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AP Language and Composition. An Introduction. An Introduction from College Board.
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AP Language and Composition An Introduction
An Introduction from College Board • “An AP course in English Language and Composition engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of rhetorical contexts, and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Both their writing and their reading should make students aware of the interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and subjects, as well as the way genre conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing.”
Goals • to write about a variety of subjects from a variety of disciplines and to demonstrate an awareness of audience and purpose • to emphasize the expository, analytical, and argumentative writing that forms the basis of academic and professional communication, as well as personal and reflective writing • to understand that expository, analytical, and argumentative writing is based on reading as well as on personal experience and observation • to read primary and secondary sources carefully, to synthesize material from these texts in your own compositions, and to cite sources using conventions recommended by professional organizations such as the Modern Language Association (MLA)
Goals • to move beyond the five-paragraph essay that provides an introduction with a thesis and three reasons, body paragraphs on each reason, and a conclusion that restates the thesis • to emphasize the writing process, in which you will write essays that proceed through several stages or drafts, with revision aided by me (your teacher) and your peers • to understand the importance of graphics and visual images in texts published in print and electronic media, and to analyze these images • to become aware of how stylistic effects are achieved by writers’ linguistic choices • to understand rhetorical and linguistic choices, rather than to study literary conventions
The Importance of Research • In addition, the informed use of research materials and the ability to synthesize varied sources (to evaluate, use, and cite sources) are integral parts of the course. • Students move past assignments that allow for the uncritical citation of sources and, instead, take up projects that call on them to evaluate the legitimacy and purpose of sources used. • Research helps students to formulate varied, informed arguments . Unlike the traditional research paper, in which works are often summarized but not evaluated or used to support the writer’s own ideas, the researched argument requires students to consider each source as a text that was itself written for a particular audience and purpose. • Researched argument papers remind students that they must sort through disparate interpretations to analyze, reflect upon, and write about a topic . When students are asked to bring the experience and opinions of others into their essays in this way, they enter into conversations with other writers and thinkers.
Stylistic Development • 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
Upon completing the course, students should be able to: • 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 their own 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
Upon completing the course, students should be able to: • demonstrate understanding and mastery of standard written English as well as stylistic maturity in their own writings • demonstrate understanding of the conventions of citing primary and secondary sources • move effectively through the stages of the writing process, with careful attention to inquiry and research, drafting, revising, editing and review • write thoughtfully about their own process of composition • revise a work to make it suitable for a different audience • analyze an image as text • evaluate and incorporate reference documents into researched papers
The Exam • Scoring • Multiple choice = 45% • Essays = 55% • 60 minutes for multiple choice (55 questions) • 15 minute period for reading of synthesis essay • 120 minutes for 3 essays • Synthesis • Rhetorical Analysis • Argumentative
Multiple Choice • Points given for correct answers, no points taken off for incorrect answers – ALWAYS GUESS!! • Given various passages and need to answer questions relating to: • Author’s tone • Rhetorical functions • Style • Conventions and syntax • Footnotes • Understanding meaning • Diction
Synthesis Essay • Given a prompt in which you must create an argument and use sources to illustrate and support your reasoning • You must “defend, challenge, or qualify” a claim • Usually given 5-9 sources labeled: • Source A • Source B • Source C… • Must cite the sources • Given 15 minute time period to read and annotate (use the full 15 minutes) • Suggestion: Attempt to make your own argument before reading the sources; then use the sources to back up your own argument
Rhetorical Analysis Essay • Given a prompt and then you must analyze the rhetorical techniques used by the author and how it aids his/her purpose • Examples: • The passage below is an excerpt from Jennifer Price’s recent essay “The Plastic Pink Flamingo: A Natural History .” The essay examines the popularity of the plastic pink flamingo in the 1950s . Read the passage carefully . Then write an essay in which you analyze how Price crafts the text to reveal her view of United States culture. • Alfred M . Green delivered the following speech in Philadelphia in April 1861, the first month of the Civil War. African Americans were not yet permitted to join the Union army, but Green felt that they should strive to be admitted to the ranks and prepare to enlist . Read the speech carefully . Then write an essay in which youanalyze the methods that Green uses to persuade his fellow African Americans to join the Union forces. • Suggestion: Do NOT have one paragraph about diction, one about syntax, and one about repetition. (I’ll explain more later)
Argumentative Essay • Need to write your own well-organized argumentative essay in which you use rhetorical techniques, precise diction, and advanced syntax. • Suggestion: Attempt to use a historical event, cultural reference, or current event and not just your own experiences
Argumentative Essay • Example:
