AP English III: Language and Composition

Phone: 910-347-2958 Dixon High School Fax: 910-347-3932

160 Dixon School Road

Holly Ridge, NC 28445

Email:

AP English III: Language and Composition

Amber Jones……….. 2014-2015

Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians:

This is my fourth year teaching at Dixon High School and I look forward to the 2014-2015 junior year. Please feel free to contact me with any specific questions or concerns you may have by email or phone. The AP English III class will be a year long with students focusing on rhetorical analysis in fiction and nonfiction texts. Students are encouraged to use any technology such as laptops, iPads, or other such devices.

Overall Course Objectives (as identified in the AP English Course Description from the College Board)

·  Read from a variety of historical periods and disciplines

·  Identify audience, purpose, and strategies in texts

·  Analyze the types of arguments that writers use

·  Write formally and informally for a variety of audiences

·  Write expository, analytical, and argumentative essays

·  Understand their own writing process and the importance of revision

·  Recognize techniques in visual as well as verbal arguments

·  Synthesize ideas and information from various sources

·  Know how to interpret information presented in notes and citations

·  Use the conventions of standard written English

Rhetorical Knowledge Course Objectives

·  Focus on a purpose

·  Respond to the needs of different audiences

·  Respond appropriately to different kinds of rhetorical situations

·  Use conventions of format and structure appropriate to the rhetorical situation

·  Adopt appropriate voice, tone, and level of formality

·  Understand how genres shape reading and writing

·  Write in several genres

Critical Thinking, Reading, and Writing Course Objectives

·  Use writing and reading for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communicating

·  Understand a writing assignment as a series of tasks, including finding, evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing appropriate primary and secondary sources

·  Integrate their own ideas with those of others

·  Understand the relationships among language, knowledge, and power

Processes Course Objectives

·  Be aware that it usually takes multiple drafts to create and complete a successful text

·  Develop flexible strategies for generating, revising, editing, and proofreading

·  Understand writing as an open process that permits writers to use later invention and rethinking to revise their work

·  Understand the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes

·  Learn to critique their own and others’ work

·  Learn to balance the advantages of relying on others with the responsibility of doing their part

·  Use a variety of technologies to address a range of audiences

Classroom Rules and Expectations:

1.  Be respectful and attentive in class. (No sleeping)

2.  Do not use profanity in my classroom.

3.  Be on time and seated before the bell rings.

4.  Come to class prepared with all necessary materials.

5.  Refrain from use of cell phones and other electronic devices during class.

6.  Remain seated until dismissed at the end of class.

Supply List

Grading Scale Final Grades

·  A=100-93%

·  B= 92-85%

·  C=84-77%

·  D=76-70%

·  F= 69 and below

·  1st 6 Weeks- 25%

·  2nd 6 Weeks- 25%

·  3rd 6 Weeks-25%

·  Final Exam- 25%

Grading Policy

·  30%- Class work/ Homework

·  30%- Tests/ Projects

o  All tests will be announced at least one week in advance. Test formats may include multiple choice, matching, fill in the blank, short answer, essay, etc…

·  20%- Quizzes

o  Quizzes may be announced or unannounced. You will not be quizzed or tested on material that has never been taught or assigned.

·  20%- Writing Prompts

o  Students will be given weekly or bi-weekly free response writing prompts modeled after SAT and ACT formats.

·  AP English Language and Composition Exam

Students enrolled in AP English Language and Composition will take the AP Exam instead of the NC Final Exam for English III. The AP exam is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, 2015. The fee is $91.00.

·  Power School

Along with the other schools in the county, Dixon High School has moved to an online grading software system called PowerSchool. With this system, parents will have access to student grades starting after the third week of school. Login information will be provided when generated. Please allow 5 school days before short assignments are posted (under 20 questions). Longer assignments or tests will be posted within 7 school days. Research papers and other essays will be posted within 10 school days. With PowerSchool, parents will have greater and more consistent access to their student’s progress.

·  Teacher Website

Visit http://dixon.nc.och.schoolinsites.com under my name to see announcements, major assignments, important links, PowerPoint presentations done in class, and notes (notes can be found under the “FORMS” link). I will make literary notes available in advance. IF YOU PRINT YOUR NOTES BEFORE COMING TO CLASS, YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO WRITE IN CLASS. Printing notes is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL. If you do not have your notes printed BEFORE class, YOU WILL WRITE. No exceptions. I will NOT allow you to go to the library to print notes at the beginning of class. Come prepared. This is a privilege that can be revoked.

·  Edmodo

There will be an AP English III group in Edmodo which will contain folders with necessary documents, notes, and links. Students must have logins and be able to access Edmodo.

·  Late Work

Late work will automatically have 5 points deducted for every day it is late. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to get the assignments or tests you missed. The number of school days absent is equal to the number of days you have to make up missed work.

·  Assignments

All assignments must be turned in to the basket with a name, date, and class period. Please remove ragged edges before turning in work. When graded work is returned to you, KEEP IT IN YOUR BINDER.

·  Plagiarism

Cheating is a serious offense and will not be tolerated in this class. This offense will result in a grade of zero in addition to a parent contact.

*The teacher does reserve the right to amend these rules and guidelines at any time.

Course Syllabus

1st 6 Weeks

Pre AP Review

·  Key Literary Terms

·  Close Reading Strategies

Introduction to Rhetorical Analysis

·  What is Rhetoric?

·  What is Rhetorical Analysis?

·  How does one use Rhetorical Devices?

·  SOAPSTone Strategy to Approaching a Text

·  Challenging and Defending Assertions

Possible Fiction/ Poetry Selections

·  Native American Creation Literature

·  Anne Bradstreet- “To My Dear and Loving Husband”, “The Author to her Book”, & “Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10, 1666”

·  Nathaniel Hawthorne The Scarlet Letter

Possible Non-Fiction Selections

·  Jonathan Edwards- Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

·  Olaudah Equiano-The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano

·  Thomas Jefferson- The Declaration of Independence

·  Patrick Henry- Speech to the Virginia Convention

·  Selections from the Bill of Rights

·  All inclusive vocabulary in accordance with core curriculum

2nd 6 Weeks

Possible Fiction/ Poetry Selections

·  Emily Dickinson- Selections

·  Stephen Crane- The Red Badge of Courage

·  Walt Whitman- Poetry Selections

·  Arthur Miller-The Crucible (Independent Reading)

Possible Non-fiction Selections

·  Ralph Waldo Emerson- Selections

·  Henry David Thoreau- Walden

·  Frederick Douglass- My Bondage and My Freedom

·  Abraham Lincoln- The Gettysburg Address

·  Mark Twain- The Lowest Animal

·  Upton Sinclair- Excerpts from The Jungle

·  All inclusive vocabulary in accordance with core curriculum

3rd 6 Weeks

Possible Fiction/ Poetry Selections

·  F. Scott Fitzgerald- The Great Gatsby

·  Harlem Renaissance Poetry Selections

·  Lorraine Hansberry-A Raisin in the Sun (Independent Reading)

Possible Non-fiction Selections

·  Marin Luther King Jr.- “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”

·  All inclusive vocabulary in accordance with core curriculum

4th 6 Weeks

Possible Fiction/ Poetry Selections

·  Sophocles- Antigone

·  William Shakespeare- Selected Drama

·  Harper Lee- To Kill a Mockingbird (Independent Reading)

Writing

·  ACT Prep

Possible Non-fiction Selections

·  Franklin D. Roosevelt- First Inaugural Address

5th 6 Weeks

Possible Fiction/ Poetry Selections

·  Inaugural Poetry

·  Moliere- Tartuffe

·  Tennessee Williams- A Streetcar Named Desire

·  Jane Austen-Pride and Prejudice (Independent Reading)

Writing

·  Rhetorical Analysis of Literature from Puritans, Shakespeare, and Moliere in the 1600s

·  Rhetorical Analysis of drama from the French, Greek, English, and American

·  Research Papers (rubric will be issued during this time)

·  Documentation and Citation

Possible Non-fiction Selections

·  Inaugural Addresses from selected US Presidents

6th 6 Weeks

·  Resume Building

·  Introduction to Senior Project

·  Standardized Testing

AP English III

Amber Jones

2014-2015

I, ______, have reviewed and fully understand the AP English III syllabus.

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