Jennifer Webb
Lakewood High School
jlwebb@jeffco.k12.co.us
303-982-742
Advanced Placement Language and Composition Syllabus
Course Description
AP Language and Composition is designed to enable students to read complex texts with
understanding and to communicate effectively in writing. This course is centered on
American, British, and a variety of world literature, primarily non-fiction books and
essays. Focus of reading is on understanding how rhetorical and linguistic choices
contribute to the author’s purpose. Students will write in a variety of forms—narrative,
analytical, expository, and argumentative—and on a variety of subjects. Students who
take the AP Language exam in the spring could earn college credit based on their exam
scores. Purchase of some books/materials is required.
Works Used
Baldick, Chris. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Oxford University
Press, 2001.
The Bedford Reader, 9th edition. Eds. X.J. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Jane E.
The Compact Reader: Short Essays by Method and Theme, 7th edition. Ed. Jane E.
Aaron. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003.
Jeffers, Robinson. Medea: Freely Adapted From the “Medea” of Euripides. New York:
Samuel French, 1976.
Shakespeare, William. Othello. New Folger Edition. NY: Pocket Books, 1993.
Solzhenitsyn, Alexander. One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. Signet Edition. New
York: E.P., Dutton, 1963.
World Masterpieces. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996.
(selections from Dante’s Inferno and A Doll’s House)
Choice Texts
Faulkner, William. As I Lay Dying. New York: Vintage Books, 1984.
Haddon, Mark. the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. New York: Vintage
Books, 2003.
McGregor, Jon. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things. Boston: Houghton Mifflin,
2002.
Summer Reading
Texts vary. Students are assigned two reading selections with corresponding
assignments. Reading assignments will include a full-length piece of nonfiction.
Students will complete a minimum of one essay over the course of the summer.
Fall Semester
Summer Reading assignment.
Summer reading assignment—which includes a full-length essay—must be completed in
order to remain in the class. Students have an in-class writing assignment over one or
more of the texts to use as a writing sample. In-class writing assignment for Fall 2006
asks students to discuss one of five nonfiction selections. Students also complete a
passage analysis paper over a student-selected novel to submit the first day of class.
Tragedy and the tragic hero.
Greek theater. Includes the history of theater, Aristotle’s definition of tragedy and the
tragic hero, Medea, and an exam over all unit items. Students are tested on Greek root
words, prefixes, and suffixes. Oedipus is sometimes included in this unit as well. Study
of the play Medea focuses on the use of language—primarily metaphor and simile—and
the use of emotional appeal.
Shakespearean theater. Includes a brief history of the Renaissance and of Elizabethan
England. Students are tested on Latin root words, prefixes, and suffixes. Students read
Othello. Study of the play focuses on persuasive techniques—leading questions,
hesitation, intimation, metaphor, appeal to emotion, and appeal to ethics—and allusions.
Students are assigned various words from the play to research; they are to use the Oxford
English Dictionary to trace the etymology of the word. Students write two papers during
this unit. One paper traces the assigned word throughout Othello and discusses its use.
The second paper is an in-class essay discussing Iago’s use of persuasive language to
achieve his goals and the extent to which he is able to achieve those goals.
Research Paper
Students read and annotate chapters 1-3 and 13 in The Bedford Reader.
This unit includes a review of grammar and punctuation, passive voice vs. action verbs,
effective transitions, introductions and conclusions, and general writing conventions.
The writing process is examined and students are evaluated on prewriting, note taking,
drafting, and editing skills. The research paper is over a controversial issue. Students
must research BOTH sides of the issue, then choose one side to support. Students must
address the opposing side of the issue—conceding points as necessary—then support
their side with correctly documented evidence. Students are evaluated on the quality of
sources used, the correct use of internal citations for borrowed information, correctly
formatted Works Cited pages, the strength of their arguments, the organization of the
paper, and the quality of writing.
Argument and Persuasion
This unit is done in conjunction with the research paper. Students study persuasive
techniques, appeals (ethos, pathos, logos), fallacies, inductive and deductive reasoning,
and syllogisms. Students study advertisements from a variety of media and critique their
use of persuasive techniques, looking for specific appeals and fallacies. Students read
and annotate Chapter 13 in The Bedford Reader. Students read select essays from this
Argument and Persuasion cont.
chapter to either provide written answers to or classroom discussion of a variety of
questions from the textbook. Essays include arguments about the death penalty, solutions
for world poverty, and ethics of animal consumption. A variety of current magazine and
newspaper articles are also examined for argumentative and persuasive techniques. For
example, local election issues will be examined in October. Students will write at least
two papers during this unit. A researched paper will present an argument and another
paper will analyze an argument. Beginning in 2006, students will also practice the new
sample AP Language and Composition exam question as an argumentative essay.
Narration
The class will read Chapter 4 in The Bedford Reader, and read and discuss select essays
from this chapter. Focus is on structure, voice, tone, transitions, syntax, and imagery—
discussion and analysis of these items continues throughout the school year. Students
begin to practice using SOAPSTone when analyzing essays from this unit. Students also
examine additional essay from other sources, including Barbara Lazear’s Ascher’s “The
Box Man” (The Compact Reader). Students study Annie Dillard’s use of narration in
“The Chase,” including diction, syntax, and repetition. Students then read Ibsen’s A
Doll’s House and write an in-class essay examining Ibsen’s use of dialogue and syntax as
a method of character development. Students write a personal narrative essay. Students
also select and read an independent novel for the American Library Association’s Banned
and Challenged Books Week (usually the last week of September). Each student should
select a different book and write an essay defending its inclusion in the classroom and/or
in our public libraries.
Additional Fall Semester Activities
Other reading includes Chapters 1-3 in The Compact Reader, along with various essays
and current events articles.
On-going activities to help students expand their vocabularies.
Journal entries: students write a variety of journal entries based on select reading, current
events, prewriting activities, etc.
Students participate in an ongoing study of literary terms and rhetorical devices.
Reading Over Winter Break
Students select a novel from a list of classics. Students read the novel over the two week
winter break and write a book review based on their experience with the literature.
Students are encouraged to examine a variety of print and Internet book reviews prior to
writing and submitting their reviews.
Spring Semester
Winter Break Assignment
Students submit book reviews and discuss their reading selections in small groups.
Independent Reading Assignments
Students have two independent reading assignments over the course of the semester. For
one assignment, students select and read a full-length work of nonfiction; some
suggestions include Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air or Into the Wild, Edward Abbey’s
Desert Solitaire, and Asne Seierstad’s The Bookseller of Kabul, along with a list of many
others. The assignment for this is a series of questions addressing the author’s use of
literary devices and rhetorical strategies. Students must also select significant or
poignant quotations from the text and list them in their journals to discuss in class as
examples of effective writing.
For the second independent reading assignment, student choose from Faulkner’s The
Sound and the Fury, Jon McGregor’s If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things, and Mark
Haddon’s the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. Students are placed in groups
and complete assignments that focus on the author’s organization, narrative point-ofview, diction, and syntax.
Descriptive Writing
This unit focuses on Chapter 5 in The Bedford Reader. This chapter includes essays such
as Brad Manning’s “Arm Wrestling with My Father,” Sarah Vowell’s “Shooting Dad,”
and Joyce Carol Oates’ poem “Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, 1942.” The class also
studies Annie Dillard’s “Weasels,” George Orwell’s “Shooting An Elephant,” and
Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own” in depth. Discussion focuses on word choice
(connotation and denotation), metaphor, and imagery—discussion of these items carries
over into every unit for the rest of the semester. Students read Solzhenistyn’s One Day in
the Life of Ivan Denisovich. After looking at two translations, students write an essay
discussing both translations and analyzing the effectiveness of word choice. Finally,
students choose an intriguing or appealing painting and, emulating Oates, write a prose
essay or poem describing the details of the painting and how they work together to create
meaning.
Use of Example
Students read Chapter 6, “Example: Pointing to Instances,” in The Bedford Reader.
Focus is on the use of examples and the development of specific examples when
supporting a thesis. This unit also focuses on using language—expressions,
colloquialism, and jargon—to present ideas. Students read, discuss, and write about
essays by Barbara Lazear Ascher, Anna Quindlen, Scott Russell Sanders and Brent
Staples. Students also read Kirk Johnson’s “Today’s Kids Are, Like, Killing the English
Language” (The Compact Reader). Students do not write a separate essay for this unit,
but are expected to focus on use of example in everything they read and write.
Comparison and Contrast
Students read Chapter 7 in The Bedford Reader and review basis for comparison and
organization of comparison/contrast essays. Students read and examine several essays
from this chapter. Students write on an AP sample question, comparing and contrasting
pieces written by Dillard and Audobon. Considerable time is spent examining and
discussing sample Dillard/Audobon paper from AP Central. Students also write an outof-class formal comparison/contrast essay on a topic of choice.
Process Analysis and Satire Unit
Students read Chapter 8 in The Bedford Reader, including a variety of satirical essays
from this chapter. Focus in this unit is on diction, tone, irony, sarcasm, and satire.
Students also read and analyze at least one Jonathon Swift piece, “A Modest Proposal.”
Other satirical essays, speeches, and political cartoons are included in this unit; these
items change on a yearly basis since they usually address current politics. Students write
an in-class paper analyzing a satirical essay and discussing the purpose and effectiveness
of the satire.
Division/Analysis, Classification, and Definition
This unit is based on information in Chapter 9 (Division/Analysis), Chapter 10
(Classification) and Chapter 12 (Definition) in The Bedford Reader and Chapter 7
(Division/Analysis)in The Compact Reader. Essays focus on examining popular culture.
Students complete a variety of journal entries centered on rhetorical strategies and the use
of evidence when analyzing. Essay titles include Sarah Coleman’s “The Mirror of
Reality TV,” Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl,” Samuel P. Huntington’s “The Crisis of National
Identity,” William Lutz’s “The World of Doublespeak,” Dagoberto Glib’s “Pride,” Gloria
Naylor’s “The Meaning of a Word,” and Bruno Bettelheim’s “The Holocaust” Students
write an original classification essay, choosing a subject and sorting it into categories.
Students also write a brief paper defining a popular, current, teenage slang word.
Cause and Effect
Students read Chapter 11 in The Bedford Reader. Students read, analyze, and answer
questions about Gore Vidal’s “Drugs” and Don DeLillo’s “Videotape.” Students also
examine articles and essays related to current events. Students choose a current
“problem” in society and prepare a speech discussing its causes and effects. Speeches are
presented in class.
Additional Spring Semester Activities
Students read and analyze speeches and letters to examine the use of rhetoric. The
primary speech is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Students also
practice analyzing speeches and letters used on previous AP exams.
Students participate in on-going test preparation: timed writings, practice exams, multiple
choice exams, vocabulary development, and optional study sessions.
Students research colleges, majors, and career choices in May (after AP exam). They
then select a prompt and write a college application essay.