"Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself." - Chinese Proverb

Mrs. Prignano

Room A25

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Extension: 820

AP III Language and Literature

Course Overview

According to the AP Language and Composition Course Description, an Advanced Language and Composition course “engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes.” Students enrolled in AP English Language and Composition will develop their ability to analyze literature through the close reading of complex texts from different historical time periods as well as the required district selections. The students will begin to ask why a writer makes the choices he or she makes and how these choices function in a given piece. Critical reading skills will enable students to develop their abilities as writers of expository, analytical, argumentative, and synthesized pieces. By improving their vocabulary and etymological skills, the students will be given the tools to develop advanced skills in writing personal and reflective pieces.

Course Outcomes

In this course students will

•Improve close reading and analytical strategies; while texts are provided (except for

independent choices), students may want to consider purchasing their own copies of

each text for ease in close reading and annotating text. Otherwise, I would encourage the buying post-it notes.

• Stretch their imaginative abilities in reaction to a wide variety of literature

• Improve their ability to find, explain and defend (through discussion and writing)

what is of value in literature

• Understand the purposes and strategies of rhetoric in order to

Ø  develop an effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing

and maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction

and sentence structure

Ø  improve organization in writing through techniques to improve coherence,

such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis

Ø  effectively state, support and explain their claims in their arguments

Ø  advance vocabulary skills to cope with unfamiliar language

Methods of Instruction

Discussion is the primary way in which students come to understand a particular text. You will be expected to participate in all class discussions and the best way to prepare is to read the assigned material. Cooperative learning groups are also used in this class, as such you can anticipate that several projects and assignments will be done both in small groups and individually as well.

As with any class, you will also complete formal and informal assessments of the course material which will include, but not be limited to quizzes, tests, essays, etc. Since you will be preparing for the rigors of a college education, you will be responsible for two research papers during the year in addition to the rest of your course work.

Writing about Literature/Nonfiction

Students will write a variety of AP style essays over the course of the year, most timed and in class. While all essays expect general rhetorical excellence, each one has a particular thematic or analytical focus.

Students will be writing to understand, writing to explain, and writing to evaluate. Quality of interpretation comes from depth of insightful understanding.

For their own edification, students are encouraged to revise essays even though they will not always be collected. (When allowed, all revisions are due one week after originals are returned).

In addition to writing a variety of essays, students will keep a writing portfolio over the course of the year to document their progress and to engage themselves in thinking about their writing. Students will also write reflective, more personal responses to literature throughout the year in study guides, etc.

Students will complete two research projects which require my prior approval; one will be completed using both MLA and APA formats, more to follow later. Although your research papers require outside information to substantiate your thesis, they should reflect your personal writing style. You may not include more than 35% of outside research in your paper.

Please note: ALL out of class papers must be typed and submitted according to MLA guidelines to www.turnitin.com. You will receive your class identification at a later date. Plagiarism will result in a 0 grade for the assignment.

Grading

I use a points system for grading; daily assignments may receive a grade of 10 points while a major assignment may receive a total of 200 points. My point is: gather as many as you possibly can. Your total grade will reflect the effort you put into your work. I will also be following the district guidelines for grading of:

90% Assignments and Assessment

10% 21st Century Skills

As Advanced Placement Students the expectations of this class are high. In addition to extensive writing, please be prepared to read either independently or review your AP textbook which contains a myriad of information from basic grammar to in depth analysis EVERY night. Please schedule your time accordingly. In the event of disasters, confusion, frustration, please come to see me before you achieve critical mass. It will be quite easy to become overwhelmed, however, with some planning, you will be successful in the class. Depending upon scheduling, additional texts may be added; the following is a partial list of the texts that we will be working on this year:

Community/Individualism

·  Lord of the Flies by William Golding

·  Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

·  Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut

·  "Waste" by Wendell Berry

·  "The New Consumerism" by Juliet Schor

·  The Rat Race (visual)

Language/Identity/Point of View

·  Introduction to the History of the English Language

·  Beowulf

·  Grendel by John Gardner

·  Nonviolent Language North York Women Teachers' Association

·  NCAA Native American Mascots by Mike Lester (visual)

·  The War of the Words: A Dispatch from the Front Lines by Daniel Okrent

·  In Plain English: Let's Make it Official by Charles Krauthammer

`Politics/Power

·  Macbeth (Richard III) by William Shakespeare

·  1984 by George Orwell

·  Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes

·  The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson

·  Two Treatises of Government by John Locke