English AP Language and Composition Syllabus 2009-2010
Northside High School
2301 North “B”
Fort Smith, AR 72901
Contact Information:
E-mail: kbisby@fortsmithschools.org
Website: http://bisbyenglish.pbworks.com
http://www.protopage.com/bisbyenglish
Phone: (479) 783-1171 (Northside High-School Office)
Location: Room 242
Course Description and Goals:
According to the 2009-2010 CollegeBoard AP® English Language and Composition
guidelines, students in this course are expected to develop strong analytical skills in all
aspects of reading and writing, including visual media such as photographs, films,
advertisements, comic strips, music videos, television advertisement campaigns, and food
packaging. Students are also required to read a variety of nonfiction works, including
essays, scientific writings, autobiographies, diaries, literary analyses, and historical
criticisms. Because of the variety of literature the students are exposed to, each unit of study
will require students to incorporate new vocabulary into their everyday reading and
writing, and students are expected to learn the importance of style through the use of
logical organization, illustrative detail, and established voice. Each major writing
assignment will go through several stages of revision, and students will be given feedback
from their peers as well as their teacher. Upon completing the AP English Language and
Composition course, then, students should be able to:
 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 their own 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
their own writings;
 demonstrate understanding of the conventions of citing primary and secondary sources;
 move effectively through the stages of the writing process, with careful attention to inquiry and
research, drafting, revising, editing, and review; write thoughtfully about their own process of
composition;
 revise a work to make it suitable for a different audience;
 analyze image as text; and
 evaluate and incorporate reference documents into researched papers.
(The College Board AP® English Course Description, May2009-May2010, pg. 11)
Major Novels/Plays:
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Night by Elie Weisel
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Julius Caesar and Othello by William Shakespeare
First Semester, First Quarter
Students will compare the credibility of authors and reliability of sources using several forms of
media: newspapers, historical documents, reference materials, and interviews. Students will then
identify the major devices used to convey meaningful and persuasive messages to the given
audience. Students will also learn to verify the accuracy and usefulness of information, explore the
prewriting process, and analyze literature of the Colonial and Revolutionary periods. Authors to be
discussed during the first quarter include, but are not limited to: Jonathon Edwards, Anne
Bradstreet, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Plato, William Shakespeare and
Native American treaties. Students will also develop AP-specific testing skills as they work
through several AP practice exams. Assignments will include:
 daily bellwork journaling (quick-writes, grammar reviews, paragraph revisions, etc.)
 an analytical essay comparing the concept of freedom in both The Iroquois Constitution to the
U.S. Constitution;
 reading responses over shorter works;
 AP practice exams (including both multiple-choice and writing prompts);
 vocabulary quizzes based on both in-text vocabulary and selections from Vocabulary
Workshop;
 and a major synthesis essay over the idea of democracy in America using at least two of the
works discussed during the first quarter.
First Semester, Second Quarter
Students will read and discuss The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter, focusing on the use of historical
fact in fictional pieces of literature. Students will be expected to read a majority of The Crucible and
The Scarlet Letter at home, as class time will be spent discussing selected passages and themes.
Students will then analyze primary sources from the Salem Witch trials, identifying the
inconsistencies between the actual historical events and the religious fanaticism that Arthur Miller
and Nathaniel Hawthorne chose to focus upon. This will lead into a study of 1950s McCarthyism
and the use of rhetorical fallacies such as ad hominem, argument from authority, slippery slope, and
dogmatism. Students will also read selections from American Romanticism and analyze the idea of
the “American Hero” that is epitomized in works by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau,
and Martin Luther King, Jr. Students will analyze how these works use rhetorical strategies and
the three appeals of logos, ethos, and pathos to enhance the style of their work. Assignments will
include:
 daily bellwork journaling (quick-writes, grammar reviews, paragraph revisions, etc.)
 a persuasive essay convincing classmates of the “true American Hero” in today’s world
(involving multiple stages of writing, revising, and peer reviewing);
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reading responses to speeches, short reading passages, and poetry;
dialectical journals over The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter, wherein students select
specifically meaningful passages, written on one side, and reflect on the literary elements
and allusions they find within the passages on the other;
classroom debate focusing on the use of rhetorical fallacies in The Crucible;
AP practice exams;
vocabulary quizzes based on both in-text vocabulary and selections from Vocabulary
Workshop;
a major comparison/contrast essay dealing with how rhetorical devices are employed in
film and dramatic adaptations of The Crucible;
and a comprehensive semester exam.
Second Semester, First Quarter
Students will maintain an annotated reading journal for Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, paying
close attention to Capote’s use of structure and montage throughout the work. Students will also
analyze American realism and naturalism through the works of Fredrick Douglass, Robert E. Lee,
Mark Twain, Kate Chopin, Stephen Crane, and Jack London. Students will also work through F.
Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and analyze its effect on the “American Dream” in regard to the
rhetorical strategies used by Fitzgerald throughout the book. Students will then write an
expository essay comparing In Cold Blood to The Great Gatsby, noting the themes of a “new Eden”
and the “American Dream” used in each. Assignments will include:
 daily bellwork journaling (quick-writes, grammar reviews, paragraph revisions, etc.)
 dialectical journals for Capote’s In Cold Blood and Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby;
 synthesis/process analysis essay based on the Clutter case documents and In Cold Blood
(writing stages will include prewriting, drafting, peer editing, student/teacher conference,
revision, and final drafting);
 reading responses to shorter passages and poems discussed throughout the quarter;
 AP practice exams (specifically focused on multiple-choice);
 vocabulary quizzes based on In Cold Blood and The Great Gatsby (focusing on the use of
context clues to determine meaning);
 and the expository essay described above.
Second Semester, Second Quarter
This quarter is a focused time of extensive and focused writing in preparation for the AP exam. In
addition, students will analyze, discuss, and synthesize the major elements of propaganda used in
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair and Fast Food Nation by Eric Scholosser. Annotated journals will be
kept throughout the reading process, and students will work toward constructing their own
specific forms of propaganda. To study the use of synthesis, students will analyze several sources
(including visual images in magazines, television, and billboard advertisements) and construct an
expository or persuasive research project taking a position on the sources presented, following the
citation and documentation guidelines of MLA format. Assignments include:
 daily bellwork journaling (quick-writes, grammar reviews, paragraph revisions, etc.)
 an argumentative research project dealing with the ideas of commercialization in American
culture (involving multiple stages of writing, revising, and peer reviewing);
 dialectical journals for both The Jungle and Fast Food Nation;
 multimedia presentation based on the student’s individual analysis of propaganda
techniques in specific advertising campaigns (including television images, magazine
advertisements, and public service announcements);
 AP practice exams (focused on both writing and multiple-choice);
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vocabulary quizzes based on both in-text vocabulary and selections from Vocabulary
Workshop;
and the AP English Language and Composition Exam, which will substitute for the final
semester exam.
Student Evaluation:
It is important that the teacher regularly observe and assess student progress through assignments
such as timed writing, homework, tests and quizzes, dialectical journals, research drafts, and class
notes. The teacher will also pay close attention to each student’s participation in class discussions,
as these discussions play a vital role in the growth of a student’s sense of confidence and selfawareness. Students who choose not to participate in discussions, out-of-class readings, and/or
group study sessions will find it more difficult to successfully complete other assignments. Grading
scales will follow the traditional format: 100-90 A, 89-80 B, 79-70 C, 69-60 D, 59-0 F. Points will
be awarded throughout the semester using the following evaluative methods:
 tests, including AP practice exams and final comprehensive exam
 essays and research projects
 vocabulary quizzes
 group multimedia presentations/class debates
 bellwork journal
 dialectical journals
 participation
Class Norms:
1. Be prepared for class every day:
 Bring all assigned materials to class
 Be seated and working when the bell rings
2. Respect the classroom environment:
 Refrain from using inappropriate or vulgar language
 Keep the classroom free of drink containers and candy, food, or gum wrappers.
Dispose of these items before entering class.
 Take special care with all technology in the classroom, especially laptop computers.
 Keep your hands, feet, and other objects to yourself.
3. Respect your classmates, your teacher, and yourself:
 Raise your hand to ask a question or comment on the lesson.
 Follow my directions the first time they are given.
 Be polite to everyone, with both your words and your actions.