Mr. Fleck's World of English

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Course Descriptions

This year (2007-2008), I'm teaching the following classes:

AP English Literature and Composition

Introduction (from the College Board's AP Website): “An AP course in English Language, Composition, and Literature engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose and poetry written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and 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 generic conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing.”

We will be closely analyzing literature from the point of view of the writer (as well as of the reader) to determine how literature affects readers, and in what ways.  We will provide the context of the literature in order to understand how literature fits into its own time as well as in our time. We will try to determine the qualities of great literature.

In addition, our literary analysis will look at style and structure and a writer's diction, imagery, use of detail, language and syntax.  Vocabulary study is important, and poetic explications will help to solidify vocabulary skills.

Writing well about literature is a key component of the class. Students will keep a writing folder over the course of the year to document their improvement, and to engage themselves in thinking about their writing.  Students are also required to take both AP exams in May.

Grade: 11 (with recommendation) and 12

Length: 40 weeks

Evaluation: written works

Prerequisites: Successful completion of English 1/teacher recommendation

Credit: 1

Cinema

This is a half-year senior elective English course.  Students will be exposed to the history of American films, who makes them, how they're made, and cultural issues surrounding the "Art Form of the 20th Century."  Reviews, in and out of class, are required, as is a project/research paper and a final exam.  Final exam exemptions are granted to students with an 85 or better course average, subject to teacher discretion.

Grade: 12

Length: 20 weeks

Evaluation: written film reviews, essays, reports

Prerequisites: Successful completion of English 11

Credit: 1/2

Freshman Comp One (a SCCC course)

This is a writing-intensive course in which students will draft and revise college-level essays.  Students will study the conventions of academic prose, examine various methods of organization and development, and learn research skills.  Students must earn a grade of C (73) to receive college credit.

Students who successfully complete this course will learn to write clear, coherent texts within common college-level forms.  They will demonstrate the ability to revise and improve these texts.  In addition, they will be able to research a topic, document sources, and organize supporting details.

In evaluating student performance, the instructor will use the following guidelines:

Essays should contain a clearly stated or implied thesis.

Essays should demonstrate good overall structure.

Essays should contain logical relationships between the theses and supporting paragraphs.

Students should participate fully in the revision process.

The course will develop the following skills:

the ability to write clear, grammatically correct sentences

the ability to write coherent, unified, well-developed paragraphs

the ability to write well-organized essays unified by a clear thesis

the ability to revise and edit

the ability to quote, paraphrase, and summarize effectively

the ability to develop and write forceful arguments

Students will be given reading and writing assignments throughout the semester.  Students are responsible for all assignments made in the required textbooks, and are required to submit essays on the assigned dates.  Conferences to discuss the student's work and progress may be scheduled by the student or the instructor.

 The course will consist of:

Some study of grammatical problems

Discussion and development of ideas, often based on outside readings

The examination and explanation of different styles and methods of writing

Speech One (a SCCC course)

Students who successfully complete this course will develop proficiency in oral discourse and evaluate oral presentation according to established criteria.  Students will all learn to find and use a variety of sources of information for speeches.  Students must achieve a C average (73) in order to receive college credit for the course.

     The course will develop the following skills:

overcoming fears of speaking

overcoming fears of allowing appropriate silence

delivering speeches with poise, comfort, and confidence

orating speeches written by others

the use of visual aids during a speech

the ability to perform well in a question and answer format

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