AP English Language and Composition

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” -Aristotle

Course Overview

In this introductory college-level English course, students read and carefully analyze a broad and challenging range of nonfiction prose deepening their awareness of rhetoric and language dexterity. This class is devoted to enabling students to write effectively and confidently in their courses across the curriculum becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Students read selections from non-fiction prose models—including but not limited to—autobiography, biography, essays, articles, letters, diaries, and historical documents. Through close and frequent writing, students develop their ability to work with language and text with a greater awareness of purpose and strategy, while strengthening their own composing abilities.

As this is a college-level course, performance expectations are appropriately high, and the workload is challenging. Students are expected to commit to a minimum of five hours of course work per week outside of class. Often, work involves long-term writing and reading assignments, so effective time management is essential. Because of the demanding curriculum, students must bring to the course sufficient command of mechanical conventions and an ability to read and discuss prose.

AP courses are designed to be more challenging than the regular high school curriculum, and the coursework is more rigorous and demanding, however, as students learn advanced level writing and have the possibility of earning college credit at the high school level, AP courses can be the most rewarding.

This course is constructed in accordance with the guidelines in the AP English Course Description.

Course Goals/Learning Objectives (from the College Board AP English Language and Composition Course Description, Fall 2014)

Upon completion of the AP English Language and Composition course, students should be able to:

• analyze and interpret samples of purposeful writing, identifying and explaining an author’s use of rhetorical strategies and techniques;

• analyze images and other multimodal texts for rhetorical features; • use effective rhetorical strategies and techniques when composing;• write for a variety of purposes; • respond to different writing task according to their unique rhetorical and composition demands, and

translate that rhetorical assessment into a plan for writing; • create and sustain original arguments based on information synthesized from readings, research, and/or

personal observation and experience;• evaluate and incorporate sources into researched arguments• demonstrate understanding of the conventions of citing primary and secondary sources; • gain control over various reading and writing processes, with careful attention to inquiry (research),

rhetorical analysis and synthesis of sources, drafting, revising/rereading, editing, and review.• converse and write reflectively about personal processes of composition;• demonstrate understanding and control of Standard Written English as well as stylistic maturity in their

own writing;• revise a work to make it suitable for a different audience.

Grammar and Composition: Both grammar and composition will be taught within the context of the articles and writing that we

study and practice. A significant portion of this course will be devoted to writing. Isolated grammar instruction will occur as teacher notices areas in which students need specific instruction.

Vocabulary : We will have weekly vocabulary. The list (Appendix A) is made up of rhetorical and literary terms you

will need to know and use to analyze text and create your own writing. Outside Reading

Students will read outside of class in an effort to encourage reading for pleasure and complete a data works sheet (Appendix C & D) for each title read throughout the semester and the teacher will do a “book talk” interview with each student on readings. The teacher will suggest specific titles (Appendix B); however, students are encouraged to read within their own zones of proximal development.

Unit One: The Writing Process

We will begin with a thorough study of the writing process using the format outlined in Patterns for College Writing.

1. Invention, p. 15-49a. Moving from Subject to Topicb. Freewriting/Brainstormingc. Grouping Ideasd. Developing a Thesis

2. Arrangement, p. 51-64a. Understanding the Parts of an Essayb. Constructing a Formal Outline

3. Drafting and Revision, p. 65-79a. Writing Your First Draftb. Revising Your Essay

4. Editing and Proofreading, p. 81-93a. Editing for Grammar and Punctuationb. Editing for Sentence Style and Word Choice; proofreadingc. Checking your paper’s format

After reviewing the writing process, student will apply these skills to future writing assignments. All daily activities will involve some form of composition. Informal writing such as journal entries, reading response, collaborative writing, and imitation exercises will be utilized, as well as, more formal writing in the research paper. There will be a focus on various types of essays such as expository, rhetorical analysis, argumentative, and synthesis. Students will receive feedback on their writing from the teacher and peers at multiple levels (before, during, and after) and will be required to edit, revise, and rewrite at each point.

Unit Two: Rhetorical Analysis

In this unit, students learn to analyze rhetoric, specifically the tools authors use to communicate a central argument to a particular audience.

Baseline: Students respond to multiple prompts as a baseline writing assignment. This is used for instructional planning since it highlights students’ reading and writing skills coming into the course. Using these essays, students learn to apply the scale scores used by readers. Students also respond to multiple choice questions on a challenging passage.

The following pieces are used for the introduction of each device. Students respond to each passage through such strategies as seminars, SOAPS construction, annotation, one-paragraph analyses, and multiple choice question construction. Some devices are reinforced through video clips. Each device is taught in conjunction with others already analyzed by the students.

SOAPS: Lou Gehrig, “Farewell Speech”George W. Bush, “911 Speech”

Tone: Emily Prager, “Our Barbies, Ourselves” Visual Text: Berthe Morisot, “The Cradle”Visual Text: David Alfaro Siqueiro, “Echo of the Scream”

Diction: Gayle Rosenwald Smith, “The Wife-Beater” Nancy Mairs, “I am a Cripple”

Syntax: Waldo, “Valley Forge Journal” George Carlin, “Message“ Elie Wiesel, “September 11 essay”

Detail: Tim O’Brien, The Things They Carried George Orwell, “On Shooting an Elephant”

Organization: Thomas Jefferson, “The Declaration of Independence” Figurative Language: John Smith, “Letter to Queen Anne” Imagery: Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” Point of View: Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye

Margaret Laurence, “The Stone-Eyed Angel” Irony: Jonathan Swift, “A Modest Proposal”

After the lessons on syntax analysis, students will begin rigorous analysis of their own syntax. Students will practice using short, in-context editing exercises intended to address usage issues and improve sentence fluency and complexity.

Unit Three: Modes of Discourse

This unit is student-directed and takes the form of group projects. Small groups of students are responsible for researching, studying, and teaching the elements of one rhetorical mode. The following modes are assigned to groups: narration, description, exemplification/illustration, process analysis, cause/effect, comparison/contrast, classification and division, extended definition. Argumentation is dealt with separately. Each team will choose two or three essays to use in their lesson plans, and classmates are required to read and annotate the essays and, after the lesson on each mode, write an essay in that mode using the rhetorical devices from Unit Two.

Students will primarily choose essays from Patterns for College Writing, but may also supplement their lesson with selections from The Norton Reader, Readings for Writers, and The Language of Composition. The following is a suggested list of appropriate articles from Pattern for College Writing which students may choose from to use in their group projects:

1. NarrationVisual Text (Graphic Fiction): Marjane Satrapi, from Persepolis, p.109Sandra Cisneros, “Only Daughter,” p. 111Bonnie Smith-Yackel, “My Mother Never Worked,” p.121Martin Gansberg, “Thirty-Eight Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police,” p.127

2. DescriptionVisual Text (Painting): Aiken, “Café Fortune Teller,” p. 170Jhumpa Lahiri, “Rice” p. 172Heather Rogers, “The Hidden Life of Garbage,” p. 188E.B. White, “Once More to the Lake,” p. 194

3. ExemplificationVisual Texts (Photos): Four Tattoos: Alex Williams, “Lisa, Karen;” Joel Gordon, “Rose;” Bob Daemmrich, “Jiminy Cricket;” & Charles Gatewood, “Body Art,” p. 226 David J. Birnbaum, “The Catbird Seat,” p. 228Zev Chafets, “Let Steroids into the Hall of Fame” p. 253Jamaica Kincaid, “Girl” (Fiction) p. 258

4. Process

Visual Texts (Graph), Rodrigues, Growth of Facebook and Privacy, “Events” p.279Malcolm X, “My First Conk” p. 281Jessica Mitford, “The Embalming of Mr. Jones,” p. 303Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery,” (Fiction) p. 311

5. Cause and EffectVisual Text (Photo), Requena, “Major League Baseball Brawl,” p. 337Norman Cousins, “Who Killed Benny Paret?” p. 339Stan Cox, “The Case against Air Conditioning,” p. 344Lawrence Otis Graham, “The ‘Black Table’ is Still There,” p. 349

6. Comparison & ContrastVisual Texts (Sculptures), “The Kiss” Rodin, “LOVE” Robert Indiana, pp. 391-392Bruce Catton, “Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts,” p. 393Bharati Mukherjee, “Two Ways to Belong in America,” p. 404Laird, “I’m Your Teacher, Not Your Internet-Service Provider,” p. 417

7. Classification and DivisionVisual (Chart), “Key to Chalk Marks Designating Medical Conditions of Immigrants, Ellis Island” p. 448William Zinsser, “College Pressures,” p. 450Carolyn Foster Segal, “The Dog Ate My Disk, and Other Tales of Woe,” p. 460Amy Tan, “Mother Tongue,” p. 466

8. DefinitionVisual Text (Questionnaire),”U.S. Census 2019 Form” Judy Brady, “I Want a Wife,” p. 503Jose Antonio Burciaga, “Tortillas,” p. 507Meghan Daum, “Fame-iness,” p. 511

Teams will be assessed on a project rubric, and individual essays will be evaluated based on rubrics developed by each team.

For the purposes of accuracy and accountability, students will create all lesson plans, handouts, and essays on Google Docs so that the instructor sees all stages of the process and is able to provide feedback and guidance.

Interspersed among the student lessons will be in-class timed writing, continued teacher instruction of rhetorical techniques, and metacognition exercises with multiple choice questions (e.g., defending answers to released questions or explaining correct answers to questions they missed).

Unit Three: Argumentation and Persuasion

Students will study the following topics and terminology in this unit:

• Aristotle’s logos, ethos, and pathos • Rogerian reasoning • Toulmin logic • Claim, support, grounds, warrant, induction, deduction, syllogism (major premise, minor

premise, conclusion), and enthymeme • Logical fallacies • Charged language • Public speaking skills

Students will study the following pieces during this unit:

• Jonathan Swift, “A Modest Proposal” (stale text analysis of argument) • Abraham Lincoln, “The Gettysburg Address” • Lord Chesterfield, Letter to his Son • Patrick Henry, “Speech to the Virginia Convention”• Thomas Jefferson, “The Declaration of Independence”• Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from Birmingham Jail”• Various Political Cartoons • Clips from “The Daily Show,” “The Colbert Report,” “Countdown with Keith Olberman,”

and Fox & CNN News The culmination of this unit will be a persuasive speech delivered to the class. Students will be evaluated

on their understanding of rhetoric, the logic of their arguments, the quality of their evidence, and their delivery.

Unit Four: Synthesis

Building up to the argumentative research paper (in which students will be required to use a variety of texts, including graphs and political cartoons), students will practice synthesizing, incorporating, and citing sources given to them through both process and timed approaches. Exercises will include annotation, multiple sorting of sources to defend various thesis statements, scoring of released responses, and creation of their own synthesis prompt and sources.

Unit Five: The Research Paper

Student will research and write a paper of approximately 8-10 pages based on an approved topic of student choice. The form of the paper should follow that specified in Patterns for College Writing, Appendix p. 703. Your instructor will spend several class periods on the techniques of writing a research paper, discussing organization, note taking, and documentation. This research paper will be an argumentative research paper, meaning that you will present a well-thought out argument in a field of knowledge that you will be expected to support using carefully selected outside sources.

Students will be expected to learn and apply MLA (Modern Language Association) guidelines for the citation of aforementioned sources. Students will be introduced to the APA (American Psychological Association), and CMS (Chicago Manual of Style) styles of formatting, but will focus on MLA.

Student may refer to the following website as a resource to get the most recent updates on MLA style: http://www.mla.org/style

MLA style instructional focus: Abbreviations, Brackets, Ellipsis, Manuscript Form, Documentation, Paraphrase, Plagiarism, Quotations, Style, Italics, citation instructions.

The Advanced Placement Exam

The culmination of AP English III is the Advanced Placement Examination, given nationally each year in May. By scoring a 3 or higher, a student can gain advanced placement standing in college or possibly earn college credit. There are two basic methods by which this can be accomplished. The first is to complete all daily assignments carefully and conscientiously. By so doing, the student builds those skills expected of advanced placement students. The second is to become familiar with the format and types of questions asked on the examination. To this end, there will be timed essays and multiple choice drills which should facilitate scoring well on the examination. These drills are a vital part of AP English language, and failure to perform accordingly will seriously and adversely affect one’s grade and possibly one’s score. Performance on these drills in class are a vital proponent of classroom grading

Grading:

The numerical evaluation system for AP English Language & Composition will be the same as school & district policy:

A 90-100B 80-89

C 70-79D 60-69

F Below 60

Your final grade will be determined as follows:

Major papers / projects 30%Vocabulary Quizzes 15% Timed AP Drills / Tests 25%Classwork and Participation 30%

Absences :

Attendance is absolutely vital to the classroom success of students. In AP, we move at a very quick pace and when a student misses class it is very easy to become overwhelmed. Do your best to be in class every day! If a student misses a class, it is the student’s responsibility to follow up with the teacher to get missed assignments, and the student may even need to stay after school for tutorial to catch up. Students will have 3 days to make up a missed tests and assignments. According to county policy, if you miss more than 3 days of class, you are required to make up 45 minutes for each day to receive credit for the course.

Primary Course Text

Kirzner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Patterns for College Writing. 9th Ed. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2004.

Supplemental Texts

Bureau, Susan, et al. AP English Language and Composition: Are You Serious about Getting a 5? 8th Ed. Piscataway: Research & Education Association, Inc., 2011.

Goldthwaite, Melissa A, et al. eds. The Norton Reader: An Anthology of Nonfiction. 14th Ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2016.

Metherell-McCuen, Jo Ray, and Winkler, Anthony C. Readings for Writers. 15th Ed. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2016.

Murphy, Barbara L., and Estelle M. Rankin, eds. 5 Steps to a 5: AP English Language. 2nd Ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2007.

Shea, Renee H, et al. The Language of Composition. 2nd Ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2013.

Supplies :

Students will need and should bring the following supplies to class every day.

1 binder (1” or 1 ½”) 5 to 6 dividers (pocket tab dividers) Highlighters (assorted colors) Loose leaf notebook paper (college ruled) Black and blue pens 2 Colored pens (for grading) #2 Pencils 2 Packs of 100 3x5” Index cards Folder (paper, with pockets, no brads)

Class Rules:

All the rules are designed to help you take full advantage of your education as well as to be fully prepared for upper level courses. They will be strictly enforced.

Be respectful of others. Bring all materials to class, and write your name on all work. Engage in the learning process. Maintain academic integrity. Be on time to class. This means that you must be seated when the bell rings. Write legibly. Take your time and make sure your work is neat.

Electronic Device Use Policy:

Technology, while an excellent tool to facilitate and enhance student learning, can be abused and misused in the classroom. Therefore, there will be strict guidelines that all students must know and follow. School rules apply for cell phone usage. Cell phones must be put away and out of sight during the school day unless the teacher has given specific permission for it to be used for an assignment.

Electronic Devices such as laptops or tablets may only be used and/or out on the student's desk when the teacher has explicitly announced their allowable use. If a student is using their device without teacher permission at a timed deemed inappropriate, school rules will apply and the device will be taken and turned in to the office. Also, if a student is not using their device for instructional purposes during a time allowed by the teacher, students will follow a three strike policy:

1. First strike: student will be given a verbal warning.2. Second strike: Device will be taken up for the remainder of the class period and parent/guardian will be

notified.3. Third strike: Device will be taken and turned over to the office, and the student may be banned from

bringing it back to class for a length of time.

Extra Help:

I am always willing to help students who desire extra assistance. My regular tutoring schedule is Tuesday and Thursdays after school. If you wish to meet at different time, please see me to schedule a time.

Appendix A

Rhetorical & Literary Terms (from AP English Language & Composition: Are You Serious about Getting a 5?)

Abstract LanguageAd hominemAllegoryAlliterationAllusionAnecdoteAmbiguityAnalogyAnalysisAnnotationAntithesisApostrophe AssonanceAuthorityBackingBalanceBegging the QuestionCircumlocution Causal RelationshipClauseColloquial LanguageCommon Knowledge Concrete LanguageConnotation Consonance Conventional Cumulative Sentence Deduction Dialect DictionDidacticDramatic IronyEither-Or ReasoningEmotional Appeal

EquivocationEthical AppealEuphemismEvokeExampleExplicationFalse AnalogyFigurative languageFootnoteGeneralization HyperboleHypotheticalExample IdiomImage ImageryImplicationIncongruity Induction Imperative Sentence Inference Inversion Irony Jargon Juxtaposition Logic MetaphorMoodMoralNon-sequiturObjectivityOnomatopoeiaOversimplificationOxymoron

ParadoxParallelismParodyPathosPeriodic SentencePersonificationPhrasePoint of ViewPunQualificationRed HerringRefutationRepetitionRhetoricRhetorical DeviceRhetorical StrategyRhetorical QuestionSatireSarcasmSimileSlangSourceStyleSubjectivitySyllogismSymbolSyntactic FluencyThemeThesisToneUnityVerbal Irony

Other Rhetorical & Literary Terms to know:

AphorismAssertionCynicismDiatribeDigressionDogma

EnumerateElegiacFallacyMetonymyProseRebuttal

SolecismStanceSyntaxUnderstatement

Appendix B

The Ultimate AP English Language & Composition Reading List

The AP English Language curriculum lists several literary works that will assist you in answering free response questions during the exam as well as some of the multiple choice questions. Below is a list of the ultimate AP English Language reading.

Fiction

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Utopia by Sir Thomas More

Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez

The following will likely be taught in AP 12 Lit.; if you chose 1 of

these, know that you may have to re-read in class next year

1984 by George Orwell

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Other Fiction titles by recommended authors

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday

The Once and Future King by T. H. White

The Optimist's Daughter Paperback by Eudora Welty

The Robber Bridegroom Paperback by Eudora Welty

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

Non-Fiction: Freakonomics by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Soldier Boy by Ishmael Beah

How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill

Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy

A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf

A Collection of Essays by George Orwell

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

The Overachievers by Alexandra Robbins

Poems of W.H. Aude/The Unknown Citizen by W. H. Auden

Silent Spring by Linda Lear and Rachel Carson

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Other Non-fiction titles by recommended authors

Endgame: A Journal of the Seventy-Ninth Year by May Sarton

Black Boy by Richard Wright

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass

The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence by Carl Sagan

Walden and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

I Know Why the Caged Birds Sings by Maya Angelou

Gather Together in My Name by Maya Angelou

Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now by Maya Angelou

The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood among Ghosts by Maxine Hong Kingston

The Autobiography of Malcom X by Malcolm X (as told to Alex Haley)

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Martin Luther King

The Elements of Style by William Shrunk & E.B. White

How to Read and Why by Harold Bloom

The Daemon Knows: Literary Greatness and the American Sublime by Harold Bloom

Reading for Success -This AP English Language reading list, while it does not encompass every book that will be useful during the AP English Language Exam, is a great place to start. This is a ton of reading material, but by completing this list you can increase your AP score.

Appendix C

AP Language and Composition Name __________________________________________

Fiction Data Sheet for Outside Reading

Title of Work: ________________________________

Author: _____________________________________

Date of Publication: ___________________________

Genre (be specific): ___________________________

Characteristics of the Genre:

Biographical Information about the Author:

Historical Information about the Period of Publication: Major Symbols, Motifs, Images:

Plot Summary:

Description of the Setting(s) Mood the Setting(s) Creates:

Major CharactersCharacter’s Name Role (What role does this

person have in the story?)Significance (Why is this character significant to the

story?)

Character Traits (What sort of person is this?)

1

2

3

4

5

Description of the Author’s Style: (diction, syntax, form) Examples that Demonstrates Style and Explanation:

Memorable Quotations

Quotation (and Speaker): Explanation/Significance:

1

2

3

4

5

Significance of the Opening Scene Prepare for your BOOK TALKOverview:

What specific information do you plan to share from the text?(Include some rhetorical methods like author’s style, tone, theme, etc.)

What overall impressions do you have of the book? Would you recommend this novel to others? Why or why not? Be specific.

Significance of the Ending/Closing Scene

Themes

Appendix D

AP English: Language and Composition Name

Nonfiction Data Sheet

Title: _______________________________Author: _____________________________Date of Publication: ___________________GENRE: _____________________________

Author Information: (Ethos) - CredibilityWho is (are) the author(s)? What are the authors’ qualifications for writing on this subject? Is the author an authority in the subject area? How does the author present the subject and his/her expertise? Do the acknowledgements and bibliography indicate thoughtful research? (cite your sources)Information about the person/subject’s place in

history: (Why is this person or subject worthy of a book?)

Theme/Message/Argument (LOGOS):Why did the author write this text? Is there a motive? If so, what is it? What is the reader supposed to take away from the text? What overall themes/messages/arguments were developed in this work? Use textual evidence to support your ideas.

Quotations: (Your choices should be SIGNIFICANT and REPRESENTATIVE of the book. Your explanations should include this significance and including any rhetorical methods/devices the author may have used.)

Author’s Style:Is the language level appropriate? Does the writing have clarity? Is the material fairly easy to follow and understand? Does the author avoid stereotypes & generalizations? How does the author use syntax, diction, & format to achieve his or her purpose? What is the author’s tone?

Quotation & Page # Device and Explanation

1

2

3

4

5

SOAPSLook at the rhetorical situation. How does examining these 5 things help you better analyze & understand the significance of this text?

SUBJECT

OCCASION

AUDIENCE

PURPOSE

SPEAKER

Emotional Appeal (PATHOS)How did this text affect you? What emotional response did the

author’s writing invoke? Why? How was this accomplished?

Prepare for your BOOK TALK

Overview/Summary:

What specific information do you plan to share from the text?(Plan to include some of the rhetorical information on this sheet)

What overall impressions do you have of the text? Would you recommend this book to others? Why or why not? Be specific.