Syllabus: AP Language and Composition
Ms. Reisinger CB South Fall 2008
Welcome! AP Language and Composition is a course that will prepare you for the AP Language and Composition exam, act as a mirror to most college composition courses, and offer you an opportunity to enhance your writing skills and develop as a critical reader of challenging texts. In addition, the course will expose you to some of the traditional literary canon as well as introduce you to the latest thinkers and writers of our time across a wide variety of themes, topics and current issues of social importance. I hope you are prepared for a very rigorous but rewarding experience.
Course Textbooks One Hundred Great Essays Robert Diyanni, 3rd edition The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric Shea, Scanlon, Aufses
We will also be using class sets of the following grammar and syntax workbook:
Sentence Composing for College , Don Killgallon, 1998
Students are encouraged to purchase the following writer’s guide for use both at home and for study and reference in class. If you don’t purchase this one, purchase another one. You’ll need it. A Writer’s Reference , Diana Hacker, 6th edition
Course Writing Activities and Assignments You should expect to be engaged in some kind of writing activity on a near daily basis. The reason I assume you are here in AP is because you enjoy the task of writing and relish its merits. Writing activities and assignments will include but not be limited to reading log responses, quick paragraph response writes, formal/drafted essays/writing, and least seven timed essays that follow the format of the free-response questions used on the AP Language and Composition exam. Writing revision will involve one or more of the following types of feedback: peer, teacher, and individual. Revision is everything. Course Reading Activities and Assignment
You should expect to be engaged in some kind of reading activity on a daily basis and can expect reading homework on most nights. Success in the course (and on the AP Language and Composition Exam) demands that you take seriously your attention to the reading tasks. Not only will you meet with greater success but you will far better enjoy the course and the class discussions. The major focus of this course involves nonfiction texts, such as essays, memoirs, political writing, science writing, nature writing, diaries, histories, and criticism. Fictional texts may be part of some units, but the critical focus of any literature will be on the authors’ linguistic and rhetorical devices rather than on literary analysis. Aside from the required unit readings, you will be asked to read two independent reading selections. These selections will coincide with the major themes of the course.
Required Materials
You will need to obtain a medium-sized three ring binder for this course. It should contain five sections:
1) Rhetorical Terms 2) Grammar/Syntax Patterns 3) Additional Readings 4) Vocabulary 5) Warm ups Course Outline
#Wks Theme Skills Focus Writing Focus Having a 1 Writing Blitz: Working conversation through the Basics with a text – Introduction to Rhetoric – the 2 Visual Rhetoric: Seeing Aristotle’s Triangle and Modes of reading/writing vs. Looking Critically Persuasion log
Our Working Lives: SOAPS/ DIDLS/Close Reading Personal 2 Why and How We Do It strategies narrative
Mars and Venus: What 2 Does It Mean To Be Writing Male/Female in Introduction to the language of rhetorical Society? style and rhetoric analysis
2 Politics, Power, and Using and Manipulating Various Constructing a Persuasion: Julius Models for Argument logical Caesar and Modern argument Counterparts Persuasive Tools and Logical Fallacies The argument 3 Social Justice: Issues in essay the Global World Analyzing and unpacking an argument
3 Love & War: Yin & Using research, and evaluating The advanced Yang or Social sources argument essay Constructions? – synthesis and Synthesizing Information advanced editorial style Citing sources and understanding 3 Education: Who Has footnotes Debate the Right Answer? Additional Course Requirements Reading/Writing Log To prepare you for the depth of analysis required on the AP Language and Composition exam and to provide you with an opportunity to imitate the great writers, several times a week you will be writing short analyses of selected readings and/or creating short, original pieces The writing will focus on two areas of rhetorical significance: language and content. Each entry will earn its own grade and will be collected on a regular but unannounced basis. You will be required to purchase, by Friday, September 5, a marble composition book for this purpose. No substitutions.
Class Participation As this course is considered a college-level course, class discussion is of paramount importance. You are in AP because you savor the opportunity to talk about what you read and write. Adding your ideas and opinions in both small and large group settings is also an important learning tool for both you and for your peers. I think what you have to say is valuable for everyone. At the end of each marking period, you will receive a grade for class participation. You will able to monitor your progress with your teacher throughout the marking period.
Vocabulary You will be asked to keep a separate section of your Reading Log for vocabulary. You will be responsible for adding words to your vocabulary section WHENEVER you come across a work in the assigned reading you are unfamiliar with. Be prepared for unannounced quizzes on words from the readings as well as unannounced collection of this section of your Reading Log for a grade.
Grades and Grading Policy
As this is an AP course, many of you can expect to earn grades to which you may not be accustomed, especially in the beginning of the course. The learning curve for AP is slow and steep; keep this in mind. Don’t get discouraged. Remember, you are in college when you walk into this room. Grades will be earned accordingly, but I’ll be there to help you every step of the way. Also, the weight that you earn for taking an AP class necessitates that this course be as academically challenging as possible such that the grade you earn truly reflects the work you put in.
Late assignments/work – For each day a MAJOR writing assignment or PROJECT is late, you will receive one letter grade off of the final score. Late homework WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED !!!!
Make-up work – In general, you have the number of days you were absent plus one additional day to hand in work assigned during an absence or assessments given during an absence THAT WERE NOT PLANNED BEFORE YOUR ABSENCE. Work assigned before your absence is due immediately upon your return.
Papers MUST be ready to hand on the assigned day, WHEN THE BELL FOR CLASS BEGINS. DO NOT expect time to print out your work or collate it when you get to class. DO NOT SEND ME DOCUMENTS TO PRINT WHEN YOU GET TO CLASS. Be sure your printer is working well in advance of assignments or make other arrangements for printing before class. Late deductions will be applied for work not ready to turn in at the start of class.