English III Advanced Placement Syllabus
Pearland High School
Course Description
The AP course in English Language and Composition is designed to promote the
critical reading, thinking, and writing skills necessary to develop clear, effective
prose for academic, professional, and personal purposes. Over the course of the
year, students will explore the dynamics of language, its ability to convey and
manipulate meaning, and the relationship between speaker/writer, audience, and
purpose.
Course Content
In terms of content, the course utilizes a broad range of fiction and non-fiction
texts, poetry, and graphic and visual representations, drawing from a survey of
American Literature and its multiple perspectives, genres, and styles.
Thematically, the course explores the American Experience, a study of the
diverse nature of the American character in relation to self and society from the
beginnings of the Romantic period to the Post-Modern period. Through the
process of close reading and the analysis of rhetorical strategies, the students
develop an understanding of the connection between method and meaning,
which is then transferred to the writing process, allowing for the development and
strengthening of their skills through the application of a variety of modes and
styles.
Course Overview
The course is developed in a series of units designed to follow the school
district’s six grading periods; however, there are distinguishing features that
separate the fall semester from the spring semester in terms of material and
emphasis.
Fall Semester
The fall semester serves as a foundation course, introducing key elements and
strategies that aid with the definition and study of rhetoric, including the study of
SOAPS, DIDLS, the Rhetorical Triangle, and identifying rhetorical modes,
strategies, and devices. Students study the literary and language terms
necessary for the close reading and analysis of texts. Through a series of timed
writings and multiple choice exercises, the students begin to familiarize
themselves with the format and requirements of the AP exam. Another major
component of the course this semester is the study of Style. By examining the
diversity of style in writers of fiction and nonfiction, the students learn to
understand the workings of rhetoric and begin to analyze their own writing with a
view to developing and improving its quality. The style unit culminates in a major
writing project, The Transcendentalism Journal, a compilation of student
responses combining several writing styles and strategies – analysis, definition,
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comparison and contrast, personal reflection – in response to readings from
several writers. Informal writing, such as quick writes and collaborative writing in
response to the readings, representations of Art, and current affairs occurs on a
regular basis in class throughout the year. Grammar study is developed in
conjunction with the revising and editing process applied to student writings;
attention to sentence style, variety, and fluency is addressed in depth when
students begin the Syntax Study in Unit 3. Each unit also includes a Socratic
Seminar over the major novel for the six weeks, allowing the students to develop
and respond to challenging questions and practice their critical thinking and
discussion skills. In preparation for the PSAT and SAT, the course incorporates a
vocabulary program and the frequent use of SAT practice material throughout the
year.
Spring Semester
The spring semester continues to build on the skills learned in the fall, with an
emphasis on the analysis and development of argument style. Students examine
the persuasive techniques utilized in a variety of writings, speeches, and media
presentations. They become familiar with the appeals of pathos, logos, and
ethos, inductive and deductive reasoning, and logical fallacies. Students are
required to develop argument essays and also produce a multi-media
presentation that incorporates persuasive techniques. A major component of the
course this semester is the research paper. Students become involved in all
aspects of the research process: planning, research of source material, thesis
development, outline, multiple drafts, revising and editing, MLA documentation,
and works cited. In preparation for the AP exam in May, timed writing and
multiple choice practice increases.
Unit 1: The American Experience – Defining the American Self
The first unit begins with a review of the summer reading – Hawthorne and
Emerson – which provides an introduction to the dichotomy of the American
Romantic Movement, its underlying philosophical tenets, and their impact on the
development of the American concept of self.
Rhetorical Modes and Strategies: narration, description,
definition, cause and effect
Skills: Defining rhetoric, techniques for close reading, developing a foundation
for analytical reading and writing, the rhetorical triangle, SOAPS and
DIDLS (emphasis on diction, imagery, and details), development of tone
and author’s purpose
Readings:
Novel: The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne
Short Stories: “The Fall of the House of Usher” – Edgar Allan Poe
Essays: from Moby Dick – Herman Melville
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“The Over-soul,” “Self-Reliance,” “The Divinity School Address” –
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Who or What is American” – Lewis Lapham
The Bedford Reader – Reading Critically; Writing Effectively;
Chapters 4,11,12: Narration, Cause and Effect, Definition
Writings: Students will compose two analytical essays based on Hawthorne and
Emerson’s works, each discussing author’s style and purpose.
Students will complete a timed writing based on an AP exam-style
prompt, requiring a rhetorical analysis of a select passage from
The Scarlet Letter.
Personal Definition Paper: What is Style?
In-class quick writes based on student responses to the readings that
will also be used to stimulate discussion.
Discussion:
Students participate in class discussion on a regular basis in response
to readings and peer review of student writings. Students will also
prepare for and complete a Socratic Seminar based on the major
readings for this 6 weeks period – The Scarlet Letter and “SelfReliance and Other Essays.”
Unit 2: The Self and the Environment
The second unit continues to explore the development of the American character
through a focused study of humans in relation to their natural environment. A
series of nineteenth century and contemporary readings rich in rhetorical
techniques exposes the students to the duality of nature and the ensuing conflict
and sympathy humans experience in response to it.
Rhetorical Modes and Strategies: exposition, narrative, definition,
process analysis, cause and effect, comparison and contrast,
description, persuasion.
Skills: Continue to develop analytical skills in reading and writing; continue the
study of author’s style and purpose through SOAPS, DIDLS, and the
Rhetorical Triangle.
Readings:
Journal: Pilgrim at Tinker Creek – Annie Dillard
Essays: “The Round Walls of Home” from A Natural History of
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the Senses – Diane Ackerman
“Very Like a Whale” From A Naturalist’s History of
Cape Cod – Robert Finch
from “Desert Solitaire” – Edward Abbey
“The Death of the Moth” – Virginia Woolf
from “The Encantadas” – Herman Melville
from “Walden …” – Henry David Thoreau
The Bedford Reader – Chapters 5, 7, 8: Description, Comparison and
Contrast, Process Analysis
Writings: A continuing emphasis on the analysis of style with a focus on
descriptive techniques, definition, and comparison and contrast
Style Analysis essay: Students will select an essay from the readings
and write an analytical response that analyzes the writer’s use of style
to convey his/her attitude towards Nature.
Timed Writings – 2003 AP Exam Question 3: Comparing and
Contrasting Dillard and Audubon
Applied Practice Prompt: Thoreau quotation (position
paper)
Project: Transcendentalism Journal – students compose a series of
analytical and reflective responses that define
Transcendentalism, trace its elements in the work of several
writers, compare and contrast several writers’ styles and their
attitudes towards nature.
Socratic Seminar: Dillard: Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
Unit 3: The Dynamics of Diction – The Paradox of Liberty and Oppression
The evolution of the American Dream and the democratic process is explored
through the revolutionary period to the areas of dissent reflected in the writings of
the struggle against slavery, displacement, and women’s suffrage. The unit
introduces the mode of argument and its accompanying strategies.
Rhetorical Modes and Strategies: persuasion/ argumentation,
narration/anecdote (as a tool for argument) description, exposition,
argument appeals (ethos, pathos, logos), inductive/deductive reasoning,
logical fallacies, the Toulmin Method.
Skills: How to analyze and develop an argument; how a writer achieves
his or her purpose using persuasive techniques; analyzing syntax.
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Readings:
Novel: The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas – Frederick Douglas
Essays/ Speeches:
Speech Before the Virginia Convention – Patrick Henry
Speech on Women’s Suffrage – Susan B. Anthony
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” – Jonathan Edwards
“The Declaration of Independence” – Thomas Jefferson
from “The Crisis # 1” – Thomas Paine
“I Will Fight No More Forever” – Chief Joseph
“For More Than a Hundred Winters…” – Black Hawk
“Love is a Fallacy” – Max Shulman
PowerPoint presentation on persuasive techniques in advertising
The Bedford Reader – Chapters 6,9,13: Example, Division or Analysis,
Argument and Persuasion
Writings: emphasis on analyzing and writing arguments
Argument Analysis Essay – a critical analysis of one of the readings that
discusses the speaker’s use of argument style and its effectiveness in
advancing his or her purpose.
Timed Writings – 1998 AP Question 3 – The Coca-Cola Letters
1996 AP Question 3 – Frederick Douglass
Media Presentation – Students participate in a group project that requires them
to incorporate a variety of persuasive techniques in the development of a
marketing scheme for a product, a political campaign, or a public health
announcement, culminating in a presentation to their peers.
Socratic Seminar: Douglass: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Fall Semester Final Exam: The final exam incorporates a timed writing
completed ahead of time, a section of AP multiple choice style questions, and
questions based on course content and skills acquired throughout the semester.
Unit 4: American Dreamers –
As the course moves into the Modern and Post-Modern Periods, the continuing
evolution of the American Dream is explored through the issues of gender and
race and the connection between the quest of the individual and the desires of
the group.
Skills: developing argument, style analysis, personal narrative
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Rhetorical Modes and Strategies: narration, description, classification,
argument
Readings:
Novel – Their Eyes Were Watching God – Zora Neale Hurston
Essays/ Speeches –
“I Will Fight No More Forever” – Chief Joseph “
“I Have a Dream” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“Inaugural Address” – John F. Kennedy
Chief Seattle’s Oration
“Letter from the Birmingham Jail” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“I Want a Wife” – Judy Brady
“But What Do You Mean?” – Deborah Tannen
“Once More to the Lake” – E. B. White
The Bedford Reader: Chapter 10: Classification
Writings:
Personal Narrative Essay – in conjunction with White’s “Once More to the
Lake,” incorporating narrative and descriptive
techniques
Argument Essay – Constructing an argument that defends, challenges, or
qualifies a statement from “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Timed Writings – Style Analysis based on Their Eyes Were Watching God
2005 AP Exam Question 1 – George Kennan
2005 AP Exam Question 3 – Peter Singer
Socratic Seminar: Hurston: Their Eyes Were Watching God
Unit 5: The Urban Imagination
The exploration of the American Dream continues with an examination of the
shift in social and moral values and the alienation of the individual as reflected in
the literature of the Modern period. The unit also explores the voices of the urban
landscape, particularly in connection with New York City.
Skills: The research process (pre-writing, thesis development, outline,
organization, integrating sources, parenthetical documentation, self/ peer
evaluation, development of Works Cited, final product, MLA style).
Test-taking strategies for the AP exam.
Rhetorical Strategies: persuasion, exposition, definition, cause and effect,
analysis, comparison and contrast,
Readings
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Novel: The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Short Stories: “Winter Dreams” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
“A Soldier’s Home” – Ernest Hemingway
“Salvation” – Langston Hughes
The poetry of Walt Whitman and the Harlem Renaissance
Excerpts from Invisible Man – Ralph Ellison
The Bedford Reader – The Research Writing Process (p. 31 – 68)
Writings: Focus on analytical writing for the research paper; style analysis,
argument analysis, developing an argument.
Analytical essay based on The Great Gatsby (choice of prompts from
style analysis to thematic significance)
Timed Writings – 2005 AP Exam Question 2 – from “The Onion”
All essay prompts from 2004/2006 Exams
AP Multiple Choice Released Test – 2001
Research Paper – critical analysis of student-selected American novel;
thesis driven, based on a thematic, stylistic, or social
context aspect of the novel.
Socratic Seminar: Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby
Unit 6: Reflections
The final unit explores the implications of the American Dream for the future
through a study of Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath and a series of writings,
including poetry, from the voices that inform the American Experience.
Skills: A continuation of test-taking strategies, timed writing and multiple choice
practice, review and application of literary and language terms for the AP
exam. Expository and creative writing.
Rhetorical Modes and Strategies: Review of all major rhetorical modes and
Strategies, DIDLS, SOAPS, Rhetorical Triangle.
Readings:
Novel: The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
Essays: “Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood” – Richard Rodriguez
“The Capricious Camera” – Laila Ayad
“Girl” – Jamaica Kincaid
“Being a Chink” – Christine Leong
Survey of American Poetry: Elements of Literature
Socratic Seminar: Steinbeck : The Grapes of Wrath
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Writings: Continuation of timed writing practice using AP exam prompts.
The American Experience Creative Project: the final project of the year allows
the students to reflect on what they have learned about American culture from
their readings, writings, and discussions over the course of the year. Students
make presentations in response to a poem, a reading from fiction or nonfiction, a
work of art, or a scene from a play that reflects aspects of the American
Experience and their responses to those experiences. The project is openended and allows students to work individually or in groups. The presentations
may be performance based, include art and music, and students’ creative writing
and poetry. The project provides a reflective, creative, and enjoyable way to end
the year,
Final Exam: The AP Examination in Language and Composition replaces the
final exam for students who take it. Students who do not take the AP exam are
given a final based on course content for the spring semester.
Teacher Resources
Course Texts
Dillard, Annie. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. New York: Perennial Classics, 1998.
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American
Slave, Written by Himself with Connections. Austin: Holt, Rhinehart and
Winston, 1997.
Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. New York: Vintage International, 1995.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Self-Reliance and Other Essays. Ed. Stanley
Applebaum. Mineola, NY: Dover Thrift Editions, 1993.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2003.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter: An Authoritative Text: Essays in
Criticism and Scholarship. 3rd ed. Eds. Seymour Gross et al. New York:
W. W. Norton & Company, 1988.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Perennial
Classics, 1998.
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Kennedy, X. J. et al, eds. The Bedford Reader. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St.
Martin’s, 2006.
Language Network: Grammar-Writing-Communication. Evanston, IL: McDougall
Littell, 2001.
Shostak, Jerome, ed. Vocabulary Workshop Level G. New York: Sadlier-Oxford,
2005.
Sime, Richard et al, eds. Elements of Literature Fifth Course: Literature of the
United States with Literature of the Americas. Austin, TX: Holt, Rhinehart
and Wilson, 2000.
Course Supplements
Applied Practice. Austin, TX: Applied Practice, 1998.
College Board. English Language and Composition Released Exam 2001.
New York: The College Board, 2001.
References
College Board. AP English Course Description. New York: The College Board,
2006.
College Board. The AP Vertical Teams Guide for English. New York: The
College Board, 2005.
College Board. The Official SAT Study Guide: For the New SAT. New York: The
College Board, 2004.
Gibaldi, Joseph, ed. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 6th ed. New
York: Modern Language Association, 2004.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2006.
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Sebranek, Patrick et al. Write for College: A Student Handbook. Wilmington,
MA., 1997.
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