Introduction

This course is designed to accommodate the exceptional student of Language Arts who may elect this course to fulfill the Eleventh Grade Language Arts graduation requirement. This is a college-level course that prepares the student for the Advanced Placement Test. Students should be aware of the rigor, intensity, and scope required of this course. The students will be required to complete summer reading and research projects designated by the instructor. This course will further develop students' abilities as skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and as skilled analysts and writers who can compose in a variety of modes and for a variety of purposes. The writing content will focus upon both brief and lengthy expository, analytical, and argumentative essays. Readings will include works written by famous authors of fiction, autobiographers, biographers, diarists, critics, essayists, journalists, and writers of history, politics, science, and nature. Because of the level of difficulty, the grade for this course is weighted.  Students are required to take the AP course exam in May.  Quarter exams will require students to master the skills and concepts presented during that quarter and all preceding quarters.  The final exam for this course will be a previously administered AP exam and will consist of a multiple-choice test and three timed essays.

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Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

·          Analyze and interpret samples of good writing;

·          Identify and explain an author’s use of rhetorical strategies and techniques;

·          Apply effective strategies and techniques in their 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 of their own writings;

·          Write a variety of genres and contexts, both formal and informal, employing appropriate conventions;

·          Produce expository, analytical and argumentative compositions that introduce a complex central idea and develop it with appropriate specific evidence, cogent explanations, and clear transitions;

·          Move effectively through the stages of the writing process, with careful attention to inquiry and research, drafting, citing sources, revising, editing, and evaluation.

The standards listed above are taken from the AP English Language and Composition Course Description (the “Acorn” book).

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Required Course Texts                                                                                                                                                                                           

The AP College Board recommends a variety of appropriate authors and genres, including autobiography, biography, diary, history, criticism, essay, journal articles, political writing, and science and nature writing.  The primary text assigned in this course is the following: Levin, Gerald ed.  Prose Models, eleventh edition.  New York:  Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1996.  Supplemental texts used in the course include the following:  DiYanni, Robert ed.  Fifty Great Essays.  New York: Penguin Academics, 2002.

McCuen, Jo Ray and Anthony C. Walker, eds.  Readings for Writers, ninth edition.  New York: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998.

Students are expected to acquire the major works of literature assigned in this course.  Rather than library copies, I encourage each student to obtain his or her own copy of the literature.   Students who, for whatever legitimate reason, cannot obtain copies themselves may request in writing that the teacher supply them with the necessary literary texts.  Such requests must be submitted to me at least two weeks prior to the due date for each required novel or play.  The specific texts required for each school year will be revealed on the first day of class.  Depending upon the specific class in which the student is enrolled, he or she can expect to read all or most of the following works:

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier                                                 

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald                                                              

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne           

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Required Materials

Students will need a collegiate dictionary, a thesaurus, access to a word processor, dark black or blue ink pens, reams of paper, a sturdy 3-ring binder for notes and handouts, a composition book or spiral notebook to serve as a journal (This composition book may be assigned later in the year.  Wait for more instructions from me before purchasing.), good time management skills, and the current literary work which must be brought to class every day.     Because we live in an era in which access to the internet is no longer a luxury, each student should be able to access my classroom website in order to obtain handouts, assignments, deadlines, and other information pertinent to his or her success in this course.  Any student who does not have access to the Internet at home must consider one or more of the following options:

·         Use the computers in the school library before school, after school, or during lunch time;

·         Call a friend who has internet access and get the required information from him or her;

·         Make an appointment to see me during help day session and access my site via my classroom computer.  Bring your own paper if you plan to print any materials from my classroom computers.

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Work Load 

This is a college-level course which prepares the student for the Advanced Placement Test. Students should be aware of the rigor, intensity, and scope demanded of students in this course. The students will be required to complete a multiple-stepped reading project during the summer and a college-level research paper during the school year.  This course will further develop students' abilities as skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts, and as skilled analysts and writers who can compose in a variety of modes and for a variety of purposes. The writing content will focus upon both brief and lengthy analytical and argumentative essays. Readings will include works written by famous authors of fiction, autobiographers, biographers, diarists, critics, essayists, journalists, and writers of history, politics, science, and nature.  Students will have some sort of AP Language homework on most nights, weekends, and holidays.  Students who enter the course with deficiencies in reading and/or writing will have a difficult time during the year.  Each student who does not read at or above grade level will find much of the reading assignments difficult.  Students who have not passed previous FCAT tests (reading and writing) with scores of 4 or 5 will find this course noticeably more difficult than previous English courses they have taken.  Students who experience difficulty passing the tests, essays, and other related assignments should plan on attending multiple help day sessions with me.  Students who have deficiencies in spelling, grammar, and mechanics must remediate their weaknesses through the handouts given in class, website links provided on my website, or with remedial workbooks available for purchase at many bookstores throughout town.

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Student Expectations, Progress toward Standards, Safety Nets, and Grade Recovery

                 Yearly, the Development Committee of the AP College Board prepares a three-hour English examination that gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of the skills and abilities required in a typical freshman-level college English course.  The AP Examination in English Language and Composition employs multiple-choice questions to test the students’ skills in analyzing the rhetoric of prose passages.  Students are also asked to demonstrate their skill in composition directly by writing several essays in various rhetorical modes.  Although the skills tested in the examination remain essentially the same, there may be some variation in the types or formats of the essay questions from year to year. 

In this AP course, a student’s quarterly grade will be determined primarily by his or her success in the following types of assignments:  AP-level multiple-choice tests, timed essays based on past AP prompts, research assignments that prepare the student to successfully write a synthesis essay, tests that challenge students to obtain a college-level vocabulary, and grammar tests that require students to identify standard English writing rules and to correct non-standard usage of the English language. 

Per Paxon SAS administration, the attendance policy states the following:

In order to earn a passing quarter grade in a course, and student who misses more than four (4) classes, not including school-related absences, will be required to pass a comprehensive quarter exam or project, in addition to having an overall passing grade for the quarter.

A student must be in class for at least half the period to be considered present.

Any of my students who miss more than four (4) classes during any quarter will take an exam on a designated testing day.  The exam will count as ½ of the entire quarter grade.  In order to be eligible to take the exam, the student must first have a passing grade (60% of all possible points or better).  If any student misses my class due to participation in a school-sponsored field trip, the student must provide documentation (a note or list of attendees signed by the teacher) to me in a timely manner.

                Safety nets include, but are not excluded to, the revising of essays (the revision process includes class sessions of peer evaluations, self evaluations, modeling, and teacher commentary), the repeated practice of necessary AP skills (in class and outside of class), “completion grades” that allow the student to earn relatively “easy grades” while learning how to acquire and use the rhetorical skills required of this course, and available one-on-one tutoring during teacher’s designated help days.     

School Board policy requires that I offer you the opportunity for “grade recovery.”  In order for you to have the chance to recover your grade, you must complete all of the required written assignments in a timely and satisfactory manner and receive an adequate score on a comprehensive grade recovery AP exam.  I will decide upon the number and type of assignments required and the date for their submission.  All written assignments must be submitted to me on the day of the comprehensive grade recovery AP exam immediately prior to the exam.  The date on which the AP exam will be administered will be determined based on my availability.  Failure to take the AP exam on the date administered will automatically disqualify you from the grade recovery process.  Participation in the grade recovery process does not guarantee a grade change.  If all requirements are successfully completed by the due date(s), an “F” may be changed to a higher grade based on the level of mastery evidenced by the student’s make-up written assignments and the comprehensive make-up exam.

                The grade recovery process is made up of two requirements: satisfactorily completing any required written work and performing well enough on a comprehensive AP exam.  Any written assignment, including timed essays, that previously received a grade less than “C” must be submitted.  Written assignments may include Daily Topics, homework, or class work.  I will provide a list of written assignments that must be completed.  These written assignments must be typed according to the composition format delineated on my class policy handout and must be submitted to me immediately prior to the administration of the comprehensive AP exam.  Because the exam includes a complete multiple-choice section and three essays, the exam will take three (3) hours to complete.  Come prepared with pencils, pens, and plenty of paper. No other previous tests may be retaken for the purposes of the grade recovery process because the comprehensive grade recovery AP exam will suffice as a substitute for any and all previously taken tests. 

                In order for your grade to be “recovered,” you must meet two requirements:

(1) All of the required written assignments must receive a satisfactory grade (“C”) or higher; (2) Your score on the comprehensive AP exam must be a 3 or higher (on the AP 5-point scale).

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Student Integrity and Decorum

                All students are here to learn and make adequate progress toward meeting the course standards.  Therefore, students are expected to be active participants in the learning process and uphold the academic integrity policy.  Students are also expected to maintain a certain level of behavior.  Since disruptive behavior is a disservice to the learning process, those students engaging in such behavior will be dealt with according to teacher, school, and county policies.   While there will be ample opportunities for students to collaborate on some assignments, each student must be aware that he or she is required to submit original work free from plagiarism.  Any assignment deemed to be plagiarized will receive a zero and will not be eligible for grade recovery.  Furthermore, the student will be referred to Student Services for refusal to adhere to the Honor Code.

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Miscellaneous Class Policies and Procedures

Ÿ          Punctuality is essential.  Late work is unacceptable; absences can be detrimental.

Ÿ          All assignments must be completed and submitted to the instructor on or before the due date.

Ÿ          Late assignments will receive a failing grade: 50% per day late.  The late penalty begins immediately upon the day and period it is not submitted.  Each day of school is counted toward the penalty; therefore, a student who waits until the next meeting date of class has already accrued a 100% penalty since it will have been two school days since the original due date of the assignment.  A student who is legitimately absent on the due date of an assignment is not penalized.  He or she must submit the assignment upon the return to my class with an acceptable readmit or note.  In addition to the required readmit, at the top of all make-up work (tests included), the student must write a note informing the teacher why the work is being submitted on a date later than the assignment was originally due.  Failure to provide the note will result in a 5-point grade penalty.

Ÿ          Long-term research paper assignments must be submitted on their original due dates.  Even “legitimate” absences can affect their scores.  Because the assignments are long-term ones, your careful planning is required to avoid last-minute panics of anxiety if/when something goes wrong.  Don’t come to me after the fact with a sob story.  I am warning you now that your research paper assignments must be submitted on time.

Ÿ          THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS IN THIS CLASS.  All reading and writing assignments should be completed in order to gain the skills necessary to pass the AP exam in May.

Ÿ          Due to the availability of my class website, all assignments and tests missed due to absences will be posted.  Students are required to access the site to get any missed work.  Submit the assigned work upon your immediate return to class.  If computer troubles prevent you from getting the information from my website, you must call a classmate to get the information.  All absences require you to return to class with the necessary assignments ready to be submitted.  I strongly suggest that you take home all notebooks and texts related to this class because you may need them in case of an unexpected absence.  If I fail to post the necessary information on my website, you will be allowed to acquire the assignment instructions upon your return and submit the work to me for full credit during the next class period.

Ÿ          If the student misses a test due to an absence, the student will be required to take the test upon the day of his or her return to class (unless the instructor determines that other matters take precedence).  Any written assignments due on the day of the absence must be submitted on the day that the student returns from the absence.  At the top of all make-up work (tests included), the student must write a note informing the teacher why the work is being submitted on a date later than the assignment was originally due.  Failure to provide the note will result in a 5-point grade penalty.

Since my class requires many and frequent types of AP test preparatory assignments, attendance is vital.  I assign a 5-point attendance grade for each day of class and assign those points to students who attend class, bring the required materials, and participate.  Therefore, I have added the following requirement for my course.  If you are absent from my class, you cannot prepare for the exam in the same way that the rest of the class prepares itself.  In order that you don’t miss vital information and/or practice, you will be responsible for submitting a one-page typed response to the topic of the day.  Your typed response is due on the day of your return to class.  The daily topic will be posted on my website: http://teacherweb.com/FL/PaxonSchoolforAdvancedStudies/JonNerf/.  I suggest you call a classmate if you do not have Internet access.  The one-page paper will be required in addition to any regular homework that may have been assigned in class.  Failure to submit the daily topic paper in a timely manner will result in the forfeiture of the student’s daily attendance points.

If a student misses school for an extended period of time due to illness, I will work with him/her in order to alleviate the burden brought on by the extenuating circumstances.  A parent/teacher conference, in person or by telephone, must be initiated prior to the student’s return to school.  I can be reached at 693-7583 ext. 189.

·          Unless you provide a doctor’s note, I restrict access to the hall pass for emergencies only.  A student may use the pass two times per quarter.  The student may use the pass for any reasonable purpose.  The student must complete the hall pass request form and supply accurate and complete information.  Failure to follow my hall pass procedures will result in the revocation of hall pass privileges for the remainder of the year.  Students who, for whatever reasons, do not have hall pass privileges but face a personal emergency may leave class with my permission provided they return with a tardy note from Student Services.  Any student who is out of the room for an inordinate amount of time may receive a referral for skipping class.

Ÿ          You will have homework of some type every night of the week (potentially including weekends and holidays).

Ÿ          Tests (pop quizzes) can be given without prior notice.  Be prepared.

Ÿ          Cliffs Notes and other analytical aides are no substitute for reading the literature.  Do not bring them to class.  I will confiscate such materials.

Ÿ          Grades will be determined by a points system.  The points will be awarded as follows:  Daily grade—5 points each day; Seminar grade—50 or 100 points for each assigned topic; Homework grade—20 points each assignment; Test grade—50 or 100 points each test; Research grade: Preliminary assignments—100 points/ Final draft—500 points; Essay grades— up to 200 points each essay.

Ÿ          If you or your parents have any questions regarding the required reading assignments please make an appointment to meet with me as soon as possible.

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Composition Format

Ÿ          Many out-of-class-assignments must be typed. They must be double-spaced with standard 1” margins and have a 12-point Times New Roman font. At the top left of the first page, use the MLA format for headings.   All successive pages must have your last name and page number at the top right.

Ÿ          Two valuable bits of advice: keep a copy of each essay and always have a rough draft of some type.

Ÿ          Many tears have been shed over computers that have crashed, wiping out days worth of work. Prepare for potential problems.

Ÿ          All in-class essays, including timed writings, must be legibly written on one side of the page in dark black or blue ink with the appropriate heading at top right of the front page.  If I can’t read it, I can’t properly evaluate it.  I reserve the right to give a failing grade to any assignment that I find too difficult to read.

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