Advanced Placement English Please read this document carefully. Both you and your parent(s) will need to sign and return the bottom of it, acknowledging your understanding of how our class works. Objectives Students will develop the critical reading and composition skills necessary for success in college course work and on the Advanced Placement Examination in English Literature. We will read and analyze poetry, prose, drama and non-fiction from a wide range of literary periods, styles and perspectives. Students will write many different types of analytical and expressive assignments in response to the readings, concentrating most on the essay form, written in class. Other written forms explored in class include the reflective personal essay, the meta-paper (a self-evaluation of the student’s work, incorporating responses to the teacher’s markings on content, form, grammar and rhetoric), the directed paragraph quiz, the “One Pager”, the daily reading quiz and the extended persuasive essay with revisions. The students will also develop the aesthetic, historical, and psychological backgrounds needed to read and write with both depth and style. Most written assignments in class will be given under tight time constraints, preparing the student for both the A. P. exam and collegiate work. The “One Pager” is a key tool for us. It is a compressed essay format designed to accomplish several goals: writing to understand a concept or work, responding to a work or other related media, exploring possible meanings in a work, learning to focus personal awareness, building a series of assignments to show the progress of one’s thinking on a single topic, developing self-evaluation concepts, creating a balance between generalization and specific examples and, at times, responding to senior issues. The “One Pager” consists of a draft written in class, often timed, followed by a typed draft done at home on the computer. This second draft, printed out, forms the basis for editing by the student and feedback from the teacher. The final draft is turned in on top of the three, having incorporated the corrections, student editing and peer reviews to form a short and refined, elegant piece of writing. The “One Pager” will also be used as a journal at several points in the class, especially in order to help gauge the student’s own progress. In our writing, particular attention will be given to developing a growing vocabulary, not merely given to technical terminology for the examination, but to ensure that cogent thoughts have the articulate means by which to express themselves. The standard rule in class is that every student is responsible for every word we read--this will be tested on a regular basis, including portions of our daily reading quiz. Daily lectures will regularly have vocabulary components and it is expected that the student should build his or her own glossary for the work at hand. This vocabulary is also expected to appear in our papers on a regular basis as we grow our writing throughout the year. We will have a short grammar review in both Fall and Spring semesters. The A. P. exam addresses a number of grammar issues with great consistency and I find that most of my students benefit greatly from our review. Topics covered will include sentence structure, subordination, coordination, syntax, consistency of audience awareness, and diction. Focus here will be on helping students to create larger structures for complex thought and analysis. Stylistic considerations will also be an element of the unit, including repetition, transitions and emphasis. Throughout the year, my markings will reflect upon accuracy in grammar as an important part of each paper’s grade. We will also take care to build the historical and culture backgrounds necessary for a solid reading of the works from class. Some of these areas to be explored are: the world of the ancient Greeks, the Victorian Scene (with special focus on the world of Dickens’ London and the lower classes), Imperialism, the Elizabethan world and theatre, Modernism, Post Modernism, the Beats and San Francisco, and the relationship of the Existentialists to the two world wars and to Paris. A major focus of the class will be on using what I call The Critical Lenses. In addition to the interpretation of our works from historical and cultural perspectives, we will also look at each with critical interpretations as appropriate. These include Freudian and Jungian psychology, the work of Joseph Campbell, the Feminist perspective, Existentialism, the Marxist perspective, Reader Response, and basic concepts of semantics and semiotics. The student will demonstrate command of these in written and spoken assignments. The students will also demonstrate knowledge of essential poetry concepts and terms, building a solid vocabulary of appropriate not only for the poetry section of the A. P. exam, but also to apply to higher level interpretive writing on literature in general. These include structure, form, tone, audience, rhyme, as well as figurative language and variations of metaphor. Public speaking will be included in several presentations, along with a Shakespearian recitation assignment and a final speech at the end of the year. The speech unit will be prefaced by lessons on rhetoric and speaking techniques. We will review stage technique and terminology for the acting components of the class. The course will also serve as a senior English class in the sense that it will also address many of the issues facing students during their senior year: the personal statement, the reflective essay, points of view in writing for a specific audience, and empathy in writing, reading, and public speaking. We will also discuss the importance of college choice, the admissions process, scholarships, and life after high school. My goal is to provide the highest caliber of academic preparation for my students and this means reading a great variety of books, plays and poems from each time period. Each of the works is carefully chosen to reflect AP level work common to courses taught in our finest schools. There are a few pieces that address religious or sexual themes or which contain profanity. I hope no one is offended by our addressing any of these as they come up, but the integrity of each piece and the reach of the course itself may call for special understanding on the part of some students. Please help me give you a good grade. The following rules are actually designed to do just that. I know some may seem rigid or picky, but please remember that you are one of some one hundred and fifty students I may see today, all of whom want and deserve the same attention and instruction. By following these rules, you help our class run more smoothly and that always means more time and energy for you and your work. Grades -Grades follow the traditional format of 90% and above=A, 80%=B, 70%=C, 60%=D. Below 60% is failing. -The grading system includes all work done in class, homework and class participation. -No late work is accepted. -There will be only one sitting for each major exam. -Make up work is only accepted due to a medical problem or major family emergency or other district approved reasons. In any case of, it is the student’s responsibility to get the assignment from a fellow student or from the teacher. The student has the number of days he or she was absent to complete the assignment on their return. There are no exceptions to the above rules. -Class participation is encouraged and expected on a regular basis. Your opinion is highly valued, as is your skill in verbal expression at the AP level. Lack of class participation may result in a lower grade. Written work -Any writing done in class must be done in dark blue or black ink (no pencil or colored pens) on standard white 8 1/2 x 11 binder paper. This includes any quiz. -Any writing done at home must begin as a hand-written document. It then must typed using the following format: Double space 12 point text font (New York, Times, Times New Roman—a traditional serif font) Front side only 1 inch margins Black ink on white paper Heading as follows in upper right hand corner, single spaced: NAME DATE PERIOD ASSIGNMENT On any large assignment or paper, the student must also turn in all hand-written notes and first drafts, showing substantial evidence of corrections. One pagers “One pagers” will need to include: A hand written first draft (on bottom) A typed or hand written second draft, showing corrections and revisions A clean, errorless final draft (on top) Any written work not meeting these guidelines will not be accepted. There are no exceptions. Class behavior -AP English is a college level class. Behavior in class must be at that same level. Students must be on time, have all required materials and be prepared for the work at hand. -Students must bring the required text(s) every day. Surprise book checks are not uncommon. -Students are expected to take lecture notes and be prepared for quiz material on them, as well as the daily, assigned reading. -No food or drink is allowed in the classroom. -Cell phones are not allowed in the classroom. They will be collected. Cheating Cheating ultimately only cheats one person: the cheater. It also breaks my trust in that person and that is something nearly impossible to regain. Any student caught cheating will receive a zero for that assignment and a cheating referral. A second offense will result in that student be asked to leave the class permanently. I will not write any letters of recommendation or provide any other similar help for a student caught cheating at any level, in my class or in any other.