AP English Language and Composition

Course Overview and Objectives

The AP Language and Composition course is designed to prepare students to read and write on a
college level developing skills that will ultimately prepare students for the Advanced Placement
Language and Composition Exam. This exam consists of three timed essays and timed multiple
choice questions based on readings from various periods and genres.
Preparation for this exam will engage students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a
variety of rhetorical contexts and become skilled writers who are able to compose for a variety of
purposes, as stated in The College Boards AP English Course Description, May 20092010.
This is a rigorous course where students will be reading and writing in a way that will prepare
them for college and assist them in communicating skillfully on a personal and/or professional
level through writing. Students will be asked to write about and respond orally to readings
representing a wide variety of styles, genres and topics, primarily non-fiction. Readings may
include, but are not limited to, topics on nature and the environment, culture and ethics, politics,
crime and morality. In responding to what they read, students will have to answer questions
explaining how the writers attitude or intention gets delivered through rhetoric and linguistic
choices.
Additionally, students will develop proficiency in not only reading primary and secondary
sources, but also synthesizing these materials effectively into their own writing. Students will
practice citing sources effectively using standard conventions of MLA format. Finally, students
will develop the ability to succeed and excel in a college level composition class as cogent
writers and critical thinkers.

Course Outcomes
AP Language and Composition students will:
be able to read analyze and interpret a variety of nonfiction and some fiction works
from various genres and time periods
apply SOAPSTone analysis to a text
employ rhetorical devices and components of argumentation in the development of
original essays
be able to write arguing a position
be able to incorporate a counter argument or rebuttal in their writing
support and sustain a point of view based on verifiable sources, readings, and/or
personal experience
be able to write an essay analyzing a text and its rhetorical strategies
be able to identify and define terms and rhetorical strategies commonly by writers
have a comprehensive understanding of ethos, pathos, and logos
be able to identify speaker, audience, and purpose of a written piece
have an understanding of Classical Argument, Toulmin Argument and Rogerian

Argument
be proficient in using advanced grammar, varied sentence structure and mechanics
in their writing
be able to write a research paper synthesizing a variety of sources from extensive
research
develop mastery in writing Timed Essays
become proficient in drafting, revising and editing their own written work
become effective at debate
demonstrate command of language in an oral presentation
be able to employ various strategies to understand and analyze a written work
be able to identify and analyze different rhetorical modes
be able to write using different rhetorical modes
be able to analyze visual rhetoric including graphs, charts and advertisements
be able to utilize MLA format in all completed work
have the option to participate in the AP language and Composition Exam

Course Requirements
Although the course is designed to prepare students for the AP Language and Composition Exam
it is not just a test prep course. This is a college level course where students will be required to
engage on a daily basis with their peers in discussion of controversial issues, literary analysis,
rhetorical analysis, an authors purpose, and an authors use of language.
Discussion in the form of Socratic dialogue is a critical part of the class. In order for students to
engage in thoughtful and productive class discussions they will be required to adhere to their
reading schedule. The class will offer students an opportunity to engage in discussion of current
critical and divisive issues where they will have to form an argument from an analysis of their
readings and by using prior knowledge. For this reason students will be required to engage in
reading outside the class, and will be required to maintain some knowledge of current social and
political issues. Students must be able to understand and examine multiple and opposing views
on the issues they discuss and/or write about; this is critical to their ability to write
comprehensive argumentative essays. The student will also employ these skills to determine how
an author gets his point across through style and rhetorical skill whether they agree with an issue
or not. The same applies to their ability and to evaluate visual rhetoric.
Performance expectations for students will be high, but will be appropriate for a college level
course. Students will need to be responsible for their own reading, writing and critical thinking
skills. Students will be expected to actively participate in class discussion, peer editing and
understand and articulate opposing viewpoints of a subject.

Course Texts

The Norton Reader A collection of nonfiction prose from a variety of authors

Silent Spring Rachael Carson
Blue Highways William Least Heat-Moon
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A Walk in the Woods Bill Bryson

Walden and Civil Disobedience Henry David Thoreau
In Cold Blood Truman Capote
The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald
Death of a Salesman Arthur Miller
Elements of Style William Strunk
5 Steps to a 5 Barbara L. Murphy and Estelle Rankin

Course Elements
Composition
Socratic dialogue
Periodic response to literature in the form of oral presentations, graphic displays, or projects
Preparation for the AP Language and Composition Exam (timed free-writes, practice tests and
quizzes)

Composition
Written composition is an essential and foundational part of this course. Through direct
instruction, revision, editing (self, peer, and instructor), multiple drafting, exposure to exemplary
samples of writing (both student and professional), and specific feedback and commentary at
every stage of the writing process, each student will improve his or her writing skills. Students
will learn to identify and employ traditional rhetorical strategies, including but not limited to
pathos, ethos, and logos. Students will learn about organization and coherence in their writing,
and about the use of deductive reasoning (movement from the general to the particular) and
inductive reasoning (moving from the particular to the general) in constructing an argument.
Students will become proficient in a variety of writing modes. They will learn about syntax,
varying the length and complexity of their sentence structure. Students will learn to respond
effectively to specific prompts and questions, but will also develop a unique sense of style in
their work that will set it above the average production of a high school or even college level
student. They will sharpen their technical skills while discovering and refining their own
personal voice in written language.
-Rewrites, revision, multiple drafts and extensive peer and teacher editing will occur for each
paper.
-Specific editing and individualized commentary and feedback for improvement will be offered
to the student from the instructor at multiple stages during each writing assignment, along with
final comments and grades on final drafts.
-Teacher instruction, editing, commentary and feedback on each writing assignment will include
but is not limited to the areas of grammar, spelling, syntax, style, tone, rhetorical strategies,
vocabulary, logical organization and coherence, and creating a balance of generalization and
specific, illustrative detail. This process will employ an approved AP writing rubric.
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-Writing instruction in the form of direct in-class lessons (which include examples of exemplary
essays) will be offered in class prior to each writing assignment.
-Students will be guided in the construction of outlines, including but not limited to graphic
organizers, to ensure that they develop logical organization skills and strategies to increase
coherence in their writing.
-Late, unexcused papers will be docked 10 points per day for up to one week.

SUMMER READING REQUIREMENT

Students will read ALL of Bill Brysons A Walk in the Woods, maintaining a reader response
journal with commentary on a chapter-by-chapter basis. They will then respond to the following
question in a short essay (no more than 3 pages).
A Walk in the Woods response question:
Using your reader response journal entries from your summer reading discuss the unique voice
Bryson brings to travel narrative. Determine and comment on the changes in the authors feeling
about his various topics and how he expresses them at the word level and sentence level.
IMPORTANT NOTE: We will not necessarily cover ALL of the reading material outlined in
the text section of each unit. At times, we will only be reading excerpts. Consider this section a
guide.

1st Quarter
Unit One (3 Weeks) Study the Aspects of Voice and Style in Nonfiction
Texts A Walk in the Woods, The Norton Reader: Francis Bacon, John Donne, Ernest
Hemmingway, William Faulkner
Pre-Writing Instruction Students will be presented with a student example of
exemplary writing in the appropriate category and a professional example of exemplary writing
in the appropriate category to prepare them for the writing assignment. These writing examples
will provide the basis for a class discussion and teacher instruction on fundamental elements of
grammar, spelling, syntax, style, tone, rhetorical strategies, vocabulary and logical organization
and coherence. Students will be presented with a variety of organizational models, such as
graphic organizers and outline templates, and instructed in their use.
Writing Introduction to short response and dialectical journaling, three-page
descriptive essay
Group/Pair work introduction to peer editing, introduction to Socratic seminar

Timed Writing based on prompts available on the College Board website

Vocabulary Building Students are provided with a list of SAT vocabulary words, and
a quiz on ten words is given each week, demonstrating their ability to utilize the words
with proper context, meaning, and connotation. Students will be required to use each
work in an original sentence.
Unit Two (6 weeks) Study the Aspects of Voice and Style in Fiction and Drama
Texts The Great Gatsby, Death of a Salesman.
Pre-Writing Instruction Students will be presented with a student example of
exemplary writing in the appropriate category and a professional example of exemplary writing
in the appropriate category to prepare them for the writing assignment. These writing examples
will provide the basis for a class discussion and teacher instruction on fundamental elements of
grammar, spelling, syntax, style, tone, rhetorical strategies, vocabulary and logical organization
and coherence. Students will be presented with a variety of organizational models, such as
graphic organizers and outline templates, and instructed in their use.
Writing: Students will write a three-page narrative essay.
Group/pair work Students will peer editing and draft revisions.
Timed Writing based on prompts available on the College Board website
Vocabulary Building Students are provided with a list of SAT vocabulary words, and
a quiz on ten words is given each week, demonstrating their ability to utilize the words
with proper context, meaning, and connotation. Students will be required to use each
work in an original sentence.
2nd Quarter
Unit One (5 Weeks) Nature and the Environment
Texts The Norton Reader: Chief Seattle, Carl Sagan, Ed Abbey, Silent Spring.
Pre-Writing Instruction Students will be presented with a student example of
exemplary writing in the appropriate category and a professional example of exemplary writing
in the appropriate category to prepare them for the writing assignment. These writing examples
will provide the basis for a class discussion and teacher instruction on fundamental elements of
grammar, spelling, syntax, style, tone, rhetorical strategies, vocabulary and logical organization
and coherence. Students will be presented with a variety of organizational models, such as
graphic organizers and outline templates, and instructed in their use.
Writing Dialectical journal and short in-class writing. Students will write a three-page
expository essay. Additionally, students will view Broken Limbs, a documentary film that
analyzes the effects of globalization on U.S. agriculture and its small farmers. Students will write
an essay exploring the visual and verbal rhetorical strategies employed in the film and along with
the instructor, will develop and then answer a series of extended response questions based on
their viewing of the film.
Group/pair work- Students will peer edit and draft revisions of essay.
Timed Writing based on prompts available on the College Board website
Writing Preparation- Exercises in writing and rhetorical strategies will be taken from 5
Steps to a 5.
Vocabulary Building Students are provided with a list of SAT vocabulary words, and
a quiz on ten words is given each week, demonstrating their ability to utilize the words
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with proper context, meaning, and connotation. Students will be required to use each
work in an original sentence.
Note: Some reading and writing assignments completed over Christmas Break
Unit Two (5 Weeks)
Texts Desert Solitaire, The Rediscovery of North America
Pre-Writing Instruction Students will be presented with a student example of
exemplary writing in the appropriate category and a professional example of exemplary writing
in the appropriate category to prepare them for the writing assignment. These writing examples
will provide the basis for a class discussion and teacher instruction on fundamental elements of
grammar, spelling, syntax, style, tone, rhetorical strategies, vocabulary and logical organization
and coherence. Students will be presented with a variety of organizational models, such as
graphic organizers and outline templates, and instructed in their use.
Writing Dialectical journal entries and students will write a three-page
Compare/Contrast essay over Silent Spring and Desert Solitaire.
Timed Writing based on prompts available on the College Board website
Writing Preparation- Exercises in writing and rhetorical strategies will be taken from 5
Steps to a 5.
Vocabulary Building Students are provided with a list of SAT vocabulary words, and
a quiz on ten words is given each week, demonstrating their ability to utilize the words
with proper context, meaning, and connotation. Students will be required to use each
work in an original sentence.
3rd Quarter
Unit One (4 Weeks) Culture and Ethics
Texts The Norton Reader: Prince Machiavelli, Lani Guinies, Jonathan Swift, Jonathan
Rauch, Walden and Civil Disobedience
Pre-Writing Instruction Students will be presented with a student example of
exemplary writing in the appropriate category and a professional example of exemplary writing
in the appropriate category to prepare them for the writing assignment. These writing examples
will provide the basis for a class discussion and teacher instruction on fundamental elements of
grammar, spelling, syntax, style, tone, rhetorical strategies, vocabulary and logical organization
and coherence. Students will be presented with a variety of organizational models, such as
graphic organizers and outline templates, and instructed in their use.
Writing- Dialectical journal and in class response to Thoreaus work.
Timed Writing based on prompts available on the College Board website
Writing Preparation- Exercises in writing and rhetorical strategies will be taken from 5
Steps to a 5.
Vocabulary Building Students are provided with a list of SAT vocabulary words, and
a quiz on ten words is given each week, demonstrating their ability to utilize the words
with proper context, meaning, and connotation. Students will be required to use each
work in an original sentence.

Unit Two (5 Weeks) Culture and Ethics cont.

Texts The Norton Reader: Anthony Burgess, Gloria Steinem, Blue Highways,
Pre-Writing Instruction Students will be presented with a student example of
exemplary writing in the appropriate category and a professional example of exemplary writing
in the appropriate category to prepare them for the writing assignment. These writing examples
will provide the basis for a class discussion and teacher instruction on fundamental elements of
grammar, spelling, syntax, style, tone, rhetorical strategies, vocabulary and logical organization
and coherence. Students will be presented with a variety of organizational models, such as
graphic organizers and outline templates, and instructed in their use.
Writing Students will write an analysis paper over the state of American culture and
ethics in the modern era. The paper will be research-based, written in MLA format and include a
works cited page. The paper should be a minimum of five pages in length. Along with the paper,
students will design a web page that displays their paper, providing links to all the cited sources.
Timed Writing based on prompts available on the College Board website
Writing Preparation- Exercises in writing and rhetorical strategies will be taken from 5
Steps to a 5.
Vocabulary Building Students are provided with a list of SAT vocabulary words, and
a quiz on ten words is given each week, demonstrating their ability to utilize the words
with proper context, meaning, and connotation. Students will be required to use each
work in an original sentence.
4th Quarter
Unit One (2 weeks) Test Preparation
Scoring guide and grading
Practice testing
Practice grading
Unit Two (6 Weeks) Politics and Crime
Texts The Norton Reader: Michael Levin, Paul Fussell, In Cold Blood
Pre-Writing Instruction Students will be presented with a student example of
exemplary writing in the appropriate category and a professional example of exemplary writing
in the appropriate category to prepare them for the writing assignment. These writing examples
will provide the basis for a class discussion and teacher instruction on fundamental elements of
grammar, spelling, syntax, style, tone, rhetorical strategies, vocabulary and logical organization
and coherence. Students will be presented with a variety of organizational models, such as
graphic organizers and outline templates, and instructed in their use.
Writing- Students will write a three page argument paper. Additionally, students will
be asked to view a political cartoon and write an essay explaining why, in this particular context,
the image is both more appropriate and more impactful than the use of words might be,
rhetorically speaking.
Timed Writing based on prompts available on the College Board website
Writing Preparation- Exercises in writing and rhetorical strategies will be taken from 5
Steps to a 5.

Student Evaluation
Students are evaluated on the basis of major papers, homework, quality, and character of class
participation and involvement, and AP-style writing prompts. Essays are assessed using the AP
scoring guide and are graded after revisions when applicable.
Major papers: 50%
Socratic Dialogue: 25%
In-class timed writing: 15%
Writing preparation exercises: 10%