Lenape Regional High School District

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition, Level 1 Course of Study

BOE Approved July 2007

Revised October 2011

Table of Contents

Members of Revision Committee

Statement of Purpose

Program of Studies Description

Core Content Standards

Textbook and Resource Materials

Course Objectives/Activities

Content Outline/Timeline

Proof of Proficiency

Members of Revision Committee.  Put an asterisk next to the contact person.

Statement of Purpose:

The purpose of all curriculum guides is to provide direction for instruction. They identify the written outcomes in a subject and /or grade as the basis for classroom activities and student assessment. In order to achieve maximum understanding, the objectives identified as learning outcomes must be written clearly and reflect the specific learning and behavior which are expected.

Objectives are written as major outcomes and stated to require critical thinking. Teachers should understand that they must make careful decisions about the specific sub skills and prior learning needed to reach these objectives. These professionals are encouraged to reflect with others teaching the same curriculum for this purpose and also to identify the most appropriate resources and methods of assessment. The assessments are directly aligned with the objectives. Therefore, the objectives in this guide are designed to provide direction to the teacher in order to facilitate instructional planning.

All teachers, parents and students should be informed of the expected outcomes (i.e. objectives) for the subject and/or grade level.

Program of Studies Description:

Offered by invitation only to rising juniors who display special ability in English. Equivalent to a first year college English course, students taking this course will be prepared to take the College Board's Advanced Placement Test in English Language and Composition. The course will focus on two major aspects of language: the development of interpretive skills through reading prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines and rhetorical contexts, and the development of writing styles that focus on the writers' purpose, while encompassing expository, analytical and argumentative writing. Students may receive college credit or advanced standing, depending upon their test scores and individual college policy.

Textbook and Resource Materials � Identify on-line resources as well:

Course Objectives/Activities:

Objective 1: Students will read non-fiction literary works, analyze them for rhetorical strategies, and evaluate the effectiveness of those strategies. Students will also read key British fiction and non-fiction works to understand their historical significance in the development of the English language and culture, evaluating the personal values/opinions involved and analyzing them according to various critical approaches. (RL 1,2,4,7, 10; RI 1,2,4,5,6,10)

Activities to meet objective:

• Analyze how rhetorical strategies (logos, ethos, and pathos) are used to develop an author�s purpose and his/her implementation of that purpose using argument, beginning with paragraph examples and moving to more involved essays.
• Practice active reading strategies necessary for AP rhetorical analysis.
• Utilize rubrics to assess range finder samples from previous AP exams.
• Read passages from cross-disciplinary texts.
• Read critically to compile and organize research information.
• Compare and contrast the values of any literary period with the themes and values of other periods, inferring from said material the history and development of modern values.
• List the characteristics of a literary period.
• Study vocabulary contained within course literature.
• Use contextual clues to decipher unknown words.
• Take practice AP Language and Composition tests as well as SAT critical reading sections, reviewing multiple-choice test-taking strategies.
• Read poetry and identify components of traditional and modern verse, including meter, figures of speech, sound device, line breaks, rhyme, and theme.
• Read at least one play with an emphasis on comprehending plot, setting, conflict, sub-plot, and characterization and dramatic components such as stage directions, blocking, production needs, dialogue/inflection, and theatrical value.
• Create a debate on a contemporary issue, utilizing quotations or authors studied in class as well as research via the Internet and other media as part of debate statements. (speaking)
• Determine purposes for reading that will clarify understanding the theme of good versus evil.
• Describe and discuss rhetorical strategies used in fiction as well as in non-fiction.
• Inventory elements of the author�s craft that contribute to the theme of good versus evil, and social isolation (diction, detail, syntax, point of view, narrative structure, tone, logos, ethos, and pathos)
• Explore reading strategies necessary to facilitate the comprehension of dense text: literary terminology unique to style analysis as well as literary terminology pertinent to English literature.
• Isolate elements of argument such as claim, warrant, and data, and determine the underlying assumptions of the argument.

Assessments:

• Students will attain a satisfactory score on the AP Language and Composition exam.
• Students will write paragraphs and eventually essays where they model the various rhetorical strategies they have learned in class.
• Students will compile research data into a full-length research paper that synthesizes information from multiple sources.
• Students will evaluate essays written by their peers according to writing rubrics.
• Students will use vocabulary words correctly in their rhetorical writings, and this usage will be evaluated based upon correct word usage.
• Students will compose writings to demonstrate their mastery of various literary modes and genres: for instance, writing an original sonnet or a piece of satire.

Objective 2: Students will write in various styles and genres for a variety of audiences and purposes. Students will use rhetorical strategies to write persuasive pieces. (W1,2,3,4,5,10)

Activities to meet objective:

• Review essay structure (thesis, paragraph structure, and conclusion) and create original pieces in this format.
• Respond in journals to daily/weekly prompts in order to develop style, voice, and skills in focused writing.
• Participate in writing workshops where they will engage essay prompts, utilizing various prewriting techniques to create clear, detailed, and focused starting points for the writing process.
• Apply multiple revision strategies in classroom workshops during and after the writing process to enhance the balance of focus, clarity, voice, and meaning in their essays.
• Practice and review specific grammatical elements via worksheets and textbook exercises.
• Engage in writing assignments of varied genres that ask students to imitate techniques of primary authors studied in class.
• Observe the teacher demonstrate how to edit a rough draft into a polished final draft and will then complete multiple essay projects in which they write successive drafts in order to achieve cohesiveness and clarity of expression.
• Interpret and respond to a variety of genres through writing.
• Using the writing process, show textual comprehension of various relationships as well as an awareness of audience in timed writings.
• Using the writing process in a style analysis of selected passages, explore a major theme/concept/ technique that the author uses.
• Apply �writing to learn� strategies to record reactions, clarify thoughts and further pose questions that contribute to understanding of relationships such as between writer/ audience and to increase comprehension of the text.
• Compare and contrast various literary representations of good and evil.
• Draw conclusion about the perceptions of good and evil through the ages.
• Complete pre-writing for various assignments using various computer applications including but not limited to �.
• Use word processing programs to prepare multiple drafts of a writing assignments. Print and revise writing assignments for content.
• Apply a variety of edit commands (spell check, cut, paste, font, and style selections, etc.) to publish writing assignments.
• Publish using several facets of various computer applications (layout, graphics etc.) in order to publish writing assignments.
• Compose paragraphs analyzing diction, detail, syntax, narrative structure, and point of view.
• Synthesize elements of rhetorical analysis in an AP timed write.
• Utilize persuasive techniques to create an original argument.

Assessments:

• Students will have their writing journals collected on a regular basis to assess progression in focused writing on specific prompts.
• Students will write at least one major essay a marking period on a critical reading of a literary work, author, or poet that engages every step in the writing process from pre-writing and brain-storming, to creating a thesis, to revising the final product.
• Students will demonstrate their mastery over grammatical correctness, syntactical clarity, and succinctness of prose through their writings.
• Students will complete a well-structured research paper according to their respective school�s Research Guide.
• Students will demonstrate their mastery of correct writing format (MLA) in a typed final draft, observing correct margins, spacing, etc.

Objective 3: Students will verbally share information and participate in class discussions, small group activities and formal presentations. (S&L1,2,3,4,6)

Activities to meet objective:

• Discuss various genres of literature in round table discussions with a moderator, in small groups and with outside groups (i.e. interviews, recorded discussions, etc.).
• Generate ideas together for writing projects based upon literature read. Fine tune ideas and create finished products to be shared, presented and/or taught to a large group or within a small group.
• Take responsibility for the creation and delivery of a group oral presentation.
• Discern and be able to articulate both sides of an issue, either in writing or literature.

Assessments:

Students will discuss and debate certain non-fiction and literature based issues.

• Students will participate in round table discussions and be held accountable for articulating ideas and prompting discussion.
• Students will participate in graded group presentations.

Objective 4: Students will listen to each other, to their instructors, to guest speakers and to information presented orally or by way of audio recording in order to process, analyze and discuss information as heard and understood. (S&L 1,2,3,4,6)

Activities to meet objective:

• Respond to questions posed by instructors
• Demonstrate listening skills by participating in class discussions
• Analyze audio-visual aids to relate to course content.
• Be able to incorporate material presented to other areas of classroom activities.
• Work on oral group projects to analyze and discuss information presented.
• Be able to take andtranscribe oral material to notes

Assessments:

• Students will take notes in class, based on information gained from instructors as well as classmates and/or audio-visual means.
• Students will listen carefully to oral reports and gain course knowledge from such reports.
• Students will listen respectfully to classmates who are offering opposing viewpoints.
• Students will evaluate what others say and formulate a response based on the details of another�s points.
• Students will take oral quizzes.

Objective 5: Students will access, analyze and use information from multiple mediums including electronic texts and audio/visual sources in order to support and strengthen verbal and written communication.(RI7, W6,8)

Activities to meet objective:

• View films related to course material and find relevance to specific literature and writing samples.
• Evaluate internet sources to use for comparative writing and literary studies
• Use internet sources to find and evaluate valid sites on all writing assignments, including term papers.
• Study various speeches via audio/visual resources to be able to identify different speaking and writing styles.
• Be able to find and llok for specific topics on internet designated by instructor.
• Recognize argements conveyed in visual media such as advertising, editorial cartoons, photographs and paintings.

Assessments:

 Students will write critically based on information gained through electronic research.

 Students will create research-related projects and presentations.

 Students will create slide shows, web pages, charts and/or graphs based on information gained through electronic research.

 Students will synthesize information gained through electronic research.

 Students will utilize technology to present information to the class and/or to publish works.

Content Outline/Timeline

Introduction to rhetoric and argument

The Language of Composition (Bedford/St. Martin text) 18-22 weeks

Major Works (4 or more from the following selection): 8-10 weeks

Beowulf 1 week

Canterbury Tales 2 weeks

Macbeth 3 weeks

Hamlet 3 weeks

Frankenstein 3 weeks

Angela's Ashes 2 weeks

The Handmaid's Tale 2 weeks

Jane Eyre 3 weeks

The Eyre Affair 2 weeks

1984 3 weeks

Brave New World 3 weeks

An Unexpected Light 3 weeks

Complementary Works 6-10 weeks

( from the following authors to be taught

throughout the year in conjunction with

the major works):

Selections from Norton Anthology:

Medieval (Gawain and the Green Knight, Morte d' Arthur, etc.)

Renaissance (Donne, Milton, Marlowe, Herrick, etc.)

Age of Reason (Defoe, Pope, Swift, Pepys, etc.)

Romantic (Wordsworth, Coleridge, Burns, Byron, Shelley, Keats etc.)

Victorian (Tennyson, Dickens, Browning, etc.)

Modern (Conrad, Kipling, Yeats, Joyce, Lawrence, etc.)

and/or

Selections from 50 Essays or Bedford:

Male Perspective(James Baldwin, Frederick Douglass, Thomas Jefferson, Stephen Jay Gould, Machiavelli, George Orwell, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Shelby Steele, William F. Buckley, Brent Staples, Langston Hughes, Malcolm X, Richard Rodriguez, etc.)

Female Perspective (Maya Angelou, Amy Tan, Alice Walker, Nancy Mairs, Gloria Anzaldue, Joan Didion, Maxine Hong Kingston, Zora Neale Hurston, Leslie Marmon Silko, Virginia Woolfe, Eudora Welty, Sojourner Truth, Jessica Mitford, etc.)

Research Paper 4 weeks

To be taught in conjunction with major and

complementary works

Proof of Proficiency

Identify what you will be using as the Proof of Proficiency for Option 2 and email a copy of the actual document to the Senior Supervisor in charge of your area.

N/A for courses offered by College Board.