Course Outline
Mrs. R. Fuentes
Office Hours: 3rd and 5th periods
Date of AP EXAM: Tuesday, May 14, 2024
Course Overview:
The objectives of this course are approved by the AP College Board. The purpose of this course is to “enable students to read complex texts” (College Board, 6) consisting of majority non-fiction pieces in addition to exploring fiction pieces “with understanding and to write prose of sufficient richness and complexity to communicate with mature readers” (College Board, 6).
This course gives students the opportunity to “write about a variety of subjects and to demonstrate an awareness of audience and purpose.” Students will focus on developing collegiate style writings samples of expository, narrative, analytical, argumentative, and synthesis based on the study of various pieces and class discussion.
As an AP student, you will be treated as a college student. To do well in this course, you must:
(a.) prioritize and manage your time,
(b.) manage and complete all assignments by keeping up with your syllabus;
(c.) ask questions
(d.) bringing all required materials to class and participate in discussions.
Your goal throughout this course is to develop critical thinking and reading skills in addition to writing effective pieces that display thorough thought and application, discuss intelligently and responsibly, and strive to do well in the course.
Class Norms and Expectations:
Have integrity in your work and complete each assignment on your own.
Cheating is unacceptable and, not to mention, EXTREMELY disrespectful! Intellectual honesty is fundamental to all learning. Any breach of this trust has serious consequences. Plagiarism will result in no credit on the assignment and an office referral. ChatGpt is cheating. Please do not use it. The Columbus Public Schools recognizes plagiarism as a level-two discipline infraction that may result in student suspension. This includes ALL work for ALL classes!
Asking questions is expected and warranted, but do not expect your teacher to tell you everything. Personal discovery and inquisitiveness is a must for success in this course. Keeping that in mind, don’t wait until the last minute to get help.
Be PREPARED every day.
Come to class ON TIME and ready to learn.
Please DO NOT use your cell phone and/or electronics during class unless instructed to do so. STAY FOCUSED!
Manage your time so that you’re completing your BEST work. Revise often and make sure your work is NEAT!
Grades:
Each student in this course will receive a grade on a weighted scale. The determination of that grade will be based on your efforts to the assignments and challenges that you are given. Sloppy, unfinished, and unrevised work will only result in low grades. All points count. If you want the best, you will have to give your best.
**There is NO EXTRA CREDIT in this weighted course. **
Assessments:
AP Multiple Choice Practice Tests
AP Essay Questions
Reading Check Quizzes
Weekly Vocabulary Quizzes
AP Timed Writings
AP Multimedia Projects
Required Applications:
Active Reading
While reading students will be required to gain understanding of the piece while identifying and analyzing the following elements:
Prior knowledge
Writer’s thesis
Language/Style
Author’s Purpose
Audience and Occasion
Tone
Structure
Appeals
Evidence
Responses to these elements will be made orally, through class or small group discussion, and/or students will write their responses in a Reflective/Response Journal. In addition, you will be required to annotate, underline or highlight pertinent ideas and information on a regular basis.
Writings:
"The experience of the process of composing is the essence” (College Board, 7) of the AP English Language and Composition course. Students will go through several drafts with revision and editing with the teacher or a classmate to help students become proficient writers. Students are “encouraged to place their emphasis on content, purpose, and audience and to allow this focus to guide the organization of their writing” (College Board, 6). Students will use the American Psychological Association (APA) format to cite sources used to compose writing sample. Each writing assignment will be graded by a rubric, which will be discussed, and samples shown to help students understand the composition of an effective writing.
In addition to completing several essays during the year, students will complete several timed writings for each quarter. The instructor will read and review the timed writings and discuss it individually with the student. As time progresses, students will work on assessing each other’s timed writings and give the writing a score. This will help students be able to assess, understand and create effective writing samples.
Reflective Response Journal:
During the year students will keep a reflective response journal reflecting and responding to the readings, discussion and individual writings completed during the course. “This task is a good way of helping students become increasingly aware of themselves as writers and of the techniques employed by the writers they read” (The College Board, 7).
The response will be based on the elements students are to note and analyze while reading or it may focus on a question posed in class by the instructor or a classmate. The length of the response should be no less than 3 paragraphs in length, but also long enough to provide a thorough and thoughtful response. Students need to be sure to effectively respond to the posed question and to discuss the important elements displayed in the piece. These journals will be graded every three weeks as part of your binder checks (20 points each).
Analysis Writing:
In addition to maintaining a Reflective/Response Journal, students will be required to analyze various forms of rhetoric in a written analysis. Rhetorical, Synthesis and Argumentative analyses are an essential strategy that we will work to master in this course. The topics of these analyses may be derived from text we’re discussing in class, newspapers, magazines, journals, online magazines, online journals, and/or online magazines that reflect the theme of a unit.
The format for these writings will be discussed extensively throughout the school year and will count as a major scores towards your final grade. Please make sure that you take good notes and ask questions often.
Basic Supplies:
Filler/loose leaf paper highlighters pencils 2 spiral notebooks
Blue/black pens post-it notes 2GB (or more) flash drive