|
AP
ENGLISH |
We have four sections, a new one taught by Lilianna Serbicki, a section taught by Kathryn Walker, a section taught by Molly (Maya) Richman Inspektor, and one taught by Debra Bell.
Section 1
Instructor: Lilianna
Serbicki (LSerbickiAP@gmail.com)
Course
fee: $550 if payment is received by July 1st;
$575 if payment is received afterwards.
This course is open to 10th, 11th and 12th graders.
Required texts:
NONFICTION:
-Speech in the Virginia Convention by Patrick Henry
-One Hundred Great Essays (edited by Robert DiYanni)
-A
Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift (can be found online)
-The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis (any edition)
-Memoirs of the Second World War by Winston
Churchill
DRAMA:
-Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare (any edition or online)
-Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde (any edition
or online)
FICTION:
-Animal Farm by George Orwell
SHORT FICTION (any
edition, all are found online as well):
-Revelation and Everything That Rises Must
Converge by Flannery O'Connor
-The Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka
-Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut
-The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas
by Ursula K. LeGuin
-Repent, Harlequin! Said the Tick Tock Man by Harlan Ellison
REFERENCE/
-CliffsAPEnglish Language and Composition prep guide,
3rd ed, by Barbara Swovelin
-The Elements of Style
by Strunk and White
Suggested Text:
-
Tech needs: Students must have full web and printer access, Microsoft Office (or equivalent
word processing capabilities), and be able to read PDFs.
Length of course:
Hours of study
each week: 8-12
hours, depending on the week and the amount of bonus material the student
chooses to cover.
Course
description: This course is designed for
the proactive student with a love of reading and composition. It will focus on
class interactivity and analysis through discussion as well as individual
writing.
The three main goals of this course build upon each other:
1.
To recognize and
understand both basic and complex elements of language and composition. These
include elements such as irony, paralellism,
symbolism, etc.
2.
To analyze WHY those
elements are used and HOW they are used most effectively to express, debate,
and explore ideas.
3.
To create effective examples
of these elements in our own writing.
This course seeks to achieve these
goals through a study of both fiction and nonfiction. While non-fiction lends
itself to concise rhetoric, fiction is often one of the most effective ways to
express a concept or present an argument. For that reason, I am including a
wide selection of both classic and speculative fiction.
This class is designed to be rigorous and exciting
academically, while still flexible. Weekly assignments will include:
-Short essays and multiple choice
quizzes in preparation for the AP exam in May.
-Reading assignments ranging from 30-80
pages.
-Optional bonus assignments
-Longer writing assignments including:
4. Short fiction (may be
exchanged for a creative nonfiction assignment on an individual basis)
Instructor
Qualifications:
I am a 2009 graduate (Magna Cum Laude) of Franciscan
University of Steubenville with a BA in Communication Arts and a Minor in
Philosophy. My last two years of school, I served as the Editor-in-Chief of Lumen Vincens student literary magazine.
I'm currently the Web/Sales Coordinator at WTOV9 News in Steubenville, OH,
where my work includes managing web traffic, designing and writing copy for web
ads and creating effective, memorable commercial scripts. I have experience in
writing, editing, and proofreading both fiction and nonfiction, including
creative fiction, non-fiction articles, commercial scripts, and ad copy. My other current creative projects include
managing an online writing forum and editing a collection of short stories in
preparation for seeking publication. Beginning this fall, I will be teaching
full-time and working on freelance writing projects.
Instructor: Kathryn L. Walker
Tuition:
$550 early bird/$575 after July 1
Course Overview: This is a college-level course in which students will prepare for the
Advanced Placement Language and Composition exam by engaging in critical
reading, writing, and discussion. The
stated purpose of the course is to “emphasize the expository, analytical, and
argumentative writing that forms the basis of academic and professional communication.”
Students will learn to read texts closely to determine the author’s
purpose and means of conveying his message.
Students will also engage in analysis of film, art, and audio recordings
to better understand communication and texts.
Students will develop skills in narrating, analyzing, and arguing
through examining texts from various time periods and genres and through
writing formal and informal responses to them in various modes. Timed essays
and practice tests will help prepare students for the exam.
Course Units and Texts
Unit I:
Narration/Description
Students will examine the
tools of narration and description, including repetition, chiasmus, antithesis,
hyperbole, metonymy, irony, etc. Narrative works will range from Beowulf to Bill Cosby’s contemporary
comedy. Students will discuss what makes a good narrative, analyze and write in
response to narrative works, and create their own narrative work in the form of
a Chaucerian-style retelling.
Beowulf (text
and/or audio recording read by Seamus Heaney, translator)
To Russell, My Brother, Whom I have Slept With by Bill Cosby (voice recording)
Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Patton
“A Libido for the Ugly”
by H. L. Mencken
“The Haunted Mind” by
Nathaniel Hawthorne
“The Ring of Time” by E.
B. White
“Portrait of a Londoner”
by Virginia Woolf
Unit II: The Argument
Students will study
logical syllogisms and fallacies through A
Rulebook for Arguments to help them craft meaningful arguments. Students
will argue through a variety of modes: satires, letters to the editor,
persuasive essays, and argument refutations. Students will craft an
argumentative research essay giving their perspective on the purpose education
ought to serve, analyzing Newman and Dickens as they do so. Topics for argumentation will also include
current events.
A Rulebook for Arguments (4th edition) by Anthony Weston
Selections from The Idea of a University by John Henry
Newman
Hard Times by Charles Dickens
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
“The Case for Torture” by
Michael Levin
“History for Dollars” by
David Brooks
Unit
Students will examine the
relationship of human consciousness to language, writing, and reading through
the works of Orwell, Joyce, Wolfe, and T.S. Eliot. Through studying the role of
the writer’s voice to persuade, engage, and argue, they will work to use
language carefully to create the effect they want their readers to
experience. They will study a variety of
notable speeches, from various eras and countries, and determine how the
speechwriters worked upon human language and consciousness. Students will
compare modern art with stream of consciousness writing to identify similar
mental processes the two attempt to convey. Students
will craft a written speech of their own to demonstrate their rhetorical
abilities.
“Politics and the English
Language” by George Orwell
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Elliot
“The Legacy” by Virginia Woolf
“Araby”
by James Joyce
“I Have a Dream” by
Martin Luther King
“Sinners in the Hands of
an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards
“The
“Votes for Women” by Mark
Twain
“The Apology of Socrates”
by Plato
Technical Details:
·
Course
assignments and interaction take place through a website specific to this
course.
·
Students
interact through discussion boards and peer reviews.
·
I post video
mini-lectures about the topics we’re studying during many of the weeks, as well
as links to articles and documents with helpful information.
·
I post the
next two complete weeks’ worth of assignments at any given time, so students
have a clear idea of what work to anticipate, and they can schedule it around
their other classes and activities.
·
I return
graded work promptly with thorough comments using the Comment function in Word.
·
Students work
with their peers and instructor to revise their work in stages through topic
proposals, outlines, drafts, and peer reviews.
·
Students
learn and apply the principles of Modern Language Association (MLA) citations.
·
Strunk and
White’s The Elements of Style serves
as our text for the technicalities of strong writing, such as focusing word
usage and sentence structure, crafting the thesis statement, and developing
adroit transitions.
·
I post grades
weekly to a Google doc spreadsheet (students’ identities are concealed through
secret numbers) that parents and students have constant access to.
·
I send
progress reports each trimester with specific grades and comments for each
student.
Workload: Weekly coursework generally includes about 100 pages of fiction
reading or shorter selections from non-fiction works, a 1-3 page essay or work
on a larger essay, participation on the class discussion board, occasional
quizzes, video mini-lectures to watch, and short information readings.
Student Qualifications: Open to students in 10th-12th grade. Students should be competent readers and
writers, but don’t let the reading list scare you; we will work together through
the difficult texts. Students need Microsoft Word and Internet access.
Class Schedule:
Instructor Qualifications: A graduate of PHAA, I hold a B.A in English from
Instructor Availability: I work in close contact with students and am
engaged with them significantly through discussion boards, written comments on
their essays, and email conversations. I’m also available through phone and Skype to provide any support or guidance students need. I
maintain regular communication with parents through email updates.
Click here to read
class reviews from participants in Mrs. Walker’s section of this class
Click here to download an application for Mrs. Walker’s AP Language class
Click here to read testimonials about Mrs. Walker’s AP Language class
Instructor: Maya Inspektor (minspektor AT pahomeschoolers D0t com)
Course fee: $550 if payment is received by June 1st; $575 if payment is received afterwards.
Note: this course is open to 10th, 11th and 12th graders. I occasionally admit 9th graders who present exceptional credentials.
Required texts:
·
The Writer's
Presence: A Pool of
· CliffsAP English Language and Composition prep guide, 3rd ed, by Barbara Swovelin
· The Elements of Style, by Strunk and White (This is the summer reading assignment. Any edition is acceptable, but be sure you buy a version by Strunk and White rather than one only by Strunk.)
· The Story of My Life, by Helen Keller (any edition, even a free e-text.)
· Hunger of Memory, by Richard Rodriguez (any edition)
· Walden, by Henry David Thoreau (any edition, even a free e-text.)
Suggested Text:
·
Grammar Smart: A Guide to Perfect usage http://pahomeschoolers.c2.ixwebhosting.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=32&products_id=48
(While I will not assign work from this text, I strongly recommend it to
students who need to brush up on the finer points of grammatical writing. It's
excellent preparation for the writing section of the
Registration deadline: Applications will be accepted through August 1st, though the class may fill up sooner.
Tech needs: Students must have full web and printer access (broadband Internet recommended but not required), and they must be able to view PDF files.
Length of course:
Hours of study each week: Approximately 10-12 hours.
(We don't meet at set class times; rather, you will have assignments due by
Who should apply: Students with a love for words, argumentation, and reading who would like to invest time and energy into exploring language more deeply. As this is a beginning college-level writing course, students should come in with the ability to write with few grammar errors. They do not need extensive experience with formal literary analysis or essay writing.
Course description: This highly interactive course is designed to prepare students for the AP English Language and Composition exam in May. Students will learn to understand complicated texts and write with complexity, clarity and polish. Essentially, the goal of an AP English Language and Composition course is for students to develop maturity, both as readers and writers. To reach this goal, this course will involve extensive reading, writing, and online discussion.
Reading and writing nonfiction lies at the heart of the AP English Language and Composition exam. Students should anticipate reading 30-50 pages (mostly engaging nonfiction essays) and writing one essay (or the equivalent) weekly. I think students will be happily surprised to discover just how engaging nonfiction writing can be, from Helen Keller's dramatic autobiography about emerging from a silent, dark world to Sherman Alexie's humorous account of how Superman helped him learn to read. We will also study image as text, critiquing Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoons and photographs. Students will track down logical fallacies in politicians' speeches (not too hard of an assignment, I'm afraid!) and read satire from Jonathan Swift and Langston Hughes. Nonfiction readings prepare students for readings in every discipline of college study, but that doesn't mean they need to be dry! In addition, students will choose novels, plays, and nonfiction works to study either independently or in interactive book clubs with their classmates throughout the year.
Course writing will vary greatly. During the year, students will compose journal entries, discussion question responses, argumentative papers and analytic essays. They will also write several personal creative narratives. They will write a challenging researched argument paper that they can submit as an entry to a scholarship competition. Throughout the year, I will emphasize the writing process, as students move from prewriting to drafting and revisions with the help of extensive critique from both their classmates and from me.
Finally, let's not forget one of our ultimate focuses: throughout the year, but particularly at the end, students will engage in guided test preparation for the AP English Language and Composition exam.
Our readings will center around three driving questions:
1. How does language and literacy change who we are? For example, how did learning the word for “water” change Helen Keller's experience of water? How did the acquisition of English change Richard Rodriguez's identity?
2. What does it mean to get an education? Why does Richard Rodriguez try so hard to be the Scholarship boy? What struck Joyce Carol Oates about her childhood school? What are arguments for (and against) homeschooling?
3. How can we use words to change the world? How do we critically examine the words used by politicians? How to writers craft arguments? What is Henry David Thoreau trying to accomplish in his story of retreat from society?
I have been very proud by my students' performance in the past. For the past few years, not have more than two thirds of my students earned scores of 4 or 5 on the exam at the end of the year (with 5 as the most common grade), but altogether my students have won $9000 in college scholarships for the Peace Essay Contest entries they completed as part of the class. I look forward to even better results in the future!
Instructor Qualifications: This is my fourth year
teaching online AP English Language, and I feel I grow into a better teacher
every year. I graduated summa cum laude from the
Details: I am happy to respond to any and all questions about the class. My e-mail is minspektor AT pahomeschoolers DOT com. (Note: my spam filter occasionally diverts e-mails from certain addresses coming to this account. If you don't hear back from me within a few days, please try sending a message to yiyehtov AT gmail DOTcom or contact me via PA Homeschoolers.)
Click here to class reviews from participants in Mrs. Inspektor's section of the class.
Click here to download an application for Mrs. Inspektor's AP Language class (WORD document).
Instructor: Debra Bell (debrabell2000@yahoo.com). To Apply:
request an application from the instructor.
Teaching Assistant: To Be Announced, but I will have a college-level former student who has nailed this exam assist me.
Tuition: $550 early bird special
Important Details
Technical Requirements: Students need a Google Account. I use Google Sites and other Google applications. Students also need to be able to send and receive attachments. Most course documents are PDF files.
Here are details about Web-ex. All students in both classes this past year
had no difficulty using this technology, even students overseas. It is the industry standard in
web-conferencing and used widely by businesses worldwide.
Course Description
The main reason I’m developing the course is to give students an opportunity to grow as critical thinkers and effective writers of reflection and argument. (See: Stephen Toulmin’s The Uses of Argument as one approach of interest).
Here is a bit of an overview of what we will be doing:
· Students will learn to recognize and use a wide range of rhetorical strategies in their writing.
· Students will write reflective and argument essays.
· Students will make several arguments using new media and post these online (e.g. videos, photo essays, posters).
· Students will organize into collaborative groups in order to read, write and discuss/debate topics of interest. Each year what we read, write about and discuss comes from what is in the news and what the current class of students is interested in talking about. It’s very lively, organic and fun.
Course Objectives:
· To prepare students to succeed on the AP English Language and Composition exam.
· To help students write with elegance, perception and persuasion about life and culture.
· To help students recognize the rhetorical and linguistic choices writers make when composing non-fiction for narrative, expository or argumentation purposes
· To prepare college-bound students to confront divergent opinions on campus; and to make their own contribution to the broader culture through writing that is winsome and well-reasoned.
One Important Note:
As you might infer from the reading list, this course will take a look, in part, at the Christian faith as an idea worth defending; students of other persuasions are more than welcomed to participate; all perspectives will be respected. Students should be willing to look at current cultural issues from a number of viewpoints and courteously but unflinchingly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of those views.
Required Texts
Everything's An Argument with Readings, 5th edition, Lunsford, Ruszkiewcz & Walters. ISBN: 0312538618
The Reason for God by Tim Keller
Blue Like Jazz by Don Miller
( I provide the other essays.)
Ideal Students
· 10th grade at least and 15 years old. The content of this course requires emotional maturity and consideration. We write about and respond to what others have said on a wide array of subjects where a range of opinions exist.
· Committed to collaborating with others weekly. I do accept a few students whose schedules do not permit them to be a part of weekly collaboration. Please discuss this with me when you apply.
Instructor’s Qualifications
M.A.
in English, B.S. in communications education. Currently, I am in the
dissertation phase of a PhD in educational psychology through
Click here to class reviews from participants in Mrs. Bell’s section of the class.
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