Ms. Kristina Miller
Room 221
Kristina.Miller@chisd.net
Ext. 7296
AP English Language and Composition
2015-2016
Course Overview
The goal and purpose of AP English Language and Composition is to help students “write
effectively and confidently in their college courses across the curriculum and in their profession
and personal lives.” The course is organized according to the requirements and guidelines of the
current AP Language and Composition Course Description and the College Board recommended
skills, knowledge, and curricular requirements.
The Advanced Placement Language and Composition course requires students to develop skills
in the modes of discourse which include narration, description, comparison and contrast,
exposition, and argument. These skills form the basis of most college level writing courses; thus,
the work done in this course is intended to be a college-level composition course.
Assessment
No late work will be accepted unless you have been absent. If there is an extenuating
circumstance which legitimately prevents you from completing your assignments by the due
date, please come speak to me so we can work out an individual timeline for your assignments to
be due.
Grades for each Marking Period are determined as follows, as per district policy:
 Major grades: 40%
Daily grades: 60%
Semester exams are worth 20% of each semester grade.
Attendance
Due to the intensive demands of the reading, writing assignments, and discussions in the AP
English classroom, consistent attendance is critical for success. Because class work is largely in
groups and is based on long-term units and projects, it is not always easy or possible to make up
missed work after the class has met. Please take care to schedule doctor appointments, family
vacations, and personal business so as not to miss class unnecessarily. Frequent absences may
prevent successful completion of the course.
Extenuating circumstances and emergencies may qualify for an adjustment to the above. If
something comes up, or if you know you are going to be absent in advance, please come speak
with me as soon as possible so we can work out a plan together.
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Absences and Missing Work
If a student is present on the day an assignment was given, but absent when the assignment is
due, the student must submit the assignment on the day he or she returns to school.
Students will have the number of days they were absent to take tests and quizzes or to
submit assignments that were due while they were absent. Due dates for long term
assignments and group assignments will not change because a student is absent.
All absent students are expected to meet with me on the day they return. I am always available
before school and after school, as well as during my conference period. Please do not
leave another class to come speak to me about your absence; I will be teaching and will
not stop class for you.
Students serving In-School Suspension (ISS) are considered present and are required to turn
in assignments on time.
Required texts and Materials
Three ring binder and dividers
Composition notebook (to serve as class journal)
USB flash drive
Macbeth by William Shakespeare (Folger Shakespeare edition)
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Course Expectations
All students enrolled in AP Language and Composition will be required to:
 write a variety of essays in different contexts for different purposes and audiences;
 work through the various stages of the writing process and be both prompt and diligent in
revision;
 be both helpful and honest in peer reading sessions, making an effort to provide
thoughtful and constructive feedback to classmates;
 actively participate in class discussions, activities, guided lectures, writer’s workshop
sessions, and literature circles presentations and debates;
 take the AP Language and Composition Exam as scheduled in May (required for AP
course credit and for weighted GPA)
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The AP English Language and Composition Exam
***Date: Wednesday, May 11, 2016 at 8:00 a.m.***
Format:
Section I: Multiple Choice
 55 questions
 1 hour to complete the section
 The multiple choice section tests your ability to read closely and to analyze the rhetoric
of prose passages.
 Total scores on the multiple-choice section are based on the number of questions
answered correctly. Points are not deducted for incorrect answers and no points are
awarded for unanswered questions.
Section II: Free Response (Essay)
 3 essay prompts
 Rhetorical Analysis
 Students read a non-fiction text and analyze how the writer’s language
choices contribute to his or her purpose and intended meaning for the text.
 Argument
 Students create an evidence-based argument that responds to a given topic.
 Synthesis
 Students read several texts (including at least one visual) about a topic and
create an argument that synthesizes at least three of the sources to support
their thesis.
 15 minutes to read through the prompts and sources
 2 hours to write all 3 essays (40 minutes per essay)
 Each free response question (FRQ) is scored from 0-9 by trained AP Exam Readers.
Grading is different for each type of FRQ, and we will carefully go over each rubric
while comparing sample essays of different scores to identify what we should include and
avoid in writing these short essays.
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Course Outline
First Marking Period
 Close Reading
 Introduction to Rhetorical Analysis
 Rhetorical Appeals
 Logical Fallacies
Second Marking Period
 American Literature History
 The Crucible
 The Scarlet Letter
 Visual Rhetoric
Third Marking Period
 Argument
 Semester Review
Fourth Marking Period
 The Great Gatsby
 Rhetorical Analysis, Part 2
 Moving Into Synthesis
 The Role of Evidence in Argument
 Satire and Propaganda
Fifth Marking Period
 Satire and Propaganda
 Synthesis, Part 2
 The Definition Essay
Sixth Marking Period
 Macbeth
 AP Exam Boot Camp
 College Admissions
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