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AP English Language and Composition Course OverviewAn AP English Language and Composition course cultivates the reading and writing skills that students need for college success and for intellectually responsible civil engagement. The course guides students in becoming curious, critical, and responsive readers of diverse texts, and becoming flexible, reflective writers of texts addressed to diverse audiences for diverse purposes.
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College Board's Equity and Access Policy Statement
The College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding principle for their AP programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the opportunity to participate in AP. We encourage educators to:
The College Board strongly encourages educators to make equitable access a guiding principle for their AP programs by giving all willing and academically prepared students the opportunity to participate in AP. We encourage educators to:
- Eliminate barriers that restrict access to AP for students from ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic groups that have been traditionally underserved.
- Make every effort to ensure their AP classes reflect the diversity of their student population.
- Provide all students with access to academically challenging coursework before they enroll in AP classes
Interesting Websites
The Flip Side
Medium
The New Yorker
The Atlantic
The Onion
The New York Times Room for Debate
The Flip Side
Medium
The New Yorker
The Atlantic
The Onion
The New York Times Room for Debate
AP Multiple-choice |
Breakdown of 2015 and 2016 MC Exam
Course Description with Practice Test Gradecam Wordify Lexile Scores Socrative Applied Practice D&S Marketing Prestwick House AP Language Question Stems AP Literature and Language Questions Stems Practice with Endnotes Exercise Acronyms for Deliberate Reading: DIDLS, SAT (Speaker, Audience, Topic) Calculating an AP Score for Practice Test |
Rhetorical Analysis
American Rhetoric Website
Speakola
Ad Analysis Exercise
Documentary Film as an Introduction to Rhetoric
Leonard Pitts--writer
T-chart for Rhetorical Analysis-- The REP Chart
INTRODUCTIONS: HATMAT (Hook, Author, Title, Main Idea, Argument, Thesis)
2018
In 1997, then United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright gave the commencement speech to the graduating class of Mount Holyoke College, a woman’s college in Massachusetts. Read the following excerpt from her speech carefully. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the choice Albright makes to convey her message to the audience.
2017
The passage below is the opening to a speech made in 1960 by American journalist and politician Clare Boothe Luce to journalists at the Women’s National Press Club. In this speech, Luce went on to criticize the tendency of American press to sacrifice journalistic integrity in favor of the perceived public demand for sensationalist stories. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-developed essay, analyze how Luce uses this introduction to prepare the audience for her message. Support your analysis of her rhetoric with specific reference to the text.
2016
On June 11, 2004, Margaret Thatcher, the former prime minister of Great Britain, delivered the following eulogy to the American people in honor of the former United States president Ronald Reagan, with whom she had worked closely. Read the eulogy carefully. Then, in a well-developed essay, analyze the rhetorical strategies that Thatcher uses to convey her message.
2015
On the tenth anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., labor union organizer and civil rights leader Cesar Chavez published an article in the magazine of a religious organization devoted to helping those in need. Read the following excerpt from the article carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the rhetorical choices Chavez makes to develop his argument about nonviolent resistance.
2014
In a letter, Abigail Adams writes to her son John Quincy Adams, who is traveling abroad with his father, John Adams, a United States diplomat and later the country’s second president. In a well-developed essay, analyze the rhetorical strategies Adams uses to advise her son.
2013
Passage from Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. Write an essay in which you analyze the rhetorical strategies Louv uses to develop his argument about the separation between people and nature.
2012
On April 10, 1962, as the United States was emerging from a recession, the nation’s largest steel companies raised steel prices by 3.5 percent. President John F. Kennedy, who had repeatedly called for stable prices and wages as part of a program of national sacrifice during a period of economic distress, held a news conference on April 11, 1962, which he opened with the following commentary regarding the hike in steel prices. Write an essay in which you analyze the rhetorical strategies President Kennedy uses to achieve his purpose.
Don't forget the satire prompts...
2009
Two passages from Edwin Wilson’s The Future of Life satirizing the language of two groups that hold opposing attitudes about environmentalism. Analyze how Wilson’s satire illustrates the unproductive nature of such discussions.
2005
A mock press release from The Onion. Analyze the strategies used in the article to satirize how products are marketed to consumers.
Essay Approachable First Prompt
2008 Form B
Passage from “America Needs Its Nerds” by Leonid Fridman. Analyze how Fridman develops his argument.
Difficult Prompt
2006
William Hazlitt’s “On the Want of Money.” Analyze the rhetorical strategies he uses to develop his position about money.
American Rhetoric Website
Speakola
Ad Analysis Exercise
Documentary Film as an Introduction to Rhetoric
Leonard Pitts--writer
T-chart for Rhetorical Analysis-- The REP Chart
INTRODUCTIONS: HATMAT (Hook, Author, Title, Main Idea, Argument, Thesis)
2018
In 1997, then United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright gave the commencement speech to the graduating class of Mount Holyoke College, a woman’s college in Massachusetts. Read the following excerpt from her speech carefully. Then write a well-developed essay in which you analyze the choice Albright makes to convey her message to the audience.
2017
The passage below is the opening to a speech made in 1960 by American journalist and politician Clare Boothe Luce to journalists at the Women’s National Press Club. In this speech, Luce went on to criticize the tendency of American press to sacrifice journalistic integrity in favor of the perceived public demand for sensationalist stories. Read the passage carefully. Then, in a well-developed essay, analyze how Luce uses this introduction to prepare the audience for her message. Support your analysis of her rhetoric with specific reference to the text.
2016
On June 11, 2004, Margaret Thatcher, the former prime minister of Great Britain, delivered the following eulogy to the American people in honor of the former United States president Ronald Reagan, with whom she had worked closely. Read the eulogy carefully. Then, in a well-developed essay, analyze the rhetorical strategies that Thatcher uses to convey her message.
2015
On the tenth anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., labor union organizer and civil rights leader Cesar Chavez published an article in the magazine of a religious organization devoted to helping those in need. Read the following excerpt from the article carefully. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the rhetorical choices Chavez makes to develop his argument about nonviolent resistance.
2014
In a letter, Abigail Adams writes to her son John Quincy Adams, who is traveling abroad with his father, John Adams, a United States diplomat and later the country’s second president. In a well-developed essay, analyze the rhetorical strategies Adams uses to advise her son.
2013
Passage from Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. Write an essay in which you analyze the rhetorical strategies Louv uses to develop his argument about the separation between people and nature.
2012
On April 10, 1962, as the United States was emerging from a recession, the nation’s largest steel companies raised steel prices by 3.5 percent. President John F. Kennedy, who had repeatedly called for stable prices and wages as part of a program of national sacrifice during a period of economic distress, held a news conference on April 11, 1962, which he opened with the following commentary regarding the hike in steel prices. Write an essay in which you analyze the rhetorical strategies President Kennedy uses to achieve his purpose.
Don't forget the satire prompts...
2009
Two passages from Edwin Wilson’s The Future of Life satirizing the language of two groups that hold opposing attitudes about environmentalism. Analyze how Wilson’s satire illustrates the unproductive nature of such discussions.
2005
A mock press release from The Onion. Analyze the strategies used in the article to satirize how products are marketed to consumers.
Essay Approachable First Prompt
2008 Form B
Passage from “America Needs Its Nerds” by Leonid Fridman. Analyze how Fridman develops his argument.
Difficult Prompt
2006
William Hazlitt’s “On the Want of Money.” Analyze the rhetorical strategies he uses to develop his position about money.
Thematic Units
AMERICA
Robin Williams as The American Flag 1982
This is America by Childish Gambino
The Newsroom "American is not the Greatest Country in the World" Speech
"I Hear America Singing" by Walt Whitman
"Let America Be America Again" by Langston Hughes
2016 Argument: In 1891, Irish author Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) observed, “Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.”
Wilde claims that disobedience is a valuable human trait and that it promotes social progress. Write an essay that argues your position on the extent to which Wilde’s claims are valid. Use appropriate examples from your reading, experience, or observations to support your argument.
Motivation and Patriotism
Elizabeth at Tilbury
Any Given Sunday "Inches"
JK Rowling's Speech on Failure
"This is Water" by David Foster Wallace
Ellen Degeneres Graduation Speech at Tulane
"Invictus" by WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY
"If" by Rudyard Kipling
2018 Argument: In her book Gift from the Sea, author and aviator Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1906-2001) writes, “We tend not to choose the unknown which might be a shock or a disappointment or simply a little difficult to cope with. And yet it is the unknown with all its disappointments and surprises that is the most enriching.”
Consider the value Lindbergh places on choosing the unknown. Then write an essay in which you develop your own position on the value of exploring the unknown. Use appropriate, specific evidence to illustrate and develop your position.
10 Inspiring Movie Speeches from Forbes
20 Most Inspiring Speeches in Film from The Telegraph
The Argument Essay
Quick Reference Guide for Argument Writing
Introductionary Discussion for Students
On-line Writing Lab at Purdue
"Developing An Argument" by Ron Sudol
"Four Fantastic Thinkers": Freud, Rogers, Skinner, and Jung
The Columnist Project
Sentence Variety is Nice
The Golden Circle TED Talk by Simon Sinek
The Synthesis Essay
Synthesis Reference Guide for Timed Writings
Blending Source Material with Your Own Word--Penn State
They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing by Graff and Berkenstein
Synthesis Reference Guide for Timed Writings
Blending Source Material with Your Own Word--Penn State
They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing by Graff and Berkenstein
Rubrics
Analysis Rubric with Teacher Commentary List
Argument Rubric with Teacher Commentary List
Synthesis Rubric with Teacher Commentary List
High Score Low Score Rubric
AP Scoring Rubric RPHS Department
Composition Rubric for Process Papers
Composition Rubric A
Composition Rubric for Research Papers
Analysis Rubric with Teacher Commentary List
Argument Rubric with Teacher Commentary List
Synthesis Rubric with Teacher Commentary List
High Score Low Score Rubric
AP Scoring Rubric RPHS Department
Composition Rubric for Process Papers
Composition Rubric A
Composition Rubric for Research Papers
AP English Language & Composition: Curricular Requirements
CR1 The teacher has read the most recent AP English Course Description.
CR2 The course teaches and requires students to write in several forms (e.g., narrative, expository, analytical, and argumentative essays) about a variety of subjects (e.g., public policies, popular culture, personal experiences).
CR3 The course requires students to write essays that proceed through several stages or drafts, with revision aided by teacher and peers.
CR4 The course requires students to write in informal contexts (e.g., imitation exercises, journal keeping, collaborative writing, and in-class responses) designed to help them become increasingly aware of themselves as writers and of the techniques employed by the writers they read.
CR5 The course requires expository, analytical, and argumentative writing assignments that are based on readings representing a wide variety of prose styles and genres.
CR6 The course requires nonfiction readings (e.g., essays, journalism, political writing, science writing, nature writing, autobiographies/biographies, diaries, history, criticism) that are selected to give students opportunities to identify and explain an author's use of rhetorical strategies and techniques. If fiction and poetry are also assigned, their main purpose should be to help students understand how various effects are achieved by writers' linguistic and rhetorical choices. (Note: The College Board does not mandate any particular authors or reading list, but representative authors are cited in the AP English Course Description.)
CR7 The course teaches students to analyze how graphics and visual images both relate to written texts and serve as alternative forms of text themselves.
CR8 The course teaches research skills, and in particular, the ability to evaluate, use, and cite primary and secondary sources. The course assigns projects such as the researched argument paper, which goes beyond the parameters of a traditional research paper by asking students to present an argument of their own that includes the analysis and synthesis of ideas from an array of sources.
CR9 The course teaches students how to cite sources using a recognized editorial style (e.g., Modern Language Association, The Chicago Manual of Style, etc.).
CR10 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students' writing assignments, both before and after the students revise their work, that help the students develop these skills:
CR1 The teacher has read the most recent AP English Course Description.
CR2 The course teaches and requires students to write in several forms (e.g., narrative, expository, analytical, and argumentative essays) about a variety of subjects (e.g., public policies, popular culture, personal experiences).
CR3 The course requires students to write essays that proceed through several stages or drafts, with revision aided by teacher and peers.
CR4 The course requires students to write in informal contexts (e.g., imitation exercises, journal keeping, collaborative writing, and in-class responses) designed to help them become increasingly aware of themselves as writers and of the techniques employed by the writers they read.
CR5 The course requires expository, analytical, and argumentative writing assignments that are based on readings representing a wide variety of prose styles and genres.
CR6 The course requires nonfiction readings (e.g., essays, journalism, political writing, science writing, nature writing, autobiographies/biographies, diaries, history, criticism) that are selected to give students opportunities to identify and explain an author's use of rhetorical strategies and techniques. If fiction and poetry are also assigned, their main purpose should be to help students understand how various effects are achieved by writers' linguistic and rhetorical choices. (Note: The College Board does not mandate any particular authors or reading list, but representative authors are cited in the AP English Course Description.)
CR7 The course teaches students to analyze how graphics and visual images both relate to written texts and serve as alternative forms of text themselves.
CR8 The course teaches research skills, and in particular, the ability to evaluate, use, and cite primary and secondary sources. The course assigns projects such as the researched argument paper, which goes beyond the parameters of a traditional research paper by asking students to present an argument of their own that includes the analysis and synthesis of ideas from an array of sources.
CR9 The course teaches students how to cite sources using a recognized editorial style (e.g., Modern Language Association, The Chicago Manual of Style, etc.).
CR10 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students' writing assignments, both before and after the students revise their work, that help the students develop these skills:
- A wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively
- A variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination
- Logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis
- A balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail
- An effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure
Resources for Teachers
The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric by Renee H. Shea and Lawrence Scanlon
Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading and Writing by Hephzibah Roskelly and David Jolliffe
Everything's an Argument by Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewicz, Keith Walters
Bedford St. Martin's Website
The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric by Renee H. Shea and Lawrence Scanlon
Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading and Writing by Hephzibah Roskelly and David Jolliffe
Everything's an Argument by Andrea A. Lunsford, John J. Ruszkiewicz, Keith Walters
Bedford St. Martin's Website