LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL
S.T.E.A.M Middle College
4777 Imperial Ave.
San Diego CA, 92113
Course: Advanced Placement English Language and Composition
Instructor: Christopher Dier
Contact Info: (619) 266-6500 x2369, cdier@sandi.net, http://www.saturatedmind.com
Office Hours/Availability: Monday – Friday, 2:30pm – 4:00pm, or by appointment
Course Description: The AP English Language and Composition curriculum is intensive expository writing course for
college-bound juniors designed to develop advanced writing skills and analytical thinking skills. The student will write
and revise in a variety of forms: narrative, informative, and argumentative. Through the process of reading and writing,
students will become skilled in composing for different audiences and purposes and will learn to understand/appreciate
the diverse ways authors make meaning in oral, written, and visual texts. Students will identify literary structures and
conventions and effectively use them in their own writing. The will identify, evaluate, and discuss the choices they have
made in the composition process and enhance their revision skills. College Board Advanced Placement exam will be
offered to those who successfully complete the course.
Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to
 Analyze and interpret samples of good writing, identifying and explaining an author’s use of rhetorical
strategies and techniques
 Reflect on reading through extensive discussion, writing, and rewriting
 Use a close reading of part of a text to analyze and interpret the meaning of the whole text
 Read and analyze major movements of American Literature from Pre-Colonization to Contemporary writers
 Apply effective strategies and techniques in their own writing
 Create and sustain arguments based on readings, research, and/or personal experience
 Demonstrate mastery of standard written English as well as stylistic maturity in their own writing
 Write for a variety of purposes
 Produce narrative, informative, and argumentative compositions that introduce a complex central idea and
develop it with appropriate evidence drawn from primary and/or secondary source material, convincing
explanations, and clear transitions
 Demonstrate understanding of the conventions of citing primary and secondary source material
 Move effectively through the stages of the writing process, especially the exploration of ideas, the
consideration of writing strategy, and application of revision
 Analyze image as text
 Evaluate and incorporate reference documents into researched papers
Required Materials: Student will use the following materials daily. It is also recommended that students have a USB
drive and a current Library Card
 Notebook
 2 Pens (black ink only) and 2 pencils
 Assigned Text
 Personal Blog
Texts: Students will be assigned a class textbook/reader. In addition, students will be assigned various AP
recommended prose passages including novels, articles, essays, and poetry throughout the year. Students are
responsible for the full cost of a replacement if either assigned text is lost or damaged.
 McCuen, Jo Ray, Readings for Writers, 11th Edition
 Peterson, Linda, The Norton Reader, 11th Edition
 AP Language Test Prep Guides
 AP Recommended Authors (see attached list)
Teaching Strategies:
 Reader Response Blog – Students will explore their thinking about reading and practice their expression of
ideas through reader response via student blog. Blog entries will take various forms throughout the year:
 Synthesis
 Informative
 Argumentative
 Graphic/Visual Analysis
 Narrative
 Assertion Analysis

Multi-Draft Essays – Students will complete several multi-draft essays in accordance with MLA format
including:
 Synthesis
 Informative
 Argumentative

Timed Writings – Student will complete in-class timed writing on a regular basis. Timed writings will consist
responses to assigned readings as well as prompt from previous AP exams.

Research – As well as completing a multi-source research paper in accordance with MLA format, students will
also complete several research assignments culminating in shorter writing response and/or discussion through
Socratic Seminar. Research will generally be assigned to assist student understanding of rhetorical context.

Critical Reading – Students will read excerpted and full-length fiction and non-fiction texts both in and out of
class. Students are expected to annotate, question, and interpret the text beyond a superficial level.

Discussion – Students will discuss text formally and informally through various discussion groupings. Student
will be assessed on the participation and meaningful contributions to discussions.
 Socratic Seminar
 Fishbowl
 Small Group

Oral Presentations – Students will complete oral presentations covering independent analysis of assigned
text. Presentations will focus on several of the following concerns:
 Thematic focus
 Characterization
 Technique and style
 Author tone
 Relevant cultural and/or historical issues (with documentation)
 Debate

Stylistic and Rhetorical Devices – Students will learn and practice on a daily basis the language of stylistic
analysis through activities like:
 Annotated reading journals
 SOAPSTone (speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject, tone)
 OPTIC (overview, parts, title, interrelationships, conclusion)
 Color marking
 RAFT (Role of Writer, Audience, Format, Topic
 Literary terms (see attached list)

Vocabulary/Grammar – A list of high frequency SAT vocabulary words will be introduced weekly and quizzed
weekly. Content vocabulary and text based vocabulary will be studied as it pertains to individual texts.
Grammar mini lessons will also be introduced weekly based on student need. Quizzes will be cumulative
throughout the course and will focus on the following areas of need.
 Syntax
 Punctuation
 Word use
Grading Policy: Grades will be determined by the accumulation of points on weighted tasks built around the AP
English Language and Composition curriculum. The grading scale for student assignments is as follows:
 50% Standards Mastery (tests, publishable drafts, projects)
 40% Standards Practice (class work, group work, independent practice)
 10% Participation (homework, note-taking, discussion, deadline timeliness)
Students can regularly check grade updates online via Student Connect. Progress reports will reflect the following
academic grading scale as well as the citizenship-grading rubric. (See Student Handbook for Lincoln High School
Citizenship Grading Rubric)
A (90-100%)
B (80-89%)
C (70-79%)
D (60-69%)
F (0-59%)
Homework Policy: Students will be required to read daily outside of class in order to participate in class. All other
homework will be assigned on an as needed basis based on student performance in class and will consist of things like
test review, independent practice of content skills, or revision. Failure to complete homework will result in the lowering
of points in the participation category of the grading scale.
Revision/Make-Up: To encourage the revision of assignments, projects, and tests, students will not be penalized if
they turn in late work or revisions within the time frame of the current unit of study. It is the responsibility of the student
to ask for and complete revision forms and conference with the teacher to improve scores. Work submitted after the
end of unit assessment will be recorded as a zero.
Discipline Policy: In accordance with the philosophy of “The Definite Dozen” students will be taught to, and will be
expected to, “discipline yourself so that no one else has to.” These expectations for attitude, behavior, focus, and
communication will be discussed regularly and posted in class. In the event these expectations are not being met the
following intervention will be used to redirect: verbal warnings, student/teacher conference, phone calls, removal of
privileges, retention, referral, and assignment of Friday Night School.
Attendance/Tardy Policy: Students are expected to attend school regularly and to be on time. Truancy and tardiness
to school and/or class will result in a loss of educational opportunity, a decreased level of learning, and a disruption of
the learning process for others. Any student who has received a total of 10 absences (excused or not) during the 18week semester may earn the grade of “F.”
Student Fees: The Constitution of the State of California requires that we provide a public education to you free of
charge. Your right to a free education is for all school/educational activities, whether curricular or extracurricular, and
whether you get a grade for the activity or class. Subject to certain exceptions, your right to a free public education
means that we cannot require you or your family to purchase materials, supplies, equipment or uniforms for any school
activity, nor can we require you or your family to pay security deposits for access, participation, materials, or
equipment. You may be required to attend a fundraising event; however, if you are unable to raise funds for the event,
you will not be prevented from participating in an educational activity.
Literary Terms: AP English Language and Composition
Rhetoric Terminology:
 Alliteration
 Anacoluthon
 Anadiplosis
 Anaphora
 Anastrophe
 Antistrophe
 Antithesis
 Aporia
 Aposiopesis
 Apostrophe
 Archaism
 Assonance
 Asyndeton
 Bathos
 Cacophony
 Catachresis
 Chiasmus
 Climax
 Euphemism
 Hendiadys
 Hyperbole
 Hysteron Proteron
 Irony
 Litotes
 Metaphor
 Metonymy
 Onomatopoeia
 Oxymoron
 Paradox
 Paraprosdokian
 Paronomasia
 Personification
 Pleonasm
 Polysyndeton
 Satire
 Simile
 Syllepsis
 Synecdoche
 Synesis
 Tautology
 Zeugma
Voice Terminology
 Syntax
 Tone
 Diction
 Imagery
General Vocabulary
 To be generated from high frequency SAT
Word lists weekly
 To be generated from text as read
Recommended Authors: AP English Language and Composition
Author’s listed below have been selected for their literary merit, their importance to the evolution of the American
canon, and their thematic or stylistic relationship to the course study. While many of these authors are known for their
more popular fictional writing, we will focus generally on their non-fiction essays, letters, critiques, and speeches.
Anaya, Rudolfo
Angelou, Maya
Baldwin, James
Bly, Robert
Boyle, TC
Capote, Truman
Cather, Willa
Chief Joseph
Cooper, James Fenimore
Crane, Stephen
Dillard, Annie
Douglass, Frederick
Dreiser, Theodore
Du Bois, W.E.B.
Ellison, Ralph
Emerson, Ralph Waldo
Equiano, Olaudah
Faulkner, William
Frazier, Charles
Franklin, Benjamin
Gaines, Ernest
Grimes, William
Guterson, David
Haley, Alex
Hawthorne, Nathaniel
Heller, Joseph
Hemingway, Ernest
Hurston, Zora Neal
Irving, Washington
James, Henry
Keillor, Garrison
Knowles, John
Kogawa, Joy
KraKauer, John
Lewis, Sinclair
Melville, Herman
Miller, Arthur
Morrison, Toni
O’Brien, Tim
Plath, Sylvia
Poe, Edgar Allen
Quindlen, Anna
Rodriguez, Richard
Salinger, J.D.
Sinclair, Upton
Smith, Betty
Stegner, Wallace
Steinbeck, John
Stowe, Harriet Beecher
Tan, Amy
Thoreau, Henry David
Twain, Mark
Vidal, Gore
Villasenor, Victor
Walker, Alice
Welch, James
West, Cornell
Wharton, Edith
Wolff, Tom
Wright, Richard
Units of Study: AP English Language and Composition
Unit #1: Defining America Through The Written Word
Unit Focus:
 Annotating text: subject, purpose, argument
 Interpreting visual media (graphics, photographs, political cartoons)
 Synthesis: source based, conceptual, synthesis of voice
 Critical thinking: synthesizing rhetoric
 Constructing an argument, organizing structures
 Making an outline
 Documenting sources
 MLA style
 The process of writing: outlining, thesis development, drafting, editing and revision, publishing
 Grammatical organization: varying syntax
 Vocabulary: content vocabulary and from reading selections
Readings:
 “America,” Allen Ginsberg
 “Let America Be America Again,” Langston Hughes
 “Letters From a Birmingham Jail,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
 “The Peril of Indifference,” Elie Wiesel
 “The Catastrophe of Success,” Tennessee Williams
 “A Modest Proposal: For Preventing Mexican Illegal Immigrants Entering the U.S. From the South,” Robert L.
 “New Kids in the Neighborhood,” Norman Rockwell
 “My American Dream,” David Choe
 “Is America Falling Apart?” Anthony Burgess
 “Kill Em! Crush Em! Eat Em Raw!” John McMurty
 “Democracy,” E.B. White
 “Enclosed, Encyclopedic, Endured: The Mall of America,” David Guterson
Writings:
 Annotated reading journal for selections by Ginsberg, Hughes, King, Wiesel, and Williams
 SOAPSTone for selections by King, Wiesel, Williams, and Robert L
 OPTIC for selections by Rockwell, and Choe
 Author assertion analysis short answer for selections by Burgess and White
 Timed writing on selections by McMurty, Guterson
 Essay outline
 Synthesis essay based on arguments of select unit texts
 Analysis of student writing process by revising Synthesis essay
Assessment:
Students will compose one essay that takes a position defending, challenging, or qualifying the argument that “The
American Dream is alive and well today,” synthesizing at least three sources from the texts read in this unit for support.
In addition, students will participate in a writer’s workshop to evaluate essays for style, logic, varying sentence
structure, and use of rhetoric elements.
Unit #2: Origins of the American Literary Traditions
Unit Focus:
 Annotating text: rhetorical elements
 Critical thinking: analyzing rhetoric
 Synthesis: source based, conceptual, synthesis of voice
 Constructing and argument, organizing structures
 Making an outline
 Documenting sources
 MLA style
 The process of writing: outlining, thesis development, drafting, editing and revision, publishing
 Grammatical organization: varying syntax
 Vocabulary: content vocabulary and from reading selections
Readings:
 “Genesis”
 “Coyote Dream,” Franklin Ojeda Smith
 Black Elk Speaks, John G. Neihardt
 selections from “Great Speeches By Native Americans,” Bob Blaisdell, Ed.
 “Lame Deer; Seeker of Visions,” John Fire Lame Deer
 “I’m Tired of Fighting,” Chief Joseph
 “Letter to President Pierce, 1855,” Chief Seattle
 “Cherokee Memorials,” Congressional Petition by the Cherokee Council
 “The Way to Rainy Mountain,” N. Scott Momaday
Writings:
 Annotated reading journal for selection by Neihardt
 Reflection from Socratic Seminar on selection by Neihardt
 SOAPSTone analysis for selections by Lame Deer, Chief Joseph, Chief Seattle
 Rhetorical analysis short answer for selections by Cherokee Council, Momaday
 Essay outline
 Synthesis essay based on arguments of selections by Blaisdell
Assessment:
Students will compose one essay that takes a position defending, challenging, or qualifying the argument that “The
Native American culture is a failed culture,” synthesizing at least three sources from the texts read in this unit for
support. This essay will be a timed response without the opportunity to revise through the writing process.
Unit #3: Literary Styles of the American Colonies
Unit Focus:
 Annotating text: syntax, tone, diction, imagery
 Critical thinking: analyzing rhetoric
 Constructing and argument, organizing structure
 Making an outline
 Documenting sources
 MLA style
 The process of writing: outlining, thesis development, drafting, editing and revision, publishing
 Grammatical organization: varying syntax
 Vocabulary: content vocabulary and from reading selections
Readings:
1. “Allegory of the Cave,” Plato
2. “The Devil and Tom Walker,” Washington Irving
3. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Jonathan Edwards
4. The Crucible, Arthur Miller
5. “A Decade of Fear,” Sam Roberts
6. “Declaration of Independence,” Thomas Jefferson and others
Writings:
 Author assertion analysis short answer for selection by Plato, Irving
 Timed writing on selections by Edwards, Jefferson
 Annotated reading journal for selection by Miller
 Essay outline
 Rhetorical analysis essay based on selection by Roberts
 Analysis of student writing process by revising rhetorical analysis essay
Assessment:
Students will compose one essay that analyzes the rhetorical strategies that Roberts uses to convey his view that even
though McCarthy got it all wrong he was closer to the truth than those who ridiculed him by explaining the author’s
message and showing how it is expressed. In addition, students will participate in a writer’s workshop to evaluate
essays for style, logic, varying sentence structure, and use of rhetoric elements.
Unit #4: The Argument for the American Individual
Unit Focus:
 Annotating text: subject, purpose, audience
 Inductive and deductive reasoning
 Rhetorical appeals
 Critical thinking: analyzing an argument
 Making an outline
 Documenting sources
 MLA style
 The process of writing: outlining, thesis development, drafting, editing and revision, publishing
 Grammatical organization: varying syntax
 Vocabulary: content vocabulary and from reading selections
Readings:
1. from “Self Reliance,” Ralph Waldo Emerson
2. from “Civil Disobedience,” Henry David Thoreau
3. “A Noiseless Patient Spider,” Walt Whitman
4. “The Battle of the Ants,” Henry David Thoreau
5. “What Life Means to Me,” Jack London
6. Into the Wild, John Krakauer
7. “Society,” Eddie Vedder
8. “The Black Cat,” Edgar Allen Poe
9. “The Minister’s Black Veil, “ Nathaniel Hawthorne
10. “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” Chuck Klosterman
Writings:
 SEEE analysis for selections by Emerson, Thoreau
 Author assertion analysis short answer for selections by Thoreau
 Timed writing on selections by Thoreau, London
 Annotated reading journal for selection by Krakauer
 Reflection from Socratic Seminar on text by Krakauer
 TP-CASTT analysis for selection by Vedder
 Comparative analysis short answer for selections by Poe, Hawthorne
 Essay outline
 Rhetorical essay based on selection by Klosterman
Assessment:
Students will compose one essay that analyzes the rhetorical strategies that Klosterman uses to convey his view that
alienation leads to disaffection by explaining the author’s message and showing how it is expressed. This essay will be
a timed response without the opportunity to revise through the writing process.
Unit #5: Revolutionary American Ideals, Revolutionary American Literature
Unit Focus:
 The purpose of arguments
 Argumentation: Classic, Rogerian, Toulmin
 Rhetorical appeals
 Critical thinking: developing an argument
 Making an outline
 Documenting sources
 MLA style
 The process of writing: outlining, thesis development, drafting, editing and revision, publishing
 Grammatical organization: varying syntax
 Vocabulary: content vocabulary and from reading selections
Readings:
1. “The Gettysburg Address,” Abraham Lincoln
2. “Death of Abraham Lincoln,” Walt Whitman
3. “Episode of War,” Stephen Crane
4. “Chickamauga,” Ambrose Bierce
5. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass
6. “Learning to Read and Write,” Frederick Douglass
7. selections from “When I was a Slave,” Norman R. Yetman, Ed.
8. from “Six views on Reparations for Slavery,” Neil Steinberg
9. “Ten Reasons Against Reparations,” David Horowitz
10. from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy”
11. “The X is Black,” Amiri Baraka
12. “Ten Reasons for Reparations,” Earl Ofari Hutchinson
13. Political Cartoon
Writings:
 Timed writing on selection by Lincoln
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Comparative analysis short answer for selections by Crane, Bierce
Annotated reading journal for selections by Douglass, Yetman, Steinberg, Horowitz, Baraka, Hutchinson
OPTIC analysis for graphics/art
Reflection from Socratic Seminar on texts by Douglass, Yetman, Steinberg, Horowitz, Baraka, Hutchinson
Argumentative essay thesis proposal and outline
Argumentative essay based on topics raised in unit readings
Analysis of student writing process by revising argumentative essay
Assessment:
Students will compose one essay that takes a side of the argument that the descendants of those who were enslaved
in the Atlantic Slave trade deserve monetary reparations today and utilizes evidence from readings, observation and/or
personal experience for support. In addition, students will participate in a writer’s workshop to evaluate essays for style,
logic, varying sentence structure, and use of rhetoric elements.
Unit #6: The Times They Are A-Changing in American
Unit Focus:
 Annotating text: rhetorical elements
 Rhetorical appeals
 Critical thinking: developing an argument
 Making an outline
 Documenting sources
 MLA style
 Research
 The process of writing: outlining, thesis development, drafting, editing and revision, publishing
 Grammatical organization: varying syntax
 Vocabulary: content vocabulary and from reading selections
Readings:
1. Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neal Hurston
2. “Incident,” Countee Cullen
3. “Salvation,” Langston Hughes
4. “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,” Langston Hughes
5. “Stranger in the Village,” James Baldwin
6. Select works from Aaron Douglas
7. Excerpts from “The Talented Tenth,” W.E. B. Du Bois
8. “Who Really invented the Talented Tenth,” Henry Louis Gates Jr.
9. Excerpts from “The Atlantic Compromise,” Booker T. Washington
Writings:
 Annotated reading journal for selection by Hurston
 TPCASTT analysis for selection by Cullen
 Timed writing for selection by Hughes
 Author assertion analysis short answer for selections by Hughes, Baldwin
 OPTIC analysis for graphics/art by Douglas
 SOAPSTone analysis for selections by Du Bois, Gates
 Argumentative essay based on topics raised in selections by Du Bois, Gates, Washington
Assessment:
Students will compose one essay that takes a side of the argument that social change will be brought about by
concentrating on elevating oneself through hard work and material prosperity, and utilizes evidence from readings,
observation and/or personal experience for support. This essay will be a timed response without the opportunity to
revise through the writing process.
Unit #7: The Here and Now
Unit Focus:
 Annotating text: narrative methods
 Critical thinking: using rhetoric
 The process of writing: outlining, thesis development, drafting, editing and revision, publishing
 Grammatical organization: varying syntax
 Vocabulary: content vocabulary and from reading selections
Readings:
1. The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien
2. “Bilingual in a Cardboard Box,” Javier Pina
3. “Legal Alien,” Pat Mora
4. “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker
5. “Superman and Me,” Sherman Alexie
6. “Sure You Can Ask Me a Personal Question,” Diane Burns
7. “When I Was Growing Up,” Nellie Wong
8. “The Concrete River,” Luis Rodriguez
Writings:
 Annotated reading journal for selection by O’Brien
 Rhetorical analysis short answer for selections by Pina, Mora, Walker, Alexie, Burns, Wong, Rodriguez
 Timed writing comparing selections from this unit to selections from previous units
 Narrative/Personal Statement based on themes from selections from this unit
Assessment:
Students will compose two personal narratives based on the themes of Modern American writers emulates modern
styles and composition. In addition, students will participate in a writer’s workshop to evaluate essays for style, logic,
varying sentence structure, and use of rhetoric elements.
Expectation Contract: By initialing the expectations and signing below, we recognize and agree to comply with the
rigorous academic and behavioral expectations as stated and all other school wide regulations.
_____ My child and I understand that students are expected to refrain from using profanity and gang related language
toward teachers, other students, or other adults while on campus and on field trips.
_____ My child and I understand that students are expected to arrive to class on time, and will not be admitted to
class without a pass.
_____ My child and I understand that students are expected to behave exceptionally well while in class, especially
since they represent the school, our family, and our community. This includes respecting themselves, their
peers, teachers and adults on campus, as well as the property of Lincoln High School
_____ My child and I understand that student responses and final drafts of written work will be published online
through a student blog and that it is the student’s responsibility to set and maintain privacy settings for their
own blog if desired by parent/guardian.
Parent/Guardian Signature: ___________________________________ Date: ____________
Student Name (Print): __________________________________________________________
Student Signature: __________________________________________ Date: ____________
Preferred Method of Contact: Please identify and note the preferred method of communication below. Feel free
identify multiple numbers if necessary.
Contact Name: _________________________________________________________________
Phone: _______________________________________________________ (Cell, Work or Home)
Email: ________________________________________________________________________
Return the page, completed, to Mr. Dier in 369