AP® LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
COURSE DETAILS
Course Name: VirtualSC AP® Language and Composition
Course Code: 307100AW
Subject: English Language Arts
Prerequisites: School guidance recommendation (see “Course Prerequisites” section below)
Credits: 1 Unit
Estimated Completion Time: Yearlong (two semesters)
Course Availability: A listing of when this course is offered in the current school year can be found on the VirtualSC
Current Course Offerings page (launches in new window).
Class Times: There are no regularly scheduled class meetings for this course. Instead, students are expected to
work on their own to meet the deadlines posted in the course pacing guide. Students may work ahead, but may
not fall behind. Students should expect to spend 7-9 hours a week working on this course. BlackBoard Video
Conferences are occasionally held to include live class discussion or simply to provide supplemental instruction.
Final Exam: Students in this course are required to take two exams. The first exam is the VirtualSC final exam and
will count for 20% of a student’s final grade. Details on scheduling and taking final exams can be found on the Final
Exam Page (launches in new window) of the VirtualSC webpage. Students in the course are also REQUIRED to take
the official AP exam administered by the College Board. This exam will determine whether you earn college credit
for this course.
COURSE PREREQUISITES
Required
 School guidance recommendation
 Consistent and reliable access to a computer and the internet
Strongly Suggested
 A Lexile reading score of 1200 or higher (required reading is on average 1150-1450 Lexile)
 Ability to write scholarly essays in grammatically correct Standard English since approximately 300-500
words of writing are assigned each week
 Availability of ten or more hours per week of dedicated time to work exclusively in this course
Suggested
 Exemplary rating on 8th grade PASS test
 75th or higher percentile on PSAT writing
 75th or higher percentile on ACT Aspire English, Reading and Writing
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COURSE DESCRIPTION
Advanced Placement (AP®) English Language and Composition is a college level course that deals in recognizing,
analyzing, and expressing ideas. This yearlong course explores the relationship between what authors say and how
they say it. The literary component of the course provides a range of genres, including nonfiction, fiction, drama
and poetry. In the study of these works, students are exposed to the analysis of both style and rhetoric. Formal
writing assignments cover rhetorical, synthesis and argumentative essays. Informal writing assignments are
generally analysis, expository and/or critical in approach. Course readings feature expository, analytical, personal,
and argumentative texts from a variety of authors and historical contexts. Students examine and work with essays,
letters, speeches, images, and imaginative literature. The academic objectives of this course adhere to those
outlined by the College Board in preparation for the Advanced Placement Exam in Language and Composition. This
exam is required for participation in our course and will determine whether a student qualifies for college credit.
On average, students must score a 3 or higher on this exam to earn college credit. This exam score will not be
factored into a student’s grade as score reports do not become available until long after the course closes.
Students will take a proctored final exam at the end of the course that counts for 20% of a student’s final grade in
the class and is consistent with VirtualSC final exam guidelines.
COURSE MATERIALS
Eliot, Charles William, ed. 1909–14. The Harvard Classics (50 vols.) print. [New York, P.F. Collier & Son, 1909-1917;
Bartleby.com, 2001. http://www.bartleby.com/hc/ (launches in new window)
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print. Available
Online at http://www.planetebook.com/The-Great-Gatsby.asp (launches in new window) and other locations.
Strunk, William. Elements of Style. Ithaca, N.Y.: Priv. print. [Geneva, N.Y.: Press of W.P. Humphrey], 1918;
Bartleby.com, 1999. www.bartleby.com/141/ (launches in new window)
A SHMOOP account. You will need to go to VirtualSC's Shmoop page (launches in new window) and create a
username and password. You will be asked for a “magic word” to complete registration. This word will be provided
to you on the first day of class.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon completing the AP English Language and Composition course, students should be able to:
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analyze and interpret samples of good writing, identifying and explaining an author's use of rhetorical
strategies and techniques;
apply effective strategies and techniques in their own writing;
create and sustain arguments based on readings, research, and/or personal experience;
write for a variety of purposes;
produce expository, analytical, and argumentative compositions that introduce a complex central idea
and develop it with appropriate evidence drawn from primary and/or secondary sources, cogent
explanations, and clear transitions;
demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English as well as stylistic maturity in their
own writings;
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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,
drafting, revising, editing, and review;
write thoughtfully about their own process of composition;
revise a work to make it suitable for a different audience;
analyze image as text; and evaluate and incorporate reference documents into researched papers.
© 2010 The College Board. Visit the College Board on the Web: www.collegeboard.com.
COURSE ACTIVITY TYPES
This section outlines course activities that are utilized within this course.
FORUMS
Forums allow students to have asynchronous discussions. This particular assignment type is very common in our
course. For example, students may be asked to compose an informal essay or paragraph responding to a question
or prompt and post it to the discussion forum. Then, the student will need to read the responses posted by his or
her peers and reply/comment on their forum posting. The student simply clicks on the “Add a New Discussion”
button on the activity page; a window will launch and students may paste their discussions directly into the text
box provided or upload a document from their computer. These assignment types are typically graded using a
Level Two Holistic Grading Rubric. Forums are generally weighted as one grade.
ASSIGNMENTS
Assignments are files uploaded to the course. Students may be asked to download a worksheet in Word, complete
it, save it, and the upload it. Or, students may be asked to upload a screenshot of their score from some other third
party program such as learnatest.com. Assignments can be graded using a Level 1, 2, or 3 rubric depending on the
particular assignment. Assignments may be weighted as 1, 2, or 3 grades depending upon the particular activity.
GLOSSARIES
A glossary activity enables participants to create and maintain a list of definitions, like a dictionary. Students will be
asked to contribute to the glossary activity, which will typically be graded using a Level 1 Grading Rubric. Glossaries
are often weighted as one grade or one-half of one grade.
DATABASES
A database activity enables participants to create, maintain, and search a bank of record entries. It is similar to a
glossary activity except that it allows for multiple searchable fields. Database activities are also scored using a Level
1 Grading Rubric. Databases are often weighted as one grade or one-half of one grade.
QUESTIONNAIRES
The Questionnaire is a survey-like type of activity. It allows teachers to create a wide range of questions to get
student feedback e.g. on a course or activities. Questionnaires are graded using a Level 1 Grading rubric if they are
graded at all. Questionnaires are weighted at one-half of one grade if they are graded.
EXTERNAL TOOLS (LESSONS)
SCORM PACKAGES (LESSONS)
LESSONS
Lessons are activities designed to teach content. They are typically auto graded and are often multiple choice. We
use several third-party software programs to create multimedia lessons, which is why students will see three
different icons representing the activity. Regardless, lessons can be taken unlimited times and are weighted at
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one-half of one grade. Lessons are also one of the only computer graded activities. When you finish a lesson, the
grade will automatically appear in the gradebook.
KALTURA MEDIA ASSIGNMENTS
Kaltura Media Assignments are used for close readings, speeches, presentations, and similar activity types. Kaltura
contains a built in screen reader that also uses a computer’s internal microphone to record a student’s voice at the
same time the computer screen is also recorded. This allows students to narrate a PowerPoint presentation,
discuss an on-screen text or perform other similar tasks. Kaltura Media Assignments may use a Level 1, 2, or 3
rubric and may be weighted at 1 or 2 depending on the complexity of the activity.
QUIZZES
Quizzes are formal assessments. Many are multiple-choice while others contain essay or short answer questions.
Quizzes that are exclusively multiple-choice will be computer-graded and will automatically appear in the student
gradebook upon completion. Quizzes with short answer or essay questions take longer to grade. Quizzes typically
are weighted at 1 grade, except for the VirtualSC proctored final exam, which counts for 20% of the student’s final
grade and cannot be exempted under any circumstances.
TURNITIN ESSAY ASSIGNMENTS
Turnitin Essay Assignments are formal essay activities. Students will use the Turnitin program inside of the course
to either upload their essay or paste their essay directly into the Turnitin text box. The program also contains a
basic function that will allow you to compose your essay inside of the Turnitin program, if you choose. These
formal essays are graded using the Level Three Holistic Grading Rubric and are weighted at 2 or 3 grades.
PEER-EDITING WORKSHOPS
Peer-Editing Workshops allow students to edit and grade their peer’s essays using a specified rubric. Workshops
have two primary stages. The first stage is the submission phase where you will upload your essay. Once a
submission due date is passed, the program will randomly match essays to peer-editors; then the assessment
phase begins. In the assessment phase, students will click on each essay assigned to them and will use the
workshop tool to add comments and assign a grade. Once the due date for the assessment ends, the program
averages the peer-assigned grades for each essay and the instructor either approves the grade or overrides it. This
will be the submission grade. There is a second grade for assessments. Students receive points for how close the
score they assigned was to the instructor’s perceived score and how detailed comments were. This will be the
assessment score. Peer-editing submissions are weighted as two grades and the assessment is weighted once.
Therefore, the entire activity counts three times in the gradebook.
BLACKBOARD VIDEO CON FERENCE
BlackBoard Video Conferences are occasionally held to include live class discussion or simply to provide
supplemental instruction. They are either ungraded or are weighted once. Video Conferences, if graded, are
typically a Level One type of activity. However, there may be exceptions in which case an activity specific rubric will
be provided in advance.
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE
Pre-Course activities include a Lexile reading test, a writing diagnostic, and a sample multiplechoice AP exam. Because the average reading level of texts in our course is around 1300, students
who score less than a 1200 on their Lexile inventory may have difficulty comprehending assigned
texts. Likewise, any student who demonstrates serious weakness in grammar/mechanics will need
support services from their sponsoring school or organization. Access to a writing lab or tutor may be appropriate.
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Unit 1: Introduction to AP Language and Composition begins with an overview of the course,
online learning and VirtualSC policies and procedures. Next, students will read "My First Timeline"
by Maya Angelou and will compose a multi-paragraph narrative essay modeled after the excerpt
and between 500-1000 words. The essay will be submitted for peer-editing and students will
assess and offer feedback on at least five (5) other essays, including their own. Students will then
complete a lesson on rhetoric and will participate in a forum in which they define rhetoric in their
own words. Forum responses will need to make the distinction between content (what is said) and form (how it is
said) as it relates to the art of rhetoric. Students will also be asked to make a substantive response to at least one
other student posting. Next, students will be provided with a glossary of rhetorical terminology and several
formative assessments. Students will then be quizzed on vocabulary terms and then will be quizzed on their ability
to identify the presence of those terms in a passage of writing. We will also begin to introduce Syntax and how to
analyze Syntax in this unit. Unit 1 also begins a study of more advanced rules of composition. Strunk’s rules 1-8 will
be the subject in this portion of the unit.
1. Form the possessive singular of nouns with 's (launches in new window)
2. In a series of three or more terms with a single conjunction, use a comma after each term except the last
(launches in new window)
3. Enclose parenthetic expressions between commas (launches in new window)
4. Place a comma before and or but introducing an independent clause (launches in new window)
5. Do not join independent clauses by a comma (launches in new window)
6. Do not break sentences in two (launches in new window)
7. A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject (launches in new
window)
8. Divide words at line-ends, in accordance with their formation and pronunciation (launches in new
window)
Unit 2: Writing Workshop Rhetorical Analysis will introduce students to the rhetorical analysis
essay. Students will complete interactive tutorials on drawing conclusions, inferences and tone
words. Students will read a passage from “What Is an American?” from Letters from an American
Farmer by Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crèvecoeur and will complete two AP style assessments
based upon the text. The first is a multiple choice quiz that focuses on reading comprehension
and identification of rhetorical terms and the second is an essay quiz that asks students to
analyze the rhetorical devices present in the text. Students will then read “The Founding Fathers, Unzipped,” and
compare the rhetoric present in this text with the “What is an American” excerpt. Students will study the rhetorical
triangle, ethos, pathos and logos and the rhetorical précis. Students will complete a rhetorical précis worksheet
based upon The Founding Fathers, Unzipped. After more instruction on a rhetorical analysis, students will take the
rhetorical précis completed and use it to develop an entire essay.
Unit 3: Exam Practice and Machiavelli begins with an overview of the multiple choice section of
the AP exam and includes tactics and strategies followed by three multiple choice practice AP
quizzes. Next students will visit The Project Gutenberg to browse The Prince by Niccolo
Machiavelli and will read several excerpts from The Prince Letter to Lorenzo de’Medici. Students
will view a Shmoop video and complete a few basic comprehension activities. Students will then
complete a database activity called Machiavellian Advice.
What are the top 5 pieces of advice that Machiavelli gives to monarchs with regards to how to maintain a
kingdom? For each entry into this database, you will provide a keyword descriptor, the relevant quote, explanation
of the quote, and your opinion as to whether the advice is sound or not.
For example
Keyword: Revenge
Quote: “..the harm one does to a man must be such as to obviate any fear of revenge”
Explanation: Machiavelli is suggesting that a prince must never make half-hearted attacks. If he decides to
harm someone, the attack must be to such a degree as to prevent retaliation. If the prince does not
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eliminate or disable any and all parties who might seek revenge for his actions, he will be placing his
kingdom in jeopardy.
Evaluation: This self-preserving perspective is completely unethical by today’s standards. In the middle
ages, where political brutality was common, this may have been acceptable advice.
Next, students will participate in a forum discussion in which they respond to the following prompt
“Does Machiavelli's Prince rely more on Ethos, Pathos, or Logos? Give evidence. Does this approach make his
argument more or less rhetorically successful?”
Next, students will create a video presentation in which they discuss current Machiavellian leaders. Choose a
current leader (president, king, politician, CEO, etc.) whom you view as practicing Machiavellian tactics to maintain
his or her rule. What specific policies or events did this leader orchestrate that demonstrate Machiavellianism? In
this assignment, you will create a 3-7 minute video in which you respond to these questions. You will need to
identify the leader, where he/she currently (as in today) rules, and how this leader utilizes Machiavellian
rhetoric. What specific policies or events did this leader orchestrate that demonstrate Machiavellianism? Please
keep in mind that Machiavellianism is not a synonym for "murdering, evil, dictator." Your analysis will need to be
specific and insightful.
Unit 4: Puritan Worldview and American Rhetorical Focus begins with a series of background
documents intended to provide a historical context for the unit. The founding of America is a
complicated convergence of two worlds—old and new. Perceptions were challenged. Lifestyles
changed. Views were altered. How does that happen? What influences cause human societies to
shape a common worldview? How are collective groups persuaded to act with a common
purpose? These are the questions students will explore in Unit 4. Students will study the
Aristotelian Argument in more detail and will complete a lesson on terms of argumentative
appeals. Next, students will read about comparing world views, the poem Huswifery by Edward Taylor, “Here
Follow Some Verses upon the Burning of our House, July 10, 1666” by Anne Bradstreet and excerpts from the
sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards. Students will complete worksheets asking
them to identify rhetorical devices and Aristotelian arguments in those texts. Students will view a brief
documentary on Edward’s sermon followed by another video of the sermon being read. The class will be presented
with a study guide on analyzing arguments in a Speech followed by a short multiple choice quiz on Edward’s
sermon. Next, students will read “AP Study Notes” on a Definition essay, watch “Holt Writing Notes on Extended
Definition,” and will review the “Definition of a Definition” handout. Students will then compose a definition essay
and a peer-editing workshop. Next, students will read Great American Speeches & American Rhetoric (launches in
a new window) and will browse the website www.americanrhetoric.com (launches in new window). Students will
then participate in a discussion forum in which they:
REVISIT the speech you chose during your exploration of www.americanrhetoric.com (launches in new window).
DRAFT:
1.
2.
3.
4.
a brief summary of the speech's purpose and audience
one paragraph analysis of the speech's strategies of logos
one paragraph analysis of the speech's strategies of pathos
one paragraph analysis of the speech's strategies of ethos
POST to Forum Analyzing Arguments in Speech
Share the URL of the speech you chose.
Type your summary and three analysis paragraphs on logos, pathos, and ethos into the forum discussion and post.
Reply to classmates after the due date. Share your personal response to the speech they chose. How were the
strategies particularly effective on you? Did it move you to think differently? act? react emotionally? feel superior?
feel empowered? feel annoyed or misled? Give an honest response (no judgment in the forum—only conversation
starters!).
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Next, students will complete a Review of Speeches Worksheet and a Speech Project Planning Guide. The unit will
conclude with students giving their own call to action speech.
In this assignment, you will compose and present a 5-10 minute speech calling your audience to a specific action.
You may choose any topic about which you feel strongly. You may model your speech after any of the great
speeches you reviewed at The American Rhetoric site (launches in new window) or emulate techniques from
Jonathan Edward’s In the Hands of an Angry God.
Prewriting Strategies: Listen to speeches at The American Rhetoric site (launches in new window) - Pay attention
to the call to action. Explore different categories to spark an idea. Brainstorm big and small ideas—think global, but
also think local. Think personal; don’t be afraid to explore topics that may seem trivial, but about which you are
passionate. For example, I could use the same rhetorical strategies to call my audience to support wounded
soldiers that I could use to call my audience to stop spitting gum on our public sidewalks. Build an outline to
organize and visualize the balance of ethos, pathos and logos you will use. Model your speech in the attached
outline example (page 4), but feel free to deviate from this pattern for rhetorical effect. Your final speech should
be written in script form. This is a model ONLY!
Drafting the Final Script: Type the final draft of your speech’s script. You will not turn in any outlines; so do not feel
obligated to stick to each point. Take your outline and shuffle and reshuffle ideas around. Play with rhetorical
strategies Follow MLA Formatting and Style Guides for any sources cited. You are NOT required to cite a particular
number of sources in this assignment; however, if you include source material to build ethos, you should give
credit to the source material. (http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/) (launches in new window)
Read Your Speech Aloud: Practice. Practice. Practice. Cut out any parts that “get in your way.” If a phrase sounds
awkward to you now, you can be assured that it will sound awkward to your audience.
Record Your Speech: You may wish to use the built-in screen recorder and use a PowerPoint or relevant audio
images while you narrate or you may simply wish to use a webcam to record your speech.
Unit 5: Writing Workshop Rhetorical Analysis returns to the rhetorical analysis essay. Students
work on Language Skills, Active and Passive Voice, Analyzing Argument, Author’s Credibility,
Evidence, Imagery and Diction, and Evidence. Students will be introduced to TED talks and will
view several TED speeches. Students will participate in a forum discussion in which they compose
a rhetorical précis for three separate TED talks of their choice. Next, students will be introduced
to SOAPSTone. Students will take each TED talk they created a rhetorical précis for and use it to
complete a SOAPSTone worksheet. Next students will analyze and compare the rhetorical
strategies of the three speakers at TED for the final analysis essay of the unit.
Unit 6: Exam Practice & Wollstonecraft begins with a review of the multiple choice section of the
AP exam. We study author purpose, rhetoric, style, and organization and take a few multiple
choice quizzes in the AP style. Next, we will read St. Crispin Day Speech and will analyze the
rhetoric of that text. Then we return to the Strunk text and will study rules 9-13.
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 Make the paragraph the unit of composition: one paragraph to each topic (launches in
new window)
As a rule, begin each paragraph with a topic sentence; end it in conformity with the beginning (launches in
new window)
Use the active voice (launches in new window)
Put statements in positive form (launches in new window)
Omit needless words (launches in new window)
Students will be asked to
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Visit a news organization website and read today’s headline stories.
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Find three examples for each of the 5 stylistic rules. (15 points)
Your sentences/paragraphs should be either copied from (no need to cite the source as you are not citing
the information).
For rule number 9, your examples may be hypothetical. Strunk uses alphabetized outlining to show
possible paragraph structuring. For rule number 13, you may insert possible words that could have been
omitted by the editor before final print.
In a paragraph, explain which of the rules in this set is the most difficult for you to follow and why. (5
points)
Next, students will study the philosophies of Jean Jacque Rousseau by browsing On the Inequality among Mankind
(launches in new window), Profession of Faith of a Savoyard Vicar (launches in new window), and Social Contract &
Discourses (launches in new window). Students will also browse Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights
of Woman (launches in new window). Students will analyze the rhetoric of Rousseau and the rhetoric of
Wollstonecraft and will then read a discussion from Women in World History (launches in new window) that
presents the Wollstonecraft/Rousseau debate. Students will end the unit by participating in an anonymous
argument debate.
Wollstonecraft versus Rousseau debate:
By now, you have read Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women and enough of Rousseau to
understand his attitudes towards human rights and education in general. Consider the debate between
Wollstonecraft and Rousseau with regards to the education of women. Don’t just automatically discount
Rousseau’s position because it’s not politically correct (and voicing that opinion is likely to get you clobbered by the
lady sitting next to you). I would like for you to think about these arguments. Think some more…and a little more.
Once you have really digested those opinions, choose either Wollstonecraft or Rousseau and create an argument of
your own in which you advocate that position or a particular aspect of their position. This forum is designed to post
submissions as anonymous, meaning you will not see the name of the student who posted it. It’s fun to play devil’s
advocate sometimes, after all. Still, remember to be respectful and mindful of the student code of conduct since
your instructor will be grading your work. Your argument should appeal to Ethos, Logos, and/or Pathos.
Unit 7: American Rhetorical Focus: Founding Arguments introduces students to early American
rhetoric, the anecdotal essay, the editorial, and Aristotle's Five Canons of Rhetoric. Uniting a
diverse audience to action is never an easy task. Uniting them to revolution must have seemed
impossible in 1776 with no telephones, cable networks, or internet connections to spark a
movement. Yet in the years leading up to the American Revolutionary War, influential leaders
united the colonists in the cause for independence through self-published political writings. We
will explore a few of these historical arguments in this unit. Students will explore background
historical information regarding that epoch and will complete a few formative assessments. Next students will
learn about the anecdotal essay and how to incorporate anecdotes into their essays. Students will compose an
anecdotal essay and will participate in peer-editing.
For all of our modern day arguments in America, we still celebrate our freedom in many different ways. Holidays.
Songs. Poems. Plays. Music. How can ceremonies or events draw on the past to point us to the future? Reflect on a
particularly patriotic moment in your life—a memory. Describe that memory in narrative and then analyze how
values are celebrated through symbols. Explain symbolism and how symbols can move us collectively as well as
individually.
Next, in Unit 7, students will read about Aristotle’s Five Canons of Rhetoric and will view a short presentation
followed by a formative lesson. Students will read Speech to the Virginia Convention and view a Power note
presentation on the speech as well as a Shmoop video on Patrick Henry. Students will analyze Henry’s rhetoric in a
quiz. Students will then participate in a discussion forum in which they debate the cost of freedom using rhetoric
of their own. Then, students will read Common Sense by Thomas Paine and complete several related activities. The
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unit will conclude with a final editorial essay modeled after Paine’s pamphlet arguments and using the Five Canons
of Rhetoric.
Like Paine's pamphlet arguments, modern editorials are written about current issues and published in circulated
newspapers or other print media. They are written to influence readers. Editorials often include suggestions on
how to solve or correct a perceived problem.
Read a few modern samples:
 Intellectual Property
 Lake Safety
 Bullying Prevention
 Obesity
As you read an editorial, you may notice that the writer is giving his or her opinion without making an “I”
statement such as, "I think" or "I believe." The writer’s opinion is cleverly blended into statements that sometimes
read like facts. Remember, the purpose of the editorial is to persuade you to support the writer’s view on the
topic.
STATE YOUR CASE
CHOOSE an issue that interests you (different from your speech in Unit 2, please) and write an editorial
submission. Assume that your audience is a local, state or national newspaper readership. Check out
www.buzzle.com (launches in new window) for topic ideas or a springboard to another topic. The final products
will be published to my VirtualSC website as a compilation of our AP work.
Loosely USE the Five Canons of Classical Rhetoric to create an original editorial.
1. Invention - Prewriting Activity handout to complete offline.
2. Arrangement - Drafting Activity handout to complete offline.
3. Style - Modelling Activity handout to complete offline.
4. Memory - Have you explored outside resources for facts and data to support a roundness of your
argument?
5. Delivery - Review the finished editorial product. Revising Activity handout to complete offline.
EDIT your drafts to fit your argument into 700 words or less. “Less" is better in opinion-editorials (op-eds).
Unit 8: Writing Workshop Rhetorical Analysis will continue instruction in the analysis essay and
will introduce the synthesis essay. The unit begins with instruction on language use, connotation
and denotation, writing with detail and writing for audience. The unit also contains multiple
lessons and exercises on parallel structure. Next, students will read Declaration of Independence
and will study a Color-Coded Analysis of Appeals handout. Students will review their dictionary of
rhetorical terminology and will complete a lesson on the stylistic artistry of the declaration of
independence. Students will complete a worksheet that in which they analyze the rhetoric of the
Declaration of Independence. Next, students will be introduced to the synthesis essay. Students will read several
pages of content on the synthesis essay in addition to viewing a Shmoop tutorial and other miscellaneous
instructional resources. Students will compose a synthesis essay on the theme of government and the individual.
Synthesis Essay: Theme of Government and the Individual
We have analyzed the arguments of three significant American "Founding Fathers" for rhetorical intention. Let's
take a step into synthesizing these documents into one response.
Common themes: Government and the individual
Individual interpretations: Each of you will find a unique interpretation or "take away" from this theme.
Let's explore your interpretations in a free response, synthesis essay.
YOUR TURN
Directions: The following prompt is based on the accompanying 6 sources.
This question requires you to synthesize a variety of sources into a coherent, well-written essay. When you
synthesize sources you refer to them to develop your position and cite them accurately. Your argument should be
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central; the sources should support this argument. Avoid merely summarizing sources. Remember to attribute
both direct and indirect citations.
Prompt:
Introduction: While the framers of the American constitution worked to create a new government, not all of the
early leaders agreed on the roles of the government and the citizen. Read the following sources (including the
introductory information) carefully. Then write an essay where you analyze the different positions on the
relationship of governments to individuals. Use at least 3 of the sources.
LOOK back at these texts:
Source 1 Patrick Henry's "Speech in the Virginia Convention"
Source 2 Thomas Paine's, from "The Crisis, Number 1"
Source 3 Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence
EXPLORE these additional sources:
Source 4 Mural in the Capitol Building (launches in new window) by John Turnball titled The Declaration of
Independence
Source 5 Painting of Patrick Henry arguing the "Parson's Cause" by George Cooke circa 1834
Source 6 "The Horse America Throwing his Master," (launches in new window) 1779 political cartoon of
King George; Library of Congress
In your draft essay, be sure that you synthesize and use support from at least three of the readings from this unit
or visual sources linked above to discuss the obligations of individuals within a society. Attribute both direct and
indirect citations. Refer to the sources by authors’ last names or by titles (MLA citation is not required). Avoid mere
paraphrase or summary.
The unit will conclude with a discussion forum in which students debate the function of government today;
student arguments will be informed by the founding father’s arguments.
Unit 9: Grammar and Syntax begins with a review of the multiple choice section of the AP exam
and then a review of the essay section of the AP exam. Next, students read several instructional
resources on Grammar and Syntax and then complete a few formative assessments on the
subject. Next, students read Benjamin Franklin's "The Way to Wealth" and analyze the rhetoric in
that text, focusing on Grammar and Syntax. Next, students return to the Strunk text where the
class studies rules 14-18.
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 Avoid a succession of loose sentences (launches in new window)
Express co-ordinate ideas in similar form (launches in new window)
Keep related words together (launches in new window)
In summaries, keep to one tense (launches in new window)
Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end (launches in new window)
Unit 10: Research Project In this unit, students will complete a research project with
three distinct task components in addition to supplemental instructional material,
stimulus articles and scaffolding lessons. Students will begin by identifying an arguable
research question prompted by the provided stimulus materials. Students will then
gather additional information from outside sources, develop and refine an argument,
write and revise your argument, and create a presentation. Students will be expected
to deliver the speech and provide an oral defense of their work.
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Task Components
Length
Individual Written Argument
Approximately 2000 words
Individual Multimedia Presentation
6-8 minutes
Oral Defense
Respond to 2 questions
In all written work, you must:
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Acknowledge, attribute, and/or cite sources using in-text citations, endnotes, or footnotes, as well as a
bibliography. You must avoid plagiarizing (see attached VirtualSC policy on plagiarism) (launches in new
window). Please remember that if your essay is composed of more than 35% direct quotes, it will not be
accepted as it can no longer be considered an original work. Please DO NOT use quotes instead of your
own words—use them to support your argument.
Adhere to established conventions of grammar, usage, style, and mechanics.
Stimulus Materials are
 "Can You Make Yourself Smarter?” by Dan Hurley
 "The Science of Genius” by Dean Keith Simonton
 "Why is Dancing so Good for your Brain?” by Christopher Bergland
 "Is Coding the New Literacy?” by Tasneem Raja
 Mapping the Bilingual Brain” by Chris Berube
 From Book II: Locke's Essay Concerning Human Understanding Of Ideas
Task Directions
Individual Written Argument (approximately 2000 words)
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Read, analyze, and discuss the provided stimulus materials to identify areas for inquiry.
Compose a research question of your own prompted by the stimulus materials.
Gather additional information from outside sources through research.
Analyze, evaluate, and select evidence to develop a well-reasoned and well written argument that
answers the research question and conveys your perspective.
Your research question must be inspired by one or more of the stimulus materials. Your essay must refer to and
incorporate at least one of these documents as part of your research, you must find outside sources, including
peer-reviewed academic work that will supply the evidence for your argument. You must locate these sources
independently.
During your research process, revisit your original research question. Ensure that the evidence you gather
addresses your original purpose and focus. Refine your research process, or your research question, as needed to
make sure that your evidence aligns with your research question and supports your argument. Your written
argument must identify opposing or alternate views and consider their implications and/or limitations as well as
the consequences and implications of one or more resolutions, conclusions, or solutions that you suggest.
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Individual Multimedia Presentation (6-8 minutes)
Develop a presentation that conveys your key findings and deliver it to an audience of your peers. The
presentation and the media used to enhance the presentation should consider audience, context, and purpose.
The presentation should reflect the major components of your written argument. Engage your audience using
appropriate strategies (e.g., eye contact, vocal variety, expressive gestures, and movement).
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Use effective visual design elements to engage your audience and illustrate your points.
Use appropriate communication strategies. Do not read directly from your paper, slides, or a script.
Instead, interact with visuals or other supporting elements. Rehearse your commentary in advance and
prepare notecards or an outline that you can quickly reference as you are speaking.
Make explicit connections between the evidence you choose and claims about your key findings.
Situate your perspective within a larger context.
Individual Oral Defense (two questions)
Defend your research process, use of evidence, and conclusion(s), solution(s), or recommendation(s) through oral
answers to two questions asked by your teacher. (See list of sample defense questions on the following page.)
Sample Oral Defense Questions
Here are some examples of the types of questions you might be asked you during your oral defense. These are
examples only; I may ask you different questions, but there will still be one question that relates to each of the two
categories below.
1.
2.
Source selection and use
a. How did the stimulus materials inspire your original research? Which stimulus material(s)
prompted your research question?
b. What information did you need before you began your research, and how did that information
shape your research?
c. What evidence did you gather that you didn't use? Why did you choose not to use it?
d. How valid and reliable are the sources you used? How do you know? Which sources didn't work?
e. How did you select the strategies you used to gather information or conduct research? Were
they effective?
f. How did your research question evolve as you moved through the research process? Did your
research go in a different direction than you originally planned/hypothesized?
g. What information did you need that you weren't able to find or locate? How did you go about
trying to find that information?
h. How did you handle differing perspectives in order to reach a conclusion?
Extending argumentation through effective questioning and inquiry
a. What additional questions emerged from your research? Why are these questions important?
b. What advice would you have for other researchers who consider this topic?
c. What might be the real-world implications or consequences (influence on others' behaviors or
decision-making processes) of your findings? What are the implications to your community?
d. If you had more time, what additional research would you conduct related to this issue?
e. Explain the level of certainty you have about your conclusion, solution, or recommendation.
f. How does your conclusion respond to any of the other research or sources you examined?
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g.
How did you use the conclusions and questions of others to advance your own research?
Unit 11: Transcendentalism begins with a worksheet on American Romanticism and a lesson on
Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism is an American literary, political, and philosophical
movement of the early nineteenth century. Stimulated by English and German Romanticism, the
transcendentalists operated with the sense that a new era was at hand. They were critics of their
contemporary society for its unthinking conformity, and urged that each person find, in Emerson's
words, “an original relation to the universe” (O, 3). Emerson and Thoreau sought this relation in solitude amidst
nature, and in their writing. By the 1840s they, along with other transcendentalists, were engaged in the social
experiments of Brook Farm, Fruitlands, and Walden.
The objectives of this unit are:
1. analyze the philosophical, political, religious, ethical, and social influences of a historical period.
2. identify extended metaphor as a rhetorical strategy.
3. read widely to increase knowledge of the student’s culture, the culture of others, and the common
elements across cultures; identify and understand elements of text structure.
4. explore logical constructs in religious worldviews and written doctrine.
5. identifying rhetorical strategies in essays.
6. respond to challenges of cultural belief systems.
This unit will also introduce students to transcendentalism in art and music in order to demonstrate how ideas
manifest throughout multiple genres. Students will then read from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self Reliance and will
analyze Emerson’s rhetoric. Next, students will read two critical essays: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Big Talker, and The
Sage on the Page. Students will read both arguments and compose an analysis essay in which they determine
which essay is rhetorically more successful. Just because a writer is considered a "great" and is listed in our
textbook does not mean everyone agreed with his or her argument. According to the biography of Ralph Waldo
Emerson written by Frank Schulman in the Dictionary of Unitarian and Universalist Biography, an online resource
of the Unitarian Universalist History & Heritage Society
“Emerson, a former pastor, considered his ideas consistent with the teachings of Jesus. In 1838 he spoke
at Harvard Divinity School and was taken by surprise when his ‘Divinity School Address’ was denounced
vigorously in a storm of controversy....Not for a generation was Emerson again invited to speak at
Harvard. Emerson did not like the term, ‘Transcendentalism,’ preferring ‘Idealism.’ He once said to that
Transcendentalism was simply a protest against formalism and dogmatism in religion, not a philosophical
but a spiritual movement looking toward a spiritual faith. His principal idea was much misunderstood...
Emerson hardly regarded the self, as ordinarily understood, as self-sufficient. To be self-reliant, in
Emersonian terms, was to listen to and heed the still, small voice of God within. Therefore, self-reliance
also meant to him self-mastery, especially of the passions and temper. He regarded the true self, or the
ideal self, as innately capable of a natural experience of and knowledge of the Divine, present in all
creation."
Despite Emerson's protests that his teaching did not abandon Christianity, the controversy continued. Even today,
Emerson's essay are criticized for their "godlessness." Which is right? That is not for us to argue in this course (sign
up for philosophical debate in college!) As students of rhetoric, however, we can study the arguments of others
and chose which side makes the better case. In this unit, students will study more about Emerson and the church
by reading Frank Schulman's biography (launches in new window) and will print and read two modern arguments
on Emerson's influence on the 21st century.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Big Talker (launches in new window)
The Sage on the Page (launches in new window)
Prompt: The above essays and responses were printed in Commentary Magazine during September of 2010. Read
the essays carefully. Then write an essay arguing for or against the validity of the criticism. This is an analysis essay,
not an argument essay. Don’t be confused. The AP exam will present you with essay prompts just like this. You are
analyzing and evaluating the argument of other writers; the focus is not on your argument, but theirs. A strong
analysis essay that compares two or more sources will declare one a "winner" and then point out how rhetorically
Last revised 8/26/2015
one writer "wins" over the other. Caution: You may initially determine a "winner" based on your own bias, but do
not add your own argument to the essay. Focus on analysis of the sources.
Next, we will study Henry David Thoreau’s Walden. Students will complete several quizzes and lessons on
Thoreau’s rhetoric. The unit will conclude with a forum in which they discuss their personal experience completing
the “finding your own Walden activities.”
Unit 12: Language Skills and the Visual Argument will review key skills associated with close reading
and response writing. This unit will also address the visual argument and will review the synthesis
essay. Students will complete tutorials on
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Reasoning Skills
o Logical Fallacies
o Synthesizing Information
Vocabulary Skills
o Literal and Figurative Meaning
Writing Skills
o Active and Passive Voice Words
Next, students will compare texts on Civil Disobedience. Throughout history, many people have chosen to battle
injustice by defying laws or governments that they believe to be unjust. This type of resistance is called civil
disobedience. On many occasions, protesters have accepted beatings, imprisonment, and even death as
consequences of their actions. In the following writings, three men explain their reasons for choosing the path of
civil disobedience.
Selection 1
From “Resistance to Civil Government” by Henry David Thoreau
PRINT and COMPLETE the handout Recognizing Persuasive Techniques - Thoreau.
OPEN and READ/LISTEN to pages 268 - 275 in the online textbook.
PRINT and COMPLETE the handout Resistance to Civil Government.
Selection 2
From “On Nonviolent Resistance” by Mohandas K. Gandhi
PRINT and COMPLETE the handout Recognizing Persuasive Techniques - Gandhi.
OPEN and READ/LISTEN to pages 276 - 279 in the online textbook.
Selection 3
From “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King
PRINT and COMPLETE the handout Recognizing Persuasive Techniques - King
OPEN and READ page 280 in the online textbook.
This selection cannot be included in the textbook because of copyright restrictions. Open the pdf file below.
OPEN and READ handout Letter from Birmingham City Jail (launches in new window)
ANSWER IN OFFLINE NOTEBOOK page 283 questions.
Students will complete multiple formative and summative assessments on these three pieces of rhetoric. Next,
students will complete the handout Recognizing Visual Argument, and will practice analyzing rhetorical argument
in visuals. Then, students will study Analyzing Visuals: Paddywagon Party by Colin Bootman and will answer
questions about the visual argument in "Paddywagon Party" in a short answer quiz. Students will then review what
the College Board has to say about a Synthesis essay and will focus on political visual arguments and civil
disobedience. Students will view examples of political cartoons and will study political cartoons on civil
disobedience. The unit will conclude with a synthesis essay including the sources studied in the unit.
Last revised 8/26/2015
Gather your notes on Comparing Text: Civil Disobedience. In this assignment, you will be writing a synthesis essay
analyzing the three texts and one visual in this workshop, as well as two additional source options.
REVIEW Synthesis Essay Writing
 Go directly to the source: AP Central, Prepare for the Synthesis Essay (launches in new window)
YOUR TURN
REVIEW your notes on Thoreau, Gandhi, and King essays and the visual texts.
PROMPT:
Throughout history, many people have chosen to battle injustice by defying laws or governments that they believe
to be unjust. This type of resistance is called civil disobedience. On many occasions, protesters have accepted
beatings, imprisonment, and even death as consequences of their actions. Thoreau, Gandhi, King, and many other
civil rights activists have been arrested for breaking one or more established law. Compare the reasons for these
arrests. Was one more justified than the other? What do you think each action of civil disobedience achieved?
Carefully read or reread the following 6 sources. Then synthesize information from at least three of the sources
and incorporate it into a coherent, well-developed essay that defends, challenges, or qualifies the claim that civil
disobedience is a justifiable form of protest. Make sure that your argument is central; use the sources to illustrate
and support your reasoning. Avoid merely summarizing the sources. Indicate clearly which sources you are
drawing from, whether through direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary. You may cite the sources as Source A,
Source B, etc., or by using the descriptions in parentheses.
Source A (Thoreau - from Resistance to Civil Government)
Source B (Ghandi - from On Nonviolent Resistance)
Source C (King - from Letter from Birmingham City Jail)
Source D (Bootman - Pattywagon Party)
Source E (Wallace - Schoolhouse Door Speech) (launches in new window) * new source
Source F (Herblock - Nothing Can Be Accomplished) (launches in new window) * new source
LEARN more about the synthesis essay and view scoring guides and student samples for modelling at AP Central
(launches in new window).
UPLOAD your final draft Synthesis Essay Civil Disobedience
Unit 13: The Essay Section is essentially an Exam Preparation unit that focuses on the free response
questions. In this Exam Practice section, we will begin with an overview of the three types of essays
students can expect to see on the AP exam. We will review Tactics and Strategies, The FiveParagraph Essay, The Rhetorical Essay, The Argument Essay, and The Synthesis Essay. Next, we will
grade sample essays from the CollegeBoard AP® website, outline Shmoop strategies for timed essay
writing, and take a quiz on the Shmoop lesson. The unit will conclude with a full length Practice Exam including the
timed free response essay questions.
Unit 14: A House Divided focuses on the rhetoric of the Civil War Era and its aftermath. There was
never a time in American history where rhetoric and argument played a more key role than the years
leading up to the Civil War. Ideologies in the 18th century were diverse and growing more
entrenched among the factions: Slavery, States' Rights, and Economic and Industrial Expansion. All
were being argued among the many interests around our young nation. We will explore the
ideologies through primary source arguments in this unit.
The objectives of this unit are:
1. establishing the historical path to American civil war and the arguments of ideology leading up to the war
2. defining effectiveness of primary sources on argument
3. exploring the influence of primary source publications on American history
Last revised 8/26/2015
4. identifying rhetorical strategies in primary source writings
5. creating and presenting an original reflection on modern South Carolina politics
The unit will begin with a historical background, followed by slave narratives and a discussion of the personal
narrative as rhetoric. There will be several lessons and activities before students are assigned a summative
argument essay which will also be used for a peer-editing assignment.
Essay for Peer-Editing Workshop
The conflicts that divided the nation resulted in the deadliest four years of war of our history—620,000 soldiers.
The conflict did create massive changes in the social, political, economic, and racial policies of the country. In short,
everything changed after the Civil War. While it is true that change occurs after compromise and cooperation, it is
also undeniable that conflicts often do elicit the most dramatic changes.
DRAFT in an offline writer's notebook (Word, Notepad, OpenOffice, etc.)
Prompt: Reflect on the statement: "Conflicts often elicit the most dramatic changes."
COMPOSE an argumentative essay that effectively addresses this prompt.
REVISE your essay by reading it aloud to yourself or someone you trust.
SUBMIT your final draft essay by adding a post to 14.2 Peer-Editing Workshop. Wait a until the
assignment has been moved to the assessment phase and then
ASSESS the essays that have been assigned to you (including your own).
Next, students will read from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas and will complete lessons and quizzes in
which they analyze the rhetoric of this narrative. Students will then watch the TED video on combating modern
slavery (launches in new window). Using the information in the speech and the primary source autobiography of
Frederick Douglas, students will participate in a forum in which they discuss whether they agree, disagree, or
qualify Kevin Bales' statement, “People do not enslave people to be mean, they do it to make a profit.”
Next, students will study "Ain't I a Woman, Too?" and "at the Cemetery, Walnut Grove Plantation, South Carolina,
1989" on pages 440-448 in the online textbook. Students will analyze the use of rhetorical devices, particularly
rhetorical questioning and repetition in Truth's speech and will identify the apostrophe in Clifton's poem, analyzing
its purpose and effectiveness.
Unit 15: Language Skills and Photography as a Primary Source will begin with a review of
Vocabulary Skills (Academic Vocabulary and Word Knowledge), Reading Skills (Author's Purpose),
and Writing Skills (Hyphens and Dashes & Problem-Solution Proposals). Next, students will read
Letter to His Son by Robert E. Lee and will rhetorically analyze the text. Students will then read
Letter to Sarah Ballou by Major Sullivan Ballou and will rhetorically analyze the text. Then,
students will read from A Diary from Dixie by Mary Chesnut and will rhetorically analyze the text.
Next, students will read The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln and will rhetorically analyze
the text. Students will then complete a summative quiz on those primary texts. Next, students will view multiple
photographs from the Civil War and will analyze photography as a primary source. Students will compose an
argument essay on the prompt below.
PROMPT:
"It is well that war is so terrible, else we should grow too fond of it." - Robert E. Lee
Consider this quotation about civil war from Robert E. Lee. Then write an essay that defends, challenges, or
qualifies the Lee's assertion about the appeal of war, heroism, and adventure against the stark reality of battle.
Support your argument with appropriate evidence from your reading, observation, or experience. Review your
notes on the Primary Sources on the Civil War and the visual texts (photographs) we studied in this workshop.
Students will then complete lessons on Comprehension, Theme, Figurative Language, Idioms, and Phrases,
Referents of Pronouns and Other Words and Phrases, Sample Comprehension Questions, Persona, Tone, and Point
of View and Inferring Identity and Character. The unit will conclude with a lesson in which students are asked to
grade three sample student essays. Student scores will be determined by how closely the sample score chosen
matches the actual score assigned by the official AP reader for that sample.
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Unit 16: The American Dream begins with several lessons designed to situate the rhetoric of the times
in terms of its historical context. Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis, had opened the
workings of the unconscious mind to scrutiny. Interest grew in this new field of psychiatry in
America, where it inspired writers to use a narrative technique called stream of consciousness.
This technique abandoned chronology and attempted to imitate the moment-by-moment flow of
a character's perceptions and memories. The Irish writer James Joyce used this technique to
radically change the very concept of the novel in Ulysses (1922). Soon afterward, the American
writers Katherine Anne Porter and William Faulkner also used it in their works. Faulkner, in particular, was a
fearless experimenter with literary forms. In The Sound and the Fury (1929), Faulkner uses stream of consciousness
to weave together several different viewpoints and several different moments in time. The human cost of the
Great Depression also engaged several modernist writers. One of the most significant results was John Steinbeck's
novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939), which traces the sad odyssey of the Joad family from their bulldozed tenant
farm in Oklahoma to the indignities of California labor camps. Steinbeck skillfully mingles the personal quests of
the Joads with passionate exploration of the larger issue of social justice in America. Students will take multiple
lessons and quizzes on the rhetoric of the time and will then view the TED Talks video entitled Richard Wilkinson:
How Economic Inequality Harms Societies. This video and full transcript can be found at the TED Talks Richard
Wilkinson page (launches in new window).
Students then compose an argument essay which we will use for peer-editing.
PROMPT: Reflect on the statement: "Societies that are more equal are healthier, happier societies."
Next, students will study The Great Gatsby as a rhetorical work of social criticism. The writers of the modernist
period imagined a new meaning for an American dream tarnished by world war and a devastating depression.
Their bold experiments in form and subject matter produced some of the most enduring works in American
literature. We will explore this distinctly American era and how Fitzgerald used narrative—an engaging story—as
rhetorical argument. In response, we will use the themes in The Great Gatsby to practice our own argument skills.
In this course, you have studied several examples of social criticism and political expression. Speeches such as
Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream Speech,” essays such as “A Modest Proposal,” and even still photographs
such as the 1936 “Migrant Mother” have all had a profound impact upon society. Nevertheless, nonfiction is not
the only vehicle for social criticism. The Great Gatsby is a novel; it is also a social commentary.
Students will also construct and deliver a speech using the Kaltura video tool.
In this assignment, you will create a short video in which you explain Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, as a
social critique. Exactly what point (or points) was Fitzgerald making? Make sure that you support your
interpretations with textual references, etc. For example, you may create a video using PowerPoint while you
narrate. You may create a Go animate, Voki, narrated storybook, screen share, or even a simple video file to
respond to this assignment.
Next, students will compose a rhetorical analysis essay. The following quotation was found in the 1925 printing of
the novel. Explain how the meaning of the quotation relates to the novel as a whole. “The land of limitless
opportunity was able to provide a means only to position but not to prestige; to power, but not to praise; to the
present but not the future; to objects but not their meaning; to persons, but not their hearts; to a house but not a
home; to entertainment but not friends; to money, but not peace.”
As a final thought on Fitzgerald's social commentary in The Great Gatsby, students will consider the following
quote: “It was all very careless and confused. They were careless people…they smashed up things and creatures
and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together,
and let other people clean up the mess…” Write a forum reflection (no need for formal essay style—free-write, if
you like) on the quote from the novel. You may reflect on the novel's impression on you, relate the theme to your
own experiences with carelessness or careless people, or apply the quote to a modern event.
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Unit 17: The National Debate focuses on the rhetoric of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his
critics. This unit also includes a research paper. Franklin Delano Roosevelt assumed the
presidency at the darkest hour of the Great Depression, pledging to restore prosperity through
expansive government intervention in the economy. While Roosevelt's New Deal did not, in fact,
end the Great Depression, it did permanently alter American society and create many of the
structures that sustained prosperity following World War II. The argument over the social and
governmental policies set forth by the New Deal rages on today. Many Americans argued that the New Deal was a
Pandora’s Box of troubles that violated the Constitution and sought to impose socialism. On the other side,
socialist leaders like Norman Thomas believed that FDR was not doing enough, complaining that the New Deal was
“trying to cure tuberculosis with cough drops.” The overall success of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal is still hotly
debated. Whether you agree with FDR's politics and policies or oppose them, it's impossible to imagine the
modern role of the US government without them. This unit will begin with several PDF sources that either support
or criticize New Deal policies. Students will read these documents and answer short essay quiz questions on
summative assessments. These quizzes will test for reading comprehension, ability to identify rhetoric, and ability
to analyze rhetoric in a document. Next, students will view a Shmoop video on argument research papers and
students will begin the research paper portion of the unit. In this unit you will be led through a process carefully,
step by step, because at this point in your life, learning the process is more important for you than the final
product itself. There are actually several valid ways to do research, and as you understand the steps taught here,
you will be able to make good judgments about ways to vary the process. This is especially true in an era when
changing technology is constantly improving the tools available to researchers. Please note that most of the points
available in this unit—by far—are given for participating in the process. The final draft is only a small part of the
total grade, and a final draft that has not gone through the entire process will not be accepted. Moreover, there
must be a significant difference between the rough draft and the final draft, or they will both be considered the
same rough draft. Although you will chose the topic for your research paper, remember that this is essentially an
ARGUMENT essay with support from primary sources. You are not simply giving information about a topic. You are
deciding upon a debatable issue, researching that issue, forming an opinion based upon your research, and then
articulating your position in a formal research paper. Your course schedule gives a timeline for each activity, but
you are strongly advised to work ahead of that schedule as much as possible.
WHY YOU ARE REQUIRED TO WRITE A RESEARCH PAPER IN AP LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION
The College Board states that “the informed use of research materials and the ability to synthesize varied sources
(to evaluate, use, and cite sources) are integral parts of the AP English Language and Composition course. Students
move past assignments that allow for the uncritical citation of sources and, instead, take up projects that call on
them to evaluate the legitimacy and purpose of sources used. One way to help students synthesize and evaluate
their sources in this way is the researched argument paper. Research helps students to formulate varied, informed
arguments. Unlike the traditional research paper, in which works are often summarized but not evaluated or used
to support the writer’s own ideas, the researched argument requires students to consider each source as a text
that was itself written for a particular audience and purpose. Researched argument papers remind students that
they must sort through disparate interpretations to analyze, reflect upon, and write about a topic. When students
are asked to bring the experience and opinions of others into their essays in this way, they enter into
conversations with other writers and thinkers. The results of such conversations are essays that use citations for
substance rather than show, for dialogue rather than diatribe.”
Instructions for your Research Paper
You will compose a 2000-2500 word argument research paper in MLA format on the topic of your choice. You will
use at least 6 sources (at least 3 sources must be primary sources) and will adhere to the MLA style of formatting
and citation.
 You will submit your proposed thesis.
 You will submit your proposed sources.
 You will submit your outline.
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You will submit a 500-1500 word essay for peer-editing. You will study the research paper rubric and
assess essays based upon this rubric. You will use the editor’s comments to improve and enhance your
essay.
You will submit a final draft of your research paper.
This portion of the unit begins with a lesson on thesis generation. Students will then read an explanation of Thesis
Sentence v. Topic Sentence and a Shmoop video on “How to Write a Killer Thesis Statement.” Students will then
complete a database activity in which they submit and organize potential thesis statements. Submissions will
create a searchable database for students to explore on potential thesis statements.
SUBMIT your thesis and write an informal defense of your thesis in this activity. Conclude your post with one
question you have for your classmates about your argument. In other words, state your thesis and tell us how you
plan to argue your thesis as a conversation.
This activity will also reduce the likelihood that essays will be informative rather than argument. Developing an
arguable thesis is the first step towards composing an effective argument essay.
Next, students will read instructions and view a tutorial on how to compose an outline using MLA format
guidelines. Students will then be asked to compose and submit an outline for their formal research project.
Next, students will review several resources and lessons on MLA format, research and create citations, and will
then take a quiz on reference skills. Students will then create six glossary entries of potential sources for the
research paper. Each entry should include your thesis, your source (in MLA format), and any quotes or ideas that
you may be able to use in your paper.
Next, students will complete a few resources on drafting and peer-editing. Students will then submit the draft of
their research paper for peer-editing. After essays have been assessed, students will review feedback from their
peers and will use that information to revise their research papers. Students will complete an activity in revision
and will visit the Shmoop Essay Lab. The last graded activity before the final draft of the research paper is uploaded
is a quiz. This quiz asks the following 10 questions.
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Did you check to make sure there are no spelling mistakes or careless errors?
Does your introduction include your thesis?
Does your essay include an arguable thesis?
Did you organize your essay into paragraphs separated by similar topics and subtopics?
Did you use any sources that you did not cite?
Does your essay include at least 6 sources?
Does your essay include at least three primary sources?
Did you use more than 25% direct quotes in your paper?
Is your essay at least 2000 words?
Does your last paragraph effectively conclude your essay?
Unit 18: Rhetorical Analysis & Satire begins with a tutorial on the difference between Literal
and Figurative meanings and idioms. Next, students will complete a tutorial on Irony and Satire
in which students will review the three types of irony and how irony functions in satire. The next
tutorial will focus on comparatives, superlatives, and modifiers. Next, students will complete a
handout on satire and will review literary definitions related to satire.
We will read The Lowest Animal by Mark Twain. We will be looking at Mark Twain's masterful
use of irony, exaggeration, and humor and consider what they reveal about Twain’s religious, political, and social
beliefs. Satire ridicules the shortcomings of people and institutions in an attempt to bring about change. One of
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the favorite techniques of the satirist is exaggeration—overstating something to make it look ridiculous. Another
technique is irony—stating the opposite of what is really meant. As you read “The Lowest Animal,” notice how
Twain uses exaggeration and irony to satirize human nature. After we complete several assignments analyzing
Twain's satirical rhetoric, we will look at two amateur essayists.
Compare the following essays on "nerds" and "geeks." One is a non-satirical rhetorical argument from a past AP
exam; one relies on satire to make the same argument. Which is more effective? You decide.
2008 AP English Language and Composition Question 2, "America Needs Its Nerds" by Leonid Fridman.
The Onion, "Teen Mortified After Winning Academic-Achievement Award"
The Onion - America's Finest News Source is a satirical news organization that publishes comments on current
events—both real and fictional.
CONSIDER these questions (below) when analyzing the article from The Onion (launches in new window).
What is the format of your satirical news source?
o Television program?
o Online version of a print source?
o Online-only source?
Describe the satirical news source’s website.
o Does the source use convincing language to convey journalistic credibility, or is it clearly a
“spoof”?
o How accessible or “user friendly” is the website?
o What are the “top stories” or “headlines”?
What brand or type of satire does this source seem to use the most?
o Parody?
o Inflation?
o Diminution?
o Caricature?
Who or what are the main targets of satire in this source?
o Is it funny?
o Why or why not?
Does it “ridicule, expose, or discredit” its target?
o If so, how?
o If not, how does it fail in its efforts?
WRITE a short essay analyzing how each author develops the argument. Which do you find most effective and
why? Use terms from the Worksheet Handout: Satire (launches in new window) when appropriate.
Next, we will review the visual as argument and will look at a Calvin & Hobbes cartoon as an example of satire.
CONSIDER the following questions:
 What issue inspired the cartoon?
 What is the cartoonist's position on the issue? What examples support your interpretation?
 Is the satire direct or indirect? (see earlier handout - Satire)
 What type of satire is used to argue the position? Horatian or Juvenalian?
 What devices of satire does this source use? (see earlier handout - Satire)
 Is the cartoon persuasive? Why or why not?
Next, we will read excerpts from Alain de Botton’s 2004 book, Status Anxiety, and will then compose an argument
essay that either criticizes or supports de Botton’s opinions.
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In his 2004 book, Status Anxiety, Alain de Botton argues that the chief aim of humorists is not merely to entertain
but “to convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly.” Because society
allows humorists to say things that other people cannot or will not say, de Botton sees humorists as serving a vital
function in society.
Think about the implications of de Botton’s view of the role of humorists (cartoonists, stand-up comics, satirical
writers, hosts of television programs, etc.). Then write an essay that defends, challenges, or qualifies de Botton’s
claim about the vital role of humorists. Use specific, appropriate evidence to develop your position.
Unit 19: Studying for your two AP Language Exams contains review
resources and sample questions for the official AP exam and the VirtualSC
final exam.
Students will be sent a full list of assignments and their due dates at the
beginning of the course. A sample pacing guide for this course can be
found in the VirtualSC Course Catalog (launches in new window).
VIRTUALSC DETAILS
TECHNOLOGY
VirtualSC strives to provide adequate technical support to all of our students. As on online program, VirtualSC
cannot provide support for any hardware (computers, tablets, or mobile devices) that students use to access their
courses. A list of technical requirements for devices can be found on the Virtual SC Tech Help page (launches in
new window).
A troubleshooting guide for students is provided on the Virtual SC Tech Help page (launches in new window). A list
of video tutorials can be found on the Student Tutorials page (launches in new window).
Students who need individual technical support during registration and before their courses start should contact
the VirtualSC Help Center (launches in new window) or call Student Services directly at (803) 734-8039. Students
who are actively enrolled in courses should contact their teachers for course-specific technical support.
ACCESSIBILITY AND ACCOMMODATIONS
VirtualSC is committed to continually enhancing the accessibility of our courses. Our courses are regularly
monitored by internal staff to check for accessibility risks. We are working to ensure that all required videos in our
courses contain captions and/or transcripts. The program strives to ensure that all newly developed and revised
courses include structural styling to indicate headings, lists, and tables to assist in page comprehension for screen
readers.
The program continues to strive to format our courses to be compliant with the recommendations on the Web
Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 (launches in new window).
To ensure that students with special needs are being adequately served by our program, students with IEPs and
504s are asked to comply with the VirtualSC IEP/504 Policy (launches in new window).
GRADING POLICY
The final grade in this course results from the following:
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

Coursework: 80%
End of Course Exam: 20%
Coursework grades will be based upon the quality of the student submissions, participation in discussions, and the
ability to maintain consistent communication with the instructor.
This course uses the South Carolina Uniform Grading Scale:
Letter Grade
A
B
C
D
F
Numerical Grade
93-100
85-92
77-84
70-76
69-0
Advanced Placement English Language & Composition Evaluation Guidelines
Level One Grading Rubric
A Level One assignment receives a score of 1 (100%) for successful completion or a 0 (0%) for failure to submit a
minimally acceptable assignment.
Level Two Holistic Grading Rubric
This holistic grading rubric will be used for Level Two assignments, such as minor assignments, forums,
participation activities, and presentations. Accuracy may include mechanics and appearance factors. Insightfulness
refers to perceptiveness in analysis and demonstration of ability to make meaningful connections. Work not
submitted on the day it is due receives a zero; otherwise, ten points per day will be deducted from the overall
score.
Grade
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Completion
Complete
Complete
Nearly Complete
80%+
70%+
Mostly Incomplete
Incomplete
Accuracy
Fully Accurate
Mostly Accurate
Mostly Accurate
Mostly Accurate
Some Accuracy
Little Accuracy
Inaccurate
Insightfulness
Insightful
Some Insight
Level Three Holistic Grading Rubric
This is a general rubric based upon Advanced Placement English scoring. It will be used for all Level Three essays,
including those written as a part of a major test. Ten points per day late will be deducted for the overall score of
Level Three assignments not submitted in class on the day they are due. Low number scores in the two-number
descriptions listed below will receive scores that that are lower in the score range.
Course AP Exam Essay Scoring Guide
Last revised 8/26/2015
Most assignments in this course will be in essay format. To prepare for the AP Exam at the end of this course, you
will be graded on the 9 point scale for most submitted essays. If a specific rubric is not provided in the unit
directions, you will be graded on the following scoring guide.
8-9:
These well-focused and persuasive essays address the prompt directly and in a convincing manner. An essay
scored a 9 demonstrates exceptional insight and language facility. An essay scored an 8 or a 9 combines adherence
to the topic with excellent organization, content, insight, facile use of language, mastery of mechanics, and an
understanding of the essential components of an effective essay. In a rhetorical/style analysis essay, rhetorical
devices and/or techniques are not merely listed, but the effect of those devices and/or techniques is addressed in
context of the passage as a whole. Argument essays demonstrate the ability to construct a compelling argument,
observing the author's underlying assumptions, (addressing multiple authors in the synthesis essay) and discussing
many sides of the issues with appropriate evidence. Although not without flaws, these essays are richly detailed
and stylistically resourceful, and they connect the observations to the passage. Descriptors that come to mind
while reading this essay include: mastery, sophisticated, complex, specific, consistent, and well-supported. If you
work at this level, you have achieved critical thinking at the synthesis and evaluation levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.
This means you have presented to your reader a sophisticated, critical understanding of the passage that indicates
you have a clearly developed aesthetic or rhetorical sense regarding the piece. Your assertions are well-reasoned
and thoroughly developed, demonstrating that you have been “moved” in some way by the piece and have a
powerful response to it.
6-7
These highly competent essays comprehend the task set forth by the prompt and respond to it directly, although
some of the analysis may be implicit rather than explicit. The 7 essay is in many ways a thinner version of the 9-8
paper in terms of discussion and supporting details, but it is still impressive, cogent, and generally convincing. It
may also be less well handled in terms of organization, insight, or vocabulary. Descriptors that come to mind while
reading these essays include: demonstrates a clear understanding but is less precise and less well supported than a
9-8 paper. These essays demonstrate an adherence to the task, but deviate from course on occasion. The
mechanics are sound but may contain a few errors, which may distract but do not obscure meaning. Although
there may be a few minor misinterpretations, the inferences are for the most part accurate with no significant
sustained misinterpretations. Rhetorical analysis essays demonstrate sufficient examination of the author's point
and the rhetorical strategies he uses to enhance the central idea. Argument essays demonstrate the ability to
construct an adequate argument, understand the author's point, and discuss its implications with suitable
evidence. The synthesis argument will address at least three of the sources. An essay that scores a 6 is an upperhalf paper, but it may be deficient in one of the essentials mentioned above. It may be less mature in thought or
less well-handled in terms of organization, syntax, or mechanics. The analysis is somewhat more simplistic than
found in a 7 essay, and lacks sustained, mature analysis. If you work at this level, you have achieved critical
thinking at the analysis level of Bloom’s taxonomy. This means you have broken the material down into its
constituent rhetorical parts and detected relationships of the parts and of the way they are organized. However,
your inferences are not as insightful and well developed as an 8–9 essay.
5
These essays may be overly simplistic in analysis, or rely almost exclusively on paraphrase rather than specific,
textual examples. These essays may provide a plausible reading, but the analysis is implicit rather than explicit. In a
Last revised 8/26/2015
rhetorical analysis essay, these essays might provide a list of rhetorical devices, or stylistic techniques present in
the passage, but make no effort to discuss the effect that these devices have on the passage as a whole.
Descriptors that come to mind when reading include: superficial, vague, and mechanical. The language is simplistic
and the insight is limited or lacking in development. Argument essays demonstrate the ability to present an
argument, but they frequently provide limited and inadequate discussion, explanation, or evidence for the writer's
ideas. The writer may not address enough of the sources in the synthesis essay. Oversimplification of the issue(s)
minimizes the essay's effectiveness. If you work at this level, you have achieved comprehension of the material
and some analysis, but your analysis is not sufficiently developed.
3-4
These lower-half essays compound the problems found in the 5 essay. They often demonstrate significant
sustained misreading, and provide little or no analysis. They maintain the general idea of the writing assignment,
show some sense of organization, but are weak in content, maturity of thought, language facility, and/or
mechanics. They may distort the topic or fail to deal adequately with one or more important aspects of the topic.
Essays that are particularly poorly written may be scored a 3. Descriptors that come to mind while reading include:
incomplete, oversimplified, meager, irrelevant, and insufficient. Rhetorical analysis essays demonstrate little
discussion of rhetorical strategies or incorrect identification and/or analysis of those strategies. Argument essays
demonstrate little ability to construct an argument. They may not clearly identify the author's point, may not
present multiple authors' points of view in the synthesis essay, and may offer little evidence for the student's
position. Students who lack three referenced sources in a synthesis essay can never receive a score higher than a
4. If you work at this level, you have achieved comprehension of the material but you have not moved into higher
level thinking skills. You are not making insightful, developed inferences through careful analysis of the text.
2-1
These essays make an attempt to deal with the topic but demonstrate serious weakness in content and coherence
and/or syntax and mechanics. Often, they are unacceptably short. They are poorly written on several counts,
including numerous distracting errors in mechanics, and/or little clarity, coherence, or supporting evidence. In a
rhetorical analysis essay, there is often no analysis of the passage, and in an argument essay, there is little or no
evidence for the student's ideas. In the synthesis essay, fewer than three sources are referenced and students fail
to integrate sources effectively. Wholly vacuous, inept, and mechanically unsound essays should be scored a 1 If
you work at this level, you do not adequately comprehend the piece assigned and have not yet begun to work
cognitively with this selection
O
A zero is given to a response with no more than a passing reference to the task. The dash indicates a blank
response or one with no reference to the task.
COMMUNICATION AND LATE WORK
Participation and communication in an online class is critical to successful completion. Although students can
access at a time that is convenient for them, they are expected to login regularly to the Student Dashboard and
their course regularly. Students should meet all deadlines per the pacing guide and notify the instructor in advance
if extenuating circumstances arise that prohibit the student from participating in the class as expected. Due dates
Last revised 8/26/2015
for assignments are clearly posted and no work will be accepted beyond the due date unless a prior extension has
been arranged. Students can communicate with their instructor through various methods as posted in the course.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY
VirtualSC (VSC) takes academic integrity very seriously and expects a full commitment to it from each VSC student.
All students taking courses with VirtualSC will be expected to adhere to our Academic Integrity Policy. The full
policy, including consequences for infractions can be found on our Academic Integrity Policy Page (launches in new
window).
SAMPLE PACING GUIDE
Please note that this pacing guide is subject to change at the teacher discretion. As changes are made, the pacing
guide will be updated in the course website and the copy online will always be the most current. Please keep in
mind that some assignments are subject to change based on our course progress. It is your responsibility to watch
for changes in announcements and messages.
Prior to the first day of class, you should complete the following assignments:
 Complete the VirtualSC Orientation Lesson (launches in new window).
 Secure copies of any outside reading texts required in course.
o Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (for a Midterm Unit)
o Food, Inc., a film directed by Robert Kenner (for a Midterm Unit)
o The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Unit 6)
 Add your instructor to your contacts so that you can easily communicate when you need assistance.
 Go through the pacing guide and add assignment due dates to your personal calendar.
 Sign up for a Shmoop account if you have not already.
(Semester 1)
0.1 Lexile Reading Inventory
0.2 Shmoop Diagnostic AP Lang
0.3 Pre-Course Essay
Unit 1: Introduction to AP Language and Composition
1.1 Understanding AP Language and Composition
1.1.0 Bonus Quiz: Course Expectation
1.2 Quiz: Identifying Plagiarism
1.3 Narrative Workshop: Peer-Editing (submission)
1.3 Narrative Workshop: Peer-Editing (assessment)
1 .4 Introduction to the Art of Rhetoric
1.4.1 Forum: Introduction to Rhetoric
1.5 Quiz: Rhetorical Terms
1.6 Practice Quiz: Critical Reading
1.7 Submit Elements of Style: 1-8
1.8 Forum: Unit 1 Evaluation
Unit 2: Writing Workshop Rhetorical Analysis
2.1 "What is an American" Test
2.2 "What is an American" Essay Test
2.3 Rhetorical Précis Assignment
2.4 Rhetorical Analysis Essay
Due Date
September 10th
September 11th
September 12th
September 15th
September 16th
September 17th
September 18th
September 25th
September 22nd
September 23rd
September 23rd
September 24th
September 24th
September 25th
September 29th
September 30th
September 30th
October 1st
Last revised 8/26/2015
2.5 Workshop #1 Forum Reflections
2.6 Forum: Unit 2 Evaluation
Last Day to Drop Class Without Penalty
Unit 3: Exam Practice & Machiavelli
3.1 Quiz
3.2 Multiple Choice AP Quiz
3.3 Quiz
3.4 Machiavellian Advice
3.5 Ethos, Pathos or Logos in Prince
3.6 Video Machiavellian Leaders Today
3.7 Forum: Unit 3 Evaluation
Unit 4: A Puritan Worldview
4.1 American Encounters and Foundations to 1800 Lesson
4.2 Quiz
4.3 Terms of Argumentative Appeals
4.4 Bradstreet, Taylor, and Puritan Worldview Quiz
4.5 Discussion Forum
4.6 Informative Workshop: Peer-Editing (submission)
4.6 Informative Workshop: Peer-Editing (assessment)
4.7 Forum: Analyzing Arguments in Speech
4.8 Sinners in the Hands Of An Angry God Quiz
4.9 Speech Assignment: A Call to Action
4.10 Forum: Unit 4 Evaluation
Unit 5: Writing Workshop Rhetorical Analysis
5.1 TED Speeches Rhetorical Précis (three)
5.2 Soapstone Speeches Exercise
5.3 Analysis Essay
5.4 Forum: Unit 5 Evaluation
Unit 6: Exam Practice & Wollstonecraft
6.1 College Board Study Skills Quiz
6.2: Purpose, Rhetoric, Style, and Organization Shmoop Quiz
6.3 Purpose, Rhetoric, Style, and Organization
6.4 St. Crispin Day Speech Rhetoric
6.5 Elements of Style 9-13
6.6 Wollstonecraft versus Rousseau debate
6.7 Forum: Unit 6 Evaluation
Unit 7: Founding Arguments
7.1 Lesson: Founding Fathers
7.2 Workshop (submission)
7.2 Workshop (assessment)
7.3 Lesson: Five Cannons of Rhetoric
7.4 Quiz on the Virginia Convention Speech
7.5 Forum: Freedom Essay
7.6 Quiz from Crisis No. 1
7.7 Assignment: Editorial
7.8 Forum: Unit 7 Evaluation
Unit 8: Writing Workshop Rhetorical Analysis
8.1 Quiz on The Declaration of Independence
October 2nd
October 3rd
October 7th
October 6th
October 6th
October 7th
October 7th
October 8th
October 9th
October 10th
October 13th
October 14th
October 15th
October 15th
October 16th
October 17th
October 23rd
October 20th
October 21st
October 22nd
October 23rd
October 24th
October 27th
October 28th
October 29th
October 30th
October 31st
November 3rd
November 3rd
November 4th
November 4th
November 5th
November 7th
November 10th (no late submissions)
November 14th (no late submissions)
November 11th
November 12th
November 12th
November 13th
November 13th
November 14th
November 18th
Last revised 8/26/2015
8.2 Analysis Handout Assignment
November 19th
8.3
November 20th
8.4 Forum Government Debate
November 21st
8.5 Forum: Unit 8 Evaluation
November 21st
Unit 9: Grammar and Syntax
9.1 Quiz CollegeBoard Study Skills quiz
November 24th
9.2 Quiz Shmoop Essays
November 25th
9.3 Lesson Grammar and Syntax
December 1st
9.4: Quiz on Ben Franklin's Essay
December 2nd
9.5 Quiz: Elements of Style Rules 14-18
December 3rd
9.6 Forum: Unit 9 Evaluation
December 4th
Unit 10 Project: Fast Food Nation/Food Inc.
10.1 Essay Quiz on Hurley Article
December 5th
10.2 Essay Quiz on Simonton Article
December 8th
10.3 Essay Quiz on Bergland Article
December 9th
10.4 Essay Quiz on Raja Article
December 10th
10.5 Essay Quiz on Berube Article
December 11th
10.6 Stimulus Material Discussion
December 18th
10.7 Identify Your Research Question
December 12th
10.8: Identify your Research Thesis
December 15th
10.9 Preliminary Sources
December 16th
10.10 Research Essay Outline
December 17th
10.11 Research Project Argument Peer Editing (submission)
December 18th (no late submissions)
10.11 Research Project Argument Peer Editing (assessment)
December 19th (no late submissions)
10.12 Individual Multimedia Presentation (6-8 minutes)
December 22nd
10.13 Research Essay
December 23rd
10.14 placeholder for oral defense blackboard
December 29th
10.15 Exam Confirmation
December 30th
10.16 Forum: Unit 10 Evaluation
December 31st
* Please remember that this is ONLY a pacing guide and is subject to change as assignments are added or removed.
Due dates are also subject to change. You will notice that April is practically empty; expect more assignments to be
added.
(Semester 2)
Unit 11: Transcendentalism
11.1 Lesson Transcendentalism
11.2 Quiz Transcendentalism Website
11.3 Self-Reliance Quiz
11.4 Emerson Criticism Essay
11.5 Quiz on Walden
11.6 Forum: Finding Your Walden
11.7 Forum: Unit 11 Evaluation
Unit 12: Writing Workshop Rhetorical Analysis
12.1 Quiz on Civil Disobedience
12.2 Quiz: Analyzing the Visual
12.3 Synthesis Essay
12.4 Forum: Unit 12 Evaluation
Due Date
January 5th
January 6th
January 7th
January 8th
January 9th
January 12th
January 13th
January 14th
January 15th
January 16th
January 19th
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Unit 13: The Essay Section
13.1 Quiz: Short Answer Scoring
13.2 Shmoop Essay Section Questions
13.3 Upload: Shmoop Practice Exam 1
13.4 Upload: Shmoop Practice Exam 2
13.5 Forum: Unit 13 Evaluation
Unit 14: A House Divided
14.1 Lesson on A House Divided
14.2 Peer-Editing Workshop (submission)
14.2 Peer-Editing Workshop (assessment)
14.3 Quiz from Narrative on the Life of Frederick Douglas
14.4 Forum: The Cost of Slavery
14.5 Quiz: Ain't I a Woman and At the Cemetery
14.6 Forum: Unit 14 Evaluation
Unit 15: Rhetorical Analysis
15.1 Quiz: Lee, Ballou, Chesnut & Lincoln
15.2 Quiz: Primary Source Photography
15.3 Argument Essay
15.4 Forum Primary Sources on the Civil War
15.5 Comprehension Quiz
15.6 Quiz: Persona, Tone, and Point of View
15.7 Grade Sample AP(r) Essays
15.8 Forum: Unit 15 Evaluation
Unit 16: The American Dream
16.1
16.2 Peer-Editing Workshop (submission)
16.2 Peer-Editing Workshop (assessment)
16.3
16.4 Themes in the Great Gatsby
16.5
16.6 Video Assignment: Gatsby as Social Criticism
16.7 Gatsby Rhetorical Analysis Essay
16.8
16.9 Forum: Unit 16 Evaluation
Unit 17: National Debate
17.1 New Deal Quiz
17.2 Forum: Political Quiz
17.3 Forum: Three Arguments
17.4 Forum: Five Gale Sources
17.5 Thesis for your Argument Essay
17.6 Outline for your Research Paper
17.7 Reference Skills
17.8 Preliminary Sources
17.9 Research Paper Peer-Editing Workshop (submission)
17.9 Research Paper Peer-Editing Workshop (assessment)
17.10 Research Paper Checklist
17.11 Argument Research Paper Final Draft
17.12 Forum: Unit 17 Evaluation
Unit 18: Rhetorical Analysis
January 20th
January 21st
January 22nd
January 23rd
January 26th
January 27th
January 28th (no late submissions)
February 3rd (no late submissions)
January 29th
January 30th
February 2nd
February 3rd
February 4th
February 5th
February 6th
February 9th
February 10th
February 11th
February 12th
February 13th
February 16th
February 17th
February 23rd
February 19th
February 20th
February 23rd
February 24th
February 25th
February 26th
February 27th
March 2nd
March 3rd
March 4th
March 5th
March 6th
March 9th
March 10th
March 11th
March 11th
March 13th
March 16th
March 17th
March 18th
Last revised 8/26/2015
18.1 Satire as Argument Quiz
18.2 Satire Forum
18.3 Cartoon as Satire
18.4 Argument Essay Peer-Editing Workshop (submission)
18.4 Argument Essay Peer-Editing Workshop (assessment)
18.5 Forum: Unit 18 Evaluation
Unit 19: AP Exam Cram Unit
19.1 Grading Lincoln Sample Essays
March 19th
March 20th
March 23rd
March 23rd
March 27th
March 27th
April 1st
Final Exam
College Boards Exam
VirtualSC Exam
Wednesday, May 13th at 8:00AM
May 4th, 5th, or 6th (check with school/district)
Grades Posted
May 8th
COLLEGE BOARD CURRICULAR REQUIREMENTS
Advanced Placement (AP®) English Language and Composition is a college level
course that must include specific curriculum requirements in order to be
approved by the CollegeBoard. The curricular requirements are the core
elements of the course. Every AP syllabus must provide clear evidence that each
requirement is fully addressed in the course.
Curricular Requirement 1
The course teaches and requires students to write in several forms (e.g., narrative, expository, analytical, and
argumentative essays) about a variety of subjects (e.g., public policies, popular culture, personal experiences).
Curricular Requirement 2
The course requires students to write essays that proceed through several stages or drafts, with revision aided by
teacher and peers.
Curricular Requirement 3
The course requires students to write in informal contexts (e.g., imitation exercises, journal keeping, collaborative
writing, and in-class responses) designed to help them become increasingly aware of themselves as writers and of
the techniques employed by the writers they read.
Curricular Requirement 4
The course requires expository, analytical, and argumentative writing assignments that are based on readings
representing a wide variety of prose styles and genres.
Curricular Requirement 5
The course requires expository, analytical, and argumentative writing assignments that are based on readings
representing a wide variety of prose styles and genres.
Curricular Requirement 6
The course requires expository, analytical, and argumentative writing assignments that are based on readings
representing a wide variety of prose styles and genres.
Curricular Requirement 7
The course requires nonfiction readings (e.g., essays, journalism, political writing, science writing, nature writing,
autobiographies/biographies, diaries, history, criticism) that are selected to give students opportunities to identify
and explain an author’s use of rhetorical strategies and techniques. If fiction and poetry are also assigned, their
main purpose should be to help students understand how various effects are achieved by writers’ linguistic and
rhetorical choices. (Note: The College Board does not mandate any particular authors or reading list, but
representative authors are cited in the AP English Course Description.)
Curricular Requirement 8
Last revised 8/26/2015
The course teaches students to analyze how graphics and visual images both relate to written texts and serve as
alternative forms of text themselves.
Curricular Requirement 9
The course teaches research skills, and in particular, the ability to evaluate, use, and cite primary and secondary
sources. The course assigns projects such as the researched argument paper, which goes beyond the parameters
of a traditional research paper by asking students to present an argument of their own that includes the analysis
and synthesis of ideas from an array of sources.
Curricular Requirement 10
The course teaches research skills, and in particular, the ability to evaluate, use, and cite primary and secondary
sources. The course assigns projects such as the researched argument paper, which goes beyond the parameters
of a traditional research paper by asking students to present an argument of their own that includes the analysis
and synthesis of ideas from an array of sources.
Curricular Requirement 11
The course teaches students how to cite sources using a recognized editorial style (e.g., Modern Language
Association, The Chicago Manual of Style, etc.).
Curricular Requirement 12
The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after the
students revise their work, that help the students develop these skills:
 A wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively
 A variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination
 Logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition,
transitions, and emphasis
 A balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail
 An effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving
appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure
Curricular Requirement 13
The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after the
students revise their work, that help the students develop these skills:
 A wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively
 A variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination
 Logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition,
transitions, and emphasis
 A balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail
 An effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving
appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure
Curricular Requirement 14
The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after the
students revise their work, that help the students develop these skills:
 A wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively
 A variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination
 Logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition,
transitions, and emphasis
 A balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail
 An effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving
appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure
Curricular Requirement 15
The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after the
students revise their work, that help the students develop these skills:
 A wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively
 A variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination
Last revised 8/26/2015

Logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition,
transitions, and emphasis
 A balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail
 An effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving
appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure
Curricular Requirement 16
The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after the
students revise their work, that help the students develop these skills:
 A wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively
 A variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination
 Logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition,
transitions, and emphasis
 A balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail
 An effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving
appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure
Last revised 8/26/2015