AP Language & Composition/American Literature   

2018-2019 Syllabus 
 
Alison Hibbard, room A204 
Office Hours: M-F 7:45-8:25 am, 3:15-3:45 pm, and by appointment 
Email: alison.hibbard@carrolltoncityschools.net 
Website: HibbardCHS.weebly.com 
  
Course Description: ​Welcome to AP Language/American Literature! This college 
level course will include a variety of reading and writing assignments aimed at 
broadening your understanding of argument, rhetoric, and the power of language. 
Over the course of this year, you will become more skillful in reading, analyzing, 
and formulating arguments based on challenging and thought-provoking texts, 
using both your personal and social context as a basis for interpretation. You will 
use critical thinking to become a better writer able to compose for a variety of 
purposes and audiences. Ultimately, you will work towards an appreciation of the 
rhetorical and aesthetic dimensions that contribute to rich and effective writing. 
 
According to guidelines promoted by The College Board, you should be able 
to do the following upon completion of this course: 
➢ 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 writing 
➢ create and sustain arguments based on readings, research, and/or personal experience 
➢ 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 sources, 
cogent explanations, and clear transitions 
➢ demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English, as well as stylistic maturity in 
writing 
➢ demonstrate understanding of the conventions of citing primary and secondary sources 
➢ effectively research, draft, revise, and reflect upon personal writing 
➢ analyze image as text 
➢ evaluate and incorporate references into researched essays using an established format. 
  
Texts and Resources Provided by School: 
Jolliffe, David, & Hephzibah Roskelly. ​Writing America: Language and Composition in Context. ​Pearson, 2014. 
Kinkade, John, et al. ​Everything’s an Argument.​ Bedford/St.Martins, 2013.  
 
Texts and Resources Provided by Student: 
The following texts should be secured by the student and be available for reading and reference for the 
duration of the units in which they are needed: 
 
Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein.​ They Say, I Say:​ The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, with 2016  
MLA Update (Third Edition).​ New York: ​W. W. Norton & Company​, 2016.​ ​ISBN-10: 0393617432. 
2-3 others TBD in class 
 
   
Specific Expectations: 
➢ Uphold the procedures and policies detailed in the ​CHS Student Handbook​. 
➢ Follow instructions the first time they are given. 
➢ Be prepared—bring all materials to class. 
➢ Display courtesy toward all. 
➢ Move to your seat quickly and begin ​working quietly​ at the start of cass. 
➢ Take very good care of computers, materials, other supplies, equipment or furniture, and this 
classroom. 
  
Academic Honesty:​ The ​CHS Student Handbook​ defines plagiarism as “the actual giving or receiving of 
any unauthorized aid or assistance on any form of any academic work.” Cheating consists of exchanging 
tests, reports, papers, etc., looking at someone’s paper or giving answers, or giving out questions that are 
on a test. 
 
Plagiarism is the act of using another person’s ideas or expressions in writing without acknowledging the 
source. Plagiarism is a form of cheating. If you submit work that has been written, revised, or edited – in 
part or in whole – by another person, you are committing plagiarism. If you take an idea from a book, 
movie, speech, magazine, documentary, lecture, journal, teleplay, or electronic source (which includes the 
Internet), and then represent it as your own original thought – even if it is expressed in your own words – 
you are committing plagiarism. 
 
I take plagiarism very seriously. An expectation of academic integrity is at the core of our ongoing practice 
as students, scholars, writers, and thinkers. For this reason, my policy regarding plagiarism is severe. 
Regardless of its extent, ​any documented incident of plagiarism or excessive collaboration in this 
course will result in a grade of 0 on the assignment, a parental contact, and a referral to the 
administration.​ This policy extends to all course assignments, be they major or minor. 
 
Make up work: ​all assignments are due on the date specified in the course schedule, either in class or on 
Google Classroom, depending on the assignment. If you are absent, it is YOUR responsibility to see me if 
you wish to discuss your work (after or before school, not during class). Students who do not keep up 
with coursework will be referred to Starfish. 
 
Materials 
You should come to class prepared with the proper materials: 
➢ A 3-ring binder (or a dedicated section of same) 
➢ Notebook paper 
➢ Pens & pencils 
  
ACTIVITIES & ASSIGNMENTS OVERVIEW 
This class will integrate reading, composition, and discussion through a series of thematic writing 
workshops addressing various factors relevant to written, oral, and artistic expression. Readings include 
essays, speeches, letters, and nonfiction/fiction selections from American Literature. Each unit will 
regularly feature analysis of various forms of communication, including art, film, photography, cartoons, 
and other media. While class discussion will often focus on critical analysis strategies applied to current 
reading, instructional time will be also be devoted to composition, vocabulary, and relevant study of 
historical, biographical, and cultural information. The instruction will progress with a global focus in mind. 
  
 
   
Writing 
➢ Informal writings, such as free-writes, reaction papers, and blogs will provide opportunities to 
engage with the selected texts. They also allow you to reflect on connections between the readings 
and your personal experience and to examine your personal writing styles. 
➢ Special writing assignments will give you practice with rhetorical strategies, sentence combination, 
subordination/coordination, paragraph organization, and the use of transitions. Particular 
emphasis in these workshop activities will be placed on balancing subjective and objective details 
and incorporating direct quotes. These components of effective composition will also be 
reinforced in regular peer-revision activities and instructor feedback response. The analysis and 
effective use of voice and tone will often be reviewed and practiced through warm ups activities 
from ​Voice Lessons​ (Nancy Dean) and other activities. 
➢ Over the course of the year, you will compile a portfolio that demonstrates your growth as a 
writer. Drafts, revisions, and final copies will be stored in the portfolio. Required writings will 
include college application essays, the research essay, and several analytical and evaluative essays. 
Portfolios should also include sample projects and a written reflection that will be completed prior 
to taking the AP exam. 
➢ During each nine weeks, you will write a minimum of three essays, some of which will be timed, 
in-class essays. At least one essay per nine weeks will be composed in conjunction with a writing 
workshop and will be revised following peer-editing and instructor feedback. These essays will 
include expository, analytical, and argumentative assignments. Scores for all essays will be based 
upon the AP scoring guides. 
➢ Near the end of the course, you will be required to write one formal MLA-format extended essay 
that is persuasive in nature and answers a question at issue by synthesizing researched support. 
 
Vocabulary 
➢ Each week, terms ( including relevant rhetorical terms and words commonly appearing on AP and 
SAT exams, in addition to important words and concepts that you might contribute) will be added 
to vocabulary journals. 
➢ Appropriate word choice and correct use of vocabulary is expected in written assignments. 
 
Reading 
➢ This course will focus on readings related to our goals, understandings, and essential questions. 
Reading in an AP course is both wide and deep. 
➢ In this advanced level course, I expect that you read deliberately and thoroughly, taking time to 
understand a work’s complexity, to absorb its richness of meaning, and to analyze how that 
meaning connects to the reader and the world. 
 
Other Projects and Assessments 
➢ Homework will usually consist of reading and informal writing assignments, including analyses, 
blogs, and reaction papers. 
➢ You should expect regular reading checks and quizzes that require a working knowledge of textual 
details from assigned reading. 
➢ Tests will be similar in format to the AP English Language examination and will include multiple 
choice passage analysis items and in-class essay responses. 
➢ You will occasionally prepare projects and presentations to enhance class experience and foster 
greater appreciation of reading selections and their historical, social, and cultural significance. Many 
of these projects will ask you to incorporate technology (multimedia presentations, digital 
photography, and digital video) and art (illustration, music, and, dramatic performance) to enhance 
the rhetorical power of your product. 
  
Units of Study 
 
Writing Focus Readings  Assessment 
Rhetorical  “The Box Man” (Ascher); “Seeing” (Annie Dillard),  2 Essays 
Analysis  “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” (Edwards),  4 short responses 
“Pale Blue Dot” (Sagan), “This is Water” (Wallace),  2 blogs 
instructor-selected essays, letters, and speeches; 
student-selected essays; counterpoints and 
miscellaneous readings 
Argument  “Ain’t I a Woman” (Truth); “Self-Reliance”  2 Essays 
(Emerson); “Walden” (Thoreau); Selections from  4 short responses 
Whitman, Bryant, Longfellow; “The Purloined Letter” 2 blogs 
(Poe); instructor-selected essays, letters, and speeches; 
student-selected essays; counterpoints and 
miscellaneous readings 
Synthesis  Extended Text: ​The Great Gatsby​ (Fitzgerald)  2 Essays 
“Richard Cory” (Robinson); “Chicago” (Sandburg); “A 4 short responses 
Raisin in the Sun” (Hansberry) Letter From  2 blogs 
Birmingham Jail” (King); instructor-selected essays, 
letters, and speeches; student-selected essays; 
counterpoints and miscellaneous readings 
Analysis,  Extended Text: ​The Things They Carried​ (O’Brien)  2 Essays 
Argument,  “Mao” (Warhol); Living Like Weasels” (Dillard);  4 short responses 
Synthesis &  “Mother Tongue” (Tan); instructor-selected essays,  2 blogs 
Research  letters, and speeches; student-selected essays; 
counterpoints and miscellaneous readings 
  
Grading Scale and Requirements 
Introduction:​ Because AP Language is a writing course, many ​formative​ activities will be comparable to a 
college composition course and will consist of independent reading and writing combined with class 
discussions and activities. Taken together, these activities will help to form your summative evaluation (final 
course grade). 
​Type of Work  Approximate  Brief Descriptions 
Percent of 
Grade 
Writing to Learn  20%  Informal: Homework, in-class writing, vocabulary, 
self-assessment, grammar, AP multiple choice 
Writing to Communicate  25%  Ranges from informal to formal: Response journals, peer 
reviews, group activities, blogs, portfolio 
Writing to Persuade  35%  Formal: Both in-class (timed) essays and longer-term 
process-oriented essays. 
Final Exam (Milestone)  20%  Students must take the Milestone EOC exam to receive 
credit for the course.