AP Language and Composition
Mrs. Marsha Alvarado
761-5650 Room 208
Conference: 3:00-3:40 pm
Tutorials: M-Th at 3:40
I. Course Philosophy
The AP English Language and Composition course engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines and rhetorical contexts and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Both their writing and their reading should make students aware of the interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and subjects as well as the way generic conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing. The overarching purpose in this course is to enable students to write effectively and confidently in their college courses across the curriculum and in their professional and personal lives.
II. Course Objectives
Instruction will allow the student to:
· evaluate the expository, analytical and argumentative writings that form the basis of academic and professional communication;
· apply effective strategies and techniques in the student's writing;
· produce expository and argumentative compositions based on readings, research, and/or personal experience;
· develop a wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively; and
· incorporate a variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination.
III. Behavioral Expectations
· Be on time. Be prepared. Be respectful.
· Written work should be headed in this manner: (top left corner)
Your Name
Teacher's Name
AP English III - 1 (your class period)
23 August 2016 (no punctuation, no abbreviations)
· Follow the rules in the MISD Student Handbook.
· Cheating is a serious matter. Students who cheat will receive a “0” on the assignment, a “U” in conduct, and one demerit. Cheating would include giving or receiving aid on a test, two outside assignments with identical content, plagiarism, etc.
· Your daily attendance is extremely important. When you must be absent, remember that make-up work is your responsibility. Check the assignment calendar and speak with your teacher about missed work.
IV. Supplies
· English 3-ring binder with these dividers: Vocabulary, AP Terms, Literature, Composition, and Reading;
· wide-ruled notebook paper;
· blue or black ink pen;
· red grading pen;
· highlighters (two colors);
· 2 sharpened pencils;
· post-it notes; and
· any other required materials such as calendar and syllabus.
V. Study Aides
Though not required, these resources will be useful at home and in college:
· a college-level dictionary;
· thesaurus; and
· The MLA Handbook (available online).
VI. Grading System
Student grades are based upon a percentage system. Each six-week average will be calculated as follows:
· 30% Practice
· 30% Application
· 40% Evaluation
Student: ______
Parent: ______
VII. Course Requirements/Assessments
Summer Reading
Students will read The Scarlet Letter and The Merchant of Venice. A test over each work will be given during the first six weeks.
Essay Writing
The course requires students to write expository, argumentative, and narrative essays. These essays will be written outside of class and should be typed using the MLA guidelines and grading rubric presented with each assignment. The writing process will include analysis of syntax, organization, and grammar/mechanics; peer editing; instructor feedback; and publishing. Students will submit all preliminary drafts along with the final typed copy.
Timed Writings
Students will write analytical and argumentative essays (including the synthesis style) in class. These essays will be scored using the 1 to 9-point AP rubric. Essay topics will coincide with a unit’s focus of study and will be chosen to build students’ skills.
Objective Tests
Students will take multiple-choice tests to assess the students’ skills in analyzing the rhetoric of prose passages. These tests contain actual questions from previous AP tests and will build knowledge and skill as well as provide AP test practice and strategies.
Grammar and Vocabulary
To improve student oral and written communications, each six weeks will include grammar, mechanics, and vocabulary study. Students will also be expected to participate in oral and written activities and discussions.
WordWright
Students will participate in the WordWright challenge by taking four reading tests in class throughout the year. The tests focus on perceptive reading, sensitivity to language, and an appreciation of style. Over 47,000 students in 46 states participateeach year. Theses tests are useful as preparation for the verbal SAT I, the SAT II in English, and the AP exams in language and literature.
American Literature and Extra Credit
In addition to the summer reading, all students will read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave written by himself, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Our Town by Thornton Wilder, The Crucible and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Students will be provided an outside reading list of novels and plays by American authors from which he/she may choose to read one selection each six weeks. Upon scoring at least 85 percent correctly on the selection test, the student will receive one point added to his/her six weeks average.
Research Project
Students will use primary and secondary sources to write a research-based paper.
The project will include all phases of research paper preparation using standard MLA guidelines. The final product will include a typed paper, outline, and works cited. The issue of plagiarism is a serious matter; consequently, district policy for any offense will be enforced.
VIII. Texts, Resources, and Supplements
Connelly, Mark. The Sundance Reader. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College
Publishers, 1997. Print.
Cooley, Thomas. The Norton Sampler: Short Essays for Composition. 5th ed. New
York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997. Print.
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 7th ed. New York:
Modern Language Association of America, 2009. Print.
Glencoe Literature: The Reader’s Choice, American Literature. New York: Glencoe/
McGraw-Hill, 2000. Print.
Gross, John, ed. The Oxford Book of Essays. New York: Oxford University Press,
1991. Print.
Kennedy, X. J., Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Jane E. Aaron. The Bedford Reader. 9th ed.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006. Print.
Killgallon, Don. Sentence Composing for College: A Worktext on Sentence Variety and
Maturity. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers, 1998. Print.
Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical
Reader and Guide. 7th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1998. Print.
Richek, Margaret Ann, Arlin T. McRae, and Susan K. Weiler. Vocabulary for
Achievement: Sixth Course. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. Print.
Roskelly, Hephzibah, and David A. Jolliffe. Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading
and Writing. New York: Pearson Longman, 2005. Print.
Shea, Renee H., Lawrence Scanlon, and Robin Dissin Aufes. The Language of Composition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. Print.