Mrs. Lindsay Ellis Johnson
2013-2014
Rowan County Senior High School
AP Language and Composition
Syllabus/Policies and Procedures
Course Description and Objectives
Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition is a college level course that deals in recognizing,
analyzing, and expressing ideas. Students will spend the year considering important ideas advanced throughout history
as they test their own ideas against those of others. Due to the challenging nature of Advanced Placement coursework,
this course demands each student’s best effort, all the time.
Specifically, AP English Language is intended to engage students in becoming skilled readers of prose from
various periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts, and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of
purposes. It brings into focus the interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and subjects, as it
promotes examination of the conventions and resources of language that contribute to effective writing.
Students in AP English Language and Composition will work towards an appreciation of the rhetorical and
aesthetic dimensions that contribute to rich and effective writing. Students can take the AP examination in May
(possibly earning scores that lead to college English credit) and will continue to develop as appreciative life-long readers
and effective writers who think deeply and analyze critically. According to guidelines promoted by The College Board,
students should be able to do the following upon completion of this course:
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analyze and interpret samples of good writing, identifying and explaining an author’s use of rhetorical strategies and
techniques;
apply effective strategies and techniques in writing;
create and sustain arguments based on readings, research, and/or personal experience;
write for a variety of purposes;
produce expository, analytical, and argumentative compositions that introduce a complex central idea and develop
it with appropriate evidence drawn from primary and/or secondary sources, cogent explanations, and clear
transitions;
demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English, as well as stylistic maturity in writing;
demonstrate understanding of the conventions of citing primary and secondary sources;
effectively research, draft, revise, and reflect upon personal writing;
analyze image as text; and,
evaluate and incorporate references into researched essays using an established format.
—Course Description: Advanced Placement English, The College Board (2006).
Course Materials
You will need to bring the following materials to class every single day:
 Pen or pencil
 Paper
 Class notebook: You will need a three-ring binder to organize all of your class materials. Divide your
notebook into the following sections:
1. Bell Work
2. Journal
3. Vocabulary
Mrs. Lindsay Ellis Johnson
2013-2014
4. Class Notes
5. Passages
I expect you to enter my classroom on time with all of these materials.
Rowan County Senior High School
Course Guidelines
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Be in seat and working when the bell rings.
Treat each person in room with dignity and respect.
Adhere to all policies and procedures of the classroom as outlined by the course syllabus.
Follow all procedures and policies as outline by RCSHS and Rowan County Schools handbooks.
Consequences for not following Guidelines
1st: Warning and Guideline Infraction Form
2nd: Action Plan and Parental Contact
3rd: Disciplinary Referral
Severe Clause:
Any student who fights, damages school property (this includes property of the teacher and other students), or is
disrespectful (as defined by teacher) will be sent to office immediately.
Course Policies
1. Attendance/Absences/Make-Up Work
Your presence (mind and body) in class is essential. If you must miss class due to illness or other circumstances
beyond control, it is your responsibility to follow the Make-Up Work Procedure as explained at the beginning of
the course.
2. Tardy
If your tardy is excused, you should enter the room quietly, place excuse in the basket, sit in your assigned seat,
and begin working.
If your tardy is unexcused, you should enter the room quietly, sign the tardy list, sit in your assigned seat, and
begin working. Every unexcused tardy will be submitted to the office per Rowan County Senior High School
Policy.
3. Late Assignments
If you do not have an assignment when it is being turned in you must fill out a Student Responsibility Card.
4. Plagiarism/Cheating
I begin the year with complete trust and faith in each of you. Please do not abuse that trust by being dishonest.
Learning cooperatively is great, and I encourage you to get together to brainstorm and discuss assignments.
When you sit down to complete an individual assignment, however, let the work be yours alone. A student will
not receive credit for work they did not do.
5. Cell Phone/Electronics
Cell Phones are to be turned off and put away for the entire class period. If I see a cell phone, it will be placed on
my desk the remainder of the class AND an infraction form will be filled out. There will be no warnings.
6. Hall Passes
You will be given a paper with four hall passes that can be used during the trimester. If you need to leave the
room for any reason (unless you are called out by the office) you will need to use a hall pass. It is your
Mrs. Lindsay Ellis Johnson
2013-2014
Rowan County Senior High School
responsibility to keep your page of hall passes in your Class Notebook. You will not be permitted to leave the
classroom if you do not have a hall pass.
7. Assigned Seats
You are to sit and remain in your assigned seat unless directed otherwise by the instructor.
8. Food/Drink
Only drinks with lids are permitted in the classroom. No food is permitted.
9. Tutoring
The sign-up sheet for after school tutoring is posted in my classroom. Please sign up for the date and time that
would work best for you. Please respect my time by attending the tutoring session. If you need to schedule a
tutoring session on a different date or time, please let me know.
Grading Policy
1. Grading Scale
For major assignments I will provide the rubrics or explain the expectations that I will use to assess your work.
Most essays grades will be evaluated using our AP English Language & Composition General Rubric.
A: 90-100
B: 80-89
C: 70-79
D: 60-69
F: 59 or below
Additional Information and Contact Information
I am excited and proud to be teaching this course. The nature of this course is to challenge and to push you to
stretch beyond what you already know and can do.
I prefer that you ask questions in class. If you do not want to ask a specific question in class, please see me after
class or after school. If questions come up outside of regular school hours that cannot wait until the next day, please use
the following guidelines:
E-mail: I prefer out-of-school questions be submitted by e-mail so I can review them and respond when it is
convenient for me. My e-mail address is lindsay.johnson@rowan.kyschools.us
My teacher website can be accessed through the Rowan County Senior High School website. Please refer there
for important documents and resources.
WEB RESOURCE:
AP Central: Information for students and parents about AP courses and testing college information:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html
Mrs. Lindsay Ellis Johnson
2013-2014
Rowan County Senior High School