AP Language and Composition SyllabusPerry High School

Massillon, OhioSubmitted by Debra Warstler

This AP Audit begins with an overview of course elements and specific discussion of the connections to College Board standards for AP Language and Composition, and then moves to the detailed syllabus that I distributed to students. The syllabus contains course objectives, all reading selections, writing assignments, projects, in-class activities, exam requirements, and assessment details.

Overview:This course is designed to teach students the skills needed to rhetorically

analyze a variety of prose texts and to compose solid written analyses and arguments. The reading material is almost solely non-fiction: essays, books, speeches, commentaries, editorials, images, and full-length books. The Honor’s level courses at grades 9 and 10 in our district are primarily fiction based; therefore, students entering junior year have had minimal exposure to non-fiction literature. While I use one memoir and one full-length novel during the year, the rest of the material I use reflects the types of prose typically found on the AP Language and Composition exam.

Students read and annotate two books during the summer identifying how the authors use rhetorical devices in their writing. Students also study a list of rhetorical devices during their summer work—both the definitions and effects on composition. During the first two weeks of school, I teach them to recognize basic rhetorical appeals (Ethos, Pathos, Logos) and text analysis strategies. Students learn to apply the SOAPSTone strategy (Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, Tone) when analyzing text selections, and the OPTIC strategy (Overview, Parts, Title, Interrelationships, Conclusion) for visual images.

The course syllabus is designed to maximize class time and provide learning opportunities for every necessary skill outlined by the College Board. Students bring annotated reading assignments to class discussion, and following discussion, students write essays that move through a lengthy writing process. Students take practice Multiple Choice reading tests, and we work as a group to analyze areas of confusion. I am then able to provide direct instruction for skills in vocabulary, grammar, denotation/connotation, and rhetorical elements that are still not clear. Students regularly complete Free Response Questions from previous AP exams and then work together to determine strengths and weaknesses. This process helps me assess areas for additional writing instruction. Additional formal and informal writing assignments (detailed below) give students further opportunities to develop necessary skills.

I handle assessment differently in this class compared to a typical college prep class; very few points are recorded until the end of each grading period. Half of the grade is based on writing, and I have found that waiting to assign grades pushes students to work diligently on every assignment. *50% of the student grade is based on writing. Rather than assigning a grade to each essay, I assign a holistic score on a portfolio of all work written during each grading period. The portfolio includes all writing: Out of class essays, In-class essays, rhetorical précis, written responses to reading, and a final reflective letter from the student analyzing and defending his/her writing performance. This grade is based on both process and product. I look for solid growth.

*40% of the student grade is based on objective evaluations: quizzes over reading material, vocabulary quizzes, grammar tests, homework, and presentations.

*10% of the student grade is based on class participation: peer response, discussion, conference readiness, and workshop activities.

Course Alignment to The AP College Board:

Curricular Requirement 1: The course teaches and requires students to write in several forms (e.g., narrative, expository, analytical, and argumentative essays) about a variety of subjects.

During the first semester, students write three multi-draft essays (Outside of Class/OCE): a narrative essay, in which they analyze a time in their lives when they came to know something about themselves, the world, or the people in it; a process essay in which they describe/analyze a process; and a comparison/contrast essay in which they analyze the effectiveness of rhetorical devices used in two political cartoons dealing with the same issue, two print advertisements for similar products, or two commercials for similar products. Each essay follows the annotated reading and discussion of essays representing the genre.

In addition to the Out-of-Class essays, students write 20 timed In-Class Essays (ICE) throughout the year as preparation for the AP test. I pull sample questions from previous AP tests, and I also compose my own topics based on reading selections discussed during class. I begin the year focusing on analysis questions, then move to argument and synthesis. By the end of January, I move back and forth between argument/synthesis and analysis.

Throughout the entire year, students write rhetorical précis (CEP) over current event opinion essays/commentaries (4 times each quarter). Students have the option of selecting a single commentator for a quarter or a specific topic in the news. Each quarter they select a new focus.

During the second semester, students write two multi-draft essays. The first is a research paper in which the students develop an argument dealing with an aspect of

education. This paper stems from the reading, annotation, and discussion of three previously published articles/essays focused on issues in education today. The second is an argumentative essay in response to one of the articles they previously read and analyzed for the Current Event Précis (CEP) assignments.

The semester exam is an analytical essay over the non-fiction book they selected to read with a partner outside of school and then discussed with others that read the same book for the project. The final exam is an analytical essay over a novel that has been recognized for its literary merit. These two essays are not multi-draft. Students write them before the exam dates so that they have time to carefully edit and proofread their work.

Curricular Requirement 2: The course requires students to write essays that proceed through several drafts, with revision aided by teacher and peers.

Five times throughout the course (3 first semester; 2 second semester), students will revise essays (OCE). When the essays are submitted, I first select one essay, make copies of it for the class, and I lead them through a class revision; students then (working in groups of 4) read two separate essays and respond in writing to a feedback prompt I have prepared. After students review peer feedback, they then have one week to revise before submitting a second draft. At that time, I give written feedback and meet with them in individual conferences to discuss further revision. Students submit final drafts along with final drafts one week later.

Students also revise 1 or 2 Current Event Précis each semester, selecting one that I have previously assessed; they work with peers to improve wording, sentence structure, and overall rhetorical analysis.

Curricular Requirement 3: The course requires students to write in informal contexts designed to help them become increasingly aware of themselves as writers and of the techniques employed by the writers they read.

Students begin annotating work with the books they read for summer (On Writing by King; The Glass Castle by Walls) and continue the annotation process for everything they read throughout the year. As students read during the summer months, they discuss the material in an online blog site that I established for this class. At the beginning of the year, students use journals to dialogue with partners about Walls’ work—exploring her craft; this replaces a formal assessment over the memoir. I frequently have students use journal response to think through an essay or article that we read in class before starting class discussion.

Curricular Requirement 4: The course requires expository, analytical, and argumentative writing assignments that are based on readings representing a wide variety of prose styles and genres.

After students read, annotate and discuss The Glass Castle (Walls), “Salvation” (Hughes), “Superman and Me” (Alexie), and “The Serpents of Paradise” (Abbey), they

write a narrative essay in which they allow the narrative itself to reveal how they came to understand something about themselves, other people, or the world around them.

After students read, annotate, and discuss “Dumpster Diving” (Einger), “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain” (Mitford), and “Homer’s Odyssey” (Scott), they write an expository essay in which they explain a process.

After students read, annotate and discuss “Fremont High School” (Kozol), “Of Youth and Age” (Bacon), and “Rapport Talk and Report Talk” (Tannen), they write an analytical essay comparing/contrasting the rhetorical strategies in two print advertisements, two commercial messages, or two political cartoons.

After students read, annotate, and discuss a non-fiction book (see below), they write an essay in which they analyze the author’s rhetorical strategies. (Semester exam assignment)

After students read, annotate, and discuss “Best In Class” (Talbot), “From Degrading to De-Grading” (Kohn), and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read” (Prose), they select a research paper topic within the area of education. This is an argument essay that includes 5-6 sources as support.

After students read, annotate, and discuss a novel in a Literature Circle setting, they will write an essay in which they analyze the author’s rhetorical strategies to convey theme. (Final exam assignment)

Curricular Requirement 5: The course requires nonfiction readings that are selected to give students opportunities to identify and explain an author’s use of rhetorical strategies and techniques.

Essays:

"Salvation" Langston Hughes"Superman and Me" Sherman Alexie"The Serpents of Paradise" Edward Abbey"Dumpster Diving" Lars Einger"Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain" Jessica Mitford"Homer's Odyssey" Tom Scott"Fremont High School" Jonathan Kozol"Of Youth and Age" Francis Bacon"Rapport Talk and Report Talk" Deborah Tannen"Get a Knife, Get a Dog, but Get Rid of Guns" Molly Ivins"In Defense of Prejudice" Jonathan Rauch"Kid's Stuff" Michael Chabon"America's Real Dream Team" Thomas Friedman"From Degrading to De-Grading" Alfe Kohn

"Best In Class" Margaret Talbot"I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read" Francine Prose

Various short essays used for Multiple Choice practice and rhetorical analysis exercises.

Books:On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Stephen KingThe Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth Alexandra Robbins

Non-fiction selections for the semester exam:

Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America Jill LeovyNo Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, The NSA, Glenn Greenwaldand the US Surveillance SystemFast Food Nation Eric SchlosserGod Is Not Great Christopher HitchensOutliers: The Story of Success Malcolm GladwellThings That Matter Charles KrauthammerI Am Mali: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Malala Yousafzai andWas Shot by the Taliban Christina Lamb

Novel selection for final exam (Literature Circle unit)

Speeches:

"I Have a Dream Martin Luther King, Jr."9/11 Speech" George W. Bush “Tribute to the Dog” George Graham VestFranklin Delano Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation

Curricular Requirement 6: The course teaches students to analyze how graphics and visual images both relate to written texts and serve as alternative forms of text themselves.

Several times throughout the year, students analyze visual images either as the focus of a writing assignment or in conjunction with essays of the same topic area. In the early weeks of instruction of rhetorical analysis, I use these images for group discussion and practice:The Heroes of 2001 Stamp

Girl Scout Ad 2011

Working in groups, students select 2-3 examples of Holiday Advertising and analyze their rhetorical effectiveness, stressing which is the more effective

During the week before Thanksgiving and following the group visual analysis presentations of Holiday Advertising, students do a timed analysis writing comparing these two visual images:“Freedom from Want” Norman Rockwell“The Last Thanksgiving” Roz Chast

In conjunction with the three essays that students analyze before the research paper unit, they also examine the rhetorical techniques of the following images:“The Spirit of Education” Norman Rockwell“What I learned: A Education Sentimental From Nursery School Through Twelfth Grade”

Students create their own Multi-modal presentations following a group analysis of these visual arguments. These selections provide a variety of possible modes that can effectively help them develop rhetorically effective arguments.“Death to Pennies”“God Made a Farmer”“Yes, We Can Save the Planet”

When students practice timed writing (ICE) focused on synthesis, I provide visual images as possible source material.

Curricular Requirement 7: The course teaches research skills, and in particular, the ability to evaluate, use, and cite primary and secondary sources. The course assigns projects such as the researched argument paper, which goes beyond the parameters of a traditional research paper by asking students to present an argument of their own that includes the analysis and synthesis of ideas from an array of sources.

The researched argument paper is taught in January/February. Following the reading of essays and analysis of images dealing with issues in education today, students develop an argument focused on a single question in modern-day education. In addition to printed materials, students must include a variety of sources in their analysis, including visual images, interviews, and charts or graphs. During the research paper project, students complete two 1-2 page typed responses—each evaluating a single article as to how it supports the argument being constructed.

Curricular Requirement 8: The course teaches students how to cite sources using a recognized editorial style.

Throughout the year, students learn necessary guidelines for MLA documentation and formatting. In addition to the in-class handbook (The Writer’s FAQs), I introduce them to two sites that are easy to maneuver when working on a paper: www.owl.englsih.purdue.edu and www.guides.boisestate.edu.

Curricular Requirement 9: The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after the students revise their work, that the students develop these skills: a wide-ranging vocabulary, a variety of sentence structures, logical organization, a balance of general/specific detail, and an effective use of rhetoric.

For each of the multi-draft essays, I confer with students throughout the writing process, examining purpose, tone, diction, development of ideas, organization, etc. When they submit their second drafts (following the peer responses to first drafts), I then provide written feedback. I provide further written feedback on the final drafts, but I do not grade them until students submit their portfolio reflections at the end of each quarter. Following each multi-draft unit, I design instruction to directly address common weaknesses that emerged during the process.

During the summer, students learn a list of rhetorical devices that we review throughout the year as we analyze text. Students also learn vocabulary words throughout the year that are highly applicable to the rigor of argument and analysis demanded by the AP Language and Composition course.

I use sentence-combining exercises throughout the year as a means of improving sentence structure and complexity of expression.

Teacher Resources:Goldwaithe, Melissa A., Ed. The Little Norton Reader: 50 Essays From the First 50

Year. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. 2016. Print.

Harris, Muriel, and Jennifer L. Kunka. The Writer’s FAQs. 5th Ed. Boston: Pearson, 2013. Print.

Lunsford, Andrea A., John J. Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters. Everything’s anArgument: With Readings. 6th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013. Print.

Miller, James S. Acting Out Culture: Reading and Writing. 2nd ed. Boston, Bedford/St.Martin’s, 2011. Print.

Peterson, Linda, et al,. eds. The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction. 13th Ed. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2012. Print.

Shea, Renee H., Lawrence Scanlon, and Robin Dissin Aufses. The Language ofComposition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric. 2nd. Ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s,2013.

*I distributed the following detailed syllabus to students.

AP English Language and CompositionPerry High School

2016-17

Instructor: Mrs. Debra WarstlerRoom: 225Mods: 1-2, 15-16

OVERVIEW

"An AP English 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. Both their writing and their reading should make students aware of the interactions among a writer's purposes, audience expectations, and subjects as well as the way generic

conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing. The AP Language and Composition course...enables students to read complex texts with understanding and to write prose of sufficient richness and complexity to communicate effectively with mature readers" (The College Board, 2006).

COURSE GOALS

Obviously, your goal at the end of this course is to receive a score high enough on the AP exam to receive college credit. I'd like to think you share the following goals as well.Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

* Read complex non-fiction texts to determine an author's purpose;

* Analyze and interpret samples of good writing, identifying and explaining an author's use of rhetorical strategies and techniques;

* Analyze image as text;

* Apply effective strategies and techniques in their own writing;

* Write for a variety of purposes;

* Create and sustain arguments based on readings, research and/or personal experience;

* Produce analytical and argumentative compositions that contain complex central ideas supported with appropriate evidence drawn from both primary and secondary sources, well-developed explanations, and clear transitions;

* Demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English, as well as stylistic maturity;

* Demonstrate understanding of the conventions of citing primary and secondary sources;

* Move effectively through the stages of the writing process (inquiry/research, drafting, revising, editing and review);

* Evaluate and incorporate reference documents into research-based papers;

* Reflect on their own process of writing and evaluate both strengths and areas for improvement in their work.

COURSE CONTENT

* Reading

To this point much of your reading has focused on fiction (novels, short stories, film); in this class there will be a heavy emphasis on non-fiction (books, essays, memoirs/autobiographies, historical documents, speeches, visual images, political/social commentaries, documentaries, etc.). With each selection, we will read critically, analyzing the author's purpose and the methods he/she uses to achieve it. Whatever we are working with, you will be expected to annotate your work before planned discussion days. Follow the guidelines I gave you for the summer reading assignment. Understand that this is not "busy work"--it is a vital exercise if you are to be successful in your growth as a mature reader and writer.

During class we will be doing timed-reading exercises taken from previous AP Language and Composition exams. This process will help prepare you for the multiple-choice section of the exam next May.

*Writing

Outside Class Essays (OCE)

Throughout the course of this year, you will write a total of four multi-draft essays plus a research paper. In addition, you will write two essays for exam grades; these will not require multiple drafts. You will write in a variety of rhetorical modes: narrative, process, comparison, analytical, argumentative, and research. Each writing will follow the reading and critical analysis of works that I have selected.

In Class Essays (ICE)

Each semester you will write ten to twelve timed essays during class using prompts from previous AP Language and Composition Exams, in addition to prompts that I create based on reading selections covered in class. We will use these essays to identify areas for improvement.

* Twice during the second semester you are required to attend a 3 1/2 hour session after school hours to complete a practice AP exam (writing portion). You need the experience of doing the entire exam in one sitting. We will decide the times together at the beginning of the second semester.

Reflective Writing

At the end of each grading period, you will write a reflective letter evaluating your portfolio work--all of the writing done during the quarter.

Current Event Rhetorical Précis (CEP),

In order for you to be successful on the AP test--and in your life beyond high school--you need a broad knowledge of what is going on in the world. The social and political debates taking place in our society involve you, and it is my goal to introduce you more fully to this experience. Four times during each grading period, you will write a rhetorical précis based on the work of a columnist of your choosing or a specific topic area frequently covered by political commentators. (Assignment guidelines attached)

*Vocabulary

In addition to the rhetorical terms that you learned over the summer, you will need to keep a separate notebook of words that we identify as "words we all should know"; it is your responsibility to increase your language bank throughout this school year.

Throughout the year, we will focus on a list of words that are especially helpful when developing and analyzing argument. Strive to incorporate them into everyday language expression.

*Grammar and Syntax

You are responsible for mastering the writing skills and conventions we practice in class. I expect to see evidence in your papers that you are moving forward as sophisticated and mature writers.

*Discussion and Presentation

In order to be successful in this class and ultimately on the AP exam, you must take an active role in the group dynamics of the classroom. You are expected to take an active role in discussion--both speaking and listening. Extend the process we followed in our blog discussions this past summer. Always strive to move the discussion forward; think critically to what is being said and push us beyond surface observations.

There will be presentations throughout the year, sometimes as small groups and sometimes as individuals. I will design assignments that will encourage you to tap into your "creative juices".

ASSESSMENTS50% of the student grade is based on writing. Rather than assigning a grade to each essay, I will assign a holistic score on a portfolio of all work written during each grading period. The portfolio will include all writing: Out of class essays, In-class essays, précis, written responses to reading, and a final reflective letter. This grade will be based on both process and product. I am looking for solid growth.

40% of the student grade is based on objective evaluations: Quizzes over reading material, multiple-choice reading exams, vocabulary quizzes, grammar tests, homework, and presentations.

10% of the student grade is based on class participation: peer response, discussion, conference readiness, and workshop activities.

TENTATIVE SYLLABUS

As I explained last spring, you are part of year four for AP Language and Composition at Perry High School. I have thoughtfully selected material and designed this syllabus, and while I am confident of the approach I have taken, I reserve the right to change it as I deem necessary. I will announce any changes well ahead of time.

A reminder of the abbreviations I will use throughout the year on your syllabus:

OCE: Multi-draft paper written outside of classICE: Timed essay written during classCEP: Current event précisHW: Homework MC: Multiple Choice practice test

First Quarter:

August 22-26M Introductions; return summer work.T Class details: Current Event Précis assignment. Semester Exam details.

Distribute George Bush 9/11 Speech for HW. Annotate.W What is rhetoric? Review SOAPSTONE. Ethos, Pathos, Logos TH Quiz over rhetorical terms from summer work. Examine Bush for evidence.

HW: Rev. On Writing annotations.

F SLO. HW: annotate "I Have A Dream"

Aug. 29-Sept. 2

M 5 Small groups; assign each group one section of King to present to class(Identify King's main point in section. What does he say? How does he say it? Effect?) Students will read specific entries from text to illustrate ideas.

T/W Present to class; discussionTH Current Event Précis (CEP#1) due. ICE #1 (Argument)F Individual Scoring and Conference

Sept. 5-9

M No SchoolT Direct Writing Instruction: Precis and ICE (Argument)

W Practice Precis (in class). HW: Read and annotate narrative essays—Hughes (32), Alexie (323), Orwell (22)

TH Multiple Choice PracticeF CEP #2 due. Multiple Choice Discussion

HW: Review Boys In the Boat annotations; begin dialogue journals

Sept. 12-16M Dialogue Journals.T Discussion: Narrative essaysW Discussion: Assign Narrative OCE. Quiz and Discussion: Boys In the BoatTH Discussion: Boys In the Boat; refer to dialogue journals. Thesis for OCE due.F No School

Sept. 19-23

M ICE #2. (Argument) T Individual scoring and conferences. Writing workshop.W MC practice. TH OCE (narrative)due. HW: Reader responseF Writers Workshop: conferences

Sept. 26-30

M CEP #3 due. ICE #3 (Argument)T Direct writing instruction; evaluation of ICE #3W Individual scoring of ICE #3; conferences. Writers WorkshopTH Writers WorkshopF OCE draft #2 due. Grammar and vocabulary quiz.

Oct. 3-7

M In-Class response to visual image (small group)T ICE #4 (Argument)W Direct writing instruction; evaluation of ICE #4T Individual Scoring of ICE #4; conferencing. Writers WorkshopF CEP #4 due. Writers workshop and conferences

Oct. 10-14

M No SchoolT OCE Narrative final draft due (all drafts attached); MC practice.W In-class response to visual image (individual)TH ICE #5 (Rhetorical Analysis)F Individual scoring of ICE #5; conferences

Oct. 17-21M Discussion: Rhetorical analysisT Writers Workshop. CEP #5 dueW Read and annotate essays: Keillor (250), Eighner (276), Didion (105).TH Assign small groups for analysisF Group presentations: analysis

Assign OCE # 2(Process).

Oct. 24-28

M Portfolio due with reflective letter. ICE #6 (Rhetorical Analysis)T Direct writing instruction; evaluation of ICE #6 in classW Individual scoring and conferencingTH CEP #6 due . MC practice. End of grading period.F No School.

Second Quarter

Oct. 31-Nov. 4

M OCE draft due; ResponseT Writers workshop; peer responseW Writers workshop; conferencingTH Grammar and vocabulary quizF CEP #7 due. MC practice

Nov. 7-11

M OCE second draft due

T ICE #7 (Rhetorical Analysis)W Direct writing instruction; evaluation of ICE #7 in classTH Individual scoring and conferencingF CEP #8 due. MC practice and discussion.

Nov. 14-18

M OCE final paper due with all drafts attached. Read and annotate essay packet for Comparison paper: EB White(36), Baldwin (69), Emerson (1), Thoreau

(3)T Discussion. OCE #3 assignment (Comparison). W MC practice.TH Visual Rhetorical Analysis assignment (Holiday Advertising). Assign Groups.F Group work visual rhetorical analysis

Nov 21-25

M Draft of Comparison paper due. Reader response.T In-class analysis of Rockwell's "Freedom From Want" and Chast's "The Last

Thanksgiving”W Thanksgiving breakT Thanksgiving breakF Thanksgiving break

Nov. 28-Dec. 2

M Thanksgiving breakT Group work visual rhetorical analysis; Comprehensive vocabulary quiz W Group work visual rhetorical analysisTH Visual Analysis PresentationsF Visual Analysis Presentations

Dec. 5-9

M Language/grammar reviewT CEP 9 due. ICE #8 (Rhetorical Analysis)W Direct writing instruction; class evaluation of ICE #8TH Draft #2 of Comparison paper due; individual scoring of ICE#8 and conferencingF MC practice

Dec. 12-16

M Writers Workshop; Punctuation and vocabulary quiz T ICE #9 (Synthesis)

W Direct Writing Instruction; class evaluations of ICE #9TH Individual scoring and conferencingF Final Comparison paper due with all drafts attached; MC practice

Dec. 19-20

M ICE #10 (Synthesis)T Direct writing instruction; class evaluations of ICE #10W Individual scoring and conferencingTH "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus." Group rhetorical analysisF Group rhetorical analysis

Dec. 21-Jan 2. Christmas break

Jan. 2-6

M No SchoolT Portfolio due with reflective letter. Individual ConferencesW Exam paper due: Analysis of Non-fiction book. HW: Essays: Anzaldua (199),

Barry (265), Zinsser (149).TH Vocabulary list 2 quiz. Continue Individual ConferencesF Vocabulary list 3.

Jan 9-13

M OCE/Begin Research Project (Argument/synthesis); Essay discussionT Directed instruction: Research and MLAW Directed instruction: Research and MLATH CEP #10 due; Research. End of grading period.F No School

Third Quarter

Jan. 16-20

M No SchoolT OCE thesis due; Conference; Vocabulary quiz W Direct InstructionTH ICE #11 (Synthesis)F Individual Scoring of ICE #11; Conferencing

Jan. 23-27

M 1/2-page typed response to single research source; MC practice.

T Direct Instruction: close reading.W MC practice; group analysis.TH ICE #12 (Argument)F CEP #11. Individual scoring of ICE #12

Jan.30-Feb.3

M Vocabulary quiz. MC Practice.T 1/2-page typed response to single research source; Language/grammar focusW Language/grammar focusTH Language/grammar focusF OCE Research draft due; ICE #13 (Synthesis)

Feb. 6-10

M Individual scoring and conferencing T CEP 12; MC Practice (2 selections)W Test strategy discussion for MCTH Directed instruction: Research/MLAF Rhetorical analysis practice; essay selection

Feb 13-17M WorkshopT OCE Research draft 2 due; ICE #14 (Argument)W Individual scoring of ICE; conferencingTH Language and grammar/focus; Vocabulary Quiz F Language and grammar/focus

Feb. 20-24

M No SchoolT Editing of Research paper; groupW Final Research OCE due.

Introduce Multi-modal visual project and OCE (Argument)HW: Read and annotate essays: Ivins (272), Carr (411), Spriggs (473).

TH Discussion. Group organization for MM projectF ICE #15; CEP #13

Feb. 27-Mar. 3

M MC practice (2 sections) HW for T: Ch 15: Everything’s An ArgumentT Multi-modal workshopW Multi-modal workshop; Vocabulary Quiz TH ICE #16F Workshop

March 6-10

M Multi-modal workshopT Multi-modal workshopW CEP #14TH Rhetorical analysis practice; essay selectionF OCE Draft due. Workshop

Mar. 13-17

MT ICE #17 (synthesis)W Individual scoring and conferencing of ICE #17TH Multi-modal/writing workshopF Multi-modal/writing workshop

Mar. 20-24

M Multi-modal workshop. Portfolio with reflective letter due T Multi-modal visual dueW ICE #18 OCE Draft #2 due.TH Individual scoring and conferencing of ICE #18F Workshop. End of grading period.

Mar. 27-31 Spring Break

Fourth Quarter

Apr. 3-7

M Final OCE due; Individual scoring and conferencingT Direct Instruction; Language and grammarW Direct Instruction; Language and grammar; Vocabulary quiz TH MC (2)F Individual scoring and conferencing of ICE #18F CEP #15. Direct Instruction: Reading Strategies

Apr. 10-14

M ICE #19T Individual scoring and conferencing for ICE #19W Direct Instruction: Review synthesis strategiesTH CEP# 16 In classF No School

Apr. 17-21

M MC (2)T Debrief; Reading strategiesW MC (2)TH Debrief; Reading strategiesF ICE #20;

Apr. 24-28

M Individual scoring and conferencing; Vocabulary quiz T CEP in classW Argument discussionTH Rhetorical analysis discussionF Visual analysis practice--individual

May 1-5

Final Week: Review of rhetorical devices, MLA format, drill down of possible argument topics

May 8-12

MT Packing the “toolbox”W AP Exam 8:00 a.m.TH Literature selection

May 16-20

In-class course reflection; portfolio submission

READING SELECTIONSFirst Semester

Essays:

"Salvation" Langston Hughes"Superman and Me" Sherman Alexie“Shooting an Elephant” George Orwell"Dumpster Diving" Lars Eighner“On Keeping a Notebook” Joan Didion“How to Write a Letter and Postcards” Garrison Keillor“Once More to the Lake” E.B. White“Stranger in the Village” James Baldwin“The Language of the Street” Ralph Waldo Emerson“Observation” Henry David Thoreau

Books:

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft Stephen KingThe Boys in the Boat:Nine Americans Daniel James BrownAnd Their Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

Non-fiction selections for the semester exam:

Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America Jill LeovyNo Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, The NSA, Glenn Greenwaldand the US Surveillance SystemFast Food Nation Eric SchlosserGod Is Not Great Christopher HitchensOutliers: The Story of Success Malcolm GladwellThings That Matter Charles KrauthammerI Am Mali: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Malala Yousafzai andWas Shot by the Taliban Christina Lamb

Speeches:

"I Have a Dream Martin Luther King, Jr."9/11 Speech" George W. Bush

Visual Images:The Heroes of 2001 StampGirl Scout Ad 2011“Freedom from Want” Norman Rockwell“The Last Thanksgiving” Roz Chast“The Spirit of Education” Norman Rockwell“What I learned: A Education Sentimental From Nursery School Through Twelfth Grade”

Individual selections of Holiday Advertising

Reading Selections Second Semester

Essays

"Get a Knife, Get a Dog, but Get Rid of Guns" Molly Ivins“Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Nicholas Carr“On Buying Local” Katherine Spriggs“How to Tame a Wild Tongue” Gloria Anzaldua“The Sanctuary of School” Lynda Barry“College Pressures” William Zinsser

Speeches

Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation“Tribute to the Dog” George Graham Vest

Various short essays used for Multiple Choice practice and rhetorical analysis exercises.

Multi-modal Visual Arguments

“Death to Pennies”“God Made a Farmer”“Yes, We Can Save the Planet”

Book

During the last 3 weeks of the semester—and following the AP Language and Composition test—you will select a novel that has received a significant literary award to read with others in a Literature Circle format. Your final exam will be an analysis of the work.

Current Event Précis (CEP)

Throughout this course, you will be reading a variety of essays from columnists that focus on current events in our society. Each semester you will submit four précis for a grade, but we will use this format for writing at other times during workshop days. You have two choices each semester for selecting your material.

1. You may select one columnist from the list I gave you on the first day of school and use his/her essays for all four assignments.

2. You may select an ongoing topic area that is prominent in the news and use essays from four different writers throughout the semester.

This assignment is designed to help you become aware of a larger world and to give you valuable exercise in rhetorical analysis. For each Current Event Précis (CEP), follow your paragraph by identifying as many rhetorical devices as you can. List each one and briefly explain how it impacts the specific point or overall effect of the piece.

This assignment must be typed (MLA format). Attach the annotated article--précis on top.

Grading:

A Excellent, concise, and specific summary of article which exhibits excellentwriting and thorough understanding of the reading selection

B Good and concise summary of article which exhibits excellent writing and agood understanding of the reading selection

C Satisfactory summary of article which exhibits good writing and a scanty or incomplete understanding of the reading selection

D Incomplete summary of article and only superficial understanding of the assigned reading

F Rush job--Synopsis reflects that the student utilized little thought in reading/orcompleting the synopsis

0 Student fails to turn in the assignment at the beginning of class

Précis Writing

A rhetorical précis analyzes both the content (the what) and the delivery (the how) of a unit of spoken of written discourse. It is a highly structured four-sentence paragraph blending summary and analysis. Each of the four sentences requires specific information: students are expected to use brief quotations (to convey a sense of the author's style and tone) and to include a terminal bibliographic reference. Practicing this sort of writing fosters precision in both reading and writing, forcing a writer to employ a variety of sentence structures and to develop a discerning eye for connotative shades of meaning.

The Overall Format:1. Name of author, (optional: a phrase describing the author), genre and title of work, date in parentheses (additional publishing information at the end of the précis); a

rhetorically accurate verb (see the list we generated in class); and a THAT clause containing the major assertion (thesis statement of the work.

2. An explanation of how the author develops and/or supports the thesis, usually in chronological order.

3. A statement of the author's purpose followed by an "in order to" phrase.

4. A description of the intended audience and/or the essay's tone.

An example modeled from Dave Barry's "The Ugly Truth about Beauty":

1. The first sentenceIn "The Ugly Truth about Beauty" (1998), Dave Barry argues that "women generally do not think of their looks in the same way that men do" (4).2. The second sentenceBarry illuminates this discrepancy by juxtaposing men's perceptions of their looks ("average-looking") with women's ("not good enough"), by contrasting female role models (Barbie, Cindy Crawford) with male role models (He-Man, Buzz-Off), and by comparing men's interests (the Super-Bowl, lawn care) with women's (manicures). Note: This is all still just one sentence!3. The third sentenceHe exaggerates and stereotypes these differences in order to prevent women from so eagerly accepting society's expectation of them; to this end, Barry claims that men who want women to "look like Cindy Crawford" are idiots (10), implying that men who adhere to the Crawford standard are fools as well.4. The fourth sentenceBarry ostensibly addresses men in this essay because he opens and closes the essay directly addressing men (as in "if you're a man...") and offering to give them advice in a mockingly conspiratorial fashion; however, by using humor to poke fun at both men's and women's perceptions of themselves, Barry makes this essay palatable to women as well, hoping to convince them to stop obsessively "thinking they need to look like Barbie" (8).

Now look at the paragraph:

In "The Ugly Truth about Beauty" (1998), Dave Barry argues that "women generally do not think of their looks in the same way that men do" (4). Barry illuminates this discrepancy by juxtaposing men's perceptions of their looks ("average-looking") with

women's ("not good enough"), by contrasting female role models (Barbie, Cindy Crawford) with male role models (He-Man, Buzz-Off), and by comparing men's interests (the Super-Bowl, lawn care) with women's (manicures). He exaggerates and stereotypes these differences in order to prevent women from so eagerly accepting society's expectation of them; to this end, Barry claims that men who want women to "look like Cindy Crawford" are idiots (10), implying that men who adhere to the Crawford standard are fools as well. Barry ostensibly addresses men in this essay because he opens and closes the essay directly addressing men (as in "if you're a man...") and offering to give them advice in a mockingly conspiratorial fashion; however, by using humor to poke fun at both men's and women's perceptions of themselves, Barry makes this essay palatable to women as well, hoping to convince them to stop obsessively "thinking they need to look like Barbie" (8).

Barry, Dave. "The Ugly Truth about Beauty". Mirror on America: Short Essays and Images from Popular Culture. 2nd ed. Eds. Joan T Mims and Elizabeth M. Nolen. New York: Bedford, 2003. 109-12.

(Original source; Valerie Stevenson and M. Frerichs, PHHS, San Diego. Adapted by D. Warstler)

First Semester Exam

Your first semester exam will be a rhetorical analysis of a full-length, non-fiction text. Your final essay is due Wednesday, January 4. Consider all of the following as you write your paper:

What arguments does the author make? What is the structure of the book? What types of appeals are used? How does the author employ evidence? What stylistic choices does the writer make?and this goes without saying: Why?

All semester we will focus on these issues as we read and write. I will be looking for thorough evidence that you understand rhetorical analysis.

The reading:

This assignment is in three parts. A very different approach--but one that I think will be helpful for you.

5. Select a book that you will read between now and December 2. At least 3 students must read the same book--no more than 5.

6. Invite someone outside of Perry High School to read this book along with you.7. And now the fun part: During the first or second week of December (date announced

later) you and your partner will attend a one-hour book discussion here at the high school. Students will lead the discussions, and hopefully the insights gleaned from the experience will help you in writing your final paper.

* Refreshments for all will follow!

Book selections: (Be sure to research each before deciding. Indicate by September 5 which book you will be reading.)

Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America Jill LeovyNo Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, The NSA, Glenn Greenwaldand the US Surveillance SystemFast Food Nation Eric SchlosserGod Is Not Great Christopher HitchensOutliers: The Story of Success Malcolm GladwellThings That Matter Charles KrauthammerI Am Mali: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Malala Yousafzai andWas Shot by the Taliban Christina Lamb

Second Semester Exam

1. Select a novel that has received an award of literary merit and read together with a group of 4-5 students in a Literature Circle format. As a group, you will agree on a reading and discussion schedule.

2. Come to discussions prepared to discuss elements of fiction (plot, theme, character development, etc.) along with the author’s use rhetorical strategies.

3. Submit a typed rhetorical analysis of the novel (4-5 pages) on the day of your scheduled exam.