Sandra Day O’Connor High School
25250 N. 35th Avenue Phoenix, Arizona 85083
623.445.7100 623.445.7180 (fax) sdohs.dvusd.org
Course: ELA 5-6AP
Teacher: Andrea Wallach
Room: 404
E-mail: [email protected]
Voice Mail: 623-445-7208
Prep Hour: 2
Target Learning Goals:
Reading
Students will read, evaluate and use literary and informational texts at or above grade level.
On their own, students will read and understand a variety of texts ranging from simple to complex.
Writing
Students will write a variety of texts clearly and coherently using research collaboration and revision
over varying lengths of time for a range of audiences.
Students will use technology to produce and publish writing and interact and collaborate with others.
Language
Students will demonstrate knowledge of correct grammar in writing and speech.
Students will apply knowledge of newly learned words and phrases to reading and writing.
Speaking and Listening
Students will listen actively to a variety of types of presentations, interpreting and evaluating them
with proficiency.
Students will verbally present information in a variety of forms to a variety of audiences verbally,
demonstrating command of formal English when appropriate.
Course Description
English Language and Composition engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in
a variety of 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 genre conventions and
the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing.
Students in this introductory college-level course read and carefully analyze a broad and challenging
range of nonfiction prose selections, deepening their awareness of rhetoric and how language works.
Through close readings and frequent writing, students develop their ability to work with language and
text with a greater awareness of purpose and strategy, while strengthening their own composing
abilities. Course readings feature expository, analytical, personal, and argumentative texts from a
variety of authors and historical contexts. Students examine and work with essays, letters, speeches,
images, and creative nonfiction. In addition, students will improve their writing through workshop
groups, revision exercises, creating multiple drafts of a selected piece for submission, and writing
conferences.
At the culmination of the course, students will take a full AP Exam, which may earn them college
credit or fulfill a scholarship requirement.
As this is a college-level course, performance expectations are appropriately high, and the workload
is challenging. Students are expected to commit to a minimum of five hours of course work per week
outside of class. Often, this work involves long-term writing and reading assignments, so effective
time management is important. Because of the demanding curriculum, students must bring to the
course sufficient command of mechanical conventions and an ability to read and discuss prose.
Course Objectives
The students will…
•
Read a passage and analyze it for diction, imagery, detail, and figurative language
•
Analyze a piece of non-fiction for persona, audience, purpose, and argument
•
Emulate an author’s style of writing (including syntax and diction)
•
Interview and reflect upon the interview process, using critical thinking strategies
•
Analyze fiction critically for theme, characterization, symbolism, and tone
•
Peer edit an essay giving meaningful feedback
•
Write in a variety of modes and revise repeatedly in order to publish one essay
•
Evaluate the novels (critically) for literary devises, style, diction
•
Engage in close, detailed analysis of text
•
Revise a piece of writing to be published, considering teacher and peer editing feedback
•
Analyze a passage for rhetorical devises and write a well-developed essay response
•
Use syntax example to construct a business letter
•
Understand and apply new rhetorical vocabulary terms in context
•
Question and discuss the author’s purpose in relation to social, political, and historical context
of the novels’ setting
•
Identify techniques of comedy including irony, satire, hyperbole, wit, plot devices, and physical
comedy
Students should be able to:
•
analyze and interpret samples of good writing, identifying and explaining 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;
•
write for a variety of purposes
•
produce expository, analytical and argumentative compositions that introduce a complex
central idea and develop it with appropriate evidence drawn from primary and/or secondary
sources, cogent explanations and clear transitions
•
demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English as well as stylistic
maturity in their own writings
•
demonstrate understanding of the conventions of citing primary and secondary sources;
•
move effectively through the stages of the writing process, with careful attention to inquiry and
research, drafting, revising, editing and review
•
write thoughtfully about their own process of composition
•
revise a work to make it suitable for a different audience
•
analyze image as text; and evaluate and incorporate reference documents into researched
papers
Outside Readings
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Wild Thoughts from Wild Places by Quammen
Walden excerpts by Henry David Thoreau
One book of choice for book groups
Grading Policy
The grade book categories (which comprise 80% of your overall course grade) are as follows:
45% Writing
35% Reading
10% Language-log, vocab, grammar, other various activities
10% Listening and Speaking-class discussion, speech, other various activities
The final exam is weighed at 20% of the overall grade.
*There is no extra credit offered, and grades will not be rounded per district policy.
Grading Scale
90 -100% = A
80 - 89% = B
70 - 79% = C
60 - 69% = D
50 - 59% = F
Powerschool Access
The Powerschools site allows parents/guardians and students to access the student’s grades,
attendance, and other information. If you need your access information, please stop by the front desk
during business hours. You will need a photo I.D. The web address is: ps.dvusd.org/public
Make-Up Work
Upon return to class after an absence, a student has one school day for each day missed to make up
work/test assigned during his/her absence regardless of the number of days absent. For example, if a
student is absent on Thursday and Friday, he/she will have Monday and Tuesday of the following
week to make up work and must turn in the work that was assigned during the days absent on
Wednesday. It is the student’s reponsibility to check with teachers immediately upon return for work
missed. Teachers may choose to schedule an appointment with the student to formulate a plan for
the completion of make-up work.
Coursework and assessments assigned prior to the absence(s) may still be due on the date assigned
or due on the first day that the student returns to class.
Make-up work for extended absences may be requested through the counseling office and picked
up there. If you know you are going to be absent, please ask for work a head of time. Missed
assignments can be found on edmodo.
Summative Due Date Policy
Summative with presentation/speech component: Written component of speech or
presentation will be due to turnitin.com or edmodo on due date regardless of presentation date. If the
student does not give the speech or presentation on assigned date, student will earn a 0%.
Essay summatives: If a student is having trouble with an essay, as long as the student meets
the following criteria, a maximum of an additional two weeks (from the due date) will be allowed. The
criteria includes (1) student must meet with teacher prior to the essay’s due date, AND (2) must show
substantial evidence of the work in progress on the essay’s due date. If these criteria are fully met
then there will be no deduction of points. Otherwise, the student may turn in an essay one day late
with a 20% deduction. Students have the option for improving their summative score by submitting
one revision which must be completed within two weeks of the essay’s return date. Students must
meet with teacher prior to the final submission.
Literature summatives: No re-takes will be allowed; these are all comprehensive
assessments. Failure to take summative will result in a 0%.
Note: No revised work and/or retakes will be permitted during the last two weeks of a semester.
Plagiarism will result in disciplinary actions and a 0%, with no option to redo/retake.
Cheating will result in disciplinary action and a 0% with no opportunity for a retake--no exceptions.
The Journal
Throughout the course, students will keep a portfolio of free-writes, writing and thinking exercises,
practice pieces, and drafts of works in progress. In addition, the response log will house notes and
application of concepts learned. The following sections are needed:
-Personal Reflections (free-writes, reader-response, exercises, drafts, etc.)
-Style (first semester only; short excerpts from the book Voice Lessons, which students analyze for
diction, detail, imagery, syntax, and tone)
-Weekly Allusions (first semester only; literary, biblical, cultural allusions in context)
-Weekly Fallacies (second semester only; students analyze examples of fallacious reasoning such as
faulty causality, overgeneralizations, etc.)
-Notes
-Portfolio (pocket or folder for essays and handouts)
Participation
Students will speak in a variety of contexts including small groups, whole class discussion, peer
teaching, and informal and formal presentations.
Viewing
The following films/clips may be viewed in class:
The Cove, Academy Award winning documentary 2009 (PG-13)
Rationale: The film, The Cove, will be viewed alongside the Language unit on Persuasion vs.
Argumentation. This will highlight the distinction of the two techniques by viewing and discussing the
timely issue on the illegal poaching of Japan’s dolphin population.
Goodnight, Good luck, Academy Award nominated 2005 film (PG)
Rationale: This film will coincide with McCarthyism and how it relates to The Crucible, Salem witch
trials and the Red Scare.
Clips from “The Simpsons” and “The Best of Saturday Night Live”
Rationale: These clips will help to illustrate and give modern applications of satire.
The Great Gatsby, 1974 (PG) or A&E (television mini-series)/possibly the 2013 (PG-13) version
Rationale: Actively view the film version after students read and discuss the novel.
The Corporation, 2004 documentary directed by Mark Achbar
Various Rhetorical speeches from www.AmericanRhetoric.com
Rationale: Again, modern applications of rhetorical techniques through famous speeches in history
and film clips.
* Theme-related videos, paintings, photos, and/or cartoons from current periodicals and other media
outlets will be discussed as these become available. Students may contribute selections for viewing
with teacher’s approval.
Writer’s Workshop
Students will share and revise their writing through peer writing workshops. In writer’s workshop,
students will offer focused feedback and suggestions for revision. Coinciding with the writing process,
students will engage in dialogue with their peers concerning audience, purpose, strategy, voice,
organization, syntax, and word choice. Next, students will select a piece to take through multiple
revisions and will conference with the instructor for more revision feedback. Finally, students will
submit their publishable piece to a print or online publication, magazine, or contest for publishing.
Format for Typed Work:
If typed, format should follow MLA guidelines:
(Purdue Owl is an excellent resource)
• double-spaced, with no extra lines skipped between paragraphs
• indented 5 spaces for new paragraphs
• plain fonts such as Helvetica and Geneva (no old English, script, etc.)
• 12 point type
• 1 inch margins all around; no fancy borders
• stapled once in top left corner (no report covers or folders unless specifically told to do so)
• first and last name, date, period, assignment in top left corner
• a running header on the top right corner of each page with last name and page number
(i.e.: “Perez 1” on page one, and so forth)
The Fine Print
Make Up Work from Absences: I keep my website updated with assignments, test dates, and due
dates. I also post it on my board weekly. If you’re not sure when something is due because of your
absence, you have two places to check, or you may ask me. If it’s a long-term assignment, it is still
due that day. Get it to school via a friend or parent. Also, if something is due the day you are absent
and you missed no instruction on it, it is due the day you return.
Making Up Tests: Be ready to take a make-up test the day you return from an absence if you
missed one the day of your absence. If there is no class time to make it up, be prepared to stay after
school or come in before school, at lunch, or after school within a week of your return.
Concerns : If you have a concern and need to talk to me, feel free to arrange to come in before or
after school, or talk to me during class at an appropriate time. You can also email me or call me.
Long Term Project Policy
Long term projects are due on the date and time assigned, as defined in writing in advance by the
teacher. NO EXCEPTIONS. THIS SUPERSEDES THE MAKE-UP POLICY. If the student is absent or
the class does not meet that day, the PROJECT IS STILL DUE ON THE DAY ASSIGNED.
Classroom Behavior Expectations and Consequences
All behavior expectations listed in the student handbook will be enforced at all times. In addition, I
ask for respect, kindness and courtesy to all around you. Students need to be responsible for
academic success and for the choices they make.
Electronic Device Use
Technology (cell phones, iPods, hand-held devices, etc.) use in the classroom is intended to
enhance the learning environment for all students; however, any use of technology that substantially
degrades the learning environment, promotes dishonesty or illegal activities, is prohibited. If the
instructor determines that the use of technology is a distraction to the learning process, either of the
student using the technology or to those around him/her, the student may, at the discretion of the
teacher, be asked to discontinue the use of technology in the classroom.
Personal Electronic Device Use:
Personal Electronic Devices include cell phones, iPods, other mp3 players and similar technology
devices used for entertainment and communication/social media. Students are expected to
refrain from the use of electronic devices for personal entertainment and/or communication (i.e email,
instagram, facebook, etc.) during instructional time (as determined by the teacher or classroom
designee). While students may freely use these devices before and after school, during passing
period, and at lunch- the teacher will limit the use of personal devices and for which purposes during
class to ensure that all students are focused and ready to learn.
Bring Your Own Device and Use of Electronic Devices to Facilitate Learning:
Sandra Day O’Connor High School will begin to integrate the use of tablets, laptops and smart
phones as a learning tool in the classroom. Once the technology tools are added to the classroom
for learning, the classroom teacher will inform students as to when they may use their device and for
which purposes. Students must adhere to their teacher’s guidelines for use and appropriate times for
use. Any student who violates the teacher’s guidelines will be subject to disciplinary action.
Please note- students may not access their personal devices, whether for entertainment or learning, if
the teacher has stated that the classroom activities at that time do not warrant use. For example,
during testing or assessments.
Adherence to the O’Connor Academic Integrity Code
All students enrolled in ELA 5-6 AP will adhere to the framework and guidelines set forth in the
O’Connor High School Academic Integrity Code. Cheating and Plagiarism will not be tolerated. The
purpose of this code is to promote a positive learning environment for all involved. As humans,
we will make mistakes as we grow. It is understood that we can learn from those mistakes and
become better individuals in the future. Any student who violates this code will be referred to the
Students Rights and Responsibilities handbook and assignment of appropriate consequences.
Plagiarism and Cheating
Cheating: In cheating, a student is taking the work of another, on any assignment, and claiming it as
his/her own. At SDOHS cheating includes but is not limited to:
 Copying and/or offering homework verbally, in written form, or by electronic means from/to
another student.
 Copying and/or offering questions and/or answers on tests or quizzes verbally, in written form,
or by electronic means from/to another student.
 Pressuring other students to copy and/or offer homework, answers and/or questions on tests or
quizzes verbally, in written form or by electronic means.
 Bringing in and using unauthorized information during class time, including information stored in
any electronic device.
 Offering or receiving information under circumstances in which information is not to be shared.
 Having anyone, including parents or tutors, complete assignments and submitting the work as
one’s own.
 Presenting collaborative work as independent work and independent work as collaborative. (In
group work, one person should not and will not bear the burden for the entire group
assignment.)
 Copying answers from answer guides in texts.
 Fabricating data, information, or sources. Presenting made up material as authentic.
Plagiarism: The
act of plagiarism may include direct copying, but it may also be more complex than
verbatim repetition. A student, in preparing a project for a class, will have plagiarized if he/she has
taken information from sources without citing the sources that have been used. Plagiarized material
may appear in a student’s paper as word-for-word copying, a summation, or a paraphrase of
another’s ideas. A student has plagiarized whether the material from another source has been taken
in whole or in part. In effect, by not naming the source, the student is claiming the work of another as
his/hers. At SDOHS plagiarism includes but is not limited to:
 Submitting images and/or documents in whole or in part from the Internet without citation of the
source(s).
 Copying another’s work.
 Using another’s ideas without proper citations.
 Incorporating portions of another’s writing within the context of your own work.
 Failing to acknowledge a source of information.
 Using “unique” phrases without citations.
 Using graphics, charts, diagrams, or illustrations without citations.
 Using a translator (either in-person or on-line) without proper citations
Plagiarism and/or Cheating will result in disciplinary actions and a 0%, with no option to redo/retake. no exceptions.
Loss of Credit Due to Absences
Upon reaching 5 unexcused absences or a combination of 12 unexcused and/or excused
absences, a student may lose credit in any given class.
Any student may be placed on an Attendance Contract upon accumulating multiple excused and
unexcused absences. Any student with excessive absences may:
1. Lose credit in one or more classes.
2. Lose parking privileges.
AP Exam Testing
All students will take a complete practice exam. This practice exam will be scheduled in advance and
participation is mandatory as this is part of your final exam for the course.
All students, whether testing for Advanced Placement College Board credit or not, will sit for a full
board exam on the official testing day in May. Students testing for college credit will test with the
appropriate facilitator. Students testing as their final exam will test with me. Exam check-in for all
students is at 7:40 am and students will miss their 1-3 hour classes that day (as an excused internal
school absence that will not count as an absence for school attendance policy purposes).
Participation in this exam date is not optional.
Communication
Please contact the teacher for any student concerns. It is crucial that teachers, parents, and students
maintain open lines of communication in order to ensure the best support for student success.
Contact information is provided at the top of the first page of this syllabus.
Course Outline
Quarter 1: Narrative Styles and Strategies
Thematic Focus: The American Dream—Who Achieves It?
Critical Thinking Strategies and practice
Rhetorical Strategies: diction, detail, imagery, figurative language
Introduction to writer’s workshop: Students learn peer review and revision strategies
Portfolio Draft 1: Narrative
Portfolio Draft 2: Definition (“I am a Cripple”)
Portfolio Draft 3: Classification
Portfolio Draft 4: Description (“I stopped my bicycle…”)
Readings: The Jungle, “The Box Man,” by Barbara Ascher; “I am a Cripple,” by Nancy Mairs; “Family
Values;” Selzer’s “Knife” passage; “Why I Want a Wife,” by Judy Brady; “The Eagle,” by Tennyson;
“The Sulivan Balu letter,” “Jonathan Edward’s Daughter letter;” “The Most Dangerous Job,” by Eric
Schlosser; excerpt from Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich; “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry
God;” Close Readings of “The Ways We Lie,” by Stephanie Ericsson; “On WWII,” by Ernie Pyle; “A
Faceless Man’s Plea,” by Mike Royko; “Where Worlds Collide,” by Pico Iyer; “The People Next Door,”
by Jonathon Gould; “What Are Friends For?” by Marion Winik.
Historical Paradigms: The American Depression, The American Puritans
Vocabulary Study: Rhetorical Terms
Quarter 2: Rhetorical Styles and Strategies
Thematic Focus: The American Dream—Is the Dream Still Alive?
Rhetorical Strategies: syntax, tone
Published Paper: Students research an online or print magazine, publication, or contest for which to
submit a piece of their writing. They select a draft to take through multiple revisions and consider
audience and purpose in their revisions
Timed writings: Analyze the rhetorical strategies Lord Chesterfield uses to convey his values to his
son; “On the Want of Money;” Analyze “The Company Man,” Analyze the rhetorical strategies John
Downe uses to convince his wife to join him in the New World; Analyze Jamaica Kincaid’s attitude
toward England Readings: The Great Gatsby, Their Eyes Were Watching God; Close Readings of “A
Word’s Meaning…,” by Gloria Naylor; “Letters from Birmingham Jail,” by MLK Jr.; “Second Inaugural
Address,” by Abe Lincoln; “Galapagos Island” prompt, “Neat People Versus Sloppy People,” by
Susanne Britt; “Coca-Cola Letters,” AP prompt; “How if Feels to be Colored Me,” by Zora Neal
Hurston
Historical Paradigms: The Jazz Age, The Romantics, and The Enlightenment as they relate to the
free response selections for timed writings
Vocabulary Study: Rhetorical Terms
Quarter 3: Argumentation and Persuasion Styles and Strategies
Thematic Focus: What Does It Mean to Be Well-Educated?
Rhetorical Strategies: ethical, logical, and emotional appeals; inductive and deductive logic; the
Toulmin structure; Rogerian argumentation; fallacies of logic; the P.A.P.A. analysis technique,
analysis of visual rhetoric
Research Paper: Argumentation and support—students select an issue in secondary or postsecondary education to research and suggest factors which will improve the situation or “tip” it in the
style of The Tipping Point where Gladwell asserts that small changes bring about large results;
students will write a proposal, compile an annotated bibliography analyzing the quality of their
sources, draft, revise, use correct MLA citations and formats, and will use various types of support;
emphasis is on exploratory research, not research done to prove what they already know
Visual Analyses: 1) “What Would Jesus (or Jesús) Drive?”--students analyze two magazine ads: one
promotes a Christian ethic of driving fuel-efficient cars and one defends Jesús’s right to drive an SUV.
Students base their analysis upon subject matter, layout, connotations of visual details, such as
Jesus’s expression, picture composition, and headings. 2) Compare and contrast flight emergency
card and Turn Off TV Week parody. 3) View video art piece “This Call May Be Monitored,” by Lisa
Dilillo and analyze argument presented. 4) View then analyze the use of persuasion used in the
documentary The Cove. Timed writings: Analyze the rhetorical strategies Alfred M. Green uses to
persuade his fellow African Americans to enlist in the Union army; “Singer Solution to World Poverty”
to show how “I” can be used properly, “America Needs Its Nerds” rhetorical analysis, John Ruskin
essay prompt, Charles Lamb essay prompt, “Buzz Light Year” prompt, “Technology” essay example,
define Rachel Carson’s central argument and analyze her strategies in the passage from Silent
Spring; Identify Jennifer Price’s view of United States culture through her essay on
flamingosReadings: The Tipping Point; Savage Inequalities; “Nothing to Laugh About,” by Richard
Schickel;“The Costs of Overemphasizing Achievement,” by Alfie Kohn; “A Reassuring Scorecard for
Affirmative Action,” by Michael Weinstein; “Colleges Caught in a Vice,” by Stanley Fish; “from Social
Class and the Hidden Curriculum of Work,” by Jean Anyon; Readings from Everything’s and
Argument, including “Everything’s an Argument,” Chapter 1; “Reading and Writing Arguments,”
Chapter 2; and “Structuring Arguments,” Chapter 8 Vocabulary Study: Student-Selected SAT words
Quarter 4: Research and Synthesis
Thematic Focus: How Do We Voice Our Opinion?
Satire and Humor Analysis: Students will learn how arguments can be conveyed through humor and
satire. They identify and apply strategies of satire such as overstatement, understatement, irony,
exaggeration, surprising detail, and parody.Timed writings: Kennan’s “Training for Statesmanship”
prompt, Sontag’s “Photography” prompt; Synthesis prompts, including non-indigenous plants and
2007, 2009, and 2010 promptsReadings: Walden; “If We’re Gonna Have Guns…,” by Mike Royko;
Close Readings of “Civil Disobedience,” by Thoreau; “A Modest Proposal,” by Jonathon Swift; “Dam”
letters; “A Language Arts Teacher’s Modest Proposal,” by Jessica McDonald; “Student Moved to
Tears by Cliff’s Notes for Of Mice and Men,” from The Onion; “God Will Give You Blood to Drink in a
Souvenir Shot Glass,” by Sarah Vowell; “My Speech to the Graduates,” by Woody Allen; “Me Talk
Pretty One Day,” by David Sedaris; “Mom, We’ll Take Care of Him,” by Erma Bombeck; and
“Humorous Arguments,” Chapter 13 from Everything’s An Argument Visual Analysis: Analysis of
satirical cartoons including Doonsbury, Life in Hell, and political cartoons; analyze graphic novel
excerpt for visual arguments. View examples of modern satire in “SNL” and “Simpson’s” episode
clips. Speaking and Presenting: Students write and present a satirical speech in the spirit of
Jonathon Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” and present a persuasive brochure pitch on their literature
circle novel
Vocabulary Study: Student-Selected SAT words
* The above may be modified to meet the needs of a class at teacher discretion.
Syllabus Acknowledgment and Honor Code Agreement for AP Language Arts
As honors students at Sandra Day O’Connor High School, you are role models of excellence in
academics and integrity in behavior. With the recognition and rewards that accompany the title of
“honor student,” certain responsibilities and characteristics are inherent. The following are
characteristics you should strive to embody:
• Excellence in achievement and diligent effort in your honors classes. This is evidenced by
maintaining the minimum grade of 75% in each honors level class. Completion of all assignments is
also concomitant with expected performance.
• Praiseworthy behavior and integrity. This is evidenced by compliance with school rules, teacher
expectations, honesty, and positive actions which promote the ideals of Sandra Day O’Connor High
School.
• Appropriate attendance. This is evidenced by compliance with school attendance policies. In
addition, you make an effort to go to class rather than to sweep, and when you are absent, it is
excused.
The rewards of an honors education are many. The best of these are the intangible rewards of
knowing you have exceeded expectations, you have acted with integrity, and you have striven to get
the most from your educational opportunities at this crucial point in your education. Teachers,
administration, and staff at Sandra Day O’Connor High School commend you.
August 11, 2014
Dear Parent,
Your student has been asked to show and discuss the ELA 5-6 AP course description
with you. By signing this, you and your student are acknowledging that you
understand the grading system, honor code and classroom policies. Should you have
any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any of the information provided,
please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Andrea Wallach
Student Name (printed) _______________________________________
Student Signature ___________________________________________
Date ___________________
Period__________________________
*** I agree with the book/film choices, the honor code, the attendance policy, and the
classroom rules.
Parent Signature___________________________________________
Date ___________________
***Please print out this page and return with the proper signatures by 8/22/14.