Larry Jarocki English Teacher El Diamante High School 2016 Class An Extended Unit Containing Multiple Readings and Writings for Cannery Row Designed for the First Semester of AP English Language and Composition This unit comprises a few months of reading and and writing around Steinbeck’ Ricketts’ ideas about ecosystems. It includes a close reading of the Cannery Row itself, as well as selections from Patterns for College Writing by Kirszner and Mandell. On the writing side, students will be doing both timed and process papers, including practice writes for the AP English Language and Composition test. The readings, writing assignments, and associated AP prompts are arranged by mode, and these modes are collected into groups related to four Ricketts’ approaches to analyzing an ecosystem. The overarching idea here is that students will be looking at how authors use various modes to convey ideas and, using Steinbeck and other writers as models, employ these modes in documenting themselves and their own place within their ecosystem. Level One work—Describing the thing itself (Modes: description, narration) Readings Narrative the by Martin “Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call Police” Gansberg an by George Orwell “Shooting Elephant” by Bonnie Smith-Yackel “My Mother Never Worked” Description by Suzanne Berne “Ground Zero” to by Bich Minh Nguyen “Goodbye My Twinkie Days” to the by E. B. White “Once More Lake” AP Prompts (note: these are done on a three-week cycle—1) an extended whole-class discussion of a prompt, (2) a peer-graded write, and (3) a write. This cuts down on my grading but still allows students regular writing opportunities and feedback) Whole-class: Indian lands (Momaday and Brown, 1986) Peer-graded: Mountain Lion (Edward Abbey, Q1, 2002) Teacher-Graded: Owls (Mary Oliver, Q2, 2001) Process Papers about “65 Things me” (Description) in a numbered list, tell me sixty-five “Using complete sentences different things about you (what you do, who you are, what you like, what you've done, etc.).” These should not be shared with the class. If students know that only the teacher is reading the be more comfortable lists, they’ll opening up in what they write. (thanks for the idea, Tasha) “This I Believe” (Description/Narration)
Larry Jarocki English Teacher El Diamante High School 2016 Class An Extended Unit Containing Multiple Readings and Writings for Cannery Row Designed for the First Semester of AP English Language and Composition This unit comprises a few months of reading and writing around Steinbeck’ and Ricketts’ ideas about ecosystems. It includes a close reading of the Cannery Row itself, as well as selections from Patterns for College Writing by Kirszner and Mandell. On the writing side, students will be doing both timed and process papers, including practice writes for the AP English Language and Composition test. The readings, writing assignments, and associated AP prompts are arranged by mode, and these modes are collected into groups related to Ricketts’ four approaches to analyzing an ecosystem. The overarching idea here is that students will be looking at how authors use various modes to convey ideas and, using Steinbeck and other writers as models, employ these modes in documenting themselves and their own place within their ecosystem. Level One work—Describing the thing itself (Modes: description, narration) Readings Narrative “Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police” by Martin Gansberg “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell “My Mother Never Worked” by Bonnie Smith-Yackel Description “Ground Zero” by Suzanne Berne “Goodbye to My Twinkie Days” by Bich Minh Nguyen “Once More to the Lake” by E. B. White AP Prompts (note: these are done on a three-week cycle—1) an extended whole-class discussion of a prompt, (2) a peer-graded write, and (3) a write. This cuts down on my grading but still allows students regular writing opportunities and feedback) Whole-class: Indian lands (Momaday and Brown, 1986) Peer-graded: Mountain Lion (Edward Abbey, Q1, 2002) Teacher-Graded: Owls (Mary Oliver, Q2, 2001) Process Papers “65 Things about me” (Description) “Using complete sentences in a numbered list, tell me sixty-five different things about you (what you do, who you are, what you like, what you've done, etc.).” These should not be shared with the class. If students know that only the teacher is reading the lists, they’ll be more comfortable opening up in what they write. (thanks for the idea, Tasha) “This I Believe” (Description/Narration)