AP English Language and Composition—Fall 2013
Overall Unit Questions: To what extent are our perceptions affected by language? How
is this accomplished? How can we control and/or resist this power?
Note: This is a tentative schedule. It is subject to change as needed. Unannounced reading check quizzes
may be given at any time. Tutorials and make ups are Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning. You
MUST schedule these with me to make sure that there is sufficient space/time available.
AUGUST
26
Class overview: How to
manipulate others with
language, and how to avoid
being manipulated!
Diagnostic Essay
Bring your brain (plus pen
and paper!)
2
LABOR
DAY
3
Discussion of Gibbs’ article
and 1 Dead in Attic
HW: Read & annotate
“Hurricane Katrina Slams
Into Gulf Coast”; compare to
at least 2 places in 1 Dead in
Attic; Finish Me Collage
9
Discussion of 1 Dead in Attic
and “Why Katrina’s Victims
Aren’t ‘Refugees’”
HW: Text charts
Test Review: Making
connections
Discussion of “Just Walk on
By”; Revising Bad Description
HW: Read & annotate the
excerpts from Stanley’s
Through the Dark Continent
Discussion of 1 Dead in Attic and
“Hurricane Katrina Slams Into Gulf
Coast”
Discussion of 1 Dead in Attic
and “More Horrible Than Truth”
HW: Read & annotate Carr’s “More
Horrible Than Truth”; Study for
Terms Quiz
HW: Read & annotate “Why
Katrina’s Victims Aren’t
‘Refugees’”
11/12
13
Descriptive Essay Intro and
Practice
SHORT ESSAY
HW: Read & annotate “Just Walk
on By: Black Men in Public
Spaces”; Pick your picture
HW: Catch up on sleep 
Discussion of Mary Kingsley’s Travels
in West Africa; Sample Essay
Evaluation
HW: Read & annotate the
excerpts from Kingsley’s
Travels in West Africa
HW: Read & annotate “Death in the
Grand Canyon”
Discussion of The Demon in
the Freezer up to the end of
“Something in the Air”
HW: Read & annotate up to
the end of “Something in the
Air” in DITF (p.26)
HW: Read & annotate up to the
end of “The Dreaming
Demon” in DITF (p.59)
24
1
Discussion of DITF and
passage theses
Full Practice AP Essay
HW: Read & annotate up to
the end of “A Woman with a
Peaceful Life” in DITF
(p.176) for block day
6
Terms Quiz
17
Discussion of Sir Henry
Morton Stanley’s Through
the Dark Continent; Sample
Thesis Evaluation
OCTOBER
HW: Read & annotate “The
Nightmare after Katrina”;
Annotate at least 1 passage in 1
Dead in Attic where Rose seems
to agree or disagree with Gibbs
4/5
UNIT 1 TEST: SCANTRON WITH
23
DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY DUE!
In-class Reading and
Discussion of Diamond’s
“Who Killed Easter Island?”
30
30
Discussion of 1 Dead in Attic
intros and chapter one
Me Collages due!
10
HW: Study for test!
16
28/29
Okefenokee Swamp AP Prompt:
Annotation & Analysis practice;
Responding to visuals
HW: Read/Re-read & annotate
BOTH introductions and first chapter
“Who We Are”
HW: Read p. 35-47 in The
Language of Composition
HW: Start your Me Collage
SEPTEMBER
27
18/19
25/26
Diagnostic Essay Postmortem with
Samples; Discussion of DITF up to
the end of “The Dreaming Demon”
HW: Read & annotate up to the end
of “Strange Trip” in DITF (p. 86);
Study for Vocab Quiz
2/3
Practice Essay Postmortem;
Discussion of DITF up to the end of
“A Woman with a Peaceful Life”
HW: Read & annotate up to the end
of “Into the Submarine” (p.204)
20
Discussion of “Death in the
Grand Canyon”; Revision Tips
HW: Finish your Descriptive
Essay!
27
Vocabulary Quiz Unit 1
Discussion of DITF up to the end
of “Strange Trip”
HW: Read & annotate up to the
end of “Forbidden Planet” in
DITF (p. 122); Pick one passage
to fully annotate, and write an
AP thesis for it.
4
Discussion of DITF up to the end
of “Into the Submarine”
HW: Read & annotate up to the
end of “Tricks” (p.233)
7
Discussion of DITF up to
the end of “Tricks”
8
9/10
11
Vocabulary Quiz Unit 2
Discussion of DITF up to the end of
“The Anthrax Skulls”
AP TIMED WRITING
(Test Grade)
HW: Read & annotate up to
the end of “The Anthrax
Skulls” (p.260) for block day
HW: Read & annotate the rest of the
book (p.283); Study for Vocab Quiz
14
15
Discussion of the end of DITF
HW: Prepare for graded
discussion
16/17
18
Discussion of TDITWC up to the end
of “The Trouble is just Begun”
Discussion of TDITWC up to the
end of “The Necssary Supply”
HW: Read & annotate up to the end
of “The Necessary Supply” in
TDITWC (p.47)
HW: Read & annotate up to the
end of “Don’t Be Afraid” in
TDITWC (p.74)
UNIT 2 TEST!
Graded Discussion
(Quiz Grade)
HW: Study for Test!
HW: Read & annotate up to
the end of “The Trouble is
just Begun” in The Devil in
the White City (p.34) looking
for patterns in syntax and
diction
Summatives: 70%
1. Unit 1 Test
2. AP Rhetorical Analysis Timed Writing (in-class)
3. Descriptive Essay (typed, out of class)
4. Unit 2 Test
Formatives: 30%
Announced Formatives:
1. Me Collage (Quiz grade = two daily grades)
2. Diagnostic Essay (Daily grade)
3. Terms Quiz (Quiz grade)
4. Vocab Quiz 1 (Quiz grade)
5. Vocab Quiz 2 (Quiz grade)
6. Graded Discussion (Quiz grade)
Unannounced Formatives: (These will be given/collected/checked at my discretion—not all will be entered as grades.)
7. Reading Check Quizzes (Quiz grades)
8. In-class activities/Homework/annotation checks (Daily and/or quiz grades if entered)
9. Warm-up quizzes (Quiz grades)