Mrs.+Hunter-+AP+English+11+Course+Expectations

Jennifer Hunter – Rising Sun High School jhunter@ccps.org Northeast, MD 21901 The activities in this course are designed to comply with the requirements and guidelines provided in the AP English Course Description. Students in this course learn how to communicate effectively and to read complex texts skillfully in order to determine the author’s purpose and audience engagement tactics. In their readings, students are required to focus on rhetorical devices and strategies as they analyze and explain how the authors’ use of language in personal, expository, analytical, and argumentative texts communicates author’s purpose to a specific audience. Students take knowledge base that is built in reading and then apply it to their own writing, developing their own voice and style through the application of the writing process. Students develop visual analytical skills through class instruction with selected media including photographs, cartoons, and film clips. Readings include primary and secondary sources, as well as integrated study of American Literature. Students make connections between society and literature, enhancing their perceptions of writing and the historical context in which selections were written. Much of the reading is focused on non-fiction texts; however students are required to read novels that represent the various time periods in American Literature. Students are able to discuss the author’s use of rhetorical strategies and devices studies in the corresponding unit to convey their specific purpose to an intended audience. Students review vocabulary sentence construction, and MLA format, students will continue to develop their mastery of grammar and usage and apply research methods and documentation practices. Students are required to take the AP English Language and Composition Exam in May. To prepare for the assessment, students participate in a county sponsored simulation in April. Over the course of the year, students will learn to:  ·  Analyze and interpret samples of good writing, identifying and explaining an author’s use of rhetorical strategies and techniques. o  become more aware of the shades of differences in the use of language—to connotation, metaphor, irony, paradox; patterns and shifts in syntax, tone, and point of view. o  learn to identify an author’s values and the assumptions that underlie his or her use of various rhetorical figures and devices of exposition. o  study the structure and meaning of the work and examine it by studying its use of literal and figurative language, its character, plot, themes, and settings.  ·  Apply effective strategies and techniques in students’ own writing.  ·  Create and sustain arguments based on readings, research, and/or personal experience.  ·  Demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English as well as stylistic maturity in students own writing characterized by: 1.  a balance of generalization with specific illustrative detail; 2.  a logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques of coherence such as: repetition, transitions, and other emphasis; 3.  a variety of sentence structures, including appropriate uses of subordinate and coordinate conjunctions; 4.  a wide range of vocabulary used with denotative accuracy and connotative resourcefulness; 5.  an effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, maintaining a consistent voice and achieving emphasis through parallelism and antithesis; and 6.  a use of contextual citations according to the MLA Handbook format for evidence of support from the readings. Throughout the course, students are required to complete multiple choice practice sets and timed writings either from an AP resource book or from a public release prompt. Essay response are often peer scored (and teacher confirmed) using 9-point AP rubrics. You are encouraged to continue revising essays throughout the course. There will be an average of 1 timed writing and 1 practice multiple choice set every 2 weeks. You will read novels and other readings independently and then complete quizzes or essays to assess your initial understandings. Following the assessment, you will complete activities and/or discussions to gain a deeper understanding of author purpose and style. You then have the opportunity to revise your initial essay responses and reflect on your reading processes. 1.  During the first quarter, students read //The Scarlett Letter// and //The Crucible// and compose an essay comparing and contrasting author style- specific focus on rhetoric. 2.  During the second quarter, students maintain a reading journal and compose response essays for a variety of independent reading selections, including those from //The Language of Literature.// The journal prompts are designed to help students to develop close reading skills (annotation), to practice developing thesis statements and supporting them with text evidence, to provide opportunities to identify and describe an author’s use of rhetorical strategies (and connect to author purpose), and to provide students with additional opportunities to craft your own style & diction. 3.  During the 3rd quarter, students complete a journal that requires them to identify author purpose; claim/thesis; tone; audience; and style for given essay selections from //The Bedford Reader//. After review and discussion, they compose, present, and evaluate original pieces using selected rhetorical patterns. Because class-time during third-quarter shifts to rhetorical patterns (//The Bedford Reader//), independent reading is designed to continue the American literature tradition (primarily from //The Language of Literature//), as well as to allow students to experience reading pieces with unfamiliar syntax. These selections are assessed with AP-style multiple choice quizzes. 4.  During the fourth quarter students will choose a novel from a suggested list. In addition to analyzing, students will also research and respond to various critical reviews of the novel in order to compose on their own. You are responsible for the understanding of the words on the vocabulary list. Yes, //all// 120 of them. The value of knowing these words will be evident as you read new texts and participate in a variety of testing experiences. Every other week there will be a quiz on a random sampling of 11 words on the list provided (A). For the quiz you will need to know the part of speech, spelling, and definition. Be able to put the word into a sentence correctly! You are also responsible for understanding a multitude of AP concepts. Every other week you will be quizzed on a random sampling of 15 of the concepts on the list provided (B). For the quiz you will need to know what the concept is, how to use it, and how to recognize it. None of these quizzes will count for a grade but will give a very good indicator of the progress you are making class and what you still need to work on. Based on these quizzes you will know exactly what you need to study for the final AP test in May. I suggest you take them seriously as they will indicate what you are __learning__. In order to be successful in this AP class and on the test you will need to practice using different modes of discourse and rhetorical patterns. Thus there will be several process papers that will focus on the writing process and creative use of writing strategies such as description, argument. Cause/effect, definition, comparison/contrast, process, division/classification and example. Timed Writings Process Papers Projects/Presentations || Class work Discussion- Small & Large Group Journal Practice Multiple Choice Sets Timed Writings ||
 * AP Language and Composition Syllabus **
 * __ COURSE OVERVIEW: __**
 * __ COURSE OBJECTIVES: __**
 * Write in a variety of genres and contexts, both formal and informal, employing appropriate conventions.
 * Move effectively through the stages of the writing process, with careful attention to inquiry and research, drafting, revising, editing, and review.
 * Develop public speaking skills through class discussions, oral reports, and dramatization of scenes from literary works, oral reading of poetry, seminar leadership and participation in group discussion.
 * __ TEST PRACTICE- Timed Writing & Multiple Choice __**** : **
 * __ JOURNAL- Novels and Independent Readings: __**
 * __ “L to J” QUIZZES- Vocabulary & AP Concepts: __**
 * __ PROCESS WRITING: __**
 * __ SUMMARY OF ASSESSMENTS: __**
 * ** Summative Assessments (67-75%) ** || ** Formative Assessments (25-33%) ** ||
 * Practice Multiple Choice Sets

Percentage and letter grades can be identified as follows: A- ||  93-100 90-92 ||  B    B-  ||  87-89 83-86   80-82  ||  C    C-  ||  77-79 73-76   70-72  ||  D  ||  67-69 65-66 ||
 * ** Letter Grade ** || ** % Scale ** ||
 * A
 * B+
 * C+
 * D+
 * F ||  50-64  ||

**Re-submissions will be made available on written portions of tests & quizzes. ** __ Late Work __** : (this includes work missed due to an unlawful absence) will be accepted up to two days late with a 10% penalty for each day late. Beyond two days, the assignment will receive and automatic 60%. If you are in school, but lawfully out of class, (i.e. band, field trip, sports), work is still due that day and will be considered late if not turned in on time. ** __ Make-up Work __** : If you are absent due to a lawful absence, it is YOUR responsibility to submit work due and/or find out about work assigned on that day. This should be done on the day you return by obtaining a make-up request form and submitting it to the teacher in a timely fashion. Work due on days that you missed will be due immediately upon your return to class. For work assigned on a day you miss, you will have extra days equal to the number you missed. If is also YOUR responsibility to see me to arrange to make-up missed tests & quizzes, for tests & quizzes taken on a day you miss. ** __ Academic Dishonesty __** : Action will be taken against students who engage in academic dishonesty of any kind. Cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation, or fraud will be referred to the office & and automatic 0 will be given with no chance for make-up or revision. (This includes all summer reading assignments) ** Remember! ** Online resources, such as Spark Notes, are not meant to be used as a tool for completing assignments! Also, using the “copy & paste” method of writing is not to be used in place of your own original work! ** __ Materials & English Notebook: __ ** __ Materials __** : ** __ Textbooks: __** We will use several textbooks during the year. You are expected to bring the appropriate texts to class and are not permitted to leave texts that are signed out in the classroom. ·  __ The Bedford Reader __ (Signed out) ·  __ Writing With a Purpose __ (Signed out) ·  __ The Language of Literature __ ·  __ Language Network __ ·  __ Freakonomics __ ** __ Final Thoughts __** : There will likely come a time during the year when you will feel overwhelmed with the course demands and rigor of coursework. Many of you work, play sports, are involved in numerous school activities from band to National Honor Society, and take several other very demanding courses, all of which require your undivided time and effort. Juggling these things will only help prepare you for your inevitable future in collage and/or the work place. Remember to stay organized and divide your efforts appropriately. I’ve provided you my email address which should be helpful should you need assistance. I am efficient with email so take full advantage of that. Also, I am readily available to you before school and after school. I do coach after school during the fall but I will do everything I can to be here for you first. My number one concern is to help you develop the skills you need to successfully meet our course objectives, pass the AP exam, and go into college with a grandeur of knowledge. Thus you should resign yourself to the mentality that regardless of everything else, you are //delighted// to have yet another essay to write!
 * __ Revision __** : You may **revise & resubmit** any //timed writing or process papers//. The original assignment must accompany your new version (revision stapled to the front) in order to receive credit. The original and revised grades are averaged together for a new grade that is entered into the grade book. All revised work is to be kept in student portfolios. Students __may not__ revise any other assignments.
 * You are expected to maintain an organized English notebook throughout the year/semester. It must be a three ring binder. You must bring your binder, and any other materials signed out to you through the duration of the course, to class everyday. It is your responsibility to keep up with your notebook contents and to use a system of organization that provides sense and neatness. A table of contents is not necessary per se, but you will want the following: Syllabus, AP English Language & Composition Concepts, Vocabulary List, Class work/Handouts, and Journal (a spiral notebook that fits in the binder rings).
 * __ General Materials __ : Pen/Pencil, Notebook, & Paper, 1” three ring binder, 1 spiral notebook w/ plenty of pages!
 * Students are required to purchase a copy of the course novels. It is recommended that they be purchased as soon as possible. Utilize Amazon.com as a way to get them at a low cost. If purchasing the novel is not possible the school can provide a copy.
 * // The Scarlett Letter // by Nathaniel Hawthorne
 * // The Crucible // by Arthur Miller
 * // The Great Gatsby // by F. Scott Fitzgerald
 * // The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn // by Mark Twain
 * // Julius Caesar // by William Shakespeare
 * // The Things They Carried // by Tim O’brien
 * All students are strongly encouraged to purchase a study book. I suggest __5 Steps to a 5: AP English Language__, McGraw-Hill, Second Edition. The book is available at regular book stores and on Amazon.com.