Welcome
to
English
11 AP Language and Composition
A Note to the Student . . . .
While this in many ways is a college level writing
course, it is first of all a reading course.
The reading required of you may be different from reading you have done
in other courses: you will have to read
closely, with more concentration, and more deeply than you are perhaps
accustomed to.
We take for granted that when you are assigned
something to read that you read it – all. That does not mean that you glance at something
and think that what “leaps out at you” is what the author intended; that does
not mean that you “skim for main ideas” thinking that a piece of artful prose
or some directions can be “read” like a text message; that does not mean that
while you read you “multi-task” and listen to music, text, talk on the phone,
instant message, and indulge in other distractions while you attempt to read.
It does
mean that you probably have to read somewhere quiet, where you will not be
interrupted, and where you can listen to the author’s voice as you read. Recent research suggests that once a deep
level of concentration is attained, that it may take up to a full half an hour
to regain that level of concentration if
you allow yourself to be distracted.
Your reading responsibilities
for this course begin with this Summer Project description. Remember:
read everything. If you do not
understand something, read over what you have read.
May 30, 2009
Dear Sophomore enrolled in English 11 A.P. for 2009-2010,
Concentrated, regular practice of the skills involved in reading and writing will help ensure your success in the up-coming academic year. Therefore, in order to qualify for enrollment in English 11 A.P., we are requiring you to complete a summer project. Please note that your written work must also meet minimum standards for you to qualify: hastily written rough drafts, or work riddled with grammatical and/or factual errors will not be deemed acceptable.
To be successful in this course, you must demonstrate commitment to primary source readings (not on-line or print summaries) of between 25 and 35 pages on any given night. The amount of reading will vary, but if you cannot read a substantial selection of prose or poetry with good to excellent comprehension, seriously consider taking English 11 Regents. In our experience there is a direct correlation between how well you read, how well you write, and subsequently how well you perform in the course. The analysis in which we engage will most often be deliberate and detailed with the goal of learning not just what an author is saying but how that writer’s purpose and sense of audience affects his or her style. Therefore we will pay particular attention to an author’s use of diction, syntax, detail, imagery, and tone – in short, to the writer’s voice.
A.P. English Language and Composition focuses primarily on the study of prose (it’s worth looking up the definition) and the writing of non-fiction, both literary and argumentative essays. There will be little, if any, creative writing. Other courses are available for that purpose. We concentrate primarily on writing close textual analyses, and on writing logical, well-supported formal arguments. It is assumed that you already have command of standard English grammar and sentence structure. Instruction in this area will not be remedial; instead, it will be devoted to extending your stylistic control. In addition to out of class writing, there will be timed in-class writing. Through both forms of practice you will be prepared for your A.P. exam in May, for work on the college level, and for a lifetime of deep, appreciative reading and writing.
Our culture seems to be tending paradoxically toward passive forms of engagement. A literature classroom which is not a lecture survey course (and this one is not), cannot function without the genuine participation of its members. In signing up for this course you have said that you are willing to be part of a class. Our classrooms lack an entertainment center, although we find the chemistry of lively discussion and debate truly rewarding. Class participation undeniably affects our subjective awareness of how you are responding to the material; as well, other students benefit from your comments, challenges, and questions. Grading is fair, but rigorous. We use A.P. rubrics as well as previous student models to give ourselves guidelines for evaluation and expectations.
The sense that you desire to learn, grow, mature, and improve affects positively our subjective sense of how you are progressing; our sense that you are primarily concerned with grades affects that sense negatively. We will not negotiate grades.
The literature studied is of college-level difficulty. That also means that it contains themes and situations that require a mature and intellectual approach and response. Some situations in the literature will involve sexual matters, racism, profanity, and violence. Great literature is not always “politically correct.” If you are unwilling and/or unable to approach literature with an open mind intent on analyzing an author’s purpose and method of portraying human situations, you should not take this course.
This course requires that you complete three summer assignments. These assignments are outlined on the following pages.
Sincerely yours,
John
Currie
Jean Russo
Teachers of A.P. English
Language and Composition
Summer Project-2009
A.P. English Language and Composition
Mr. Currie
Mrs. Russo
Assignment #1:
In addition to analyzing and interpreting traditional prose texts, A.P. English Language and Composition requires that you demonstrate an ability to understand and explain graphics – both qualitative (everything from political cartoons and advertisements to visual arts) and quantitative (numerical charts and graphs).
We would like you to regularly glance at the graphics in newspapers (such as: The Democrat and Chronicle, USA Today, and the New York Times) and a wide variety of magazines (Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, Psychology Today, National Geographic, The Week, The Atlantic Monthly, Harpers – to name some).
Routinely read political cartoons and some comics, especially ones like “Doonesbury” and “Dilbert” where satire is apparent.
Remember also to glance thoughtfully at carefully designed full page and/or “glossy” ads to note what is being “sold” besides the identified product.
Also study quantitative graphics.
A good beginning approach is to assume that each visual is an “argument.” Quickly determine the bias of any graphic, and ask yourself with what strategies its creator is using to persuade you, the viewer.
Due the first day of
class, September, 2009
1. Collect graphics you find from your above study.
2. Attach these visuals to pages in a spiral notebook
3. Write an analysis of each according to the enclosed “SOAPStone” template:
Include:
2 responses to two
quantitative graphics: from U.S. News & World Report, Time, and/or Newsweek
2 responses to two full length editorials: New York Times, back page of Time, or “Speaking Out” in Newsweek
1 response to a full length contemporary short story: The Atlantic Monthly or The New Yorker
2 responses to two full length essays: The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, The American Scholar, Harper’s, or The New Republic.
3 responses to three full page glossy advertisements: The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, Time, and/or Newsweek
5 responses to five current
political cartoons (not downloaded from the internet): The
Democrat & Chronicle, Time, and/or Newsweek (Please do not use the artistic cartoons in The New Yorker.)
All source material must be cut out and pasted or taped into a spiral notebook or one inch three ring binder. All sources must have complete bibliographic information.
Late projects will not receive any credit. Carelessly presented projects will automatically receive half credit. Incomplete projects will be severely penalized.
Assignment #2:
Purchase and read one of the following works written about The Cold War Era: 1939-1965. We will discuss this work in the fall; you will then need to use this work as part of a larger project centered on this decade later in the school year.
Once you have completed your reading, write a one to two
page analysis of your work of literature.
This analysis should define two to three themes associated with The Cold
War Era: 1939-1965 that your book
displays. Include supporting evidence
for each theme. This is due on the first day of class.
J.D. Salinger. The Catcher in the
Sloan Wilson. The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit
John Cheever. The Collected Stories
David Halberstam. The Fifties
David Halberstam. The Coldest Winter
Peter George. Dr. Strangelove
Peter George and Peter Bryant. Red
Alert
Richard Yates. Revolutionary Road
Ian Fleming. any of his 1950s 007 novels
Herman Wouk. The Caine Mutiny
Jack Kerouac. Dharma Bums
William C. Whyte. Organization Man
Vance Packard. The Hidden Persuaders
Vance Packard. The Status Seekers
Richard Hooker. M*A*S*H*
John Cheever. The Waphsot Chronicle
Norman Vincent Peale.
The Power of Positive Thinking
J.D. Salinger. Nine Stories
John Steinbeck. East of
Jean Kerr. Please Don't Eat the Daisies
James Jones. From Here to Eternity
John
F. Kennedy. Profiles in Courage
Rachel Carson. Silent Spring
Joseph Heller. Catch-22
Milton Friedman. Capitalism and Freedom
John Kenneth Galbraith. The Affluent Society
Friedrich von Hayek. The Road to Serfdom
Richard Wright. Black Boy
John Hersey.
Thomas Merton. The
Joseph Campbell. The Hero with a Thousand Faces
B.F. Skinner. Science and Human Behavior
Noam Chomsky. Syntactic Structures
Alan Watts. The Way of Zen
Michael Harrington. The Other
Jack Kerouac. On the Road
Assignment #3:
Purchase a copy of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (available in the IHS book store—prices vary). Have the entire novel read before the first day of school. Be prepared to take a long objective test immediately on returning to school and to write about the novel as well.
Should you need to contact us, try the following e-mail address:
John_Currie@westiron.monroe.edu
Jean_Russo@westiron.monroe.edu
Please note: because it’s summer e-mail notes will not be checked regularly. Expect delays.
SOAPStone
Subject: What is the subject of the graphic (the general topic, content, or ideas contained in the graphic)? How do you know this? How does the author present the subject? Is it introduced immediately or delayed? Is the subject hidden? Or is there more than one subject?
Occasion: What is the rhetorical occasion (the time and place or the current situation)? Is
it a memory, a description, an observation, an argument, a diatribe, a critique
or . . . ?
Audience: Who is the audience (the group of viewers to whom this graphic is
directed)? Avoid the answer, “the viewer.” What assumptions exist about the intended audience?
Purpose: What is the purpose for the graphic (the reason for its creation)? What is the speaker’s or creator’s purpose (the reason behind the graphic)? How is the message conveyed? What is the message? How does the creator of the graphic spark a reaction in the audience? What techniques are used to achieve a purpose? How does the graphic make the audience feel? What is the intended effect?
Speaker: Is there a speaker (a voice behind or within the graphic)? What assumptions can be made about the speaker? What age, gender, class, emotional state, education, or . . . ?
Tone: What emotional sense pervades the graphic? What aspects of the graphic reveal the tone? Describe the likely tone of the graphic.