AP Language
Note to parents:
This course contains college-level ideas and themes. As a parent and the ultimate authority in the life of
your child, please carefully consider all of the material that your student will be exploring throughout
this course. If you have reservations about any of the material, please contact me now.
Main Writing Text: The New Writing With a Purpose, 14th edition
Other resources:
MLA Handbook
The Butter Battle Book
Various Newspapers
Political cartoons
Bumper stickers
40 Model Essays
50 Essays
Fiction
In Cold Blood
Othello
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Internet Resources:
The Onion
Language Log
International and Domestic News Agencies Online
AmericanRhetoric.com
Honors Statement:
Honors experiences often involve some risk-taking on the part of both students and
teachers because the experiences are often more exploratory, experimental, and open-ended
than the standard classroom experience. In addition, they should be distinguished by a
difference in the quality of the work expected, not merely an increase in the quantity.
Honors courses will follow the same course of study as the corresponding regular course;
however, they should cover material in greater complexity and reflect a defensible
differentiated curriculum. Honors courses extend beyond the traditional curriculum in both
breadth and depth of study, as well as provide problem-seeking and problem-solving
opportunities for students. Students may have to devote additional time and effort to honors
work and, in turn, they will have greater opportunities for learning. Honors work should enable
students to become actively involved in the literature and content, learn about scholarly and
creative processes by participating in them, and personalize the learning experience through
imagination, critical analysis, and application. Honors students should learn to express and
defend their ideas while attaining the distance necessary to accept constructive criticism.
Honors courses should incorporate opportunities for students to become reflective thinkers
who possess the potential to become an initiator of learning and accomplishment, exploring
areas of his/her interest within the designated course of study.
Course Description:
The AP English Language and Composition course is designed to help students become
skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and
to become skilled writers who can compose for a variety of purposes. By their writing and
reading in this course, students should become aware of the interactions among a writer's
purposes, audience expectations, and subjects, as well as the way generic conventions and
the resources of language contribute to effective writing. Students will also increase
vocabulary to utilize correct word choice for a variety of writing modes and genres. Special
attention will be paid to organizational structure and logical sequence of information.
(www.collegeboard.com).
This is essentially a college course. Therefore, the academic standards, rigor, and
expectations reflect that of a college or university class. Some academic content will be more
mature in nature. If a student is uncomfortable with any material, (s)he needs to convey their
feelings to the teacher.
Teacher and Student Procedures:
Submitting Work: All work must have your full name, date, period, and the appropriate
assignment label. The assignment label is something I give for recording purposes, not the
title that you will create for your own writing. These four items--name, date, period, and label-are important in protecting you against recording errors and in receiving credit for make-up
work. Once an assignment has been returned to you, keep all work. This is not only for your
safety in the event of a grade error, but you must also complete a portfolio of your work
throughout the semester, worth 10% of your final grade. Student work is used throughout the
course as samples and examples of assignments.
Homework and Deadlines: Homework will be assigned regularly and is due when you enter
the classroom. It is preferred all papers done outside of class be typed, double spaced, and
MLA formatted. If you experience computer/printer problems, you should print in the school's
computer lab before class (do not rely on my classroom computer for this purpose).
ALL PROCESS ESSAYS AND ASSIGNMENTS GIVEN IN ADVANCE MUST BE TYPED!
Handwritten work MUST be done in dark blue or black ink (any other color of ink will not be
accepted, and will receive no credit).
AP Exam: The AP Exam is administered in May. The course does not end with the Exam.
Projects and assignments will be given post-exam so be prepared to work until the end of the
school year!
Attendance: Call (770) 651-6500 and leave a message for Ms. Shockley to report an
absence within 24 hours. School tardy policy is strictly enforced and no exceptions will be
made. YOU must take the initiative to complete make-up work and schedule an appointment
for missed tests or quizzes. Remember this is a college level course. In college you are
responsible for your missed work. Coming before school or staying after school is the only
way you can truly make up missed class time.
Any assignments due the date of your absence are due at the beginning of class on the first
date you return. After that, the assignment is considered late.
Grades: Your homework will be checked daily, although it may not be collected and read
everyday. The purpose of homework is to help you prepare for the next class session;
therefore, choosing not to complete an assignment will make it extremely difficult to engage
in a class session. I will provide feedback on selected work and will be assessing for the
quality of your work, and demonstration of your process of learning.
THERE IS NO CREDIT FOR LATE WORK unless you have an excused absence. If you are
absent, you are responsible for getting the assignment you missed.
All essays will be assessed via a rubric.
Late Assignments: NO LATE WORK IS ACCEPTED! Projects or essays are due on the
assigned due date, whether you are present in class or not. Projects or essays that come in
one day late are worth 50% of the earned grade. Two days late will not be accepted.
Remember this only applies to excused absences. If you have an unexcused absence or
unexcused tardy, you will not be allowed to make up work. No late portfolios will be
accepted. NO EXCUSES!
Report Grades are as follows:
100 - 90% A
89 - 80% B
79 - 74% C
73 - 70% D
69% - 0
F
Grades will be categorized and weighted as follows:
Portfolio is the final project that you will do.
Timed Writing is timed. This is only specified essays parts.
Daily Work consists of bellringers, grammar exercises, etc
Process Writing consists of various types of expository essays.
Practice Process consists of assignments leading up to process writing.
Participation is based on teacher discretion.
Final Exam
15%
15%
15%
20%
10%
10%
15%
Extra Credit:
There is no extra credit offered.
Essay Revisions:
Essay revisions are only offered on PROCESS PAPERS.
Essay revisions are only offered for papers that receive a grade of C or below.
Essay revision will only increase the paper grade by ONE LETTER GRADE; this is the
maximum and is not guaranteed.
Essay revisions must be submitted WITHIN 2 SCHOOL DAYS of receiving the essay back,
REGARDLESS OF ABSENCES.
NO LATE ESSAYS MAY BE REVISED.
Routine Procedures:
Attendance and Tardies: You are to be in the classroom when the bell rings and are
dismissed by the teacher, not the bell.
Pencil sharpening: This must be done before class starts.
Food and Drink: Only water is allowed.
Dress Code: Dress code is enforced. Please refer to student handbook for specifics.
Citizenship:
Citizenship in this class calls for the highest possible standards of civility and respect: for self,
others, property, and the learning process. You are expected to be an active learner who
accepts personal responsibility for your learning. All school and district rules and policies will
be consistently upheld. Citizenship grades will be reflected in the student’s participation
grade.
Academic Honesty:
You are expected to commit your learning to exploration and personal growth. You are
expected to take responsibility of your learning by completing your own work, and doing your
own thinking. Plagiarism or a demonstration of cheating will result in an automatic failure on
the assignment. Recommendation for further honor and AP level courses will not be given.
These consequences apply to both parties, both the "cheater" and the "supplier". Please
realize the seriousness of these actions, and understand their consequences. Respect your
peers and yourself by taking responsibility of your own learning.
Communication:
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns over the semester. You
can reach me most reliably through e-mail at angela.shockley@douglas.k12.ga.us if it is not
during school hours.
Students are encouraged to contact me for any further assistance before school and after
school. I am available before school at 7:30 and after school until 4:00 or by appointment.
AP English Language and Composition Class Format and Procedures
The ultimate goal in this class is that students will use what they know and capitalize on their
curiosity of language, in order to create an environment in which we are all writers. We will
practice grammar skills, patterns of paragraph development, and vocabulary skills, as well as
improve our style as a writer, broaden our depth of knowledge as a reader in order to become
a more skilled writer.
1. Grammar review/instruction: In Grammar we will study such topics as passive voice,
types of sentences, parallel structure, an introduction to diction, the effective use of
figurative language, and common usage errors. We will also be looking at content
questions, exercises, and a vocabulary using past AP exam material.
2. Writing review/instruction: We will practice prewriting even though most students
don’t like it. However, it is of vital importance to the mature writer. Students will also
be trained as peer editors. Students will write many short writings in class and longer
ones outside of class. We will also work on writing in timed circumstances, just like we
will encounter during the AP Language tests. Some of our writing will consist only of
certain stages of development. For example we may read a prompt and write only the
introduction or the thesis statement along with an outline. Organization and logical
structure as well as reasoning (induction and deductive) processes will have special
attention during this instruction.
3. Revision Exercises/Instruction: The purpose of revision is to provide instruction and
feedback on students' writing assignments, both before and after the students revise
their work, that help the students develop these skills:
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A wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively.
A variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and
coordination.
Logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence,
such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis.
A balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail.
An effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and
maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and
sentence structure.
4. Paragraph development: To instruct the patterns of paragraph development, the
students will study different types of writing developed using a specific method. That
is followed by one or two essays that are, of course, more sophisticated in
development, but still specifically developed by that method. We will practice
“mimicking” that method in order to understand it more fully. This will be done for all
process and timed writing.
5. Exposition: Most students know what an expository essay is. But they are unfamiliar
with the many different types of exposition essays. The following is a plan that we will
be using in class. It is subject to change.
Basic Exposition Teaching Techniques: Establishing a pattern that connects
reading and writing is a must. Therefore, after we have explored a particular method,
we imitate that pattern with teacher-suggested topics. These paragraphs are read by
peers and, as often as possible, by me. As we begin the readings, I require the
students to answer the same questions for each piece. As the students gain facility,
the questions become more sophisticated.
 For each essay style being explored, students must identify the following:
o Thesis or Claim
o Tone or Attitude
o Purpose
o Audience and Occasion
o Evidence or Data
o Appeals: Logos, Ethos, Pathos
o Assumptions or Warrants
o Style (diction, syntax, sentence length, figurative language)
 The argumentative and persuasive essay: Working with this form of essay is the
obvious next step once we have concluded these lessons on methods of exposition.
At this time we will discuss:
 argument and persuasion,
 the purpose of pro and con support for an assertion,
 the thesis (and antithesis),
 rhetorical terms and devices
 effective introduction and conclusion, and
 the use of transitions.
Argumentative essays and persuasive essays provide numerous opportunities for
analysis not only of message and meaning, but also of rhetorical techniques. To
underscore the importance of these pieces, I use various AP questions that refer to a
text.
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Students will create their own positions and process papers as well as intelligently respond to
positions and processes of other students. For each student position, another student
must provide a clear explanation of the writer’s assertion, then defend or challenge it,
noting the complexity of the issue and acknowledging any possible objections to the
student’s point of view. These “short writes” are only 300 to 400 words, just enough to
practice a key concept in argumentation: acknowledging alternative points of view. As
the students become comfortable with these informal pieces of writing and as we
review components of clarity and style, students must include one example of each of
the following syntactical techniques: coordination, subordination, varied sentence
beginning, periodic sentence, and parallelism.
To demonstrate superior research skills, students will develop and defend a
researched argument paper, for example the ability to evaluate, use, and cite primary
and secondary sources. The course assigns projects such as the researched
argument paper, which goes beyond the parameters of a traditional research paper by
asking students to present an argument of their own that includes the analysis and
synthesis of ideas from an array of sources. This assignment entails evaluating and
integrating a variety of sources on a topic relevant to the course. Students will present
an argument of their own that includes the analysis and synthesis of ideas.
Essays used (may be augmented as new essays are published and come to light)
 Argumentation/Persuasion
“Why Don’t We Complain?” – William F. Buckley
“I Have a Dream” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
“A Modest Proposal” – Jonathan Swift
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Description
“Once More to the Lake” – George Orwell
“How it Feels to Be Colored Me” – Zora Neal Hurston
“Biography of a Dress” – Jamaica Kincaid
“Death of a Moth” – Virginia Wolf
Narrative
“Salvation” – Langston Hughes
“The Chase” – Annie Dillard
“Shooting an Elephant” – George Orwell
“A Good Man is Hard to Find” – Flannery O’Connor
Example
“Ain’t I a Woman” – Sojourner Truth
“My Career in Bumperstickers” – Sparrow and Art Chantry
Classification
“The Ways We Lie” – Stephanie Ericsson
“People Like Us” – David Brooks
“On Dumpster Diving” – Lars Eighner
Process Analysis
“Dumpster Diving” – Lars Eighner
“Embalming Mr. Jones” – Jessica Mitford
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Compare and Contrast
“Private Language, Public Language” – Richard Rodriguez
“The Allegory of the Cave” – Plato
Definition
“I Want a Wife” – Judy Brady
“The Androgynous Man” – Noel Perrin
“Against Love” – Laura Kipnis
Cause and Effect
“The Morals of the Prince” – Niccolò Machiavelli
“Against School” – John Taylor Gatto
6. Synthesis Essay: Students will explore a topic and present their opinions based on
primary and secondary sources. Students will use MLA format and learn how to use
other style and format guides depending on what their assignment is.
7. Reading Comprehension Bellringer: Most students aren’t “natural-born readers.” At
least twice a week beginning early in the term I use the first five minutes or so of class
to give them practice with reading comprehension. I have selected short passages,
even short poems that are followed by no more than seven questions. I time the
students and ask them to mark text. The next day we review the answers. This very
brief activity allows the students to become acquainted with different periods and
forms. It also sends a subtle message about the student’s own responsibility to read
more diligently.
8. Rhetorical Devices Bellringer: The other three class days during the week will be
given over to rhetorical devices. The student will have five minutes at the beginning of
class to write the rhetorical devices down. They will then look for that device in the
work around them for homework. They will bring it in the next day to share with the
class.
9. Visual Analysis: The written word has never been the only form of persuasion and
argumentation. Communication has a long history of using visuals as well. To that
end students will be asked to find an image – billboard, advertisement, political
cartoon, bumper sticker, t-shirt, etc. – and identify the audience, the purpose, tone,
and analyze its effectiveness of its rhetoric as well as create their own visually
persuasive piece.
10. Literary Analysis: In order to fully understand author purpose, various pieces of
literature will be analyzed for author style, purpose, audience effect, rhetorical devices,
etc. These papers will constitute the research process where expert opinion is used to
support student analysis of the work. Primary and secondary sources will be explored
and their useful ascertained for the specific writing task at hand. Literary Analysis will
be used for fiction and non-fiction, prose and poetry.
11. Fiction: Obviously, this course design is heavily non-fiction because our students
have not experienced much non-fiction. But they do hunger for fiction. I am planning a
return to some of the classics. This outside reading is most successful for those who
are taking responsibility for their education. Rhetorical techniques, stylistic devices,
and varying genre structures will be the focus of study.
 Their Eyes Were Watching God
 Othello
 In Cold Blood (non-fiction novel)
12. Film and Television: Throughout the semester, the course of study may include film
and television because rhetoric is orally and visually communicated as well. Films
above a PG-13 rating will be subject to parent/guardian approval prior, and of course
all films are directly related to the course. Films are used for evaluative purposes only.
Therefore, in order to expedite things, please review the following rhetorical pieces
and sign the consent waiver at the end of the syllabus if you approve of your student
studying these visual pieces. Please use my contact information for any questions.
 Othello
 Shrek
 All the King’s Men
 Good Night and Good Luck
 The Daily Show
 West Wing
13. AP questions, sample essays and prompt analysis: During this time, I use as many
samples of AP Exam questions as possible. These questions help them to understand
the concept of the rubric. The sample essays help the students see what is possible
beyond the peer group. Analyzing the prompt is the beginning of an insightful writing.
It is vital to create a mature response.
As the students become more aware of time constraints, I use readings that are longer
and more difficult (again, samples from AP Exams). These passages contain several
questions that also offer possibilities for discussion.
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Monday
Introduction to rhetoric
and argumentation
Narrative essay
analysis
Example essay
analysis
Classification essay
analysis
Process analysis essay
analysis
Compare/contrast
essay analysis
Definition essay
analysis
Cause and effect essay
analysis
Visual Analysis
Visual Analysis
Tuesday
Description essay
analysis
Wednesday
Thursday
Literary analysis
techniques
Begin Their
Eyes Were
Watching God
Friday
Description Process
Paper due
Narrative Paper due
Example essay due
Test on Hurston
Analysis of
Hurston’s style
concentrating on
dialect
Begin In Cold
Blood
Classification essay
due
Process analysis essay
due
Test on Capote
Compare/contrast
essay due
Definition essay due
Analysis paper
on author bias
using Capote
Cause and effect essay
due
Begin Othello
Bumper sticker due
Visual persuasion
journal due
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
Week 15
Week 16
Week 17
Week 18
Argumentation
technique analysis
Argumentation essay
analysis
Introduction to
synthesis essay
Analysis of synthesis
essay
Satire Analysis
Political Cartoons
Probable week of AP
English Language
Exam
Media Center
Test on
Shakespeare
Argumentation essay
due
Analysis paper
on rhetorical
techniques in
Shakespeare
Synthesis essay due
Rape of the Lock
- Pope
The Daily Show
Media Center
(final project)
Media Center
The Onion
Milk and
Cookies with Dr.
Seuss – The
Butter Battle
Book
Media Center
Media Center
Final Project Oral
Presentations
Presentations
Language Log
Satire project due
Media Center
Portfolio Final Project
due
I greatly look forward to seeing your teenager grow and progress this semester.
Should your teen, at any time, have questions or concerns, please encourage him/her to
communicate those thoughts to me. I am always willing to help a student when I know help is
needed.
Please sign, detach this page, and submit by the due date.
I, a student in AP Language, have read and understood the classroom guidelines and
procedures that are attached to this page, and agree to comply with all policies and
regulations.
Student Name (Please Print): _______________________________________________
Student Signature: ___________________________________Date: _______________
I, the parent or guardian of the above student, have read and understood the class policies
and regulations for AP Language that are attached to this page.
Parent/Guardian Name (Please Print): _________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature: _____________________________Date: _______________
Parent/Guardian Contact Information:
Daytime Phone: ________________________________Best time to call: __________
Evening Phone: ________________________________Best time to call: __________
Email address: _______________________________________________________
Preferred method of contact: _____________________________________
I, the parent or guardian of the above student, have read and understood that my teenager
will be watching the mentioned movies that are rated R. I approve of my child to watch those
films for their literary merit and appropriateness in the assignment given.
Parent/Guardian Name (Please Print): _________________________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature: _____________________________Date: _______________