Course Expectations and Tentative Syllabus

“Meaning is not determinate:  it is made by binary oppositions.”

Course Overview

The AP Language and Composition course is a college-level program that introduces students to a wide range of expository prose in order to broaden their scope of rhetorical ideas and deepen their awareness of the power of language. The course is designed to meet the rigorous requirements of a college level writing class and includes expository, analytical, personal, and argumentative texts from a variety of authors and historical contexts.  These works provide examples of prose writings that students can emulate in their own writing experiences as they discover and create their own style and voice. 

This course provides students with the information necessary to read analytically, formulate theories and arguments based on the readings, and respond by composing articulate essays that utilize advanced elements of sentence structure, syntax, style, purpose, and tone. The purpose of the AP English Language course is to help students “write effectively and confidently in their college courses across the curriculum and in their Professional and personal lives.” (The College Board, AP English Course Description, May 2007, p. 6).  Using rhetorical principles, students will learn how to become critical thinkers, and apply that knowledge to their writing by revising and improving their essays, as well as critiquing and editing peer essays. In addition, students will be required to thoroughly research relevant topics, synthesize information from a variety of sources, and document their knowledge in a cogent well written report using proper MLA cite notations.

NEW INFORMATION REGARDING THE EXAM from COLLEGE BOARD:

The College Board, creators of Advanced Placement, recently announced significant changes to the AP exam ordering process, deadlines, late fees and cancellation fees that will be mandated for all schools and all students in the 2019-2020 school year.

ALL students will decide whether or not to take exams and order their exams by Nov 15, 2019. All students in 1st semester or yearlong AP classes who register after Nov 15, 2019, will be assessed $40.00/exam late fee. In addition, a $40.00/exam cancellation fee will be assessed for any exam order canceled after Nov 15, 2019. The ordering deadline for second semester only courses will be March 13, 2020. You can view the timeline in detail at https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/about-ap/news-changes/ap-2019/for-ap-coordinators, under Fall Exam Ordering Overview.

It is important that all families are aware of these looming changes, especially as students begin registering for their 2019-2020 courses. We understand that these changes may cause concern for students, parents and teachers. Please keep in mind that these changes are being mandated by the College Board and were not decided by the school. 

Additional details regarding the College Board’s new process will be made available once we have more information.

A note about this class:

In order to be approved by the College Board, this course must maintain a certain level of difficulty.  Therefore, it will be challenging and require significant time in your weekly schedule.  If you are in several Advanced Placement (AP) classes and many extra-curricular activities, please be aware that you may have less time to do everything “well”.  Here is a link to an article on AP classes in the LA Times and one from US News and World Report regarding what AP courses mean to colleges.

Students in Honors/AP courses are expected to have the following characteristics:

·       High academic achievement and intellectual ability;

·       Self-motivation and self-discipline;

·       Good organizational skills;

·       Excellent written expression;

·       An avid interest in reading;

·       Good oral communication skills;

·       An ability to work independently and collaboratively; and

·       Good citizenship and attendance.

To be a successful Honors/AP student, students will need to:

·       Identify and formulate problems, and propose and evaluate ways to solve them;

·       Recognize and use inductive and deductive reasoning, and to recognize fallacies in reasoning;

·       Draw conclusions from information found in various sources, whether written, spoken, tabular, or graphic, and defend your conclusions rationally;

·       Distinguish between fact and opinion;

·       Engage critically and constructively in the exchange of ideas;

·       Analyze and edit your own writing;

·       Gather information from primary and secondary sources; craft an original text using this research; quote, paraphrase and summarize accurately; cite sources properly;

·       Prepare for various types of examinations and to devise strategies for success; and

·       Accept constructive criticism and learn from it.

Grading

Grades for the course are based on AP Language and Composition (NEW FOR 2019 – 2020) criteria and the ELA Common Core Regents criteria.  Grades will be numeric, but will reflect letter quality scores on school documents.

Calculating your final course grade

Your final course grade will be calculated numerically.  Each quarter counts as 20% of your final grade; the Regents exam will make up the last 20%.  The final exam is the Regents exam.    The AP in Language and Composition is an optional exam.

Late Work Policy

Homework will only be accepted the beginning of the block it is due; homework is intricately tied to the day’s lesson and can’t be done after the fact.

For papers, journals, and projects:  Except for students with IEPs and 504s that stipulate extended time, all papers and projects will be collected the block they are due.  Late work will be downgraded half a letter grade each day, not block, it is late. 

Please note:  If you turn in a paper or project to the ERC and I am not there, you must have an adult date and time the piece, and provide their initials.  DO NOT MERELY LEAVE SOMETHING IN A MAILBOX, as it will be graded according to the day/time I find it. 

Absence does not excuse you from due dates. Any work that is missed because of an illegal absence (a class cut) will receive a zero. If absence is preplanned (field trip, non-emergency doctor’s visit, etc.), work due that day should be handed in previous to class OR right when you return to school. If the absence is not pre-planned, the work should be handed in the next time you are in school regardless of whether we have class or not. If you miss class, but are in school later that day, the work is still due that day. You may also share work with me through Google Docs.

Attendance

If you must miss a class, you are responsible for work assigned. Please realize, however, that class time cannot be reconstructed or made up, and that your performance, your work, and your final course grade will be affected by excessive absences.

Academic Integrity

Please review the high school’s Code of Conduct. I expect my students to be academically honest. Honestly and integrity include producing original work, not plagiarizing, and citing correctly.  We will review academic definitions of plagiarism.

Classroom Behavior

Think before you speak; listen to what classmates have to say; help others when the occasion calls for it; act honestly.  Success in life is determined by more than a transcript.  Successful people are capable of building meaningful relationships with other people. If, for some reason, your behavior interferes with my instruction or another student’s right to learn, it will be addressed quickly and according to the Code of Conduct.

Extra Help / Emailing the Instructor

You are expected to see me whenever you have questions or issues with a text or a project.  When you contact me via email, please use proper email etiquette, including introducing yourself, declaring which section you are in, and stating your question.  BUT before you email me, please check the blog for information that may answer your question.  The blog is updated regularly. 

Supplies and Requirements

A binder, dividers, plenty of paper, black or blue pens, pencils, and high lighters.  Maybe some sticky notes…

SYLLABUS                                                                        2019 - 2020

Enduring Understandings for AP Language and Composition (from College Board):

·       Individuals write within a particular situation and make strategic writing choices based on that situation.

·       Writers make claims about subjects, rely on evidence that spots the reasoning that supports the reasoning that justifies the claim, and often acknowledge or respond to another, possibly opposing, arguments.

·       Writers guide understanding of a text’s lines of reasoning and claims through that text’s organization and integration of evidence.

·       Individuals write within a particular situation and make strategic writing choices based on that situation.

·       The rhetorical situation informs the strategic stylistic choices that writers make.

Course Skills (from College Board):

Throughout the course, students will follow the pattern or reading others’ arguments and then writing their own. Students will analyze what makes others’ arguments convincing or confusing, engaging or dull, persuasive or powerless.  They will then turn to the act of composition themselves, seeking to emulate effective argumentation they have encountered in their reading and analysis.  Each unit has a list of the skills we will be introducing or reinforcing.

INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE

·       The new scoring matrix

·       A review of the Harris Moves

·       Introduction to SPACE CAT

·       Setting up the AP classroom / investigation of the site
     Rhetorical analysis-- articles, TED talks

·       Journaling on perspective

·        College Board Personal Progress Check 1 (MC)

Unit 1:  Language, Truth, and Argument        

Essential questions: 

Is Truth absolute or relative? How willingly does an individual embrace truth?  What is the relationship between truth and language?  Do texts present truths or undermine them?

Primary text:

Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie

Primary writing assignment:

Argument paper:  Does The Glass Menagerie present or undermine Truth?

Secondary writing assignments:

·       Truth concept map

·       College Board Personal Progress Check 2 (MC and writing)

Goals for the unit (AP / skills):

READING

·      Identify and describe components of the rhetorical situation: the exigence, audience, wrier, purpose, context, and message

·      Explain how the organization of a text creates unity and coherence and reflects a line of reasoning

WRITING

·      Write introductions and conclusions appropriate to the purpose and context of the rhetorical situation

·      Develop a line of reasoning and commentary that explains the claim throughout the argument

·      Use transitional elements to guide the reader through the line of reasoning

·       

Unit 2:  Binary Opposition, Agency, and Argument

A binary opposition (also binary system) is a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning. Binary opposition is the system by which, in language and thought, two theoretical opposites are strictly defined and set off against one another.

According to Wikipedia, “In social science, agency is the capacity of individuals to act independently and to make their own free choices. By contrast, structure is those factors of influence (such as social class, religion, gender, ethnicity, ability, customs, etc.) that determine or limit an agent and his or her decisions.

Essential Questions:

Where is the tension in the text?  What binary opposite best catch the importance of the text? What content most dramatically embodies the binary opposites in order to provide access to the topic? How do binaries form and shape our identities?

Part 1: Feminism and Agency texts:      
     

Advertisment:           Nike                 
Film:                            The Wizard of Oz 

Short story:                  Charlotte Perkins Gillman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”

Essay:                          Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own

Part 2: Race and Agency texts

from The Atlantic:             "This is America: Why the dancing makes the video so hard to watch"
                                   
from the NYT':                    "8 Things to Read..." 

from The New Yorker:         "A Sociologist Examines the 'White Fragility' that Prevents White Americans..."

Music Video:                      Childish Gambino’s “This is America”

from the WP:                       to use with the Covey chapter "At Monticello, Mount Vernon..." 

from the Miami Herald:      "Ew, It's such a bummer..."

Narrative:                            Frederick Douglass’ The Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass

Essay collection:                 The New York Times' 1619 Project


Intersectionality:

TED talk:                           Jamila Lyiscott’s “3 ways to speak English”

TED talk:                            Kimberle Crenshaw's "The urgency of intersectionality" 


Primary Assignments:

·       Binary and agency journals

·       Rhetorical triangle 

·       Small group discussions / peer review

·       SPACE CAT / Argument paper regarding a Woolf, Douglass, and agency

Secondary Assignments:

College Board Personal Progress Checks 3 and 4 (MC and writing)

Goals for the unit (AP skills):

READING

·      Identify and describe the components of the rhetorical situation: the exigence, audience, writer, purpose, context, and message

·      Explain how an argument (controlling idea) demonstrates an understanding of audience’s beliefs, values, or needs

·      Identify and explain claims and evidence within an argument

·      Explain how claims are qualified through modifiers, counterarguments, and alternative perspectives

·      Explain how the organization of a text creates unit and coherence and reflects a line of reasoning

·      Recognize and explain the use of methods of development to accomplish a purpose

·      Explain how word choice, comparisons, and syntax contribute to the specific tone of style of a text

WRITING

·      Write introductions and conclusions appropriate to the purpose and context of the rhetorical situation

·      Develop a claim that requires proof or defense and that may preview the structure of the argument

·      Qualify a claim using modifiers, counterarguments, or alternative perspectives

·      Develop a line of reasoning and commentary that explains the claim throughout the argument

·      Use transitional elements to guide the reader through the line of reasoning of an argument

·      Write sentences that clearly convey ideas and arguments

·      Use establishes conventions of grammar and mechanics to communicate clearly and effectively

·       

Mini Unit:  AP free response essay

Topics:

·       Text complexity

·       Analysis and Synthesis

·       Strategies for Free Response questions

·       Exemplar and Table Reader comment analysis

Definitions for the exam:

Analyze: examine methodically and in detail the structure of the topic of the question for purposes of interpretation and explanation

Argue your position: formulate a claim and support it with evidence

Read: look at or view printed directions and provided passages

Synthesize: combine different perspectives from sources to form a support of a coherent position

Write: produce a response in writing

Primary Assignment:

Synthesis essay

Secondary Assignment:

College Board Personal Progress Check 5 (TBA)

Unit 3:  Inquiry 

This unit will ask students to use skills from Units 1 and 2 to craft informed arguments regarding a particular perspective.

Essential questions:

What is argument? Where do we see arguments in our daily lives? What makes an argument effective?

How can arguments affect change? What role can we personally play in using arguments to affect change?

Topic for 2020:                                                                                                                     

Primary texts:

Research from approved databases

Secondary texts:

Popular articles, TED talks, documentaries, etc.

Primary writing assignments (tentative):

·       Summaries

·       Précis

·       Topic proposal and claim / counterclaim

·       Annotated Bibliography

·       Original visuals for presentation

·       Notes for panel presentation

·       Real-world writing (for example, the college essay, an editorial, a lesson plan)

Goals for the Unit (AP skills):

READING

·       Identify and describe components of the rhetorical situation:  the exigence, audience, writer, purpose, context, and message (for all texts)

·       Explain how an argument demonstrates understanding of an audience’s beliefs, values, or needs.

·       Identify and explain claims and evidence within an argument

·       Explain ways claims are qualified through modifiers, counterarguments, and alternative perspectives (where appropriate)

·       Describe the line of reasoning and explain whether it supports an argument’s overarching thesis

·       Explain how word choice, comparisons, and syntax contribute to the specific tone or style of a text

·       Explain how grammar and mechanics contribute to the clarity and effectiveness of an argument.

WRITING

·       Demonstrate an understanding of an audience’s beliefs, values, or needs

·       Write a claim that requires proof or defense and that may preview the structure of the argument

·       Qualify a claim using modifiers, counterarguments, or alternative perspectives

·       Develop a line of reasoning and commentary that explains the claim throughout an argument

·       Use appropriate methods of development to advance an argument

·       Write introductions and conclusions appropriate to the purpose and context of the rhetorical situation

·       Use transitional elements to guide the reader through the line of reasoning of an argument

·       Strategically use words, comparisons, and syntax to convey a specific tone or style in an argument

·       Write sentences that clearly convey ideas and arguments

·       Use established conventions of grammar and mechanics to communicate clearly and effectively

  

Unit 4: The American Dream, revisited

The American Dream was first conceived by the Founding Fathers.  After reviewing the Declaration of Independence, students will use that document as a lens through which to read The Great Gatsby, and then determine the success or failure of that initial vision as Fitzgerald describes it.

Primary texts:

The Declaration of Independence

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

Primary assignment:

Rhetorical triangle journal for the Declaration of Independence

TBA

Mini Unit:  Regents exam review

Topics:

·       Text complexity

·       Multiple choice strategies

·       The Regents’ Argument essay

·       The Regents’ Literary Response essay