1. Welcome to 12 AP English
Mr. VanWestervelt

2. Five Things About Mr. VW
Graduated from Towson U (undergraduate) and Goucher College (graduate) with an emphasis on writing, teaching, and publishing;
Has taught at Centennial since 2003; has been teaching grades 5  graduate level since 1987;
Is a Teacher-Consultant with the National Writing Project;
Lives in Towson with his wife and 3 kids; and
Was a columnist for the Towson Times, has written two novels, and has published hundreds of articles on education, parenting, writing, mindfulness, creativity, and publishing.

3. The Focus
3-Fold focus to prepare students for college or any post-secondary path they choose
Communicate Effectively
Analyze, Interpret, Synthesize, and Evaluate Information
Embrace the Autonomous and Independent Role of Being a Mindful and Lifelong Learner

4. Achieving The Goal Of Our Focus
Reading varied fiction and nonfiction texts (original, literary, contemporary)
Writing creative, informative, argumentative, and critical works while focusing on the process of writing well
Thinking about how we read and write, so that our metacognitive practices begin to cross over to other educational disciplines, and eventually to our everyday lives in our jobs, our relationships, and our social responsibilities.

5. The Curriculum
Reading: Anchor Texts (w/Close Reading): The Things They Carried, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, Canterbury Tales, Hamlet; also: various sonnets, essays, and short stories
Writing: Daybooks, vomit drafts, personal essays, college essays, AP-style essays, informative and argumentative essays, literary criticism (research papers)
Thinking: Writing process, WIIFM, formative assessment, Bloom’s taxonomy

6. Mr. VW’s Websites and Contact Information
and Canvas (School)
(Writing)