matter (health, math, science, thinking, popular culture, and current events). We read, write about (average one paper per week) and discuss these works intensively and repeatedly. By the end of the course you will have somewhere between 75-150 pages of revised writing. But this class is not solely about writing. It is about learning how to think and how to think like a writer.
“But the sensibility of the writer, whether fiction or [nonfiction],
comes from paying attention. I tell my students that writing doesn’t
begin when you sit down to write. It’s a way of being in the world,
and the essence of it is paying attention.” --Julia Alvarez
If you sit passively through class without much thought, always sit toward the rear and remain silent, or prefer to wait until the last minute to read and write your assignments, this may not the class for you (unless you plan to significantly change your learning habits). We annotate, cogitate, congregate, and create. Your grade is impacted negatively by a failure to contribute intelligently, frequently, and often, to class discussion. Your grade is seriously impacted negatively by a failure to start your written work in advance of the deadline or by a failure to revise extensively before due dates. It is a given that all homework assignments will be completed on time and all readings completed before class to enable a high level of deep discourse.
This is a college course. The expectation is that you will approach it as such. When absent, you must gather assignments and notes from classmates. Paper, quiz and test dates are not postponed because of your absences. You are expected to email papers or other assignments if absent on the day due. Similarly, when you return to class, you will take any quizzes or tests. All students are expected to take the AP Exam in May.
The expectation is that all APE summer reading and writing will be completed in addition to your regular Summer Reading graduation requirements. This is not possible unless you begin reading and writing at the end of June. If you wait until August, you will be in for a rude awakening. You have a total of six full length books to read and approximately 25-40 written pages to write. The summer written work is due the first day of class, contributes to your grade and will be used in class immediately.
I have incorporated an element of choice within the non-fiction readings. Bear in mind that on average you will need to read one (1) book per week to keep up. Non-fiction reading differs significantly from fiction reading in that you do not often read non-fiction in one sitting. Many of these books will require you to read a chapter, or a few chapters, at a time over the course of a week or two or throughout the entire summer depending on the subject matter. As you read, you should take note of subject matter, author, purpose, writing style, organization, vocabulary choices, intended audience(s), and favorite or most intriguing moments and quotes to serve as evidence in your writing assignments. You must plan your time wisely. There is no viable cramming in the month of August!!
Fiction Required Reading:
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Nonfiction Required Reading:
Columbine by Dave Cullen (this is on the summer reading list—you may double dip)
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder (Pulitzer Prize winner)
My Pet Virus by Shawn Decker
A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink
The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell
OR
Freakonomics by Thomas Friedman (writer for The NY Times)
Required Viewing:
Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture on www.youtube.com. At the time of his lecture, September 2007, Pausch (a Carnegie Mellon professor) was given six months to live. He had pancreatic cancer. Pausch died in August 2008. Watch Pausch deliver his lecture in its original medium at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo. This takes about one hour. I understand that viewing the lecture of a man dealing with his mortality may be difficult or hit too close to home for some of you. If that is the case, contact me for an alternative reading/writing assignment.
View The Story of Stuff at www.thestoryofstuff.com . This is about 20 minutes long.
Optional Reading:
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
These books are readily available at your local library, through interlibrary loan or iCONN (learn how to use it), or through most bookstores. I have extra copies of some—first come, first served. If you do not already possess a local library card, you should get one immediately.
Writing Asssignments:
After reading each book, I am asking you to complete the following writing assignments, due the first day of school, no exceptions. All assignments for this course must be typed and double spaced, Times New Roman size 12. I will not prescribe specific page lengths nor give very specific directions for these assignments. You must judge, as the writer, when you have achieved deep coverage of content in an eloquent, artful way. These assignments will provide me with a sample of your ability and creativity as a writer in “isolation”.
Writing Assignment 1:
Write a separate personal reaction to each book which clearly includes your thoughts about its subject matter, author, purpose, writing style, organization, vocabulary choices, intended audience(s), and favorite or most intriguing moments and quotes.
Writing Assignment 2:
“Think on paper” about the reasons why I assigned this collection of books.
Writing Assignment 3:
Write an essay in which you defend or challenge the inclusion of two books on the VRHS AP English Composition Summer Reading List. Be specific about your reasons for your stance.
Writing Assignment 4:
Write your own Last Lecture. This could be in PowerPoint form or regular prose.
Writing Assignment 5:
Write about your impressions of The Story of Stuff.
I have created a wikispace for all of my courses, but especially for APE. On it you will find required readings and many additional resources to help you be successful in the course. Please go to www.vrhsroom414.wikispaces.com to join the page. Although you do not have to join the space to view its content, you do need to join if you are going to add content. It is my wish that people will add relevant, helpful material to the space including quotes about writing. The space is a living, working space and as such frequently changes. Check it out before the summer is over to view the syllabus and other salient features of the course. Check it weekly to see what’s new.
I look forward to reading your golden words. Enjoy the books and your summer.
Sincerely,
Ms. Schmidt