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Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program (AP) is a program of credit by examination for college-level studies pursued in secondary schools.  The College Board, who sponsors the program, as well as the SAT, is a national organization dedicated to consistent standards for college placement of high school graduates.  These courses make it possible for academically talented students to increase the challenge of their studies, both in high school and in college.  The underlying premise of the program is that college-level courses can be successfully taught to high school students, by high school teachers, and on high school campuses.  Included in the AP program is the English Language and Composition course which you are enrolled in.

Course Description:
The College Board offers two advanced placement courses in English:  Language and Composition, and Literature and Composition.  An AP course in English Language and Composition engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts, and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes.  Both the reading and writing should make students aware of the interactions among a writer's purposes, audience expectations, and subjects, as well as the way generic conventions and the resources of language contribute to the effectiveness in the writing.  The content focus of the class is not the literary texts you are used to reading in the English classroom, but the rather the nonliterary texts often ignored.  These texts, including essays, biographies, speeches, and reviews; as well as alternative texts, including advertisements, graphic images, cartoons, and photographs will help us study the fundamental elements of rhetoric. Course

Goals/Skills
The following are the overall goals and expectations for skill development in the AP English Language and Composition course:

READING:

  • active, critical reader of nonfiction text
  • analyze how alternative texts relate to written texts
  • identify, analyze, and explain the purposeful function of an author's use of argumentative strategies in developing an argument
  • identify, analyze, and explain the purposeful function of an author's use of stylistic devices in developing an argument.

WRITING

  • demonstrate mastery and understanding of standard written English
  • move effectively and independently through all stages of the writing process
  • create expository and argumentative compositions using appropriate evidence, organization, and development
  • develop timed writing skills focusing on careful reading, deliberate planning, and pertinent writing
  • demonstrate stylistic maturity in development of essays

THINKING

  • respond more logically and less emotionally to arguments
  • interrogate first impressions of ideas
  • acknowledge the complexity and subtlety of topics
  • think "out of the box" in creative and unique ways to develop you own arguments

RESEARCH

  • collect varied sources to be used in your own argument
  • evaluate the legitimacy and purpose of a source
  • synthesize (evaluate, cite, utilize) varied sources into a single argument
  • document sources used in correct citation format
  • write researched argumentative essays

Course Prerequisites:
Typically, students should have completed English 9A-B and English 10A-B with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA to demonstrate the necessary prerequisite skills to be successful in the AP English Language course.

Required Texts/Materials:
In the AP course, the student should consider obtaining a personal copy of the various texts used for commentary and notations of salient information during the reading.  You may purchase a copy of texts from your local new or used book store, or from an online book source.

If necessary you may check out paperbacks from your school's, or the instructor's school, English Department.  All titles could also be found in the local library branches.  Some of the texts used can also be accessed online. If you have difficulty obtaining a text, please contact the instructor.

Texts used during the AP English Language course include:

Fast Food Nation   by Eric Schlosser
Narrative of the Life of a Slave by Frederick Douglas

Evaluation/Grading/Requirements:
Grades are not solely a measure of knowledge, but also of attendance, effort, and preparation.  Thus, a student's daily commitment to the course is essential to success. 

First, online attendance is required and you will be graded on presence and participation.  Please see "Attendance" and "Participation" under course syllabus for further information.

All grades will be calculated using a point system for each assignment.  Scores will be posted for both formative and summative assessments including, but not limited to:  tests, quizzes, vocabulary lists, essays, journal entries, research, and reading analysis.

Grades will be determined by the percentage of the total point value: 100%-90%=A, 89%-80%=B, 79%-70%=C, 69%-60%=D, below 60%=F.

Attendance
Online attendance is required and you will be graded on presence and participation.

It is expected that you log into the course a minimum of three times each week. At various times during your course work you will also, be required to make substantive contributions to class discussions.

Guidelines for Term Project/Final Report:
During the course of the year each student will compile a researched paper or "I Search" paper.  While the final product composed by the student will be a very important culminating activity, the emphasis of the project will be the process used by the student to come to completion.  The different elements of the process to be covered include:

  • topic selection / focus / thesis
  • research collection / evaluation
  • research reading / compiling / synthesizing
  • information organization / outlining / combining
  • manuscript preparing / drafting / revising
  • manuscript formatting / finalizing / submitting / presenting

The precourse reading assignment Fast Food Nation will serve as the beginning point of the process and primary document for all students.  It is important that students make a strong commitment to this lengthy process and allocate the appropriate amount of time to successfully complete each step of the process.  This disciplined approach to the process will ensure a successful culminating product.

Course Policies

Academic Integrity :
It is the responsibility of the student to uphold the highest in academic integrity. Students in this course will be expected to comply with the official Spokane District 81 Policy regarding Academic Integrity. It is the assumption of the instructor that all work is done by the student.

District Computer/Network Usage:
Careful and ethical use of computing resources is the responsibility of every user. Students will be held to a stand of accountability for how they use computers. The official District Acceptable Use Policy is found here (PDF).