AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
Mrs. Blazier, Mrs. Delacruz, Ms. Heatherly, and Mr. Peterselli
Available by Appointment Only
2015-2016
AP English Language and Composition is a year-long course for high school juniors designed to “engage
students in becoming skilled readers of prose in a variety of rhetorical contexts, and in becoming skilled writers
who compose for a variety of purposes.” To achieve these goals, we will use an array of American non-fiction
and fiction sources, examining different time periods as well as different structures, and how these formats are
written for specific audiences. Students will be provided with a range of writing opportunities, from the informal
to the formal, and they will learn to adapt their writing as appropriate to changes in audience and time
constraints. Research skills (including use of MLA formats and guidelines) and the ability to synthesize acquired
sources into a cohesive argument will also be central to the course.
OBJECTIVES
Throughout the year, the course will focus on the following:
 Students will explicitly address rhetorical devices and strategies through direct instruction and notetaking.
 Students will consistently practice annotation and analysis, as well as participate in classroom discussions.
 Students will practice informal and formal writing (in timed and un-timed situations)—rhetorical and
literary analysis, argument, synthesis, creative.
 Students will write arguments in response to one or a series of excerpts and/or visual texts.
 Students will use the writing progression and revision steps (see below) to drive improvement in their
writing.
 Students will work individually and in small groups to analyze text selections, multiple choice AP
questions, AP essays, and formulate ideas for essays.
 Students will perform research using MLA guidelines to cite sources.
 Students will participate in whole-class and small-group discussion.
 Students will practice scoring with AP rubrics – both on their own essays and with sample AP exam
essays.
 Students will keep an organizational 1 ½ OR 2-inch, 3-ring binder divided into 5 sections: notes,
activities/journals, readings, AP prep, and writing. Students will also need a notebook, which will be
included in the notes section of the binder. When not in use, these binders will be kept in the classroom.
WRITING PROGRESSION AND REVISION
On nearly all formal essays, students will participate in a writing progression. In the first stage, students will
write an essay that receives written or oral comments from the teacher. The second stage will consist of students
writing an essay in the same format as the first (i.e. rhetorical analysis, argument); a peer using the AP rubric will
score this essay. The student will then write two additional essays in the same format, one of which will receive a
formal grade from the teacher. In the final stage, the student will revise his/her graded essay, using one or more
of the following elements: self-reflection, peer revision, and teacher conferencing. The revised assignment will
receive a final letter grade.
GRADING
Semester grades will be determined based upon the following weighted grading system:
Essays: 40%
Participation (classwork, homework, discussion): 20%
Quizzes: 20%
Final: 20%
The standard grading system will apply to all assignments:
90-100% = A
70-79% = C
Below 60% = F
80-89% = B
60-69% = D
MAKE-UP WORK/EXTRA CREDIT
 Late work will be accepted only for excused absences. You will have 2 days to make up work for
every one day of excused absences. YOU must contact me about assignments you may have missed
while absent immediately upon your return to class.
 Essays are due on their due date without exception.
 VERY FEW extra-credit opportunities will be given, and these opportunities will be presented by the
teacher. You will not be allowed to ask for extra credit.
POSSIBLE TEXTS
Semester 1
 The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
 The Crucible by Arthur Miller
 Various readings from the American Literary Eras of Rationalism, Romanticism, Transcendentalism, and
Realism
 The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail by Robert E. Lee and Jerome Lawrence
 A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean
 Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
 The Awakening by Kate Chopin
 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
NOTE: This text will be assigned over Winter Break. The student is welcome to start reading
this classic novel, however, before the holidays.
Semester 2
 The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
NOTE: This text needs to be acquired by the first day of second semester. Used copies are
welcome.
 A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
 A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams
 The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
CONTACT INFORMATION
 WNHS: 784-7300
 Personal Extension: 784-7300 ext. 3068
 Email: Patricia.Delacruz@cusd200.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I have read the Course Outline. Should I have any question or concerns, I understand that I can contact Mrs.
Delacruz at the school at any time.
Student Signature __________________________________
Date_____________
Parent/Guardian Signature___________________________
Date___________