Mrs. LaskoWatkinsGlenHigh School
Advanced Placement
English Language & Composition Syllabus
2008-2009
Course Content Overview
This course meets the requirements of both the College Board Advanced Placement Program and all four learning standards of New YorkState. As a Phase 5 class, it is very writing intensive, examining the major modes of discourse: narration, description, exposition, and persuasion. Throughout the course we will be studying a variety of nonfiction, nonliterary works, such as essays, speeches, biographies, articles (including graphics and visual materials), and historical documents. We will generally not be studying many fictional novels, plays, short stories or poems. Please see the tentative unit schedules at the end of this syllabus.
There will be some attention paid to the later genres, however, because all students in the AP class will take the New York State Comprehensive English Regents Exam in January (rather than in June when it is normally taken). As a result, we will be reviewing for this exam throughout the first semester. All AP students are expected to achieve mastery level (85% or better) on this exam, or it will be retaken in June.
In addition to preparing for the Regents exam, extensive time will be devoted to preparation for the AP exam, which is taken during the second week of May. Many of the writing assignments given will be geared toward this exam (see sections devoted to further explanation of the exam and practice).
Rhetorical Devices and Strategies
Rhetoric is the study of effective language use and the ability to influence the thoughts and conducts of an audience. The writer (or speaker) seeks to convey that he/she is credible and correct in the ideas presented to the audience (The Persuasive Principle). A major focus of the daily analysis activities is identifying and analyzing rhetorical devices and strategies. By the year’s end, students will know approximately 85 devices and strategies that they can recognize and apply to written work.
10-Week Outside Reading/Writing Assignments
For each 10 week marking period, there will be an assignment that consists of reading and writing. The topics of study will include novels, essays and/or news articles. These assignments will be completed entirely on your own outside of class. There will be several due dates during the 10 week marking period. We will also devote some class time to discussing the works once the assignments are complete.
Routine Writing Assignments
There will be a variety of written assignments, both analytical and creative. Writing assignments will come from the following areas:
Summer Reading and Writing Assignments-All students enrolled in the AP English Language course will be required to complete a reading and writing summer assignment prior to the first day of the course. Students who do not complete this assignment will be dropped from the class.
Rhetorical Modes- there will be 7 major essays written, one for each main unit of study: narration, description, exposition (process, compare-contrast, cause-effect, classification, and definition). (The argument unit assignment will be addressed by the final project.) Students are given generous amounts of time to complete the assignment and are therefore expected to write a rough draft which will be used to make substantial revisions. On the due date of these essays the class period will be devoted to students reading aloud their work to the class. The students will then give comments and critiques of the essay as it applies to that particular unit of study and rhetoric. Each student will be required to share at least TWO of these compositions. Please see the rubric used for grading these essays.
AP Practice- We will be doing a great deal of practice AP Exam essays- see the separate section devoted to this. Please see the rubric used for grading these essays.
New YorkStateComprehensive Regents Exam Practice- All students enrolled in this course will take this exam in January. As a result, we will be doing numerous practices forthe 4 major tasks of the test:
- Listening and Writing for Information and Understanding
Students listen to a passage and take notes; answer multiple choice questions, and write a 5 paragraph essay according to the prompt
- Reading and Writing for Information and Understanding
Students read a 2-3 page expository article and view an accompanying visual (graph, chart, diagram, cartoon, etc.); answer multiple choice questions about both sources, and write a 5 paragraph essay according to the prompt
- Reading and Writing for Literary Response
Students read two works of literature (usually a short story and a poem); answer multiple choice questions about both works; write a 5 paragraph essay with a controlling idea according to the prompt
- Reading and Writing for Critical Analysis
Students read a critical lens quote and write a 5 paragraph essay that agrees or disagrees with the quote. They use the support of two major works of literature.
Responses to Readings-Oftentimes students will be asked to write a reflection about a reading assignment, either in class or as a homework assignment. These responses will require students to think about the ideas presented in the works and apply them to their own lives. For example, after reading Nancy Mairs’ essay “On Being a Cripple” students will have to identify and write about an adversity they have faced that has made them stronger.
Experiments with Other Forms- throughout the course students will have a chance to write in genres not usually seen in everyday academia. Some examples would be writing parables, writing personal letters or dabbling with stream-of-consciousness writing.
The Writing Process
Students will be exposed to and taken through the four major steps of the writing process. These steps will be accomplished with both in-class and out-of-class writing activities.
Pre-writing- When an assignment is given, time will be allotted in class for brainstorming ideas. Students are given a list of sample topics for major papers, which are provided within the chapters ofWriting with a Thesis. The class will also break into groups and discuss possible topic ideas. Once students have a topic, they will devise a thesis statement and outline major points to discuss.
Rough Draft- Students are given ample amounts of time to complete formal, out-of-class essays and are therefore expected to write a rough draft that can be edited. In some instances these will be used in class for teacher or peer editing or for self analysis, especially when a new writing or revision skill is being taught (i.e. reducing prepositions, varying word choice or syntax, etc.). At other points students will be required to do the revision on their own. Students will always have the opportunity to meet with me during the Writer’s Conference in class or to make an appointment after school to go over their draft. Rough drafts are a requirement for the modes essays.
Editing- Students will be taught the process involved in editing a composition- not just a spell check, but rather an overhaul or major revamping of a work to make it more rhetorically effective. As previously mentioned, the editing process will take place both in class and for homework, using self-criticisms and peer and teacher critiques for revision. Portions of The Paramedic Method to Revising Prose(Richard Lanham) is incorporated to accomplish this task.
Final Copy- Final copies are expected to be flawless as far as grammar, punctuation, and spelling are concerned. Being an upper level writing course, there is little excuse for error in these areas. For major unit essays (one for each of the rhetorical modes), students will have the opportunity to read them aloud to their peers and receive comments regarding the composition.
Writer’s Conference- At least three times per marking period, each student will meet individually with the teacher during class to discuss his/her current progress in writing. For both creative and analytical essays, common errors, areas of improvement, ideas for compositions, accomplishments, etc. will be discussed.
Plagiarism
The copying (in part or entirely) of another person’s work will NOT be tolerated under any circumstances. Work that has been plagiarized will be given a zero, with no chance to redo the assignment.
Vocabulary
There will not be a formal vocabulary list or a book used for this purpose. However, at the beginning of each reading selection in Writing with a Thesis there is a list of “words to check.” Students are expected to look up the meanings of the words prior to the reading assignment. Oftentimes these words will be discussed in class and will appear within questions on the unit exams. Students are also encouraged to incorporate these words into their written assignments. To discourage simple diction, students will be given a list of “outlawed words” (such as “good” and “nice”) that they may not use in their compositions.
The AP Exam
This exam, which is taken in May, is created by college faculty and experienced AP teachers from around the nation. These people are also responsible for the grading of the exam. The actual test is three hours long and consists of two parts: a multiple choice section and three free response (essay) questions. The multiple choice section involves reading several passages and answering questions regarding their style, content, meaning and rhetorical strategies. Also, there will be questions regarding documentation and citation of sources. For the essay section, students will be required to write three essays in a 2 hour and 15 minute time block, which comes out to spending about 40 minutes per essay. The other 15 minutes is spent reading sources for the synthesis essay. Students will be expected to write a response that incorporates the information from these sources which may be text, graphics and/or visual images.
After calculating and converting grades from the two sections, each test is scored with a grade of 1 to 5, with five being the highest. These grades will be what a college or university uses to determine if it will grant students advanced credit. Please note that the credit granting policies vary by institution, so look into this when researching colleges. There are some that do not accept this type of credit at all.
For more information, visit:
AP Exam Practice
We will be doing a great deal of in-class and out of class practice with both the multiple choice and essay sections. For all out of class practice, students are required to keep track of the time spent and should work as closely to the time limit as possible. In class practice will be both timed and untimed. Closer to the AP exam date, all in class practice will have a time limit in preparation for exam conditions. Students will also learn in class how to annotate a reading passage, and how to view and interpret visual materials (such as graphs, charts, photographs, cartoons, etc.) in preparation for the exam. In addition, students will be given copies of AP Exam responses from the College Board website that they will discuss and evaluate according to the AP rubrics. This experience will help students see what they need to do in order to achieve high level essay scores.
The Course Grading System
Grades will be based on a total point system. Each assignment, test, quiz, etc. will be given a certain point value (for example, tests are out of 100 points). A student’s grade is determined by the total number of earned points divided by the total number of possible points.
I expect that all written assignments be completed in a satisfactory manner (and more often than not TYPED) and of course ON TIME. Each student will be allowed to turn in ONE late assignment per marking period. After this opportunity is exhausted, NO late work will be accepted. Credit will be deducted for the late work and students have ONE schedule cycle to turn it in before the grade becomes a zero.
Essays are graded according to rubrics tailored to that specific assignment. The rubrics used for AP practice are the same as the raters for those exams would use.
Progress reports are e-mailed to both students and parents (provided that I have the correct addresses) on a bi-weekly basis. Grade spreadsheets are also posted in my classroom (according to birth date) and are updated as often as possible.
Test Arguments
After each unit test students will be given a chance to “argue” in support of their answers. So many things regarding analysis are subjective, which is why I will allow students to explain (in written form) their reasoning behind choosing a specific answer for multiple choice questions only. Based on the thoroughness and validity of the students’ remarks, they may be given back partial or full credit. This policy applies only to my unit tests, and not to AP exam practice.
Final Project
Since the AP curriculum is finished in the beginning of May, the rest of the school year will be devoted to reading literature and working on a final project that will take the place of the final exam grade. This project will be a combination of a persuasive essay and a speech to the student’s classmates. Students will be required to take a definite stance on a controversial issue. The final paper and speech will incorporate research sources as support and will use correct MLA format (parenthetical citations and a works cited page, etc.). The students’ peers are involved in rating the content and persuasiveness of the speech.
Questions or Concerns?
Students and parents may feel free to contact me at any time for clarifications, advice or to express a concern that they may have. I can be reached at 535-3210, ext. 7400 or by e-mail: . You may also send me an e-mail through my classroom website.
Textbooks- the following textbooks will be used throughout the course. Students will be given copies of these books that they may use in class and for homework assignments:
Brassil, John, Sandra Coker, and Carl Glover, PhD. Writing the Synthesis
Essay. Saddle Brook: Peoples Education, Inc., 2008.
Brereton, John C., and Linda H. Peterson. The Norton Reader. New
York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2004.
Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War. New York: Doubleday Dell Books
for Young Readers, 1974.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Washington Square Press,
1992.
Skwire, David, and Sarah E. Skwire. Writing with a Thesis: A Rhetoric
and Reader. Canada: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005.
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York: Penguin Books USA Inc.,
1993.
Swovelin, Barbara V. Cliffs AP English Language and Composition, 2nd
Edition. New York: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2001.
The following books will be used periodically in class or as support/reference materials:
College Board.“AP English Language and Composition Course Home
Page.” 23 May 2007.
ers_corner/2123.html
Harris, Jeanette, and Ann Moseley. Interactions: A Thematic Reader.
New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
Humble, Sally R., and Thomas E. Humble. Duke University Talent
Education Program English Language and Composition Advanced
Placement Teacher Manual, 3rd Edition. Durham: Duke University TIP, 2003.
Murphy, Barbara L., and Estelle Rankin. 5 Steps to a 5: Writing the AP
English Essay. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2004.
The Owl Family of Sites. ”PurdueUniversity’s Online Writing Lab.“ 23 May 2007.
Rice, Ruth. English Teacher’s Book of Instant Word Games. West
Nyack: The Center for Applied Research in Education, 1992.
Trimmer, Joseph F. A Guide to MLA Documentation. New York:
Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.
Vogel, Richard, and Charles F. Winans. Multiple Choice Questions in
Preparation for the AP English Language and Composition
Examination. New York: D&S Marketing Systems, Inc., 1997.
Writer’s Web. “How to Make Sentences Clear and Concise.” 23 May
2007. <
Tentative Unit Plans Follow
Please Note:
These plans are based on our school schedule wherein classes meet 3 out of 4 schedule days for approximately one hour.
T= Writing with a Thesis
N= The Norton Reader
Narration Unit Tentative Syllabus
Mon. 9/18 / Go over Chap. 1 reading assignment and exercise p. 9T; Thesis writing and revision practice / None
Tues. 9/19 / No Class
Wed. 9/20 / Introductory Rhetorical Devices;
Narration info. p. 37T / Read More Room p. 167 N
Thurs. 9/21 / More Room (Judith Cofer) Discussion; Write Intros for essay / More Room Essay due 9/26
Read Where I Lived…p. 1155N- 9/28
Fri. 9/22 / Writing Intros; revisions
Reducing Prepositions (Paramedic/Lanham Method) / See 9/21
Mon. 9/25 / No Class
Tues. 9/26 / Rhetorical Devices Quiz
Read & discuss Salvation p. 49T
(Langston Hughes) / Read Where I Lived
Wed. 9/27 / AP Multiple Choice-
Intro & Practice / Read Where I Lived
Thurs. 9/28 / Where I Lived (Henry David Thoreau) discussion p.1155N / Read The Lottery P. 24L
Fri 9/29 / No Class
Mon. 10/2 / Finish Where I Lived; Start Essay- prewriting & drafting / Where I Lived Essay Due 10/6
Tues. 10/3 / Discussion of The Lotteryp.24T
(Shirley Jackson) / Read Learning to Readp. 408 N- 10/6
Wed. 10/4 / Writing AP Essays- Intro, Practice / AP Essay Due 10/10
Thurs. 10/5 / No Class
Fri. 10/6 / Learning to Read p.408N
(Fredrick Douglass) discussion / None
Mon. 10/9 / No School- Columbus Day
Tues. 10/10 / Parables- Zen; The Spider and the Beep. 1120 N (Jonathan Swift)-
read & discuss / AP Mult. Choice due 10/13
Wed. 10/11 / The War Prayer p. 1122 (Mark Twain)- read & discuss / See 10/10
Thurs. 10/12 / No Class
Fri. 10/13 / The Allegory of the Cave p. 1112(Plato)- read & discuss / Parable Assignment
due 10/19
Mon. 10/16 / Tone & DIDLS (Details, Images, Diction, Language, Syntax) / See 10/13; study for test
Tues. 10/17 / NARRATION TEST!
Prewriting and drafting for narrative / See 10/13;
Narrative Essay due 10/20
Wed. 10/18 / No Class
Description Unit Tentative Syllabus