Course: AP Language and Composition Instructor: Kellie Hannum khannum@nsd131.

org

Course Philosophy:
According to the College Board, the purpose of the AP English Language and Composition course is to enable
students to read complex texts with understanding and to write prose of sufficient richness and complexity to
communicate effectively. To that end, this course provides students with opportunities to write about a variety
of subjects from a variety of disciplines and to demonstrate an awareness of audience and purpose.

Upon completing the AP English Language and Composition course, then, students should be able to:
analyze and interpret samples of good writing, identifying and explaining an authors 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;
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.

This course will emphasize:

reading as the basis for expository, analytical, and argumentative writing with an understanding of content,
purpose, and audience and a belief that all works have a rhetorical purpose or argument,
exposure to a wide variety of prose styles, both fiction and nonfiction, from many disciplines and historical
periods to gain understanding of the connections between writing and interpretive skill in reading,
personal and reflective writing,
examination of primary and secondary sources in order to synthesize material in original compositions,
citing sources using conventions recommended by the Modern Language Association (MLA),
the importance of graphics and visual images in texts published in print and electronic media, how such
images both relate to written texts and serve as alternative forms of text,
the study of language itselfdifferences between oral and written discourse, formal and informal language,
tone, syntax, vocabulary/ word choice, imagery and other rhetorical and stylistic devices,
the ability to use grammatical conventions appropriately and develop stylistic maturity in prose.

Time and Attitude:

The most recognizable characteristics of successful AP students include commitment, self-motivation
and positivity. Students willing to put in the time and effort to actually study- not just complete assignments are
always more successful than those who have always gotten As and still expect to without adjusting to the
demands of the class. You can expect 2-4 hours of homework between each class meeting, sometimes more
depending on the novel or project in progress. There is little to no class time devoted to completing
assignments- it is reserved for instruction, practice, discussion, and clarification.
Students who have demanding academic and extracurricular schedules are often the ones most drawn to
AP and are most successful when they have a realistic understanding of the courses demands.
Some Ongoing Activities:
1. Annotation 4. Columnist Project 6. Assertion Journals

2. Current Events 5. Writing Process 7. Modes Project

*Timed Writes
3. Seminar Discussions *Essays 8. Assigned Novels
*Journals
*Drafts 9. Academic Vocabulary
Content:
Again, this is a college level course in which students will be reading and writing about rich and complex
issues. Students will encounter a variety of texts from a full spectrum of perspectives. Students will read and
consider texts that align with their core values and texts that may diametrically oppose those values. My intent
is to neither persuade nor offend, but to teach students to objectively approach a topic thinking critically, with
the power of rhetoric always in mind.

Parents and students should be aware that the majority of the literature studied in AP English 3 appears on the
Advanced Placement Reading List; these works are recommended by the College to be read by high school
students who choose to take AP courses. This literature requires considerable maturity on the part of the reader
and is not necessarily chosen to please, but to make the reader think. As with any work of art, literature is a
form of communication from one mind to another, an expression of human diversity and difference of opinion.
Literature demands that we cherish our right to be delighted, enriched and strengthened as well as our right to
be challenged, offended and even threatened. From this confrontation comes both struggle and growth.
Literature as art is an end unto itself whereby appreciation, not approval, is the goal. The ultimate goal is that
students will come to appreciate the textual richness and depth of thought that this literature offers.

ACADEMIC HONESTY & INTEGRITY:

The goal of Nampa Schools is to establish a challenging learning environment and to produce life-long learners.
Therefore, all work submitted by a student is expected to be the result of that students ideas and efforts; when
the work is not, the student has engaged in academic dishonesty.
All students are expected to complete assignments independently, unless otherwise specified by the teacher.
Cheating, including plagiarism, on ANY assignment, is automatically assigned a failing grade of zero for
the offending piece or pieces. In addition, the matter will be brought to the attention of other school
authorities concerning possible further action, such as suspension or denial/forfeiture of credit. A
student who willfully supplies materials to another student for copying is considered subject to the same
penalties.

ASSESSMENT:
The English language is extremely subjective, so the majority of assignments are graded using rubrics, or
scoring guides that are developed in response to the nature of the assignment and, in some cases, the desired
mode of response to the writing prompt. College Board/ AP rubrics will be used whenever possible.
All assignments, including those using rubrics, are based on points. For all essay writing we will be working
in the accepted AP format of a 9 point scale. These points are then converted into percentages and assigned
a letter grade as follows:
A 9= 95 Some assignments will be more heavily weighted than others. This Overall Grade
8= 91 information will always be noted in the assignment description in 88-100 A
B 7= 86 Power School and on the handouts given to students. 78-87 B
6= 80 70-77 C
C 5= 77 Student grades will be posted roughly every two 60-69 D
4= 74 weeks in class. You may also access Power School <60 F
3= 70 from any internet capable computer to view your
D 2= 65 students grades and attendance. Please contact the
1= 60 front office for the appropriate password.