2024-2025 Advanced Placement English Language & Composition Syllabus

“All there is to writing is having ideas.

To learn to write is to learn to have ideas.”
- Robert Frost

Course Title: Advanced Placement English Language and Composition

Credit: One
Classification and Maximum Weight: Advanced Placement, 5 Quality Points
Prerequisites/Co-requisites: Pre-AP or Honors English II

Instructor Information: Anne Beatty (website here; syllabus available under Course Expectations)
The Early College at Guilford, Room 201
336.316.2860 (phone)
beattya@gcsnc.com; beattyap@guilford.edu (I check both daily.)
Office Hours/Tutoring:
Before School: Thursday, 8:30 a.m. -9:10 a.m. I also may be available other mornings from 8:30
a.m.-9:10 a.m. by appointment.
Lunch: by appointment (I am free most days but sometimes have meetings.)
I am here to challenge you, but I am also here to help you meet those challenges. If you find yourself
struggling, come see me before school or during lunch (or email me). Be an advocate for yourself and
don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Course of Study:
AP English Language students will learn the skills necessary to succeed in university-level courses and on
the AP Language and Composition exam, skills such as close reading of nonfiction writing, analyzing
writing for rhetoric and skillful use of language, synthesizing numerous texts into coherent arguments,
and writing sophisticated analytical and persuasive essays. Each of these skills will prepare students for
the intense reading and writing demands they will experience in college.

To give shape to the content of our course and to unite the readings under common themes, we will read,
discuss, and write about classic and contemporary nonfiction prose dealing with key cultural, social, and
political issues which affect and define our country today (we will also examine multimedia texts
including photography, video, music, political cartoons, etc.). Because a key aspect of college-level
learning is critical inquiry into our lives—examining the aspects of our world we take for granted, ignore,
or understand only superficially—this course will train students to think, read, and write critically,
creatively, and persuasively. This course will combine our study of rhetoric and composition with an
analysis of literature, so we will supplement our nonfiction reading with fiction, drama, and poetry. More
information about the course can be found here.

Student Learning Outcomes:

You will develop the background knowledge you need to be successful in writing and speaking endeavors
throughout your academic studies and beyond. Through textual analysis and production of your own
texts, you will become familiar with a variety of approaches to making an argument and appealing to a

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specific audience—knowledge and skills you will be able to apply in other academic courses, as well as in
your lives outside academia.

Pacing Plan, Units, and Standards:

Each quarter we will have an overarching theme and essential question. Within the quarter will be 2-3
units, according to the College Board pacing plan, each of which focuses on specific skills. Following is a
tentative list of the four themes and essential questions; the nine units for the year; the skills that each unit
will address; and the corresponding texts. For each unit, students will have creative and personal writing
assignments, as well as formal, analytical writing assignments (both in-class essays and out-of-class
essays or projects). Major writing assignments are listed in each unit, with tentative dates that may well
change. The College Board-aligned standards are interwoven and recursive, meaning we will continue to
practice them as we progress throughout the year. Newly introduced standards are listed in the appropriate
units. We will also focus on a particular aspect of grammar/style in each unit (listed below).

Standards Abbreviations:
RHS: Rhetorical Situation
CLE: Claims & Evidence
REO: Reasoning & Organization
STL: Style

Unit 1/The Idea of America

Skills Focus: Rhetorical Analysis (Claims, Evidence, and the Rhetorical Situation)

Texts: “City Upon a Hill” by John Winthrop, “Paradox and Dream” by John Steinbeck, excerpt
from The Shape of Things to Come by Greil Marcus, The Declaration of Independence by
Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions by Elizabeth Cady Stanton,
2012 Harvard Commencement Speech by Fareed Zakaria, excerpt from Noam Chomsky’s
Requiem for the American Dream

Grammar/Style Skill: Appositives

Major Writing Assignments: Diagnostic AP-style rhetorical analysis essay (Week 2), Personal
narrative essay (Week 3), summer reading essay revision (Week 4)

Newly Introduced Standards:

RHS 1.A Identify and describe components of the rhetorical situation.
CLE 3.A Identify and explain claims and evidence within an argument.
CLE 4.A Develop a paragraph that includes a claim and evidence supporting the claim.

Unit 2/Immigrant Experiences

Skills Focus: Argument (Audience, Thesis Statements, and Claims and Evidence)

Texts: “Two Ways to Belong in America” by Bharati Mukherjee, “Home at Last” by Dinew
Mengestu, Sonia Sotomayor’s speech “A Latina Judge’s Voice,” Statement on US Immigration
and Refugee Policy by Ronald Reagan, The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

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 Grammar/Style Skill: Modifiers

Major Writing Assignments: AP-style rhetorical analysis essay (Week 5), AP-style argument
essay (Week 6)

Newly Introduced Standards:

RHS 1.B Explain how an argument demonstrates understanding of an audience’s beliefs, values, or needs.
RHS 2.B Demonstrate an understanding of audience’s beliefs, values, or needs.
CLE 3.B Identify and describe the overarching thesis of an argument and any indication it provides of an
argument’s structure.
CLE 4.B Write a thesis statement that requires proof or defense and that may preview the structure of the
argument.

Unit 3/Community and Belonging

Skills Focus: Synthesis (Line of Reasoning, Claims and Evidence, and Methods of Development)

Texts: “9/11 Address to the Nation” by George W. Bush, “To Any Would-Be Terrorist” by Naomi
Shihab Nye, political speech of student’s choice, Speech by Daniel K. Inouye, “A Paradise Built
in Hell” by Rebecca Solnit, “Small Change” by Malcolm Gladwell, “Raised to Leave” by Lee
Smith, “How Covenants Make Us” by David Brooks, “Why I’m Moving Home,” by J.D. Vance

Grammar/Style Skill: Pronouns

Major Writing Assignments: AP-style synthesis essay (Week 8), AP-style rhetorical analysis
essay (Week 10)

Newly Introduced Standards:

REO 5.A Describe the line of reasoning and explain whether it supports the argument’s overarching
thesis.
REO 6.A Develop a line of reasoning and commentary that explains it throughout the argument.
REO 5.C Recognize and explain the use of methods of development to accomplish a purpose.
REO 6.C Use appropriate methods of development to advance an argument.

Unit 4/Identity
Skills Focus: Rhetorical Analysis (Introductions and Conclusions, Thesis, Rhetorical Situation, and
Methods of Development)

Texts: “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” by Zora Neale Hurston, “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan,
“In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens” by Alice Walker, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora
Neale Hurston

Grammar/Style Skill: Direct, Precise, and Active Verbs

Major Writing Assignments: AP-style rhetorical analysis essay (Week 11), Personal narrative with
research (Week 14)

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Newly Introduced Standards:
RHS 2.A Write introductions and conclusions appropriate to the purpose and context of the rhetorical
situation.
MIDTERM (Week 18)

Unit 5/Famous Arguments

Skills Focus: Argument (Organization of Ideas, Line of Reasoning, Transitions, and Style)

Texts: Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr., “On Civil Disobedience” by
Henry David Thoreau, “On Politics and the English Language” by George Orwell, A Modest
Proposal by Jonathan Swift, various op-eds

Grammar/Style Skill: Concise Diction

Major Writing Assignments: AP-style argument essay (Week 20), Op-ed (Week 23)

Newly Introduced Standards:

REO 5.B Explain how the organization of a text creates unity and coherence and reflects a line of
reasoning.
REO 6.B Use transitional elements to guide the reader through the line of reasoning of an argument.
STL 7.A Explain how word choice, comparisons, and syntax contribute to a specific tone or style of text.
STL 8.A Strategically use words, comparisons, and syntax to convey a specific tone or style in an
argument.

Unit 6/Questions of Censorship

Skills Focus: Synthesis (Claims and Evidence, Thesis, and Style)

Texts: Kurt Vonnegut’s 1967 Letter to Charles McCarthy, Pat Conroy’s Letter to the Editor of the
Charleston Gazette, one book of the student’s choice that has been banned at some point in
history, dependent upon family and teacher approval

Grammar/Style Skill: Parallel Structures

Major Writing Assignments: AP-style synthesis essay (Week 24), Research Paper (Week 26)

No Newly Introduced Standards

Unit 7/Family Drama

Skills Focus: Rhetorical Analysis (Qualifiers and Counterarguments, Grammar, Clarity, Rhetorical
Situation, and Claims and Evidence)

Texts: Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Letters from Lord Chesterfield and Abigail Adams

Grammar/Style Skill: Short, Simple Sentences and Fragments

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 Major Writing Assignments: AP-style rhetorical analysis essay (Week 27), Hamlet Essay or
Performance (Week 28)

Newly Introduced Standards:

STL 7.B Explain how writers create, combine, and place independent and dependent clauses to show
relationships between and among ideas.
STL 7.C Explain how grammar and mechanics contribute to the clarity and effectiveness of an argument.
STL 8.B Write sentences that clearly convey ideas and arguments.
STL 8.C Use established conventions of grammar and mechanics to communicate clearly and effectively.
CLE 3.C Explain ways claims are qualified through modifiers, counter arguments, and alternative
perspectives.
CLE 4.C Qualify a claim using modifiers, counter arguments, or alternative perspectives.

Unit 8/Education
Skills Focus: Argument (Audience, Grammar, Clarity, and Style)

Texts: “Indian Education” by Sherman Alexie, “The Grown-ups Are Losing It” by George Packer,
“A Talk to Teachers” by James Baldin, “Education” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “In Defense of a
Liberal Education” by Fareed Zakaria, “The Blessings of Liberty and Education” by Frederick
Douglass, The Smartest Kids in the World by Amanda Ripley

Grammar/Style Skill: Subordination in Complex Sentences

Major Writing Assignments: AP-style argument essay (Week 29), My Education personal
narrative (Week 31)

No Newly Introduced Standards

MOCK EXAM (counts 50% of exam grade)-- WEEK 30

Unit 9/Review
Skills Focus: Synthesis (Counter Arguments, Qualifiers, Modifiers, and Alternative Perspectives)

Review for AP Exam/Writing Workshops

Major Writing Assignments: AP-style synthesis essay, argument essay, and rhetorical analysis
essay (Weeks 32-33)

No Newly Introduced Standards

Texts:
The Language of Composition, third edition, Renee H. Shea, Lawrence Scanlon, and Robin Dissin
Aufses, eds.
Book-length texts include The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora
Neale Hurston, Hamlet by William Shakespeare, The Smartest Kids in the World by Amanda Ripley, and
several others of your choice. You will be provided with a copy of all texts and readings required for

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this course. You may, however, choose to purchase your own copy of book-length texts if you prefer to
annotate your readings.

Materials:
● Pens, pencils, and highlighters
● A spiral or composition notebook
● A binder for handouts, with loose leaf paper (dividers may be helpful for different units)
● Post-it notes to annotate texts (optional)

The AP Exam:
The AP Language and Composition exam will be given on May 14, 2025. More information will follow
throughout the course, and as the time for registration nears. Test results are released in July. The AP
website is a good source for more information about the exam. In preparation for the exam, all students
will join AP Classroom for online resources and progress checks. The AP exam score does not factor into
the student’s course grade.

Evaluation Methods and Guidelines for Assignments:

Evaluation will include but will not be limited to teacher observation, class participation,
homework/classwork grades, quizzes, in-class essays, tests, AP multiple choice practice, out-of-class
essays, and writing projects. By regularly completing all required assignments, you will prepare yourself
not only for the AP exam, but also for future courses. The skills you practice and develop in this class will
help you achieve success in university-level courses.

*An important note on grades: Your grade in PowerSchool will be accurate, but your grade in Canvas
will not include all assignments. Some work will be done in class, not turned in on Canvas, or in AP
Classroom, so the Canvas platform will be good for checking your grade on individual assignments
turned in on Canvas, but not for an accurate calculation of your course grade. If you want to know your
grade in AP Lang, Powerschool is what you should check.

The overall year-long grade breakdown is as follows:

Quarter 1*: 20% Quarter 3: 20%

Quarter 2**: 20% Quarter 4: 20% Final Exam: 20%

*Includes summer reading assignment

**Includes midterm exam

Evaluation each quarter will be based on the following percentages:

Classwork/Homework………………………..….........10%
Quizzes, In-Class or Timed Essays……………….……30%
Tests, Projects, Out-of-Class or Untimed Essays…….....60%

Guilford County Schools Grading Scale (Policy IHA):

A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C = 70-79
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 D = 60-69
F = 59 AND BELOW
INC = INCOMPLETE

Honor Code:
All students must abide by the Early College at Guilford Honor Code. Cheating and plagiarism will not
be tolerated under any circumstances. You are not permitted to either give or receive help on any
assignment or assessment. Your work should be your own and should not resemble that of another student
or of an Internet source. Please see the Early College at Guilford Student Handbook for
more detailed discussion of the Honor Code and consequences for failing to adhere to the Honor Code.

Additional Requirements/Information:
Online Assignments

You will do some writing by hand in class, which you will turn in on paper, but some assignments you
may turn in digitally, on Canvas. Any assignments you turn in on Canvas must be either in pdf form or
a Microsoft Word document, no Google docs. Google docs is a great tool but it’s problematic with
Canvas because 1) sometimes students forget to give me access and 2) documents can be edited after the
due date. It’s fine to work in Google docs, just save your work as a pdf before uploading to Canvas.
Once you turn something in on Canvas, I will check and make sure I can open/access your submission. If
not, I will put a comment on the submission which will appear as a note to you on the homepage for my
course. You should get in the habit of checking this regularly, especially if you have submitted something.
If I cannot open your document, you have 24 hours to remedy it from the time I post the comment alerting
you to the problem. After that, the work will be counted late.

Missing Assignments

I do not accept late work unless a student has negotiated with me in person regarding extenuating
circumstances PRIOR to the day an assignment is due. The Early College at Guilford expectation is that
no late work is accepted for Advanced Placement courses. Exceptions will only be granted in extenuating
situations, and only with a teacher conference. However, everyone forgets occasionally, so each student
will be granted one “oops” pass to turn in one late assignment without penalty during the school year.

Make-Up Work

If an assignment or assessment is due on the day of a student’s absence, the student must turn in or make
up the assignment on the first day of the student’s return to school, regardless of whether it is an “A” or
“B” day. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis for students who have missed class
immediately prior to the due date of the assignment (or other such circumstances deemed appropriate by
the teacher).
A student who misses the day before a test or quiz is still expected to take the test or quiz on the
appropriate day. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis for students, particularly for those
students who have also missed two or more days directly prior to the test or quiz.
Students are expected to have their homework assignments completed regardless of whether they missed
the prior day’s lesson, unless that assignment was given in class on the day of a student’s absence. A
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student who misses a test or quiz date must discuss a make-up date with Ms. Beatty upon return to school.
All make-up work is to be completed within 3 school days of a student’s absence.

Revision Policy

Because I believe that students only learn how to write well through revision, on most written
assignments during the first semester, students will have the opportunity to revise and rewrite their work
and receive a better grade. I will read the revised text as if it is the student’s first try and grade it
accordingly. I will make it clear to the class upfront if an assignment will be eligible for this open revision
policy. However, this privilege is only available to those who have handed in the completed original
assignment on time. Revisions should be completed in a two-week window, with dates clearly posted,
and all revised portions should be highlighted or marked in a distinct font so the changes are immediately
clear. I do not offer extra credit or additional assignments after the grading period to raise students’
grades– the open revision policy will be your best, most consistent opportunity to improve your grade
(and more importantly, your skills).
After the first semester, to prepare students for next year at Guilford College, the open revision policy will
not apply to every assignment, nor will students have the chance to earn back full credit on revised
assignments. However, some assignments will still be eligible for revision.

Papers and Major Projects

All final papers and major projects must be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font and
double-spaced, using MLA format. The Purdue OWL (Online Writing Lab) is an excellent resource for
MLA format questions. Be sure you have used a spelling/grammar check on anything typed that you
submit. Take pride in your writing and respect the written word: I expect all papers to show care and
attention to instructions.
Any assignment turned in not in MLA format will be returned, ungraded.

Other Resources

You can find many helpful links, including the OWL site above, on my Canvas homepage. A few of note:
AP Classroom, which we will use frequently. You can also find a Master List of AP Lang Resources
compiled in one Google doc there.

Cell Phone/Laptop Policy

Students should turn cell phones off or silence them and put them in their backpacks (not in pockets, on
the desk, etc.). When cell phones may be used for instructional purposes, the teacher will instruct students
to get them out. We will use laptops sometimes in class, but students should not have laptops out unless
they have been expressly instructed to use them. See study here on the benefits of restricting devices.

Expectations:

1. Respect: Treat others and this space just as you’d like yourself or your room to be treated. In this
class, you will regularly share your ideas with others—both verbally and in writing. Thus,
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 respecting your classmates and their perspectives, opinions, and beliefs is of utmost importance.
We will honor and practice the concepts of gracious honesty and constructive friction in our
discussions. Literature and writing cannot be learned in isolation; the more voices and opinions
we hear, the greater our understanding of the deeper meanings, nuances, and conflicts in the text.
This is a discussion-based class where you have the right to speak your mind freely without fear
of ridicule or censorship. Maintaining that freedom requires us to respect each other.

2. Responsibility: Take responsibility for your own learning. Use a planner or cell phone reminders
to keep track of your assignments and come to class ready to work with all assignments
completed (or submit online on time). Schedule a time to meet with Ms. Beatty if you have
questions or concerns. Adhere to the Early College at Guilford Honor Code and ensure that all
work you submit is of your own creation; approach all situations with honesty and integrity.

3. Participation: Your participation is determined by your attendance, active involvement in class,

and quality completion of in-class work. Volunteering to read aloud, answering questions, or
sharing your ideas would be examples of active involvement in class. Additionally, you’ll have
opportunities to collaborate with your classmates in groups. Share your experiences, your insight,
and your wisdom. Support your classmates when they share with you. Be daring in your
willingness to explore, to share, and to push yourself.

4. Focus/Attentiveness: Please avoid any distracting behaviors that will interfere with your
classmates’ (or your own) ability to learn. If you need to eat a snack between classes, that snack
should be consumed within the first 5 minutes of class (but please avoid nuts). You may leave the
class to use the bathroom during group work or individual work, but not during whole-class
instruction or discussion except in cases of emergency. Most importantly: the default mode of
this class is to be laptop-free, so that you can focus your attention on the texts and
discussion in front of you, unless we are intentionally using technology.

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 Scan QR code (left) to access the full AP
English Language Syllabus.

Below:
CONTROVERSIAL TEXTUAL CONTENT
STATEMENT (Copied from the AP
English Language and Composition
Course and Exam Description, p. 84)
“Issues that might, from particular social, historical, or cultural viewpoints, be considered controversial,
including references to ethnicities, nationalities, religions, races, dialects, gender, or class, may be
addressed in texts that are appropriate for the AP English Language and Composition course.

Fair representation of issues and peoples may occasionally include controversial material.

Since AP students have chosen a program that directly involves them in college-level work, participation
in this course depends on a level of maturity consistent with the age of high school students who have
engaged in thoughtful analyses of a variety of texts.

The best response to controversial language or ideas in a text might well be a question about the larger
meaning, purpose, or overall effect of the language or idea in context.

AP students should have the maturity, skill, and will to seek the larger meaning of a text or issue through
thoughtful research.”

Note: If at any point in this course a student or parent/guardian has a question about a text assigned, or
foresees an issue with a text assigned, please come talk to me about it, email me, or write me a note on
this form and I will contact you. This course is based around argument, so if there’s a student who doesn’t
fundamentally disagree with at least one text I’ve chosen, I probably haven’t chosen very well. That being
said, it is never my intention to make any student or family uncomfortable.

I have read and understand the syllabus for AP English Language and Composition, as
well as the AP policy on potentially controversial texts.

Student Name (Print): ___________________________________________________

Student Signature: ________________________________________Date: _________

Parent/Guardian Signature: _________________________________________Date: _________

Note to Ms. Beatty (optional):

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