In AP Language and Composition, students read a variety of texts from the 18th to the 21st century, including lots of nonfiction, plus satire, memoir, and novels.
Students must be able to not only comprehend the text, but they must also develop skills for identifying the author's purpose, argument, and rhetorical choices.
Unlike freshman and sophomore year, teachers are very hands-off when it comes to reading the books assigned in AP Language. Typically, the teacher will assign a book with only two due dates: the date that the first half of the book is due, and the date that the rest of the book is due. There are no daily reading quizzes, and we don't read at the same pace, chapter by chapter. For this reason, many students have difficulty adjusting and managing their time. Although teachers provide a bookmark with a suggested reading schedule to keep you on track, it is YOUR responsibility to keep up with the reading. Some students have even said that this is the most challenging part of the class!
For most of the books, students are required to do some kind of written assignment as they read. Most are similar to Quotes and Notes, but some ask students to look for evidence that addresses specific Essential Questions. These assignments are graded and are directly applicable to the final assessments for the books.
Before enrolling in AP Language, we strongly recommend that you read these sample texts, which are typical of the level of text complexity that you will be reading all year. If these seem challenging, that's okay. But if they seem overwhelming and you're having a very hard time understanding the language and visualizing what's going on, you may not be ready for AP Language.
**We may not study all of these texts next year, but these have been part of the curriculum in the past.**
From The Great Influenza by John M. Barry