AP LANGUAGE and COMPOSITION
2011-2012
COURSE DESCRIPTION
INTRODUCTION
The Advanced Placement course in English Language and Composition develops students into skilled readers of prose written in a variety of
rhetorical contexts and into skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Both their writing and their reading make students aware of
the interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and subjects and make them aware also of the way genre conventions and
the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing.
COURSE DESCRIPTION—WHAT TO EXPECT
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The focus of the course will be on the “how” of nonfiction. In other words, a close examination of the writer’s style and consideration of
how language is used to create an effective piece.
Reading is an important part of the course. Students will learn to read nonfiction through a rhetorical lens. Each text will be explored on
several levels and in several contexts. Thus, reading will be established with a view to our personal response, the historical period in
which the text was created, and the “readings” that are possible through application of the modes of writing and rhetorical techniques.
AP Language and Composition requires a close analysis of a variety of nonfiction writing, including essays, letters, and speeches.
Writing is another important aspect of the course. Students will write in a variety of forms not only to explore and evaluate the
nonfiction that is read, but also to hone their skills in using rhetorical techniques and in writing in the various modes.
Research is also a main course component. Students will learn to evaluate, use, and cite primary and secondary sources in order to
develop a position essay. Students will also learn how to analyze and synthesize a variety of sources in order to create an informed
argument.
The AP English Language and Composition Course demands attention to the fine nuances of language. To meet that demand, we’ll
tackle writing from the outside in (analysis of nonfiction) and from the inside out (our writings, with multiple drafts, student-teacher
conferences, peer-editing and revising).
This class is a study of language in many forms. In addition to studying texts, we will also look at the contexts in which those texts were
created. This will extend to current contexts, which in turn requires knowledge and understanding of current events. This type of study
and analysis will assist us in seeing the world from new perspectives.
Students will receive instruction and feedback on writing assignments, both before and after revision, that will help 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.
This is a college-level course, and students will have writing and/or reading homework that must be completed on time in order to reap
the full benefits of in-class work.
This course culminates in a three-hour examination in May administered through the College Board. Students must take the exam in
May in order to receive the extra point in their high school GPA.
AP LANGUAGE and COMPOSITION
2011-2012
READING
The key component to this course is to read the assigned texts and to read thoroughly. Most evenings students will have reading homework.
Students will take notes, annotate, or prepare for class by answering or posing questions about the text. Students are encouraged to reread.
Subsequent reading “drafts” improve comprehension just as subsequent writing drafts improve composition.
WRITING
Writing in the course encompasses a variety of forms (journals, in-class writing, drafts of essays, polished essays, creative writing) in a variety of
modes (narrative, analytical, persuasive) about a variety of subjects and through the stages of writing (prewriting, drafting, outlining, peer
editing, conferencing, revision). There will also be an emphasis on synthesis and research skills, and students are expected to produce a piece of
argumentation that indicates an understanding of correct MLA citation style.
ORAL LANGUAGE
Class activities will include presentations, seminars, and group discussions. Exploration of texts/readings through discussion is a vital way to
investigate meaning. Participation in all activities is required.
ASSESSMENTS
Essays
Students will write a minimum of fourteen essays, many of them timed, during the course of the year. Standards of assessment usually will be
aligned with those that are used by the College Board in the assessment of AP papers. Students will be graded on a level 1-5 for timed essays (5
being the highest). This correlates to the Loudoun County grading scale as shown below:
5 paper –90% and above
4 paper – 80% to 89%
3 paper – 70% to 79%
2 paper – 60% to 69%
1 – failing paper
NOTE: At the beginning of the course, essays will be
weighted to reflect the relative lack of experience with
this type of assessment. With progression, the
weighting will be reduced and then eliminated.
Projects
There will be a number of different projects throughout the year. These include teaching projects, advertising projects, research projects,
presentations, and simulated exam and essay questions. All projects will be graded using a rubric. Rubrics will be distributed before each project.
Objective Tests
Objective testing is a major part of the AP course. Students will complete multiple-choice tests on a regular basis. (The Advanced Placement test
in May includes a large number of multiple-choice questions.)
AP LANGUAGE and COMPOSITION
2011-2012
In-Class Work
In-class work will consist of a variety of assignments to sharpen our skills and will include seminars, group work, partner explorations, vocabulary
building, close textual analysis, team writing assignments, and various independent assignments such as journals, reaction papers, and
annotations.
Homework
As previously stated, most homework will consist of reading or rereading works in preparation for discussion or other use in class. Writing will
also be assigned for homework. There may be occasions, too, for short review, exploratory, or remediation homework assignments.
Exams
The mid-term examination simulates the AP Exam except that it will be given over two days instead of one. It will consist of approximately fifty
multiple-choice questions and three essays. The multiple-choice portion will be administered in class on the final day of the semester. Students
will have one hour to answer the multiple-choice selections. On the actual exam day, students will have two hours to complete three essay
responses. The essays will consist of one prose analysis, one open prompt, and one synthesis question. The suggested time to spend per essay is
40 minutes. The multiple choice results will count for 45% of the exam grade and the essay average will count for 55% of the exam grade. All of
the texts used in the exam will be previously unseen passages similar to those in the AP exam.
NOTE: There will be a final exam for seniors who do not meet the school’s second-semester exam exemption (a 70% average and no more
than two absences). There will also be a final exam for any juniors taking the course. The final exam format will be the same as the midterm exam.
TEXTS
The course includes an intensive study of representative authors and texts prescribed by the College Board. These include American and British
writers from the sixteenth century to the present.
Primary texts:
Cooley, Thomas. The Norton Sampler: Short Essays for Composition. 7th ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010. Print.
Glaser, Joe. Understanding Style: Practical Ways to Improve Your Writing. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford, 2010. Print.
Kennedy, X.J., Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Jane E. Aaron. The Bedford Reader. 9th Edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006. Print.
Supplemental texts:
Cohen, Samuel. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2004. Print.
Gross, John. The Oxford Book of Essays. New York: Oxford UP, 1991. Print.
AP LANGUAGE and COMPOSITION
2011-2012
SYLLABUS
Qtr
1
.
Texts
Rhetorical analysis & skills
Writing skills
Assessments
“Holy the Firm” by Annie Dillard (NS)
“How I Wrote the Moth Essay – and
Why” by Annie Dillard (NS)
“No Wonder They Call Me a Bitch” by
Ann Hodgman (NS)
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
From Walden by H.D. Thoreau:
paragraph 16 of “Where I Lived, and
What I Lived for”
"Here, Bullet" by Brian Turner
“All Seven Deadly Sins Committed at the
Church Bake Sale” from The Onion
“The Six Stages of Email” by Nora Ephron
“So, You Want To Be a Writer? Here’s
How” by Allegra Goodman
Current events from topical magazines
and newspapers
Modes of rhetoric: description
Modes of rhetoric: narrative
Modes of rhetoric: example
Modes of rhetoric: classification
Modes of rhetoric: process
Open prompt deconstruction
Rhetorical appeals: ethos, pathos,
and logos
SOAPStone
DIDLS for nonfiction text in a
rhetorical context
Parts of a syllogism
Fallacious arguments
Argument in image and video
The writing process
Reading like writers (DIDLS and
other observations)
How to mark text
Journal writing and the doubleentry (dialectical) journal
Practice with open prompt
Essay introductions and body
paragraphs
Naming definite actions (US,
beginning with the heading on
page 111)
Maintaining related grammatical
subjects (US, 125)
Paragraph breaks
Transitions and topic sentences
Answers to summer reading
questions re: In Cold Blood
Descriptive essay
Writing process essay
Current events analysis task cards
SOAPStone exercise
DIDLS exercise
Paragraph implementing another
writer’s stylistic devices
Rhetorical analysis comments on
passage
Timed rhetorical analysis essay
Timed persuasive essay (a.k.a., open
prompt essay)
Test on rhetorical appeals, methods
of argument, syllogisms, & fallacious
arguments
2
The Gettysburg Address by Abraham
Lincoln and four other sources
Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass by Frederick Douglass
“Gender in the Classroom” by Deborah
Tannen
“Se Habla Espanol” by Tanya Barrientos
“The Growing Cowardice of Online
Anonymity” by Richard Bernstein
Current events from topical magazines
and newspapers
The synthesis essay
Analyze student responses to past
AP essay prompts
Modes of rhetoric: comparison and
contrast
Modes of rhetoric: definition
Modes of rhetoric: cause and effect
Reading 18th and 19th century texts
Modes of Rhetoric: Argument
(exemplify, counter-argue,
acknowledge, intensify, digress,
conclude)
Toulmin method of argument
Rogerian method of argument
Deductive, inductive, and dialectic
reasoning
Multiple-choice test strategies
Patterns of old and new
information (US, 129)
Transitional devices (US, 132)
Coordinate structures (US, 135)
Subordinate structures (US, 138)
Emphasis and stress (US, 141, 144,
150)
Rhythm (US, 161)
Practice
Synthesis essay
Debate on current events
Open prompt (persuasive essay for
college application)
Timed open prompt
Answers to summer reading
questions re: Narrative of the Life of
Frederick Douglass
Process analysis group project (on
Frederick Douglass narrative)
Essay parts in blog posts, comments
Socratic seminar
Timed persuasive essay (using satire
or other form of irony)
Student-designed multiple-choice
questions
AP LANGUAGE and COMPOSITION
2011-2012
3
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
“On Dumpster Diving” by Lars Eighner
“The Way to Rainy Mountain” by
N. Scott Momaday
“From Behind the Formaldehyde
Curtain” by Jessica Mitford
“The Death of a Moth” by Virginia
Woolf
“The Stunt Pilot” by Anne Dillard
“Once More to the Lake” by E. B. White
Current events from topical magazines
and newspapers
Schemes and tropes
Research argument
Irony and satiric method (litotes,
satire, euphemism, hyperbole,
understatement, metonymy,
antiphrasis, sarcasm, irony)
More multiple-choice test strategies
Analyze more student responses to
past AP essay prompts
Vocabulary: prefixes and word roots
Cumulative and periodic sentences
Varying sentence lengths
Other sentence styles
Study of MLA format and citations
Study of research skills:
evaluation, use, and citation of
material, including primary and
secondary sources
Timed essays
Research paper
Multiple choice practice on a passage
from Blink
Socratic Seminar for Blink
Schemes and tropes booklist
4
“The Emancipation Proclamation” by
Abraham Lincoln
Letters by Marian Evans Lewes, Lady
Mary, Lord Chesterfield, Charles Lamb
Essays by John Ruskin, Susan Sontag,
John Locke
Speeches by Queen Elizabeth and Maria
Stewart
Savile Essay
“Self-Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson
“In Time of ‘The Breaking of Nations,’” a
poem by Thomas Hardy
“A Matter of Chance,” a short story by
Vladimir Nabokov
“Mr. Bennett and Mrs. Brown” by
Virginia Woolf
Student-selected Independent Reading
Project
Letters/Essays as a reflection and
criticism of cultural & social issues
Rhetorical argument in fiction and
poetry
Timed Writing
Creative Writing
Timed essays
Key to abbreviations:
NS = Norton Sampler, Seventh Edition; US = Understanding Style, Second Edition
Essay Outlines
Literary Circles
Creative Nonfiction