AP English Language and Composition Syllabus
Course Description:
AP Language and Composition is the title of the course taken during the 11th grade year.
Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on training students to become skilled
readers and writers in diverse genres and modes of composition. Through the process of
reading, writing, and discussing texts, students will become skilled in composing for
different audiences and purposes. Students will learn to understand and appreciate the
diverse ways that authors make meaning in both oral and written texts as well as
identifying literary structures and conventions and effectively using them in their own
writing. The course will especially focus on rhetorical analysis and close reading as well
as students writing their own persuasive essays.
To accomplish this task, we will emphasize nonfiction writing including journals, letters,
speeches and public documents. American literature, which is typically taught at the 11th
grade level, especially lends itself to this study. We will also study poetry, short stories,
and longer works of fiction including: The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, and Huckleberry
Finn. Although fiction will be taught, the main purpose will be to analyze the writer’s
rhetorical strategies and techniques for a specific purpose.
While students will obviously be expected to take the AP Language Exam at the end of
this year, the skills taught throughout the year will allow students to read critically and
write effectively in different modes in the college classroom and beyond.
Upon completing the AP English Language and Composition course, students should be
able to:

analyze and interpret samples of good writing, identifying and explaining an author’s
use of rhetorical strategies and techniques;

apply effective strategies and techniques in their own writing;

create and sustain arguments based on reading, research, and/or personal experience;

demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English as well as stylistic
maturity in their own writings;

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 source material, cogent explanations, and clear transitions;

demonstrate understanding of the conventions of citing primary and secondary source
material;

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.
(From CollegeBoard’s AP English Course Description).
Student Expectations:
Students will be expected to complete all assignments. Writing grows out of reading, and
is inextricably intertwined with it. Expect to complete most reading assignments outside
of class. Students will regularly practice writing under a time constraint using models
from previous AP Exams, as well as practicing multiple choice questions in preparation
for the exam. Timed AP practices will be given 2-3 times per six weeks and students
will be responsible for making timed assessments up at teacher appointed times,
including nightly tutorials. They will also be expected to complete a research paper and
other process papers. Students will be required to take a practice AP test in late fall or
early Spring, as well as attend AP Prep Sessions on Saturdays in the Spring.
Textbooks:
Cohen, Samuel, Ed. 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s,
2004.
Shea, Renee H. and Scanlon, Lawrence. Teaching Nonfiction in AP English. Boston,
Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2005.
The Reader’s Choice: American Literature. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2000.
Course Overview
Semester One
Unit One: The Early Puritans
Reading Focus: Throughout this unit, students will be
introduced to the requirements of the
AP test and read early American works with nonfiction
selections thematically incorporated. Students will explore current
events, work through AP multiple choice practices and practice testing strategies
strategies, and review the principles of rhetoric.
Writing Focus: Throughout this unit, students will model the components of AP
essay writing, practice writing strong introductions and thesis statements,
informal journal writing, analysis of prompts and passages, revision strategies,
persuasive and expository writing and incorporate vocabulary and voice for
stronger essays.
Novels/Essays/Sources used:
 The Scarlet Letter Nathanial Hawthorne
 “Of Plymouth Plantation” William Bradford
 “On Compassion” Barbara Ascher
 “The Ways We Lie” Stephanie Ericsson
 The Crucible Arthur Miller
 “Half-Hanged Mary” Margaret Atwood
 short passages from released AP exams (specified below)
 short passages from 1989-1995 Acorn Book (specified below)
 short passages from 1998-2005 Acorn Book (specified below)
Week One: Pass out and discuss syllabus, grading policies, on-going assignments, and
student expectations. Examine a released AP Language Exam (1996). Practice a short
m/c passage and complete a 40 minute timed writing from the released test. (Grades will
be based on participation, although actual grades will be shared with students.) Discuss
the types of questions asked and compare to the 10th grade End of Course Exam. If time
allows, read William Bradford’s “Of Plymouth Plantation.” This may be homework for
next week.
Week Two: Early in the week assign students to annotate an AP passage through guided
questions in preparation for a m/c practice (China passage- 1998-2005 Acorn Book).
Also assign Current event number one *In this on-going assignment, students will locate
a current event article and complete an analysis requiring them to find the assertion, take
a stance for or against the writer’s position, and provide commentary for their opinion.
This will be due next Monday. Continue “Of Plymouth Plantation” focusing on how
Bradford’s style of writing shows the Pilgrim’s attitude toward God. After working
through packet, students write an introductory paragraph answering the prompt. On
Thursday, complete the AP practice from homework – grade and discuss – groups write
rationales for particular questions Begin introducing The Scarlet Letter – author and time
period notes. Also this week discuss the timed writing practice from the first week.
Week Three: Read chapters 1 and 2 of The Scarlet Letter, modeling annotation
strategies in a class setting. Students will be assigned chapters 3-9 of The Scarlet Letter
for homework due at the beginning of next week applying learned strategies in a
dialectical journal format based on character. During class students will work through
activities with the essay “On Compassion” by Barbara Ascher from 50 Essays. Class
activities will culminate into a m/c practice and short writing activity. Also, an AP
released free response (Orwell/Gandhi – 2001 AP test) will be practiced this week in a
timed setting. Students will be provided with questions to aid analysis prior to the
practice that introduce appeals, counterargument, and syllogism.
Week Four: Early in the week assign students to annotate an AP passage (Angel in the
House passage -1989-1995 Acorn Book) in preparation for a m/c practice on Thursday –
grade and discuss Students may write up to four rationales on questions they missed in
order to raise their m/c score. Begin discussing The Scarlet Letter thus far – give
quotations quiz on chapters 5-9. Work on tone and irony using chapters 5 (syntax) and
chapter 9 (allusion). Students should continue reading chapters 10-12 for Friday. Return
Orwell/Gahndi timed writing and discuss scores and rubric. Students may turn in their
annotated passage for extra points on their timed writing grade.
Week Five: Graded discussion over chapters 13-15 of The Scarlet Letter. Annotate
chapter 15 finding rhetorical strategies that convey the change in Chillingworth’s
character. Complete guided questions for Lord Chesterfield’s letter (AP exam – 2004,
Question 1) that reviews the appeals (ethos, pathos, logos), the rhetorical triangle,
concession and assertion. Students will also view sample essays in the upper ranges from
past AP exams. In class timed writing on Thursday. Briefly discuss Chesterfield’s
values before writing. Chapters 16-18 due on Friday. Groups create chart for specific
symbols in The Scarlet Letter and present; then each group creates a flow chart in which
they must tie all symbols together.
Week Six: Quiz on chapters 19-20. Read “The Ways We Lie” by Stephanie Ericsson
from 50 Essays, complete questions and multiple choice practice. The novel should be
finished by Monday. On Friday, return Chesterfield essay and discuss a seven paper.
Students revise a lower level paper by adding a thesis statement and analysis/commentary
to improve the paper’s score.
Week Seven: Begin SAT vocabulary videos (#1)– use vocabulary quizzes as extra
credit. There are five videos - show one a week for the 2nd six weeks and students
continue to use the words in essays. Discuss the novel ending including uses of
symbolism throughout the novel. Students complete a persuasive timed writing over an
assigned character from the novel using a character chart/dialectical journal
they created while reading. Students choose from a variety of assertions for their
particular character. Complete a m/c practice from the “Vacant Ice” passage (1987 AP
test) after completing questions for the passage. Week ends with a Scarlet Letter test.
Week Eight: Show SAT video #2 and begin The Crucible. Review historical
background handouts and watch Witch Hunt from the History Channel. Discuss the role
of Senator McCarthy and Arthur Miller’s comments regarding the play. Show short
excerpts from Good Night and Good Luck and then using a printed copy, discuss the
language and syntax of key speeches. Students read the prose passage of Section One of
the play and complete a Puritan’s “positive and negative qualities” chart as well as write
a paragraph dealing with the paradox of the Salem tragedy. Explain dialectal journal for
vengeance and misguided motives to be completed throughout the play – Act One due
next week. Last half of the week – introduce the persuasive essay by reading Anna
Quindlens’ essay “Execution” and discussing and annotating the appeals and introducing
the idea of persona. End of week – SAT video #3.
Week Nine: Quiz over Act one of The Crucible and short multiple choice practice over
Section 5 of Miller’s prose comments. In preparation for Thursday’s timed writing Neal
Gabler’s “Entertainment” (2003 – Question 1) students will have a “silent debate.”
(Writing back and forth in a timed situation; one student for and one against) Discussion
over the best points raised and timed writing the next day. Act Two of The Crucible will
be due at the end of the week.
Week Ten: Students will complete a vocabulary activity in preparation for a multiple
choice practice. (Roarers, Whisperers, Moderators passage – 1989-1995 Acorn Book)
They will work through guided questions on the passage by Thursday. Students will also
take the PSAT test this week. On Tuesday, read the poem “Half-Hanged Mary” by
Margaret Atwood. Discuss the significance with The Crucible and complete close
reading questions. Act Three due Wednesday – take quiz. On Thursday, discuss the m/c
passage and complete and grade in class.
Week Eleven: This week will finish The Crucible with a focus on the themes chart
students have been working on - students will be given a character(s) and a specific
theme to web with text evidence included. Also, students will complete The Crucible
with a major test next Monday. At the beginning of the week, students will work through
activities with the Madame Merle passage (1998 AP exam) that includes creating a chart
for both sides and then looking at how to revise a score 5 paper to a 7 paper. Students
also read a 9 paper and share comments on the strengths, focusing on; sentence variety,
vocabulary, insightful commentary, transitions, and clear topic sentences. Students will
complete the timed writing on Thursday with their id numbers only on their paper to peer
grade and discuss next week.
Unit Two: Revolutionary Figures through the Ages
Reading Focus: Students will read and explore historical, political speeches for analysis
of rhetorical strategies, controversial local, national and global issues, visual and
graphic representations as sources.
Writing Focus: Students will write multiple choice rationales, timed analytical
essays, and revisions of timed writings improving syntax, style and introductions.
Students will be introduced to the researched argument essay.
Novels/Essays/Sources used:
 “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention” Patrick Henry
 Abigail Adams and Phyllis Wheatley -personal letters
 “Aren’t I a Woman” Sojourner Truth
 “What is the Slave to the Fourth of July?” Frederick Douglass
 short passages from released AP exams (specified below)
 short passages from 1989-1995 Acorn Book (specified below)
 short passages from 1998-2005 Acorn Book (specified below)
Week Twelve: Students will complete the and guided questions this week and complete
a timed m/c practice on Thursday (Kiowas passage – 1996 AP test). They will complete
a background chart of this Revolutionary time frame to set the stage for persuasive
speeches (some from American Literature and some from other time frames.) This week
students will read Patrick Henry’s “Speech to the Second Virginia Convention” and
groups will analyze an assigned paragraph for appeals and write commentary and present
to the class on an overhead so that the entire passage is annotated, with an additional
focus on the connection between syntax and meaning—dependent clauses, infinitives,
and the periodic sentence.
Week Thirteen: This week students will work through two letters: Abigail Adams letter
to her husband and Phyllis Wheatley’s letter concerning slavery. The emphasis will be
placed on rhetorical analysis and literary devices that contribute to the purpose—
personification, antithesis, independent clauses, litotes, appeals, inversion, and paradox.
At the end of the week, students will review how to analyze a prompt; then, complete a
thesis statement on three different essay prompts concerning the letters.
Week Fourteen: This week students will complete a district required TAKS Benchmark
which will require a personal narrative writing. Students will read Sojourner Truth’s
“Aren’t I a Woman” and complete analysis using questions from the 50 Essays text. At
the end of the week, we will discuss the essay, look at the original version and
commentary, and complete a timed m/c practice over the essay.
Week Fifteen: Students will practice annotating (through a guided discussion) the
Frederick Douglass’ speech “What is the Slave to the Fourth of July?” The next couple
of days will be spent in a close reading analysis of the appeals and rhetorical strategies
used in the six paragraphs excerpted from the speech. This will culminate in a group m/c
activity on Thursday. At home, students have been annotating Queen Elizabeth’s speech
to her troops (1992 AP Language exam) – they have been working on writing an
introduction that answers the prompt and annotating for rhetorical strategies. They will
complete a timed writing essay on this prompt on Friday.
Week Sixteen: This week students will be introduced to new Synthesis Question on the
AP Language test. On Monday, students will write a persuasive essay over the
television/elections prompt available on AP Central. On Tuesday, they will see the entire
synthesis prompt and the next few days we will analyze the sources using David Joliffe’s
six steps—read, analyze, generalize, converse, finesse and argue - on each passage and
decide how these best fit into the student’s own argument. On Friday, students will
rewrite their original persuasive paper by completing the entire synthesis question.
Week Seventeen: Semester Exam Week.
Semester Two
Unit Three: Satire and Humor
Reading Focus: Students will read essays, letters and other forms of literature
(fiction and nonfiction) containing satire, sarcasm, and irony creating humor.
Writing Focus: Students will model organizational strategies of rhetorical analysis and
persuasive essays, write personal narratives, participate in a silent, written debates
and improve commentary through linking purpose to meaning.
Novels/Essays/Sources used:
 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain
 personal letters between Samuel Clemens and Thomas Howells
 “Coyote vs. Acme” Ian Frazier
 “Just Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space” Brent Staples
 short passages from released AP exams (specified below)
 short passages from 1989-1995 Acorn Book (specified below)
 short passages from 1998-2005 Acorn Book (specified below)
Week One: This week students create a time period chart on the Philosophies and
Movements from the introductory/historical background in the lit book for the upcoming
novel. Two days are spent reading and annotating Alfred Green’s speech to his troops
from the (2003 AP Language Test Questions 2) focusing on appeals, counterargument,
concession, and refutation. Students then write an introductory paragraph with a strong
thesis sentence that answers the prompt (a review of thesis form). The next day, the class
examines a series of sample student introductions from the 2003 AP exam (downloaded
from the College Board website), and discuss just the introductions – both the strengths
and weaknesses, and students have the chance to rewrite their introductions before being
scored.
Week Two: This week begins the introduction into satire, humor and The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn. Students will be reading the novel outside of class as our in class
focus will be on how Twain uses the language to create satire throughout the novel to
comment on society and human behavior. We will introduce satire by using a series of
letters between Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) and Thomas Howells to look for different
types of humor. Students will annotate the letters by looking for irony, sarcasm, etc. We
will also use a modern article, “All Seven Deadly Sins Seen at Church Bake Sale” to
discuss satire and apply a formal definition of satire to the article. Students will read
chapters 1-11 of Huckleberry Finn by next Friday.
Week Three: This week students will review best practices for answering multiple
choice questions and examine various prompts in preparation for the AP mock exam.
Students are excused from periods 1-5 on Wednesday of this week to participate in the
AP Language mock exam and will receive their scores at the end of February. On
Thursday, students will take a passage from chapter 6 of the novel and explain how Mark
Twain uses diction, tone and the character of Pap to satirically expose his views of
slavery and the government.
Week Four: Students will take a quiz over the first eleven chapters of the novel and
discuss the characters and the thematic elements thus far in the novel. The focus will
continue to be on satire and students will write their first rhetorical analysis focusing on
satire. Students will read Ian Frazier’s “Coyote vs. Acme” from the 1990 New Yorker
Magazine and students will discuss and annotate, focusing on rhetorical devices—
exaggeration, understatement, irony, and syntax, and create commentary. The next day
students will discuss organizational patterns for such an analysis and students will then
write the essay in a timed setting.
Week Five: This week students will review the results of their personal narrative essay
from the end of last semester (TAKS Benchmark field test). We will take a high scoring
essay and analyze the following aspects and why it received a high score: focus,
organization, idea, voice and style, and conventions. At the end of the week, students
will write another essay that thematically ties into Huckleberry Finn: Write an essay in
which you discuss the idea that sometimes people behave differently in a crowd than they
would behave if they were on their own. They will also peer edit their rhetorical analysis
essays from last week in groups – each group will choose the best paper from each group.
The best papers will be modeled on the overhead as a review before the next rhetorical
analysis essay. Students must finish reading the novel for next week. Students also will
complete a multiple choice practice from the 1991 released AP exam (an excerpt by John
Dryden).
Week Six: This week student will read and annotate (Question Two- 1995 AP Language
test - MagnaSoles). In class, students will have fifteen minutes to annotate the passage
and then write a thesis statement at the bottom of the page; the students will share the
statements. The next day, students will complete a timed writing over this prompt. After
finishing the novel and a discussion on racism, students will read Brent Staples “Just
Walk on By: Black Men and Public Space” from 50 Essays. Students will respond to the
first paragraph with an “interrupted reading” as the teacher reads a sentence or two aloud
and the students respond on paper. In that way students can discuss Staples’ fairness in
his treatment of the topic without knowing his race beforehand. After a reading of the
essay aloud, students will discuss organization and rhetorical structures of the essay as
well as complete the multiple choice questions that follow. The week ends with a
discussion of the MagnaSoles analysis (their papers) and the importance of commentary
linking to purpose and effect as they highlight their own commentary and how well it ties
back to their original thesis they wrote at the beginning of the week.
Week Seven: This week students participate in a two day in-class Prep Session in which
they receive their scores from the January mock exam and deconstruct the “Pink
Flamingo” Question from the 2006 AP Language Exam. Students will spend time
looking at organization, diction, irony, details, and syntax, then study one high scoring
paper. The week ends with them re-writing one body paragraph from their own paper.
Week Eight: This week will continue practice with the rhetorical analysis and The CocaCola Letters (AP language exam). Students will read letters and annotate for rhetorical
strategies and decide on the one most persuasive. Students will write on the prompt the
following day. After writing the essay, two high scoring essays from differing viewpoints
are examined to analyze possible interpretations. Students begin exploring local, national,
and global controversial issues in preparation for their upcoming researched argument
paper.
Unit Four: The Researched Argument
Reading Focus: During this unit, students will read a variety of articles on both sides of
a controversial, current day issue, review visual and media sources, study
examples of well reasoned opposing arguments.
Writing Focus: Students will practice argumentative writing, synthesis strategies and
formal research writing using the MLA documentation system as well as practice
revision strategies and scoring essays using a rubric.
Novels/Essays/Sources used:
 “The After-life of a Photo that Touched a Nation” Tom Franklin
 “Statue Depicting Flag Raising at Ground Zero Draws Criticism for Political
Correctness” Stephanie Gaskel
 short passages from released AP exams (specified below)
 short passages from 1989-1995 Acorn Book (specified below)
 short passages from 1998-2005 Acorn Book (specified below)
Week Nine: To introduce the controversial essay assignment, students will view the
photograph (overhead) of the three firemen hoisting the American flag at Ground Zero.
Students will then read two nonfiction articles associated with this photograph—“The
After-life of a Photo that Touched a Nation” by Tom Franklin and “Statue Depicting Flag
Raising at Ground Zero Draws Criticism for Political Correctness” by Stephanie Gaskel.
Students will discuss in class the two opposing viewpoints as well as the importance of
concession being an important aspect of a well reasoned argument. They will then
collaborate and write an introduction supporting or defending a statue based on this
photograph in which the races of the three firemen have been altered.
Week Ten-Fourteen: Students will choose their national, global, or local controversy
and begin the researched argument assignment based on the following prompt:
“Contemporary life is marked by controversy. Choose a controversial local, national, or
global issue with which you are familiar. Then, using appropriate evidence, write an
essay that carefully considers the opposing positions on this controversy and proposes a
solution or compromise.”
Students will use the library research databases, valid internet sites, newspaper or
magazines articles to gain a developing knowledge of the issue and determine integrity of
sources. Students will be required to locate 3 articles covering one side of the issue and 3
articles covering the opposing side. Also, students will research visuals for a photo study
of the issue and choose one visual to include in the argument. As with the synthesis
question, students will annotate each article looking for rhetorical devices, appeals,
author’s purpose…Students will create an MLA Works Cited page for each article and
visual. All research culminates in a 40 minute timed writing similar to the new AP essay
question. After the timed writing is scored, students will engage in an editing/writing
workshop focusing on improving their style and syntax. The essay will then be submitted
for a final grade.
Unit 5: AP Test Final Preparations
Focus: Students will prepare for the AP Exam.
Final Weeks: Students will spend the final weeks before the AP test reviewing Multiple
Choice strategies and identifying common stems and common questions on the
AP exam. Students will practice timed writings in a variety of free response
formats.