Advanced Placement English Language and Composition
Course Description
The AP English Language and Composition course is to enable junior and senior students to
become skilled readers of complex prose written in a variety of rhetorical contexts with the goal
of complete understanding and to become skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes,
but focusing on analysis, synthesis, and argument. Students will move beyond the fiveparagraph essay to write prose of sufficient richness and complexity to communicate effectively
with mature readers by placing emphasis on content, purpose, and audience and to allow this
focus to guide the organization to their writing. (adapted from The College Board)
Students will accomplish these goals through the following strategies:
 Writing workshop (including the writing process) to produce written work in a variety of
purposes: argument, analysis, synthesis.
 Direct instruction with the use of technology remediation to address the conventions of
English based on teacher assessment of students’ needs (grammar, mechanics, spelling, usage
and sentence formation).
 Whole and small group discussion to develop understanding and interpretation (form and
support with reading strategies: visualizing, making connections, asking questions,
determining important ideas, drawing inferences, synthesizing, and repairing understanding).
 Thematic units that link reading and writing.
 Oral presentations (including those using technology).
 In-class and independent reading assignments.
 Individual journals and notebooks.
 Reader Response Theory.
 Development of before, during and after reading strategies to enhance comprehension.
 Use of study guides and study skills techniques.
 Development of strategies to expand reading vocabulary.
 Use of a reading log to document independent reading.
 Use of teacher, peer and self-evaluations using various rubrics.
 Direct instruction in vocabulary: rhetorical devices, literary terms, stylistic terms.
 Direct instruction and understanding of rhetorical analysis.
 Student metacognitive analysis.
 Close reading strategies including annotation.
 Published texts: non-fiction pieces, novels, poetry, selected media in thematic units.
 Analysis and synthesis of both visual and orally presented texts.
 Understanding various formats and purposes of argument
 Practicing the AP format for objective tests and essay prompts
 Content area reading, including informational texts and documents.
 Library and other sources for research purposes.
 Student and teacher works.
 Self-selected texts to connect to existing curricular texts.
 The research process for a specific inquiry.
 Use of available resources to find and organize information.
 Documenting sources, using MLA format.
AP Language and Composition 2011
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Think, Pair, Share.
SOAPSTone analysis originally presented by Odgen Morse.
OPTICS analysis of visuals as presented by Walter Pauk in How to Study in College (2001).
Jigsaw.
Course Overview
The AP course is introduced in the spring of the previous year. Those sophomores and juniors
who want to schedule AP and who meet the requirements (recommendation by their previous
English teacher and complete the previous year’s English class with a 93% average if coming
from Academic level and 90% average if coming from Honors level and score Proficient or
Advanced (preferred) on the state standardized test) receive a tentative outline about the class,
including the requirements. The students are given time to consider their choice.
During the last month of school, those students choosing to remain in the course receive the
summer reading assignment along with a tentative syllabus for the first semester. On the first
Friday of the new school year, the students turn in their summer reading assignments.
Initially, students are introduced to the technology available throughout the year and the etiquette
required to use it effectively: student emails, discussion board, Synergy – a collaborative
website, Moodle, Online Library System, and The College Board website. The students then
learn how to complete a close reading and annotation of texts. The students are then given
sample AP exams to give them a feel for the exam and to anchor their writing. They conference
with the teacher and peers to revise their summer writings to ensure they can successfully
complete future papers.
To promote the well-read student, the students must read a minimum of eight additional
independently selected books (suggested four non-fiction, four fiction) over the year in
additional to the regular class assignments. They then post book discussions/reviews on a
collaborative website/discussion board. The books must be approved by the instructor and of
comparable worth to the books being read in the class, books included in the Honors English 12
curriculum, and/or suggested reading posted on The College Board website for AP Literature and
Composition.
The senior students then prepare their school dictated senior projects. They prepare resumes,
cover letters, complete their career presentations, complete a career project, and practice college
essays, all of which are placed in their electronic portfolios for use throughout the year.
Course Planner:
Summer Reading
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition
Summer Reading Assignment
I.
Extended Reading
Choose one of the books below:
Johnson, James Weldon. The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. New York: Dover
Publications, 1995.
Krakauer, Jon. Into Thin Air. Washington: Turtleback, 1999.
AP Language and Composition 2011
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Roper, Moses. Narrative of My Escape from Slavery. New York: Dover Publications,
2003.
Truth, Sojourner. The Narrative of Sojourner Truth. New York: Dover Publications,
1997.
Read the text for comprehension. Focus/analyze the following:
Main idea/theme
Intended audience
Bias
Central issue(s)
Language choices
Connections with other texts
After reading, write a three to four page essay analyzing the effectiveness of the text and its issues
or arguing the issues. The focus areas may be considered, but do not merely address each in the
order listed. The essay should be New Times Roman font, 12 point, and double spaced. Please
include quotations as text support and cite all using MLA format.
This paper is to be written in formal English. Remember to proofread, revise, and edit your papers
to obviate any careless errors in spelling, mechanics, organization, and focus. It will be assessed
using the state writing rubric.
II. Short Readings
A. Read 6 essays or commentaries from professional writers and 4 editorial cartoons for comprehension.
Suggestions include those opinion/editorial writers who appear in nationally recognized
magazines/newspapers. These may follow controversial issues and be of conflicting sides or may be
separate essays. DO NOT USE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. These are usually not from
professionals.
B. Photo copy, print, or submit the actual page to turn in as proof of your reading. Cite the article using
proper MLA format.
C. On your second reading, focus on the language, style, evidence the author uses to support the
argument, the point, and the structure of the piece. For the cartoon, also examine the images.
D. Toward the end of the summer, choose one of the essays/cartoons that you have read and especially
enjoyed or to which you have established a connection and write a three to four page typed [Times
New Roman 12 pt. font double spaced] response to the essay. (If you tracked a few articles on one
issue, your paper may present a synthesis of the issue.) On the first Friday of school, you will submit
your final paper, your working/rough draft, and the 10 articles.
Below is a list to get you started but by no means is it comprehensive:
Essayists: Lou Dobbs, Mortimer Zuckerman, Gloria Borger, and John Leo in U. S. News; Fareed
Zakaria, Jane Bryant Quinn, George Will in Newsweek; Clarence Page, Cal Thomas, Maureen Dowd,
James Lileks, William Safire, Thomas Friedman, Leonard Pitts, Anne Coulter, and/or Rick Reilly.
Sources: Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, Smithsonian, The Economist, Atlantic Monthly, The
Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal – most of these have online components.
Time and Sports lllustrated both end each issue with an opinion essay.
Here are some questions that may assist you in focusing your paper. DO NOT SIMPLY WRITE A
RESPONSE TO EACH QUESTION AND TIE THEM TOGETHER.
 What is the writer's general subject?
 What is the writer's main thesis?
 What does the writer hope to achieve?
 What kind of audience is the writer addressing? (Educated, uneducated, male,
female, black, Hispanic, Asian, etc.?)
 Does the writer seem biased? If so, explain how and where you detect the bias.
 Discuss the writer's style? Include what you notice about diction, syntax, arrangement of detail,
overall tone.
AP Language and Composition 2011
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 Which themes do you notice emerging in the essay?
 Make personal connections and argue for or against the author's position.
 What confused you? Angered you? Excited you?
This paper is to be written in formal English. Remember to proofread, revise, and edit your papers
to obviate any careless errors in spelling, mechanics, organization, and focus.
III. Vocabulary Assignment: Language Flashcards
 Make flashcards for the rhetorical strategies and/or stylistic devices below.
 Write the term neatly on the front of a 3" x 5" index card in large lettering.
 Write the definition on the back. Also on the back, provide an example from your summer
reading to illustrate your understanding of the term. IF YOU CANNOT FIND AN EXAMPLE IN
YOUR CHOSEN BOOK or in the assigned articles, then you will have to improvise by reading
other materials until you discern one.
 Be sure to cite ALL of your examples in MLA format.
 NOTE: Your flashcards should be hand written in cursive or hand printed. Do NOT cut and paste
the definitions from this handout onto your cards. Muscle memory helps learning.
 Keep them together either with a rubber band, a card box, or a ring.
 The first flash card should have your name, AP Language and Composition, teacher’s name,
Room A305. This way, if they are misplaced, they will hopefully find their way home.
 YOUR FLASHCARDS ARE DUE ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. WE WILL BE
WORKING WITH THESE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SECURE THEM. YOU CAN
EXPECT A TEST ON THE TERMS THE FIRST WEEK.
 The cards will be assessed based upon completion; the quiz on a percentage of correct responses.
Vocabulary Terms to Know: (Please be able to pronounce them.)
Absolute
Ad hominem argument
Allusion
Analogy
Anaphora
Anecdote
Antecedent
Antithesis
Aphorism
Asyndeton
Balanced sentence
Chiasmus
Cliché
Climax
Colloquialism
Complex sentence
Compound sentence
Compound-complex sentence
Concrete details
Connotation
Cumulative sentence (loose
sentence
Declarative sentence
Deductive reasoning
AP Language and Composition 2011
Jargon
Juxtaposition
Litotes
Logos
Malapropism
Maxim
Metaphor
Metonymy
Mood
Motif
Non sequitur
Paradox
Parallelism
Parody
Parenthetical
Pathos
Pedantic
Personification
Philippic
Polysyndeton
Rhetoric
Rhetorical question
Rhetorical devices
Sarcasm
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Denotation
Dialect
Diction
Didactic
Ellipsis
Epigram
Ethos
Euphemism
Exclamatory sentence
Figurative language
Hyperbole
Idiom
Imagery
Imperative sentence
Implication
Inductive reasoning
Inference
Interrogative sentence
Invective
Inverted syntax
Irony
Satire
Scheme
Simile
Simple sentence
Solecism
Structure
Style
Syllepsis
Syllogism
Synecdoche
Synesthesia
Syntax
Theme
Thesis
Tone
Trope
Understatement
Vernacular
Textbooks
Lunsford, Andrea A., John J. Ruszkiewicz, and Keith Walters. Everything’s an Argument with
Readings 5th Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010.
Shea, Renee H., Lawrence Scanlon, and Robin Dissin Aufses. The Language of Composition.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008.
Curriculum Materials:
Aristotle. Ethics.
Chapman, Abraham, ed. Black Voices: An Anthology of African-American Literature. New
York: Penguin Putnam, 1968.
Dillard, Annie. An American Childhood. New York: Harper Perennial, 1988.
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.
Hunter, Gordon, ed. Immigrant Voices: Twenty-four Narratives on Becoming an American.
New York: Penquin Putnam, 1999.
Johnson, James Weldon. The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. New York: Dover
Publications, 1995.
Krakauer, Jon. Into Thin Air. Washington: Turtleback, 1999.
McCourt, Frank. Angela’s Ashes. New York: Scribner, 1999.
Roper, Moses. Narrative of My Escape from Slavery. New York: Dover Publications, 2003.
Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. New York: Harper Perennial, 2005.
Strunk, William, Jr., and E. B. White. Elements of Style. New York: Longman.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. New York: Penguin Putnam, 1999.
Truth, Sojourner. The Narrative of Sojourner Truth. New York: Dover Publications, 1997.
AP Language and Composition 2011
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Supplemental Materials:
In addition to the core materials listed above, teachers may select additional materials that
support curriculum goals of The College Board Advanced Placement in English Language and
Composition and the state Standards Aligned Systems in Reading, Writing, Speaking and
Listening. These materials may include, but are not limited to:
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King Lear
Hamlet
Othello
Macbeth
Twelfth Night
The Taming of the Shrew
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Walden
“Portrait of an Ideal World” by H. L. Mencken
Catherine of Aragon’s letter to her husband, Henry VIII before her death
Napolean Bonaparte’s letters to Josephine
Abraham Lincoln’s letter to Horace Greeley
Abraham Lincoln’s letter to the mother of five sons who died in battle during the Civil War
“Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King, Jr.
Winston Churchill’s January 23, 1935 letter to his wife
“Between the Sexes, A Great Divide” by Anna Quindlan
“Perfect Parenting, Part II; or: Would a Roshanda by Any Other Name Smell as Sweet?” from
Freakonomics
“Two Ways to Belong in America,” B. Mukherjee
“No Name Woman” by Maxine Hong Kingston
“Speech to the Virginia Convention,” Patrick Henry
“I Have a Dream,” Martin Luther King, Jr.
“A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift
“On Being Black and Middle Class” by Shelby Steele
“On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner
Editorials and articles from national newspaper (student selected)
News articles about the Supreme Court’s decisions about Affirmative Action
Various other teacher and student selected non-fiction materials to be taken from but not
limited to national newspapers, visual rhetoric, speeches, and authors’ works in the fields
of autobiography and diary, history, critical analyses, journalism, science, philosophy,
current events, memoirs, modern culture, and nature.
Standards
All units and activities meet the state Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening –
Standards Aligned System; the technology standards are in line with the National Education
Technology Standards for Students. All units meet the curricular requirements of AP Language
and Composition as provided by The College Board and the International Society for
Technology in Education standards and Performance Indicators for Students.
AP Language and Composition 2011
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Assessments
The students are graded on completed essays of argument, synthesis, and persuasion in addition
to the process of composition. Both short (2-4 pages) and major (5-8 pages) papers will be
assessed using the AP exam rubric. Teacher developed AP style objective tests and freeresponse exams are also given as are quizzes on the textbook readings. Oral presentations,
projects, and student maintained journals are also assessed. Finally, in order to promote
metacognition, the students will self and peer assess their work.
The grading scale will be in compliance with that of the school:
93-100 = A
75-60 = D
85-92 = B
59 or below = F
76-84 = C
Course Organization
The First Nine Weeks
Week 1: The summer reading papers which diagnose students’ initial ability to analyze are
collected. Those who do not have the papers are transferred out of the class and into Honors
English. Team building and Student Centered Discussion techniques are introduced, modeled,
and practiced. Text books are assigned as are individual chapter readings on literary criticism
and terms. An AP style full exam is administered as is a pre-test on the literary terms from the
summer reading assignment. Continuing throughout the year will be college level vocabulary
derived from context and suggested AP Language term practice. Students are introduced to The
College Board website.
Week 2: During this week, AP style exam sections are given and analyzed so students have an
anchor for future tests. Literary research techniques, including how to use Boolean search
operands, database and web site assessments, and how to use Power Library, are introduced and
practiced. Students are assigned Chapter 2 of The Language of Composition. Close reading
strategies are introduced and practiced along with SOAPSTone techniques. Summer reading
team assignments are given. This assignment includes group research on the chosen book that is
inserted in to a PowerPoint presentation demonstrating SOAPSTone techniques for the entire
class in Week 3.
Week 3: The students will present their research findings to the class in a PowerPoint
presentation. They are assigned to read Chapter 1 of The Language of Compostion: Introduction
to Rhetorical Analysis. Supplemental information will be given from Everything’s an
Arugument: with Readings 5th Edition. Once the presentations are completed, an AP style exam
section will be given.
They are introduced to Think.Com or a comparable website to begin the book review process:
they chose two books to read by the end of the quarter, one non-fiction and one fiction, and post
their ideas to the site as they read. These books are in addition to the regular class readings and
must be of comparable worth. Suggestions are provided from The College Board AP Literature
site, the school’s core curricular texts for the senior English literature class, the list from summer
reading, and/or the list of resources previously listed in this syllabus.
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The students also complete a resume, cover letter and practice college essay.
Weeks 4 and 5: The first thematic unit is Pop Culture. The students read Fast Food Nation as a
class. Class discusses the “arguments” presented there. They will have an in-class essay to
diagnose their ability to argue a point. In addition, they work in chapter 24 of Everything’s an
Argument: Why Worry About Food and Water?. They will have an out-of-class essay to
complete to diagnose their ability to synthesize the articles with this prompt: What does
influence your eating habits and why? Whatshould influence your eating habits and why?.
Another AP style exam section will be administered.
Weeks 6 and 7: Writer's conferences are held in Week 6. The students meet with the instructor
and peers to discuss/revise their analysis papers. The two textbooks are referenced as resources.
Another AP style test section is administered. The students focus on the second half of Chapter
2 in The Language of Composition: From Analysis to Essay and Chapter 5 of Everything’s an
Argument: Rhetorical Analysis. The first rhetorical analysis major out-of-class paper is
assigned. Students review various online resources, choose one, formulate an argument, and
draft a major essay.
Weeks 8 and 9: Writing conferences on the rhetorical analysis drafts are held. The second
thematic unit begins with Chapter 5 in The Language of Composition: Education and Chapter 27
in Everything’s an Argument: What Are You Working For? are assigned. Students will have
choice in the titles but will demonstrate ability to use close reading strategies and identify the
techniques used in the arguments presented. They will receive more informal practice in
synthesis by discussing the articles and their topics in a jigsaw.
Benchmarks: By the end of this quarter, students will have a completed resume, cover letter and
college essay to place in their portfolio. They will become familiar with working in an on line
environment and demonstrate professional netiquette. They will have mastered the strategies
necessary for close reading and practiced rhetorical analysis, will have practiced the skills
necessary to complete a rhetorical analysis essay, and will have completed one. In addition, they
will have had multiple exposures to the variety of questions and writing tasks present in the AP
exam.
The Second Nine Weeks
Weeks 1 and 2: Students choose two more books to continue out of class: one fiction and one
non-fiction. They then begin Shakespeare. They have a choice as to which Shakespearean play
they wish to read: Hamlet, Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Taming of the Shrew, or
Twelfth Night. A Student Centered Discussion is held on issue raised by the play. Also
assigned is Chapter 21 in Everything’s an Argument: How Does Popular Culture Stereotype
You? and Chapters 7 and 11 in The Language of Composition: Gender and Popular Culture,
respectively. The students then choose a topic and a type of argument and write a short
argument paper. An AP style exam section is given
Weeks 3 and 4: Writer's conferences are held in week 4 to strengthen argument essays. Chapter
7 of Everything’s an Argument: Structuring Arguments is assigned, discussed, and practiced.
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Grammar weaknesses are addressed and appropriate remediation is assigned on a differentiated
basis using Strunk and White’s Elements of Style. An AP style exam section is given.
Weeks 5 and 6: Students demonstrate their ability to use rhetorical analysis and close reading
by perusing the Poetry Out Loud website, choosing a poem, and preparing it for recitation. An
in-class competition will be held in compliance with the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation
Contest rubric. A classroom winner will advance to the All-School Competition in February
where he/she will need to learn and recite an additional poem. In addition, students sample
poetry from major movements (Romanticism, Naturalism, and Transcendentalism) focusing on
the literary/rhetorical terms used and their effects. Students are assigned Chapters 16 and 17 of
Everything’s an Argument: What Counts as an Argument and Fallacies of Arguments. A full
length AP exam is administered.
Weeks 7-9: AP exam sections are given. Students are assigned their second major paper:
argument. They spend time in the library and online becoming familiar with various resources
found there. They will read Chapters 8-12 in Everything’s an Argument focusing on the Guides
to Writing Argument of Fact, Definition, Evaluation, Causals, and Proposals. They self-select
text and type of argument to prepare. Students complete the research process for their drafts.
Papers are revised and prepared for presentation.
Benchmarks: Students will be polishing their research skills. They will demonstrate the ability to
select a topic, decide on the best type of argument to present, find sources to support and
evaluate the validity of the sources. In addition, they will demonstrate knowledge of
documentation and avoiding plagiarism. They will have completed a major argument paper.
They will have analyzed and recited poetic language and the conventions that fit that genre.
They will have practiced taking an AP exam.
The Third Nine Weeks:
Weeks 1 and 2: Students choose two more books to continue out of class: one fiction and one
non-fiction. In addition, the class reads An American Childhood by Annie Dillard. In both class
discussions and their journals, students exhibit close reading skills and identify rhetorical devices
they discover while reading. Chapter 15 of Everything’s an Argument: Presenting Arguments is
assigned. Students practice close reading of visuals: graphs, charts, paintings, advertisements,
etc. and are introduced to OPTICS strategy. Students are assigned to find and/or create their own
visual arguments for a self-selected topic. They are presented in class for teacher and their peers
analyze them. An AP exam section is given.
Weeks 3 and 4: The students are assigned Chapter 3 of The Language of Composition:
Synthesis. They also read Chapter 8: Sports and Fitness. They demonstrate their ability to
apply what they have learned in Chapter 3 by drafting a short paper on a teacher-developed
sports prompt: Reflect on the sports images you have experienced in movies, print media, and
text. How do those images impact your views of sports and/or the athlete? Writing conferences
are held on those papers to focus on improving synthesis skills.
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Weeks 5 and 6: The students hand in their final sports/fitness synthesis papers for a grade.
Students are assigned Chapter 23 in Everything’s an Argument: What’s it like to Be Bilingual in
the United States and Chapter 9 in The Language of Composition: Language. They sharpen
their synthesis skills with this area. They complete a synthesis paper on these topics from a
textbook prompt: Should an official language be legislated in the United States? Be sure to
explore the impact of such a law.
Weeks 6 and 7: An AP exam section is administered. Students complete work on their schoolprescribed senior career project.
Weeks 8 and 9: Students will complete a unit analyzing, arguing, and synthesizing information
from spoken sources – the web will be used. The teacher will model each type of response with
spoken resources. The students will then select resources to use for an essay of their choice. An
AP practice exam full test is administered.
Benchmarks: The students will have demonstrated the ability to compose and complete a
synthesis essay. They will have completed another AP full length exam. They will have
demonstrated the ability to analyze, argue, and/or synthesize material from aural and visual
sources.
The Fourth Nine Weeks
Weeks 1 and 2: Students choose two more books to continue out of class: one fiction and one
non-fiction. The class reads Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. Students exhibit close reading
skills and identify rhetorical devices they discover while reading. They also start to put the
finishing touches on their senior career project: final resumes, career exploration, work samples
from all content areas and electives.
Weeks 3 and 4: Students focus on Chapter 6 of The Language of Composition: Community and
Chapters 25 and 26 in Everything’s an Argument: What Role Should Religion Play? and What
Should Diversity on Campus Mean? respectively. Students will continue to practice AP type
exam essay prompts based on their readings and participate in peer and teacher writing
conferences and self-evaluations based on those essay responses.
Weeks 5 and 6: Preparation continues for the AP exam. Students focus on Chapters 10 and 12
of The Language of Composition: Science and Technology and Nature respectively. (Depending
on the test days, the test maybe administered during this time or over the next couple of weeks.)
Students will continue to practice AP type exam essay prompts and participate in writing
conferences and self-evaluations.
Week 7: Students are prepared for their graduation interviews. A teacher developed AP style
full exam is administered based on the common and independent books that the class read this
year.
Week 8: Students complete their graduation interviews. The AP English final exam is
administered.
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Week 9: Students are prepared for graduation ceremonies.
Benchmarks: The students will have successfully completed the AP exam; they will have
completed and presented their senior graduation project; they will have been prepared for a
successful graduation experience.
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