Advanced Placement English Language and Composition
Course Syllabus
__________________________________________
Instructor: Angela Gunter
Room 135
Phone (270) 952-1691
angela.gunter@daviess.kyschools.us
Web page:
www.readwritethinkcreate.ning.com
Purpose of the Course: An intensive expository writing course for college-bound seniors
designed to develop advanced writing skills and analytical thinking skills. The student will write
and revise themes similar to those required in freshman college composition courses. Through
the process of reading and writing, students will become skilled in composing for different
audiences and purposes and will learn to understand/appreciate the diverse ways authors make
meaning in oral, written, and visual texts. Students will identify literary structures and
conventions and effectively use them in their own writing. They will identify, evaluate, and
discuss the choices they have made in the composition process and enhance their revision skills.
College Board Advanced Placement exam will be offered to those who successfully complete the
course.
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
 Analyze and interpret samples of good writing, identifying and explaining an author’s use
of rhetorical strategies and techniques (RD-12-1.1) (RD-12-1.4)
 Apply effective strategies and techniques in their own writing (WR-HS-1.1.00)
 Create and sustain arguments based on readings, research, and/or personal experience
(WR-HS-1.1.03)
 Demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English as well as stylistic
maturity in their own writing (WR-HS-1.1.00)
 Write for a variety of purposes (WR-HS-1.1.00)
 Produce expository, analytical, and argumentative compositions that introduce a complex
central idea and develop it with appropriate evidence drawn from primary and/or
secondary source material, cogent explanations, and clear transitions (WR-HS-1.1.0)
(WR-HS-1.1.03) (WR-HS-1.2.00) (WR-HS-2.3.00)
 Demonstrate understanding of the conventions of citing primary and secondary source
material (WR-HS-4.11.00)
 Move effectively through the stages of the writing process, with careful attention to
inquiry and research, drafting, revising, editing and review (WR-HS-4.7.00) (WR-HS4.8.00) (WR-HS-4.9.00) (WR-HS-4.10.00) (WR-HS-4.11.00) (WR-HS-4.12.00)
(WR-HS-4.13.00)
 Write thoughtfully about their own process of composition (WR-HS-4.13.00)
 Revise a work to make it suitable for a different audience (WR-HS-4.10.00)
 Analyze image as text (RD-12-5.8)
 Evaluate and incorporate reference documents into researched papers (WR-HS-4.11.00)
** Correlation with Kentucky Core Content in parenthesis
Course Content:
AP Language Binder Information
 Daily exercises focusing on analysis of diction, detail, imagery, syntax, and tone will be
available upon entry to class. These completed worksheets will be kept in your AP
binder under a section labeled “Rhetorical Strategies” and will be turned in quarterly for a
portion of your participation grade.
 Writer’s Blogbook: You will need to bring your computer with you every day. You will
be creating a class blogbook for daily journaling, drafting, and brainstorming. Entries in
the blogbook will be reviewed for a portion of your participation grade.
Specifics:
*Upload photo or image for your blogbook page
*Create individualized homepage
*Respond to all prompts (even if absent)
*Respond with depth—not necessarily formal—but with
obvious thought and effort
 AP Word O’ the Day: Each day you are to record the new word and definition provided
which comes from a list of words used to describe tone, diction, speakers and language.
Random quizzes will be given over these words throughout the course, some for credit
and some for extra credit. During the 4th quarter, the word will be replaced with a
common foreign phrase. Keep these words/phrases in your binder in a section labeled
“Word of the Day” or you may choose to write them in your “Writer’s Blogbook.”
 Outside reading will be required. We will read 4 novels this semester, two novels as a
class and two novels you may choose from the provided reading lists. You may choose
to read a novel which is not on the list if it is of appropriate literary quality and content
for the class, such as a Pulitzer or Booker Award winner, and pre-approved by me. As
you read your novels, you will write analytical entries which will be kept in your AP
binder under a section labeled “Reading Rhetorical Analyses (RRA).” A
project/assessment will follow each of the novels.
 In-class exercises include review and/or response to released essay prompts weekly.
Keep the prompts and your writing in your AP binder under a section labeled “AP/Timed
Writing.”
Course Outline
Week 1: August 11 Introduction to AP course
Rhetorical Strategies: Description, Example, Persuasion, Compare/Contrast
Rhetorical Devices: Tone, Diction, Hyperbole, Litotes, Point of View, Style
Grammar: Diagnostic Quiz
Syllabus/Outline
Summer Reading Assessments
Intro to Rhetoric: Everyday Use
Reasons to Take AP Exam
College Assignment
*Essential Question: How do structural elements such as context,
meaningful order of ideas, transitional elements and conclusions help make
meaning clear for the reader?
Comparative Analysis: Novel Comparison Essay
Austin/Dickens (AP prompt discussion)
Impedigogy
Comparative Writing Practice: Concrete, Abstract, Proper Nouns--Etherpad
Reading List: Novel One: Freakonomics: A Rouge Economist Explores the
Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
Current Events: “Citizen of the World” Concept—Poll Everywhere
*Essential Question: What is the importance of being able to communicate
understanding of a complex idea or event from multiple perspectives?
Week 2: August 16 Personal Expressive Project
Rhetorical Strategy: Narration, Description, Example, Persuasion
Rhetorical Devices: Irony, Detail, Metaphor, Symbol, Tone
Grammar: Phrases/Clauses
Personal Expressive Assignment: Digital Story-Movie Maker/Photo Story
*Essential Question: Why is it important to be able to analyze and
communicate the significance of a relationship, one’s own experience and/or
the experiences of others?
Student Multimodal Personal Essay Examples
Reading Rhetorical Analysis (RRA), Scoring Guide, and Sample Response
Begin “Voice Lessons” Notebook—Voice unit
Hamlet Voice Assignment
Rhetorical Modes and Rhetorical Terminology: Group Presentation/Quiz
Extra Credit: Documentary Review
Friday: Vocabulary Unit Quiz 1
Week 3: August 23 Narration: Strategies for Narrative Writing
Rhetorical Strategy: Narration
Rhetorical Devices: Irony, Detail, Metaphor, Symbol, Tone
Grammar: Sentence Fragments
*Essential Question: How can writing be used to make meaning of one’s own
experience?
Richard Rodriquez AP Prompt/ Review Annotated Essay
George Bernard Shaw AP prompt/ Discussion
Memories of a Dead Man Walking Sr. Helen Prejean pg.60 RR
Shooting an Elephant George Orwell pg. 68 RR
Once More to the Lake E.B. Whtie pg. 124 FOM
Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self Alice Walker pg. 130 FOM
Wednesday: Novel One Project: Freakonomics Seminar
Novel Two: Reader’s Choice: Book Review Review Project
Friday: Vocabulary Unit Quiz 2
Week 4: August 30 Description: Strategies for Conveying Ideas
Rhetorical Strategy: Description
Rhetorical Devices: Imagery, Tone, Voice, Diction, Naturalistic Detail
Grammar: Comma Splices
Monday: RRA 1 Due
The Nature of Description pg. 76-80 FOM
Moments of Being Virginia Woolf pg. 82 FOM
Love Sick Richard Selzer pg. 92 FOM
On Not Looking at Pictures E.M. Forster pg. 99 FOM
Descriptive Writing pg. 103 or 104 FOM
Descriptive Exercise: Post Descriptive Podcasts
On-Demand Prep: Format Review (speech, article, editorial, letter)
*Essential Question: Which types of structures/formats are appropriate for
different purposes, audiences and forms of writing?
Synthesis: Images in the Media-Stereotypes Blog
Coca-Cola Letters AP Prompt/ Essay
Friday: Vocabulary Unit Quiz 3
Week 5: September 6 Argumentation and Persuasion: Strategies for Influencing Others
Rhetorical Strategy: Argumentation and Persuasion
Rhetorical Devices: Claim, Warrant, Logical Fallacies, Analogy, Refutation,
Concession, Point of View, Diction, Tone
Grammar: Pronouns and Case
Monday: No School
Analysis of Advertising, Ad Campaign: Rewrite or Add To
*Essential Question: What are effective strategies for analyzing and
addressing needs of an intended audience (e.g., anticipating potential
misunderstandings, providing sufficient details for clarity and revising to
delete unnecessary details)?
Analysis of Editorials
Visual Rhetoric: Frames of Mind
Analysis of Artwork: “Inventing My Parents”
Grammar: Parallelism
Unnatural Killers John Grisham (handout)
Memo to John Grisham: What’s Next—“A Movie Made Me Do It”?
Oliver Stone (handout)
Class Debate/Argumentative Writing Response
“Entertainment Has Capacity to Ruin Society” AP Essay Prompt
*Essential Question: Why is it important that all citizens be able to analyze a
wide variety of media messages (e.g., political, financial, social,
environmental) in order to interpret matters of public policy and personal
interest?
Friday: Vocabulary Unit Quiz 4
Friday: End of 4 ½ weeks
Week 6: September 13 Argumentation and Persuasion: Strategies for Influencing Others
Rhetorical Strategy: Argumentation and Persuasion
Rhetorical Devices: Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Analogy, Tone, Syntax, Point of
View, Rhetorical Question
Grammar: Agreement
Monday: RRA 2 Due
Ethos, Pathos, and Logos Rhetorical Strategies
*Essential Question: How can readers analyze the effectiveness of use of
persuasive techniques (e.g., logical/emotional/ethical appeal, repetition,
allusion) or propaganda techniques (e.g., testimonial, bandwagon, transfer,
personal attack)?
College Essay: Admission or Scholarship
The Nature of Argument pg 431-440 FOM
Argumentation Terminology, Fallacies, and Techniques Quiz
Letters from Birmingham Jail Martin Luther King Jr. pg. 570
King Speech/Analysis Chart and Persuasive Essay
*Essential Question: What are effective strategies for critical response to a
speech, including analysis of style, speaker’s choice of language to evoke a
response, evaluation of conclusions, and credibility of information presented?
Synthesis: Being Bilingual in the United States—Take Argumentative
Stance (small group activity)
Has TV Made Elections Fairer Synthesis AP Prompt
4 ½ weeks progress report mailed
Friday: Vocabulary Unit Quiz 5
Week 7: September 20 Process and Directions: Strategies for Explaining How To…
Rhetorical Strategy: Process Analysis and Direction
Rhetorical Devices: Tone, Symbol, Allusion, Imagery, Irony
Grammar: Comma Nonessential Clauses
*Essential Question: What is the significance of understanding that the stages
of writing are recursive?
Editing Checklist—Grammar and Mechanics
Grammar: Misplaced Parts and Dangling Modifiers
Who Killed Benny Paret? Norman Cousins: Handout
Grounds for Fiction Julia Alvarez pg. 125 RR
Arranging a Marriage in India Serena Nanda pg. 140 RR
Living Like Weasels Annie Dillard pg. 54 FOM
“The Onion” AP Essay Prompt
Friday: Vocabulary Unit Quiz 6
Week 8: September 27 Process and Directions (cont.)
Rhetorical Strategy: Process Analysis
Rhetorical Devices: Syntax, Detail, Style, Ambiguity, Parallelism
Grammar: Semi-colon/Apostrophe
Monday: RRA 3 Due
Allusion Project: Thematic Connection and Illustration
*Essential Question: How can student writers organize ideas within and
across texts to show understanding of central ideas and interrelationships
(e.g., charting, semantic mapping, graphic organizers, outlining)?
How to Put Off Doing a Job Andy Rooney pg. 358 FOM
In the Kitchen Henry Louis Gates, Jr. pg. 362 FOM
How to…Speech Assignment
Solution to Poverty AP Essay Prompt
Thursday: Vocabulary Unit Quiz 7
Friday: No School
Week 9: October 4 Example and Illustration: Strategies for Making a Point
Rhetorical Strategy: Example and Illustration
Rhetorical Devices: Detail/Example, Satire, Syntax, Anecdote, Tone
Grammar: Conciseness/ Clarity and Completeness
Monday: Novel Two Project Due: Book Review Review
Novel Three: Banned Book Project
Excerpts from Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
*Essential Question: How can text structure cues (e.g., chronology,
cause/effect, compare/contrast, proposition and support, description,
classification, logical/sequential, deductive/inductive) be used to aid in
comprehension?
Ephemera Benjamin Franklin FOM CD
English is a Crazy Language Richard Lederer pg. 184 FOM
Just Walk on By Brent Staples pg. 194 FOM
Illustration Reading/Writing Exercise: Pre-Judging Public Space
pg. 198 FOM
Compulsory Voting AP Essay Prompt
Friday: Vocabulary Unit Quiz 8
***************************FALL BREAK*********************************
Week 10: October 18 Cause and Effect: Strategies for Analyzing Why Things Happen
Rhetorical Strategy: Cause and Effect
Rhetorical Devices:
Style, Tone, Example, Anecdote, Detail
Grammar: Midterm
Monday: Reading Journal 6 Due
Tuesday: End of 9 weeks
The Nature of Cause and Effect pg. 300-305 FOM
*Essential Question: How can students analyze the organizational pattern
used in a text (e.g., description, sequence, cause/effect, compare/contrast,
logical/sequential, problem/solution, proposition/support, deductive/inductive)
and explain how effective it is in understanding the passage and meeting the
author’s purpose?
Sex, Drugs, Disasters, and the Extinction of the Dinosaurs
Stephen Jay Gould pg. 316 FOM
The Tipping Point Malcolm Gladwell pg. 334 FOM
Some Big Ideas Wash Up One Bulb at a Time Andrew C. Revkin
pg. 406 RR
Cause and Effect Exercise: Propaganda pg. 340-345 FOM
Reflective Essay/E Anthology Assignment
Eudora Welty AP Essay Prompt
Friday: Vocabulary Unit Quiz 9
Week 11: October 25 Comparison and Contrast: Strategies for Examining Two Subjects
Rhetorical Strategy: Comparison and Contrast
Rhetorical Devices: Parallelism, Hyperbole, Litotes, Euphemism, Tone,
Antithesis
Grammar: Subordination/Coordination and Misplaced Modifiers
Monday: RRA 4 Due
Two Views of the River Mark Twain pg. 174 RR
Shakespeare in the Bush Laura Bohannan pg. 214 RR
Two Classes of Women Margaret Sanger FOM CD
Two Family Portraits: The Pearles and the Bellellis John Canaday
pg. 289 FOM
Tues: First nine weeks report cards mailed
Comparison and Contrast Reading/Writing Exercise: Compare and
Contrast Rodin’s “The Kiss” with Brancusi’s “The Kiss”
pg. 294 FOM
*Essential Question: How can comparisons be made within and across texts
(e.g., comparing themes, ideas, concept development, literary elements, events,
genres) in order to synthesize information for a coherent response?
Orwell’s Gandhi Essay AP Prompt
Friday: Vocabulary Unit Quiz 10
Week 12: November 1 Final Portfolio Revisions
Rhetorical Devices: Syntax, Detail, Style
Monday: Banned Book Project Due
Novel Four Project: Reader’s Choice: Multiple Choice Question Creation
Tuesday: No School
Grammar: Parallelism/Shifts in Tense or Person
Multiple Choice: Student Created Tests from AP Passages
ACT, SAT, AP Multiple Choice Practice/Strategies
Synthesis: Who Owns the Body and Its Parts? Who Owns Life?
*Essential Question: Why is it important that students participate in a literate
community by sharing and responding to ideas and connections with others
through writing and in-depth discussions about texts?
Lord Chesterfield Letter AP Essay Prompt
Friday: Vocabulary Unit Quiz 11
Week 13: November 8 Classification and Division: Strategies for Sorting Ideas
Rhetorical Strategy: Classification and Division
Rhetorical Devices: Detail, Antithesis, Example, Point of View, Parallelism
Grammar: Pronoun Reference/Active/Passive Voice
Monday: RRA 5 Due
Revelation Flannery O’Connor pg. 309 RR
The Best of Enemies? Thomas Friedman pg. 222 FOM
Mother Tongue Amy Tan pg. 236 FOM
Classification and Division Reading/Writing Exercise: Other Tongues
pg. 240-244 FOM
*Essential Question: How can consideration of form and organization of
content aid in understanding and provide evidence to support judgments made
about author’s purpose/meaning?
Marian Evans Lewes Letter AP Essay Prompt
Friday: Vocabulary Unit Quiz 12
Week 14: November 15 Definition and Explanation: Strategies for Clarifying Meaning
Rhetorical Strategy: Definition and Explanation
Rhetorical Devices: Detail, Tone, Irony, Hyperbole, Allusion, Diction, Pun,
Sarcasm, Characterization
Grammar: Sentence Structure/Variety/Revision
The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde: Verbal Irony Assignment
*Essential Question: What are strategies for interpretation and evaluation of
the effectiveness of verbal and nonverbal delivery techniques, including visual
cues, and why are these skills necessary to develop?
I Want a Wife Judy Brady FOM CD
The Hoax John Berendt pg. 353 RR
Rock of Ages Joan Didion pg 415 FOM
Definition and Explanation Reading/Writing Exercise: Islands of
Freedom pg 418 FOM
“I Want a _________” Blog Post: Employ Similar Technique in Description
Of Situation They Feel Taken Advantage of
John Downe Letter AP Essay Prompt
Thursday: End of 4 ½ weeks
Photo Essay Extra Credit Project
Week 15: November 22 Rhetorical Precis Assignment
Rhetorical Strategy: Precis, Imitation
Rhetorical Devices: Tone, Metaphor, Diction, Imagery, Parallelism, Style
Grammar: Rhetorical Focus/Understanding
Monday: RRA 6 Due
Rhetorical Precis Assignment
*Essential Question: How can application of a suitable/distinctive tone help
establish and maintain a focused purpose to communicate with an authentic
audience, allowing voice to emerge?
Recognizing the Elements of Style Exercise
Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address AP Essay Prompt
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: No School
Week 16: November 29 AP Test Review/Scoring
Grammar: Establishing Focus/Purpose
Practice Exam: Multiple Choice Passages and Essay Prompts
Excerpts from We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be
Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
Night by Eli Weisel
New Synthesis AP Essay Prompt
*Essential Question: What are effective strategies for evaluation of arguments
and analysis of information from multiple sources in order to synthesize
arguments or claims, discover the relationship between the parts, understand
induction and deduction, and/or determine unstated assumptions?
Friday: Vocabulary Unit Quiz 14
Week 17: December 6 Analysis of Sample Texts
Grammar: Final Exam
Synthesis: Religious Beliefs in the Public Arena: Essay Practice
Wednesday: Novel Four Project Due: Multiple-Choice Test Creation
*Essential Question: How can considering language and textual elements as
well as analyzing the author’s style aid in critical evaluation of texts?
Group Reading: Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
Excerpts from The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
The Trouble with Fries by Malcolm Gladwell
Video clips from documentary Supersize Me by Morgan Spurlock
Friday: Cumulative Vocab 1-15 Test
Week 18: December 13 Review and Finals Week
Monday: Extra Credit Photo Essay Due
*Essential Question: How can one interpret through observation/viewing in
context by inferring and drawing conclusions in order to construct meaning
and informed opinions about the world?
Review of all Rhetorical Strategies and Devices
Thursday and Friday: Finals Days
*Essential Questions adapted from Kentucky Core Content for Assessment and Program of Studies for
12th Grade Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening and Observing
*Grammar Units are aligned with the ACT’s Standards for Transition
(1) Summer reading analysis projects include analysis of subject(s), occasion, audience, purpose, style
speaker, and scope of the works.
(2) Research/synthesis papers, documentary review, formal book review, banned book argumentative
paper, and comparative analysis presentation require student to utilize research skills, evaluate, and cite
source materials using MLA format.
Student Texts:
Each student is issued a copy of all required readings for individual use inside and outside of the classroom.
Frames of Mind: A Rhetorical Reader with Occasions for Writing
DiYanni, Robert and Pat C. Hoy II
Thomson Wadsworth, Boston, 2005
Everything’s An Argument with Readings
Third Edition
Lunsford, Andrea A., John J. Ruszkiewicz and Keith Walters
Bedford/St. Martin’s, Boston, 2004
The Riverside Reader
Eighth Edition
Peterson, Raj., Joseph Trimmer and Maxine Hairston
Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 2005
Hodges’ Harbrace Handbook
Fifteenth Edition
Glenn, Cheryl, Robert Keith Miller,
Suzanne Strobeck Webb, Loretta
Gray and John Hodges
Thomson, United States, 2004
Vocabulary Cartoons: Building
an Educated Vocabulary with
Visual Mnemonics
Burchers, Sam, Max and Brian
New Monic Book, Inc.,
Punta Gorda, FL, 1997
Reference Texts (Instructor):
Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading and Writing
AP Edition
Roskelly, Hephzibah and David A. Jolliffe
Pearson, New York, 2005
The Elements of Style
Fourth Edition
Strunk, Jr., William and EB White
Longman, New York, 2000
Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide
Ninth Edition
Mandell, Stephen R. and Laurie G. Kirszner
Bedford/St. Martin’s, Boston, 2003
A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms
Second Edition
Lanham, Richard A.
University of California Press,
Berkeley, CA, 1991
Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student
Fourth Edition
Corbett, Edward P.J. and Robert J. Connors
Oxford University Press, New York, 1999
Grading Scale: The course will follow the Daviess County Board of Education mandated scale.
Each project, paper, quiz, etc. is assigned to demonstrate or refine a skill that is necessary for
college-bound students. Turn your assignments in complete and on time. Late work will only
be accepted one day late and given a score of no more than 50% of the original grade.
NOTE: Ten percent of the course is derived from classroom participation (including
preparedness, tardiness, being on-task, etc.)
100-94
93-85
84-73
72-65
A
B
C
D
Distribution of Grades
Tests/Projects
60%
Daily/Homework/Quizzes 30%
Participation
10%
Expectations:
 Be respectful of me and each other.
 Enter the room on time and with all required materials including books, assignments, pen,
etc.
 Please do not email assignments to me unless specifically instructed to do so. Print out all
assignments BEFORE coming to class.
 Turn in assignments on due date.
 Take care of personal business (grooming, restroom, phone calls) during breaks or lunch
time.
 Food, drinks, and gum are fine until the FIRST time I have to clean up after you.
 Profanity will not be tolerated.
 And woe be unto you if you decide to cheat. Refer to the student agenda regarding
policy. If I catch you, you will be subject to punishment. If I don’t catch you, you could
be missing out on something that will help you in life! There is a certain amount of
factual information you must learn, however, I am much more interested in your original
interpretation of the ideas in the text. Cheating defeats the whole purpose.
Policy for Make Up Work: Tests and long quizzes will be sent to the testing center to be
completed before or after school. The center will be available on Monday and Wednesday
afternoons as well as Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Short quizzes and homework assignments
will be placed in the appropriate tray on my desk. You have five days to make up assignments.
It is your responsibility to inquire about missed assignments.
Tardy Policy: You are considered tardy if you are not in the room when the bell rings. The first
tardy will result in a warning, the second in a DM, and the third in a detention issued by
administration. See agenda book for details.
Room Exit Policy: No exits from the room will be allowed without YOUR OWN agenda book
initialed by me. Take care of business during breaks because our class time is so precious.
Class Dismissal Policy: Stay seated until the bell sounds. Standing in a clump in the doorway is
a fire hazard and if I die in a fire because you clogged to doorways, I will come back and haunt
you.
To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the
affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics… to
appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit
better, whether by a healthy child or a garden patch... to know even one
life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have
succeeded! --Ralph Waldo Emerson