AP Language and Composition Syllabus 2014-2015
Jeri Swatosh, educator
Course Description
jeri.swatosh@vansd.org
Welcome!
AP Language and Composition provides challenges for students to understand and apply
rhetoric to their thinking, listening, reading, writing, viewing, and speaking. Through close
reading and frequent writing, students develop their ability to work with language and text with a
greater awareness of purpose, form, and audience, while strengthening their own abilities to
write a variety of compositions in several forms (e.g., narrative, expository, analytical,
argumentative essays as well as research paper) about a variety of subjects (e.g., public policies,
politics, popular culture, personal experiences) explored through nonfiction essays in textbooks,
periodicals, visual rhetoric, debates, and speeches.
Course readings feature expository, analytical, personal, and argumentative texts from a
variety of authors and historical contexts from many difference sources. Students will also work
with letters, speeches, images, visual media, and literature. Students prepare for the AP English
Language and Composition exam offered in May 2014, and may be granted advanced placement,
college credit, or both as a result of satisfactory performance.
Longer sources for reading this year will include literature such as The Crucible by
Arthur Miller, which will be the basis for a literary analysis considering the logical fallacies in
Act III, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which provide the basis for analysis
regarding popular culture of the 1920s in America and the rhetorical views of that time. After the
exam, we will also explore the memoir and unique perspective of Jeannette Walls in The Glass
Castle. We will also watch documentaries to provide depth and connections with these longer
works as a way to connect to this film focus at VSAA. Much of the reading is comprised of
shorter sources of nonfiction reading, and it will complement the nonfiction aspects of the
literature we are reading. We will read from the following textbooks:
 Shea, Renee H., Lawrence Scanlon, Robin Dissin Aufses. The Language of
Composition. Boston: Bedford/St.Martin’s, 2008.
 Cohen, Samuel. Fifty Essays: A Portable Anthology. Boston: Bedford/St.Martin’s, 2004.
 Hacker, Diana. A Pocket Style Manual. 4th edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004.
 A variety of nonfiction essays that complement The Crucible about Joseph McCarthy, the
Red Scare, Communism, and the Salem Witch Trials.
 A variety of nonfiction essays that complement The Great Gatsby about the 1920s, the
Stock Market crash of 1929, and the Great Depression.
Separate from taking the exam, this course is to help students “write effectively and
confidently in their college courses across the curriculum and in their professional and personal
lives” (The College Board, AP English Course Description). To support this, students will take
many practice AP exam essays as it is important to think quickly and clearly to write from a
prompt, but they will also write literary analysis essays, marketing analysis essays, narrative
essays and a full length MLA research paper as evidence of expository writing, crafting multiple
drafts with revisions guided from teacher feedback and peer edits. The research paper will be
the longest required writing at 6-10 pages for the third and final draft. It will require 10 different
sources, five different kinds of sources, using both primary and secondary sources, and full
citations, a works cited page, and an annotated works cited in which each source is analyzed for
content and credibility. A research paper synthesized the sources used to create a challenging
viewpoint (thesis statement/claim) that is fully supported in this scholarly paper. Teacher
instruction and feedback will address the effectiveness of articulating and supporting content to
balance generalization and specific, illustrative detail, as well as the specifics of form, including
effective use of grammar, punctuation, diction, tone, voice, sentence structure, and overall
structure of specific essay forms.
Taking the AP exam is encouraged but not required. For those of you planning to take
the exam, I will provide additional sessions to practice combining aspects of the exam as well as
an opportunity to take an entire practice exam. It will be helpful to build your endurance to write
all three required essays and the multiple choice portion in a period of time similar to the exam.
All AP Lang students are welcome to attend these additional sessions.
We will prepare for the exam in a variety of ways, but we will also honor the
VSAA mission statement and current literary arts theme focused on stories. We will integrate
arts into the learning through projects and examining visual art elements in graphic media,
especially as used in campaigns in this year of a presidential election. Yellow Team provides
support to Core through all papers so writing is strengthened in expressing insights and ideas
through portfolio work as well as presentations.
Learning Goals
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By the end of the course, students will understand:
what they read: the main point or thesis, the occasion or context, the author’s motivation
for writing, the tone and style;
how to thoughtfully consider perspective and various points of view and how they are
delivered;
how a text is created to develop meaning and purpose including genre, organization,
paragraphing, syntax;
how to articulate analysis of what is read; how the organizational structure, diction,
syntax, imagery, figurative language impact the meaning of the text;
how to create, develop, and support an argument, acknowledging the complexities and
nuances of important issues that people argue in contemporary intellectual circles;
effective research skills and proper MLA citation;
synthesizing, summarizing, paraphrasing, quoting and citing secondary source material;
similarities and differences in historical texts and speeches with contemporary examples;
how to read a question, so it’s understood how to approach answering it;
how to enhance vocabulary and grammar as a means to effective writing and reading;
strategies necessary for success on the AP English Language and Composition exam.
Instructional Philosophy
I believe that when we enjoy something, we put more into it and get more out of it. It is
my hope that you will work hard and be open to positive and constructive feedback to achieve
the learning goals of this course. This is curriculum is rich and exciting and I hope you will find
it relevant as a student, a citizen, and as someone who is engaged in what’s going on around you.
Many of you will head to college after VSAA and it’s important that you feel prepared.
The curriculum is designed to help you succeed in this transition, but I will also provide SAT and
personal essay support through optional timed essays. You can turn in a personal essay any time
for feedback.
I believe each person is doing their best based on their circumstances and I often don’t
know those circumstances. I will treat you with respect and will not humiliate you, but rather
will try to communicate clearly and directly with you.
Class Format
Mondays are the shortest time in class and this year I would like to use them to explore
style elements that build your skills as a writer: grammar, punctuation, rhetorical devices, etc.
Tuesdays will be used to study existing essays and write 40 minute timed essays to develop your
writing and prepare for the AP exam in May. The remaining time on Tuesdays and during most
of class on Thursdays, we will transition to the largest portion of class which will be spent on
exploring the topics displayed in the monthly table below. On most days, we will spend a few
minutes quieting our minds so we are calm and focused and ready to learn.
September: Summer assignment, TED talks, personal narrative essays, rhetorical terms, The
Crucible, documentaries to build prior knowledge of the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism,
practice AP-style persuasive essays
October: Creative vocabulary assignment, rhetoric in the campaigns and debates of the
elections, continue The Crucible project as well as the literary analysis that focuses on logical
fallacies, AP persuasive essays and AP score analysis
November: Creative vocabulary assignment, continue with rhetoric in campaigns and a look at
historical uses, delve more deeply into rhetorical devices, style elements, consumerism, visual
rhetoric, commercial project, AP Lang multiple choice practice
December: Creative vocabulary assignment, continue with consumerism, present marketing
project, introduce Jr/Sr Projects and paper topics, style elements, work with style through
analyzing essays, visual rhetoric
January: First draft research paper, essays from 50 Essays and other textbooks, and writing
analytical essays in response to strengthen awareness and the ability to identify rhetorical
devices, visual rhetoric, field trip to the Fort Vancouver Regional Library
February: Creative vocabulary assignment, second draft research paper, reading additional
essays from 50 Essays and other textbooks, writing argumentative essays in response to increase
awareness of how rhetorical devices and style choices are used persuasively, rhetorical analysis,
documentary to introduce the roaring 20s, The Great Gatsby
March: Final draft research paper, creative vocabulary assignment, reading The Language of
Composition and 50 Essays to support writing research papers and essays, additional AP test
prep sessions, intensive work to further deconstruct the multiple choice section of the AP exam,
support of Core papers, continue The Great Gatsby
April: Full length AP test prep session as well as focused prep in class, reading The Language of
Composition and 50 Essays to support writing AP Lang essays, support of Core
papers/portfolios, revising research papers
May: AP exam, creative vocabulary assignment, The Glass Castle and complementary
nonfiction essays, additional documentaries, Pay it Forward project, Jr/Sr Project support
June: The Glass Castle, finish all projects, reflect on year
Class Expectations
I hope that you will approach class in an open-minded way, engage in all we do as best as
you can, and let me know if you need additional help or additional challenge. Please act
respectfully at all times toward yourself, others, and ideas presented in class. Also be aware of
how your habits and behavior affect your learning and the learning of those around you. You are
welcome to sit where you would like, but if side-chatting prevents learning, I will start by
problem solving with you one-on-one, then moving you to another table, then referring you to
Ms. Rotherham. Cell phones need to be off or silenced and in a backpack or bag. They have
become increasingly disruptive and can be very distracting. Please honor your time and your
learning by having them off during class unless permission is granted to have them on. Water is
permitted and a healthy snack if it is needed. If you have needs beyond this, please discuss them
with me, so we can work together and make sure class is a healthy learning environment for you
and everyone else in class.
Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism is using another person’s thoughts and accomplishments without proper
acknowledgement or documentation. It is an unconscionable offense and a serious breach of
honor. Students will receive a zero for the plagiarized work. Formal papers will be turned into
turnitin.com and students will be able to see the percentage of connections to other works. This
helps to ensure students learn to document quotes and sources appropriately, as well as
paraphrase effectively. A class ID and password will be given out in class and used over the
course of the year for formal papers.
Required Materials
You will need:
 A writing utensil
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A notebook to write notes and essays
A place to keep handouts and returned papers
A way to organize your assignments and due dates (e.g., planner, Google Calendar, etc.)
Time to balance your responsibilities in classes and extra-curricular activities so you can
learn the most possible from them and stay healthy
In addition, you will have a file in class to keep your work. Please keep your materials where
they will work best for you. If you have any questions, please ask.
Grading Scale, Percentage, and Policy
100-93 = A, 92-90 = A-, 89-87 = B+, 86-83 = B, 82-80 = B-,
79-77 = C+, 76-73 = C, 72-70 = C-, 69-65 = D+, 64-50 = D
Category
Percentage
VSAA is moving toward a standards based grading
approach, and there is tremendous merit to this as it focuses
Summer
10%
on what a student has learned. I am working with ways to
Assignment
move toward this approach while balancing VSAA’s
Essays: AP &
30%
expectations with the College Board’s expectations. My AP
Personal
training supported this philosophically by encouraging
Vocabulary and
10%
grading in the first third of the year to be focused on
Style
meeting criteria, effort, and growth through feedback; the
Projects and
15%
second third of the year contains a mix of grading on effort
presentations
and quality, and the final third moves toward assessments
College
20%
based on quality and students’ ability to meet the standards
preparedness
developed over the course of the year.
and active,
Turning in your best quality work is very
respectful
important so assignments will be accepted in a one week
participation
window with a hard deadline at the end of that window.
First Draft
15%
Papers submitted after the window will need to include
Research Paper
an explanation as to why it is late and a reflection as to
how to prevent late papers in the future. Time management is an important skill in school,
work, and life. Research papers are the exception to this rule and final drafts must be
turned in on time, because sometimes deadlines in life are absolute and it’s important to be
able to honor that too.