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 2
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 3
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. 4
-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
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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 6
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. 7
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.
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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.