Introduction

Course Syllabus for AP-Exam Track Students

The AP English Language and Composition course is designed for students to take over the duration of one school year, from August of one year leading up to the AP exam in May of the next calendar year. The course covers two semesters and is divided into English 51A and English 52A. Each semester’s work is divided into eight lessons.

The schedule below is designed for those students who intend to take the AP English Language and Composition Exam in May. Therefore, as detailed in the syllabus, there are midterm and semester deadlines for completing course lessons. This is to make sure everyone will be ready to take the AP exam in May, so you must work steadily and not procrastinate. In completing individual lessons, you are allowed to work at your own pace; however, you will have the best chance of succeeding in this course if you work on it every day, just as you would if you were taking the course in a regular classroom. On average, you should spend about one and a half weeks on each lesson; more specific time frames for each lesson are provided below. The syllabus is as follows:

English 51A: AP Language and Composition, First Semester

Lesson 1: America’s Cultures
Time frame: 1 week
Topics:

Building reading strategies
Non-fiction reading
Summarizing source materials

Readings:

Yuh Ji-Yeon, “Let’s Tell the Story of All America’s Cultures”

Writing tasks:

Summary of a written source

Lesson 2: The Immigrant Experience
Time frame: 2 weeks
Topics:

Reading like a writer
Rhetorical modes
Writing from a source

Readings:

Writings on immigration in America

Writing tasks:

Source-based essay

Lesson 3: The Color of Water
Time frame: 2 weeks
Topics:

Reading narrative
Analyzing argument

Readings:

James McBride, The Color of Water

Writing tasks:

Argument analysis

Lesson 4: Personal Narrative
Time frame: 2 weeks
Topics:

Interviewing strategies
Writing personal narrative

Writing tasks:

Personal narrative/interview essay

Midterm Deadline: To stay on track for the AP exam in May, you should complete and submit your assignment for Lesson 4 before October 19, 2012.

Lesson 5: Language and Identity
Time frame: 2 weeks
Topics:

Critical reading
Evaluating argument and debate

Readings:

Readings in Language Awareness

Writing tasks:

Analytical critique of a written source

Lesson 6: Winning Hearts and Minds
Time frame: 1 week
Topics:

Speeches and writing
The rhetoric of persuasion
Addressing different audiences

Readings:

Political speeches and writings by Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson

Writing tasks:

Rhetorical analysis

Lesson 7: Politics, Protest, and Persuasion
Time frame: 2 weeks
Topics:

Political language
Analyzing rhetorical strategies

Readings:

Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”

Writing tasks:

Rhetorical analysis II

Lesson 8: Revision
Time frame: 2 weeks
Topics:

Definitions of revision
Revision strategies

Writing tasks:

Revision of an earlier assignment

Final Deadline: To stay on track for the AP exam in May, you should complete and submit your assignment for Lesson 8 before December 21, 2012.

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Introduction

Introduction

Course Syllabus for AP-Exam Track Students