AP English Language & Composition Syllabus
Course Description
This Advanced Placement Language and Composition course is designed to be a college
level course. It will provide you with the intellectual challenges and workload consistent
with a typical undergraduate university English Composition course. There will be lots of
required reading to include non-fiction, novels, short stories, and poems followed by an
equal amount of writing in the form of short journal responses, explication, analysis,
research, and compare and contrast essays, as well as timed AP response questions. We
will spend parts of everyday practicing and honing our critical reading and writing skills,
so your preparedness and attention to the reading schedule is a must. You will be required
to read regularly outside of class and to report on said readings twice a semester in a
modified book report/analysis. The purpose behind these readings is to broaden your
reading and to improve your fluency. You will be asked to keep an English Portfolio in a
three-ring binder for Notes, Journal Entries, Graded Papers, Handouts, as well as a
section titled Miscellaneous.
Reading
The most important requirement for this course is that students read every assignment read it with care and on time. Students not used to such language courses will need to
plan time in their schedule for more reading than most courses require. Poetry, though
usually not long, is dense and, at times, complicated and should always be read at least
twice. Longer non-fiction assignments and novels in particular require more planning.
Writing
While reading is an absolute must in preparation for this course, the writing you complete
during this course will be the primary basis for your grade and your preparation for the
AP Exam. Each student will write numerous critical essays to include explication,
analysis, research, and compare and contrast essays, as well as timed AP response
questions. Your papers will be examined for effective word choice, inventive sentence
structure, effective overall organization, clear emphasis and, above all, excellence of
argument, including exhaustive supportive evidence (i.e. quotations) and clear,
persuasive, elegant connection of this evidence to your overall argument.
The Advanced Placement Examination
The culmination of English IV, AP, is the Advanced Placement Examination, given
nationally each year in May. By scoring a 3 or higher, a student can gain advanced
placement standing in college or possibly earn college credit. There are two basic
methods by which this can be accomplished. The first is to read all daily assignments
carefully and conscientiously. By doing so, the student builds those skills expected of
Advance Placement students. The second is to become familiar with the format and types
of questions asked on the examination. To this end there will be timed essays and
multiple choice drills which should facilitate scoring well on the examination. These
drills are a vital part of English IV, AP, and failure to perform accordingly will seriously
and adversely affect one’s grade and possibly one’s score. Students enrolled in English
IV, AP, are required to take the Examination on May 8th, 2008.
Course Objectives
Upon completing the AP English Language and Composition course, students should be
able to:
 write for a variety of purposes and in a variety of informal contexts to develop their
own writing voice and to become familiar with the techniques used by the authors
they read;
 analyze and interpret samples of quality writing to identify and explain an author’s
use of rhetorical strategies and techniques;
 demonstrate stylistic maturity and an understanding and mastery of standard written
English:
 create and sustain arguments based upon readings, research, and/or personal
experience;
 evaluate and incorporate reference documents into researched papers;
 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,
 draft, peer edit, review, and implement teacher-aided revision;
 revise a work to make it suitable for a different audience; and
 analyze how graphics and visual images both relate to written texts and serve as
alternative forms of text themselves.
Attendance
Attendance is very important in this class! Students who are frequently absent find it
difficult to keep up with discussions and assignments, and do poorly. If you are absent,
check with me to see what you missed and contact a classmate if you have questions
about posted assignments.
Texts
1. Kirszner, Laurie G. & Mandell, Stephen R.. Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical
Reader and Guide. 9th Ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004
2. Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal.
3. Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show
Business
4. Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring.
5. Student Choice Book
5. Teacher-Created Packet (Includes handouts that will be utilized throughout the year
and will include, but is not limited to, Graphic organizers, Definitions and terms,
Classroom activities, References material, and other such aids)
Grading Scale
Course Work
In-class writing, tests, discussion, activities
Out-of-class writings and other assignments
English Portfolio
Numerical Average
93-100
85-92
76-84
70-75
0-69
Percentage of final Grade
30%
40%
30%
Letter Grade
A
B
C
D
F
Schedule of Writing and Reading
Unit 1: Reading and Writing Strategies
Reading:
 QARS (Handbook)
 SSR (Handbook)
 Anticipation Guides (Handbook)
 RAFT (Handbook)
 SOAPSTone (Handbook)
 SOS (Handbook)
 Poetry Response (Handbook)
 TP-FASTT (Handbook)
 Graphic Organizers (Handbook)
 Others (As appropriate)
Discussion Topics: Close Reading, Reading Strategies, Course Outline, Annotation,
Selecting a Topic, Thesis, Organization, Writing Process, Revision, Writing about
literature.
Unit 2: The Writing Process
Reading:
 Introduction: Reading to Write
 Part 1: The Writing Process
Writing Activity: Diagnostic Essay
Unit 3: Autobiography
Reading:
 Using Description: Introduction to Chapter 5
 Family Relationships:
o “Only Daughter,” Sandra Cisneros
o “Words Left Unspoken,” Leah Hager Cohen
o “The Way to Rainy Mountain,” N. Scott Momaday
o “Two Ways to Belong to America,” Bharati Mukherjee
o “Suicide Note,” Janice Mirikitani
Writing Assignment: Essay on a Family Relationship
Unit 4: Autobiography
Reading:
 Using Narration: Introduction to Chapter 4
 Life Lessons:
o “Shooting an Elephant,” George Orwell
o “Once More to the Lake,” E.B. White
o “The Catbird Seat,” David J. Birnbaum
o “My First Conk,” Malcolm X
o “Strange Tools,” Richard Rodriguez
Writing Assignment: Essay on an Epiphany
PEER REVIEW WORKSHOP
Unit 5: Education
Reading:
 Using Exemplification: Introduction to Chapter 6
o “Indian Education,” Sherman Alexie
o “The human Cost of an illiterate Society,” Jonathan Kozol
o “Brains versus Brawn,” Mark Cotharn
o “College Pressures,” William Zinsser
o “What I Learned (and Didn’t Learn) in College,” Kristy Bredin
Writing Assignment: Essay on Education
Unit 6: Language and Communication
Reading:
 Using cause and Effect: Introduction to Chapter 8
o “Mother Tongue,” Amy Tan
o “Sex, Lies, and Conversation,” Deborah Tannen
o “Make That a Double,” David Sedaris
o “The Ways We Lie,” Stephanie Ericsson
o “The Wife-Beater,” Gayle Rosenwald Smith
Writing Assignment: Essay on Language and Communication
Unit 7: The World of Work
Reading:
 Using Process: Introduction to Chapter 7
o Job application Letter, Kristy Bredin
o “My Mother Never Worked,” Bonnie Smith-Yackel
o “Scrubbing in Maine,” Barbara Ehrenreich
o “The Peter Principle,” Lawrence J. Peter and Raymond Hull
o “Midnight,” Grace Ku
o “The Company Man,” Ellen Goodman
Computer assisted Revising
DEMONSTRATION AND EXERCISES
Writing Assignment: Essay on a Work Situation
PEER REVIEW WORKSHOP
Unit 8: Men and Women
Reading:
 Using Comparison and Contrast: Introduction to Chapter 9
o “I Want a Wife,” Judy Brady
o “The Men We Carry in Our Minds,” Scott Russell Sanders
o “A Peaceful Woman Explains Why She Carries a Gun,” Linda
Hasselstrom
o “Why Boys Don’t Play with Dolls,” Katha Pollitt
o Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, Elizabeth Cady Stanton
o “The Storm,” Kate Chopin
Writing Assignment: Essay on Men and Women
Unit 9: Prejudice and Stereotypes
Reading:
 Using Classification and Division: Introduction to Chapter 10
o “Finishing School,” Maya Angelou
o “The ‘Black Table’ Is Still there,” Lawrence Otis Graham
o “Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public
Space,” Brent Staples
o “The Untouchable,” Ajoy Mahtab
o “Burdens,” John Kenneth Galbraith
o “Traditional Mother and Father: Still the Best Choice for Children,” Tom
Adkins
o “Laws Should Support Loving Households, Straight or Not,” Becky Birtha
o “On Dumpster Diving,” Lars Eighner
Writing Assignment: Essay on Categories That Limit and Stereotype
Unit 10: Perception and Reality
Reading:
 Using Definition: Introduction to Chapter 11
o “Ground Zero,” Suzanne Berne
o “Living like Weasels,” Annie Dillard
o “The Embalming of Mr. Jones,” Jessica Mitford
o “The Tipping Point,” Malcolm Gladwell
o “Walt and Ray: Your Trusted Friends,” Eric Schlosser
Writing Assignment: Essay on Deception of Self-Deception
Unit 11: Argumentation: Effecting Change
Reading:
 Argumentation: Introduction, Induction, and Deduction: Introduction Chapter 12
o The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson
o “Who Killed Benny Paret?,” Norman Cousins
o “How the Lawyers Stole Winter,” Christopher B. Daly
o “Television: The Plug-In Drug,” Marie Winn
o “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King Jr.
Writing Assignment: Essay Arguing for Change
Unit 12: Argumentation: National ID Cards
Reading:
 Using Argumentation: Dealing with Opposition and Recognizing Logical
fallacies: Chapter 12
o “The Threat of National ID,” William Safire
o “Why Fear National ID Cards?,” Alan M. Dershowitz
Writing Assignment: Draft of Essay on Defending a Cause or Position
PEER REVIEW WORKSHOP
Unit 13: Argumentation: Media Violence
Reading:
 In-Class Debates
o “Memo to John Grisham: What’s Next – ‘A Movie Made Me Do It’?,”
Oliver Stone
o “Violent Films Cry ‘fire’ in Crowded Theaters,” Michael Zimecki
o “Whodunit – The Media?,” Maggie Cutler
Writing Assignment: Completed Essay on defending a Cause or Position
Supportive Reading:
 Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal.
 Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show
Business
 Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring.
 Student Choice Book
 Practice AP Language and Composition Exams
Supportive Writing:
 Essay on Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal.
 Essay on Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show
Business
 Essay on Silent Spring.
 Essay on Student Choice Book
 Timed AP Response Questions