SAMPLE SYLLABUS #1

AP English Language
®

and Composition
Curricular Requirements
CR1 The course is structured by unit, theme, genre, or other organizational See pages:
approach that provides opportunities to engage with the big ideas throughout 3, 4
the course: Rhetorical Situation, Claims and Evidence, Reasoning and
Organization, Style.

CR2 The course requires an emphasis on nonfiction readings (e.g., essays, See pages:
journalism, political writing, science writing, nature writing, autobiographies/ 3, 5, 13
biographies, diaries, history, criticism) that are selected to give students
opportunities to identify and explain an author’s use of rhetorical strategies
and techniques.

CR3 The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills in Skill See pages:
Category 1 – Rhetorical Situation (Reading): Explain how writers’ choices 4, 6
reflect the components of the rhetorical situation.

CR4 The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills in Skill See page:
Category 2 – Rhetorical Situation (Writing): Make strategic choices in a text to 8
address a rhetorical situation.

CR5 The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills in Skill See pages:
Category 3 – Claims and Evidence (Reading): Identify and describe the claims 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13
and evidence of an argument.

CR6 The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills in Skill See pages:
Category 4 – Claims and Evidence (Writing): Analyze and select evidence to 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 13
develop and refine a claim.

CR7 The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills in Skill See pages:
Category 5 – Reasoning and Organization (Reading): Describe the reasoning, 7, 8, 9
organization, and development of an argument.

CR8 The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills in Skill See pages:
Category 6 – Reasoning and Organization (Writing): Use organization and 7, 8
commentary to illuminate the line of reasoning in an argument.
CR9 The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills in Skill See page:
Category 7 – Style (Reading): Explain how writers’ stylistic choices contribute 10
to the purpose of an argument.

CR10 The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills in Skill See pages:
Category 8 – Style (Writing): Select words and use elements of composition to 10, 11, 12
advance an argument.

CR11 The course provides opportunities for students to write argumentative essays See pages:
synthesizing material from a variety of sources. 7, 9

CR12 The course provides opportunities for students to write essays analyzing See pages:
authors’ rhetorical choices. 10, 12

CR13 The course provides opportunities for students to write essays that proceed See pages:
through multiple stages or drafts, including opportunities for conferring and 9, 12
collaborating with teacher and/or peers.
Advanced Placement
English Language and
Composition Sample Syllabus #1

Course Description
The AP English Language course provides students with the opportunity to read rigorous CR1
texts from various eras and in different genres, analyzing the big ideas of rhetorical The syllabus must include
situation, claims/evidence, reasoning/organization, and style. CR1 Students use given an outline of course content
texts to reach the goal of effective writing and analysis: they will read and annotate texts by unit, theme, genre,
from a critical perspective in order to craft well-reasoned essays and personal reflections or other organizational
in response. approach that also
demonstrates the inclusion
The course is structured both thematically and chronologically, based on district of the big ideas. The big
requirements and College Board’s unit guide. The over-arching theme for the course is ideas must be explicitly
that of power. The district requires all juniors to read The Crucible, Macbeth, and The Great stated in the syllabus.
Gatsby; I then extend and explore the basic readings by asking students to work with
nonfiction titles that expand on the ideas stated or implied in the required texts.

The textbook for the course is Bedford’s Language of Composition (2nd edition), supplying
many of the nonfiction readings for the course. Some materials from Language of
Composition, 3rd edition, are also used. Additional readings come from such varied CR2
sources as Project Gutenberg, current events, national publications, and any other The syllabus must include
resources that seems likely to provide for rigor, depth, and high interest. CR2 a representative list of
readings or indicate the
readings used within each
Big Ideas unit of study to demonstrate
Rhetorical Situation: Individuals write within a particular situation and make strategic an emphasis on nonfiction.
writing choices based on that situation. The majority of texts must
be nonfiction.
Claims and Evidence: Writers make claims about subjects, rely on evidence that supports
the reasoning that justifies the claim, and often acknowledge or respond to other, possibly
opposing, arguments.

Reasoning and Organization: Writers guide understanding of a text’s lines of reasoning

and claims through that text’s organization and integration of evidence.

Style: The rhetorical situation informs the strategic stylistic choices that writers make.

Student Practice
Throughout each unit, Topic Questions will be provided to help students check their
understanding. The Topic Questions are especially useful for confirming understanding
of difficult or foundational topics before moving on to new content or skills that build
upon prior topics. Topic Questions can be assigned before, during, or after a lesson, and
as in-class work or homework. Students will get rationales for each Topic Question that
will help them understand why an answer is correct or incorrect, and their results will
reveal misunderstandings to help them target the content and skills needed for
additional practice.

At the end of each unit or at key points within a unit, Personal Progress Checks will
be provided in class or as homework assignments in AP Classroom. Students will get a
personal report with feedback on every topic, skill, and question that they can use to chart

AP-Course Audit Teacher Resources © 2020 College Board 3

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Sample Syllabus #1

their progress, and their results will come with rationales that explain every question’s
answer. One to two class periods are set aside to re-teach skills based on the results of the
Personal Progress Checks.

Course Units
The units below show the general scheduling for the course. Please note that our school
year extends to mid-June. My students will complete Unit 9 before the AP Exam. After the
AP Exam, students will polish their college essays and read the Thornton Wilder play The
Skin of Our Teeth, along with nonfiction pieces to support Wilder’s ideas about humanity.

Unit One: The Power of Perspective:

The Author and The Audience CR1
Topic: Community

Big Ideas: Rhetorical Situation; Claims and Evidence

Skills: 1.A, 3.A, 4.A

In Unit 1, students are laying a foundation for the work throughout the year. Accordingly,
they will begin with a number of foundational texts, including those listed at the bottom
of this section. Students will identify, reflect on, and write about rhetorical situation in a
variety of activities.

Activities: CR3
1. Students will read Chapter 1 in Everyday Use: Rhetoric at Work in Reading and Writing, The syllabus must include
which describes rhetorical situation and the rhetorical triangle. Students have at least one description of
completed the reading of a nonfiction book over the summer. During the first two an instructional activity,
weeks of school, they will submit a series of reflections written during the summer; series of activities, or project
these reactions will include their thoughts on style, organization, subject matter, and in which students explain
other items. Before discussing their summer reading, they will read President how writers’ choices reflect
George W. Bush’s “9/11 Speech,” using the rhetorical triangle to identify the parts of the components of the
the rhetorical situation, as well as the author’s understanding of audience. Then, they rhetorical situation in an
will discuss in groups the components of the rhetorical situation addressed in the assigned text.
summer reading book (Skill 1.A). CR3 After a discussion in class of claim, evidence,
commentary, student groups will then list in bullet-point form the major claim, CR5
evidence, and commentary in one chapter or segment in the book (Skill 3.A). Next, The syllabus must include
students will develop a group paragraph that explicates claim, one piece of evidence, at least one description of
and commentary from the book. Finally, each student will continue the group an instructional activity,
paragraph by adding an additional example of claim, evidence, and commentary. series of activities, or project
2. Before listening to Malala Yousafzai’s speech to the United Nations, students will in which students identify
research some of the unfamiliar allusions, such as these: Mohammed al-Jinnah, Bacha and describe the claims and
Khan, the partition of India, the role of Gandhi and nonviolence in that partition, evidence of an argument in
and other items. After reporting to the class, students will listen to and follow the an assigned text.
transcript of Malala’s speech to the United Nations. As a class, they will brainstorm
the elements of the rhetorical situation in the speech, particularly noting exigence CR6
and audience, both explicit and implied (Skill 1.A). They will also pinpoint elements The syllabus must include
of claim, evidence, and commentary (Skill 3.A). The class will generate a rubric, at least one description of
listing items to be included in the paragraphs they will write. Students will then an instructional activity,
divide into groups; each group member will contribute a paragraph on one element series of activities, or project
of the rhetorical situation, using claim, evidence, commentary in the paragraph (Skill in which students analyze
4.A). CR3 CR5 CR6 As a final step, students will exchange paragraphs and and select evidence in order
peer edit for elements specified on the rubric. After peer editing, students will revise to develop and refine claims
paragraphs. Groups will submit their finished product to the class for comment. in their writing.

AP-Course Audit Teacher Resources © 2020 College Board 4

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Sample Syllabus #1

AP Classroom
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check MCQ for Unit 1.
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check FRQ for Unit 1.
Assessment
Complete paragraphing exercise about Bush’s 9/11 speech and Yousafzai’s United
Nations speech.

Texts CR2
Speeches: George Bush’s 9/11 Address to the Nation; Malala Yousafzai’s speech to the
United Nations on education

Letters and Op-Eds: Groucho Marx’s “Letter to the Warner Brothers”

Essays and Book Excerpts: “Home at Last” by Dinaw Mengestu; “Health and Happiness”
by Robert Putnam; “In Search of the Good Family” by Jane Howard

Biography/Autobiography: “My First Lifeline” by Maya Angelou from I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings; excerpts from Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes

Science and Technology: Current events as applicable

Visuals: Photo Essays about communities

Other Texts: During the summer, students read a nonfiction text from a list that changes
yearly. Books on the list include such titles as these: Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken; Matt
Richtel’s A Deadly Wandering; David Margolick’s Elizabeth and Hazel; and Trevor Noah’s
Born a Crime.

Unit Two: The Power of Evidence:

Claim, Evidence, and Commentary
(Audience and Thesis)
Topic: Identity.

Big Ideas: Rhetorical Situation; Claims and Evidence

Skills: 1.B, 2.B, 3.A, 3.B, 4.A, 4.B

In Unit 2, students extend their skills in identifying and writing claim, evidence, and
commentary (Skills 3.A, 4.A). They are introduced to the ideas of the logical appeals and
begin working with explaining the “so what” of the appeals in their paragraphs (Skill
2.B). Students also begin to identify and describe the overarching thesis of an argument,
relating that thesis to the argument’s structure (Skill 3.B), before writing thesis statements
that require proof or defense, and which may preview the argument’s structure (Skill 4.B).
In order to achieve these goals, students read background materials for The Crucible, as
well as various selections that address the topic of identity. Students then read aloud The
Crucible, analyzing the causes and effects of characters’ actions, as well as noting the
use of the appeals and rhetorical devices (Skill 1.B). After reading the play, students turn
to Margo Burns’ article, which addresses the poetic license Arthur Miller took with the
historical events of the Salem Witch trials. They conclude by writing a short analysis of
two pieces in this segment.

Activities:
1. Students read “Arm Wrestling with My Father” by Brad Manning and “Gender in
the Classroom” by Deborah Tannen. Student groups use markers to identify claim,
evidence, and commentary in each selection (Skill 3.A). After completing group work,
students share their findings with the rest of the class; they use these two segments
as the basis for discussing identity. Students consider how the writers drive the
organization and structure of each argument (Skill 3.B). CR5

AP-Course Audit Teacher Resources © 2020 College Board 5

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Sample Syllabus #1

2. After reading several selections on identity, students divide into groups. Each group
discusses and lists the elements of the rhetorical situation in one selection, as well
as the primary and secondary audiences, writing their findings on the text (Skill 1.B).
Groups then trade articles; they use different colored markers to identify and mark
claim, evidence, and commentary in a selected paragraph from that article (Skill 3.A).
Groups trade articles again; this time, they locate the thesis statement, making a
judgment as to whether that statement previews the article’s structure (Skill 3.B).
CR3 CR5 As a class, students discuss their findings on each article. Students then
choose one of the articles to use as the basis for writing. First, students think about
their impressions of the article and its implications. They then write a reaction to the
article that follows these steps:
A. Write a thesis statement that makes a claim about the content of the article,
previewing the structure if possible (Skill 4.B). CR6
B. Write a paragraph that demonstrates an understanding of the audience’s beliefs,
values or needs (Skill 2.B) by utilizing claim, evidence, and commentary
(Skill 4.A).
AP Classroom
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check MCQ for Unit 2.
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check FRQ for Unit 2.
Assessment
Complete thesis statement and paragraph drafting exercise.

Texts
Speeches: “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker” by Benjamin Franklin; Florence Kelley’s
speech (AP prompt); Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I A Woman?”

Letters and Op-Eds: Letters of John and Abigail Adams

Essays and Book Excerpts: “Arthur Miller’s The Crucible: Fact and Fiction” by Margo
Burns; “Guys vs. Men” by Dave Barry; “Vindication of the Rights of Women” by Mary
Wollstonecraft; “Declaration of Sentiments” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Biography/Autobiography: “Joseph McCarthy,” U.S. History.com

Science and Technology: Articles by Martin Salazar, reporting on the Wenatchee Witch
Hunts of 1995; “What Caused the Salem Witch Trials?” by Rebecca Beatrice Brooks,
History of Massachusetts.org

Visuals: Photographs from the Salem Witch Trials archive

Other Texts: The Crucible by Arthur Miller; “Observations of a Bewitched Child” from
Remarkable Providences (1684) by Cotton Mather

Unit Three: The Power of Controversy:

Argument and Storytelling
Topic: Work

Big Ideas: Claims and Evidence; Reasoning and Organization

Skills: 3.A, 4.A, 5.A, 6.A, 5.C, 6.C

In Unit Three, students delve into the intricacies of argument. The big idea of
reasoning and organization can be especially challenging because students must
examine and understand how a line of reasoning develops in writing. Assigning the
corresponding Topic Questions for these skill categories in AP Classroom can reveal
misunderstandings and guide student practice.

AP-Course Audit Teacher Resources © 2020 College Board 6

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Sample Syllabus #1

Activities:
1. Students read and annotate “The Case for Working with Your Hands” by Matthew
Crawford, marking the text for claim, evidence, and commentary (Skill 3.A). They then
write and compare claims made by Crawford within the text, making a bullet-point
list of evidence to support at least three claims (Skill 3.A). Students prepare a chart
or short video that describes Crawford’s line of reasoning in the article; they explain
how the line of reasoning supports his argument’s overarching thesis, as well as the
method of development used to create the argument (Skills 5.A, 5.C). Students then
write a thesis statement and a paragraph using claim, evidence, commentary in
which they describe the effect of Crawford’s arguments (Skill 4.A). CR5 CR6
CR7 CR8 CR7
The syllabus must include
2. Students read and listen to President Roosevelt’s Fireside Chat #4, “On Economic
at least one description of
Progress.” They then read “Dear Mrs. Roosevelt: Cries for Help from Depression
an instructional activity,
Youth” by Robert Cohen. This text is a springboard for classroom discussion about
series of activities, or project
the economic concerns that impacted teens during the 1930s versus the economic
in which students describe
realities that impact high school students today. After discussing the economic issues
the reasoning, organization,
faced during the Depression, they research one current economic issue faced by
and development of an
youth today. Students must find a minimum of four sources; one must be an interview
argument in an assigned
and one must be a visual source. After completing their research and analyzing the
text.
source information, students write an argument that develops a position on the role
that state and local governments should play in eliminating negative economic factors
for U.S. teenagers. The essay includes a clear thesis and the development of a line of
CR8
reasoning and commentary to support the reasoning (Skill 6.A). Students choose an
The syllabus must
appropriate method of development in which to present their argument, depending on
include a description of
the information gathered (Skills 4.A, 6.C). The argument must also synthesize at least
an instructional activity,
three of the sources, including the visual. CR6 CR8 CR11
series of activities, or
AP Classroom project in which students
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check MCQ for Unit 3. use organization and
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check FRQ for Unit 3. commentary in their writing
to develop and demonstrate
Assessment the line of reasoning in an
Complete synthesis essay about high school students and economics. argument.

Texts
CR11
Speeches: Fireside Chat #4, “On Economic Progress,” October 22, 1933 by President
The syllabus must include
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
a description of at least one
Letters and Op-Eds: Letter from Elizabeth Stacey to her father-in-law (AP Prompt); “Dear essay assignment in which
Mrs. Roosevelt: Cries for Help from Depression Youth” by Robert Cohen students take a position
on a topic synthesizing
Essays and Book Excerpts: “The Case for Working With Your Hands” by Matthew B. information from at
Crawford; “Stuff is Not Salvation” by Anna Quindlen; “Blue-Collar Brilliance” by Mike least three sources. The
Rose assignment must indicate
Biography/Autobiography: Thomas Malthus on Population Growth that students are using
and documenting sources,
Science and Technology: “The Global Importance of the Technology Economy” by Marco at least one of which must
Antonio Cavallo be an alternative to written
Visuals: “Chancellor Segueir at the Entry of Louis XIV into Paris in 1660” by Charles text (e.g. chart, graph, table,
LeBrun and “The Chancellor Sequier on Horseback” by Kehinde Wiley; Forbes Price Index photograph, advertisement,
of Luxury Goods Keeps Pace With Inflation by Scott DeCarlo political cartoon, video).

Other Texts: “To Be of Use” (poem) by Marge Piercy

AP-Course Audit Teacher Resources © 2020 College Board 7

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Sample Syllabus #1

Unit Four: The Power of Nature:

Analysis 101
Topic: Nature

Big Ideas: Rhetorical Situation; Claims and Evidence; Reasoning and Organization

Skills: 1.A, 2.A, 3.B, 4.B, 5.C, 6.C

Activities:
1. Students read “The Serpents of Paradise” from Desert Solitaire, annotating for
rhetorical situation, anthropomorphism, allusions, and diction choices (Skill 1.A).
Students also read Henry David Thoreau’s “Where I Lived and What I Lived For,”
annotating for the same categories. Students then choose one of these pieces as the
subject of study. They identify and describe the overarching thesis, as well as the use
of claim, evidence, commentary. Using Toulmin as a model, they write an analytical
thesis statement that requires proof and previews the structure of the argument
(Skills 3.B, 4.B). CR5 CR6 Students then write an introduction and conclusion
CR4
to an essay on one of these pieces, paying particular attention to the method of
The syllabus must include
development used by the author or speaker (Skills 2.A, 5.C). CR4 CR7
at least one description of
2. Students read a variety of texts that focus on how nature impacts individuals. Then, an instructional activity,
students conduct interviews with classmates about how nature impacts and informs series of activities, or
their own experience. They share their findings with the class. After sharing, each project in which students
student writes a Toulmin-type thesis statement that creates an original argument make strategic choices in
about nature. Class members vote on the three best thesis statements; they may then their writing to address a
adopt one of the three statements for use in their own writing, or they may use their rhetorical situation.
own statement. Students decide on the rhetorical situation underlying their essay and
make choices that demonstrate an understanding of their audience’s values or needs.
Students then choose a method of development in which to present their findings,
write an introduction to support the thesis statement, and develop at least four
paragraphs to address argument and counterargument. The essay closes with a
well-crafted conclusion (Skills 2.A, 4.B, 6.C). CR4 CR8

AP Classroom
Practice: Personal Progress Check MCQ for Unit 4.
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check FRQ for Unit 4.
Assessment
Complete essay about nature’s impact on the individual.

Texts
Speeches: “Mind-Blowing, Magnified Portraits of Insects” by Levon Bliss (TED Talk)

Letters and Op-Eds: “Why Even a Little Nature Is Good for Your Brain” by
Alex Hutchinson

Essays and Book Excerpts: From Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson; “Illusions” by Ralph
Waldo Emerson; From The End of Nature by Bill McKibben; “The Serpents of Paradise”
from Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey

Biography/Autobiography: From Walden “Where I Lived and What I Lived For” by Henry
David Thoreau

Science and Technology: Excerpts from I Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong.

Visuals: From Hungry Planet: What the World Eats by Peter Menzel

AP-Course Audit Teacher Resources © 2020 College Board 8

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Sample Syllabus #1

Unit Five: The Power of Influence:

Research, Claims, and Citing Sources
Topic: Ethics

Big Ideas: Reasoning and Organization; Style

Skills: 5.A, 5.B, 6.A, 6.B, 7.A, 8.A

In this unit, the big idea of style can be especially challenging because students must
determine how the rhetorical situation informs the strategic stylistic choices that writers
make. Assigning the corresponding Topic Questions for these skill categories in AP
Classroom can reveal misunderstandings and guide student practice.

Activities:
1. After reading Macbeth, students brainstorm everything they know about ethics in
relationship to categories of professional and personal experience (e.g., education,
business, technology, medicine). They read Pinker’s “Is the World Getting Better or
Worse? A Look at the Numbers.” In groups, students analyze the line of reasoning
and explain whether the reasoning supports the overarching thesis of the argument
(Skill 5.A). They explain how the organization of the text creates unity and coherence,
supporting the argument’s reasoning (Skill 5.B). CR7 They mark the essay for use
of word choice, comparisons, and syntax, explaining how these items contribute to
tone and/or style (Skill 7.A). Then, students conduct online research on the topic of
ethics in today’s world, narrowing their topics to a specific problem that requires a
solution. They write an argument paper that synthesizes a minimum of three sources,
one of which much be a visual. Students should follow these steps: outline the
articles for claim, evidence, commentary and thesis; create a thesis statement that
allows them to develop a position on their chosen topic; write an introduction using
the thesis statement; develop a line of reasoning and commentary; use transitional
elements to guide the reader through the line of reasoning; and strategically use
words, comparisons, and syntax to convey a specific tone or style. All sources must
be properly documented (Skills 6.A, 6.B, 8.A). CR11
2. During the writing of the synthesis research papers, students discuss outlines with
peers and brainstorm arguments and counterarguments, conference individually
with the teacher after completion of the first draft, edit for language and syntactical
choices, rewrite incorporating feedback, and publish a final product (Skill 8.A). After
completing the process, students write a reflection on the task, addressing their
understanding of the metacognitive process. CR13
CR13
AP Classroom The syllabus must provide
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check MCQ for Unit 5. a description of at least
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check FRQ for Unit 5. one essay assignment that
requires more than one
Assessment
draft and includes evidence
Complete synthesis research papers. of collaboration with and
feedback from teachers
Texts and/or peers.
Speeches: First Inaugural Speech, John F. Kennedy; First Inaugural Speech, Ronald
Reagan; “Is the World Getting Better or Worse? A Look at the Numbers” by Steven Pinker

Letters and Op-Eds: Business ethics op-eds from The Wall Street Journal; “Evil Thrives
When Good People Remain Silent” by Prince Chinedu Obi

Essays and Book Excerpts: From The Empire Fights Back by Chinua Achebe; ‘The Insane
Root that Takes the Reason Prisoner:’ Macbeth, Boston, and the Two Paradoxes of Evil”
by Rod Rosenbaum; “Is Greed Ever Good? The Psychology of Selfishness” by Stephen A.
Diamond

AP-Course Audit Teacher Resources © 2020 College Board 9

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Sample Syllabus #1

Science and Technology: “How Evil is Tech?” by David Brooks

Visuals: “Seeing Connections,” p. 2057 Language of Composition, 3rd Edition

Other Texts: Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Unit Six: The Power of Education:

Claims and Evidence, Style
Topic: Education

Big Ideas: Claims and Evidence; Style

Skills: 3.A, 3.B, 4.A, 4.B, 7.A, 8.A

Activities:
1. Students choose one selection from this list: “School” by Kyoko Mori; “Shanghai
Schools’ Approach Pushes Students to Top of Tests” by David Barboza; “I Know Why
the Caged Bird Cannot Read” by Francine Prose. Students annotate the selection CR9
for claim, evidence, commentary (Skill 3.A). They note the overarching theme of the The syllabus must include
selection, as well as the indications showing the argument’s structure (Skill 3.B). They a description of an
outline the use of word choice, comparisons, and syntax to discover the relationship instructional activity, series
between these elements and the style or tone of the piece (Skill 7.A). CR9 Students of activities, or project in
then write an analysis of that selection. They write a thesis statement requiring which students explain how
proof and previewing the structure of the argument (Skill 4.B). Then, they write two writers’ stylistic choices
to four paragraphs that utilize claim, evidence, commentary to analyze the style and contribute to the purpose of
organization of the selection (Skill 4.A). CR6 As they write, students use strategically an argument in an assigned
chosen words, comparisons, and syntax to convey a specific tone or style; they may text.
choose to echo or imitate the style or tone of the original piece (Skill 8.A). CR10
2. Students will read “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris and “Superman and CR10
Me” by Sherman Alexie. They write a comparison/contrast essay that addresses the The syllabus must
style, diction choices, organization, comparisons, and syntax used by each author include a description of
(Skill 7.A). In their own writing, they use strategically chosen words, comparison, an instructional activity,
and syntax to convey their own tone or style to the argument (Skill 8.A). CR9 series of activities, or
CR10 CR12 project in which students
make stylistic choices in
AP Classroom
their writing to advance an
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check MCQ for Unit 6. argument.
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check FRQ for Unit 6.
Assessment CR12
Complete comparison/contrast essay about Sedaris and Alexie. The syllabus must include
a description of at least
Texts one essay assignment in
Speeches: “A Talk to Teachers” by James Baldwin which students develop and
support a claim about an
Letters and Op-Eds: “Let Teenagers Try Adulthood” by Leon Botstein author’s rhetorical choices.
Essays and Book Excerpts: From Education by Ralph Waldo Emerson; “School” by Kyoko
Mori; “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris; “Best in Class” by Margaret Talbot;
From “Shanghai Schools’ Approach Pushes Students to Top of Tests” by David Barboza;
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read” by Francine Prose

Biography/Autobiography: “Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie

Science and Technology: “Does Technology in the Classroom Help or Harm Students?”
by Seth J. Gillihan

Visuals: “The Spirit of Education,” painting by Norman Rockwell; “What I Learned,”

cartoon by Roz Chast; From US Math Performance in Global Perspective by Erica A.
Hanushek, et al.

AP-Course Audit Teacher Resources © 2020 College Board 10

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Sample Syllabus #1

Unit Seven: The Power of the Written Word:

Diction, Style, Mechanics, and Structure
Topic: Language

Big Ideas: Rhetorical Situation; Claims and Evidence; Style

Skills: 1.A, 2.A, 3.C, 4.C, 7.B, 7.C, 8.B, 8.C

Activities:
1. Students read “Use It or Lose It: Why Language Changes Over Time” by Nikhil
Swaminathan. They then view the TED Talk, “How Language Shapes the Way We
Think” by Lera Boroditsky. In groups, they consider the rhetorical situation for both
the essay and the TED Talk (Skill 1.A); and explain the manner in which both authors
qualify their claims, using modifiers, counterarguments, and alternate perspectives
(Skill 3.C). They then discuss and explain the authors’ uses of independent and
dependent clauses to show relationships between and among ideas (Skill 7.B), as well
as the contribution made by grammar and mechanics to the clarity and effectiveness
of each argument (Skill 7.C).
2. Students react to “Use It or Lose It: Why Language Changes Over Time” by Nikhil
Swaminathan or “How Language Shapes the Way We Think” by Lera Boroditsky
by writing a claim about one of the selections. They write a cogent introduction
to an essay in which they make a claim and then qualify it, using modifiers,
counterarguments, or alternate perspectives. The sentences in their essay should
clearly convey their ideas and arguments; they use the established conventions
of grammar and mechanics to communicate clearly and effectively (Skills 2.A, 4.C,
8.B, 8.C). CR10

AP Classroom
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check MCQ for Unit 7.
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check FRQ for Unit 7.
Assessment
Complete essay introduction about language.

Texts
Speeches: “How I Used Dungeons and Dragons to Teach Ethics” by Christopher
Robichaux (TED Talk); “How Language Shapes the Way We Think” by Lera Boroditsky
(TED Talk)

Letters and Op-Eds: “What Students Know that Experts Don’t: School Is All about
Signaling, Not Skill-Building” by Bryan Caplan

Essays and Book Excerpts: “An Innocent at Rinkside” by William Faulkner; “Warren
Buffett, Bill Gates, and the Billionaire Challenge” by the Christian Faith Monitor Editorial
Board; “Slang in America” by Walt Whitman

Biography/Autobiography: “Learning to Read” from The Autobiography of Malcolm X by

Malcolm X; “Learning to Read and Write” from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
by Frederick Douglass

Science and Technology: “Use It or Lose It: Why Language Changes Over Time” by
Nikhil Swaminathan.

Visuals: Cartoon from World Economic Forum by Zapiro

Other Texts: “For Mohammed Zeid of Gaza, Age 15” and “Why I Could Not Accept Your
Invitation” by Naomi Shihab Nye. (poems)

AP-Course Audit Teacher Resources © 2020 College Board 11

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Sample Syllabus #1

Unit Eight: The Power of Beauty:

Visual Rhetoric
Topic: Popular Culture

Big Ideas: Rhetorical Situation; Style

Skills: 1.B, 2.B, 7.A, 7.B, 8.A, 8.B

Activities:
1. Students view the two Hogarth paintings: “Marriage a la Mode: The Marriage
Contract” and “Marriage a la Mode: The Toilette.” They deconstruct the painting,
utilizing their knowledge of rhetorical situation to deduce the elements of the
rhetorical triangle, as well as anything else they can glean from the paintings,
considering the paintings as visual arguments (Skill 1.B). They then read Thackery’s
selection describing the paintings from English Humorists of the 18th Century. Again,
students consider the rhetorical situation; then, they explain Thackery’s word choice,
comparisons, and syntax to create tone or style, as well as explaining how the
author creates, combines, and places independent and dependent clauses to show
relationships (Skills 7.A, 7.B). Finally, students choose a school-appropriate painting
to use as the basis for their own description and analysis. They will write an essay
defining the rhetorical situation and analyzing the visual and its message; they
strategically use words, comparisons, and syntax to convey tone or style (in imitation
of Thackery) and write sentences that clearly convey ideas and arguments
(Skills 8.A, 8.B). CR10 CR12
2. After reading The Great Gatsby, students write an analytical essay considering
one of the major themes of the book and comparing those themes to “The New
American Dream” by Courtney E. Martin (TED Talk) or Gatsby’s American Dream:
Reading The Great Gatsby Critically, Chapter 1” by John Green (YouTube). They pay
particular attention to defining the rhetorical situation; they strategically use words,
comparisons, and syntax to convey tone or style and write sentences that clearly
convey ideas and arguments. Students also identify the audience to whom they are
writing. They include language that appeals specifically to their intended audience.
(Skills 2.B, 8.A, 8.B). After finishing their first drafts, students utilize peer workshops,
conferencing (with teacher and others), revision, rewriting, and publishing. After
completing the process, students write a reflection on the entire process, addressing
their understanding of the metacognitive process. CR12 CR13
3. As part of their study of style, students examine short reading passages, annotating
for language and syntax that develop a particular tone or style. Students highlight
sentences with independent and dependent clauses and discuss the relationship
between the parts of the sentence. Students then write their own sentences to practice
what they have just read and discussed. (Skills 7.A, 7.B, 8.A, 8.B).

AP Classroom
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check MCQ for Unit 8.
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check FRQ for Unit 8.
Assessment
Complete painting analysis essay.
Complete The Great Gatsby essay.

Texts
Speeches: “The New American Dream” by Courtney E. Martin (TED Talk); Gatsby’s
American Dream: Reading The Great Gatsby Critically, Chapter 1” by John Green (YouTube)

Letters and Op-Eds: Letter: F. Scott Fitzgerald to Willa Cather and Cather’s answer; “My
Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead” by Chuck Klosterman

AP-Course Audit Teacher Resources © 2020 College Board 12

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Sample Syllabus #1

Essays and Book Excerpts: “An Image a Little Too Carefully Coordinated” by Robin
Givhan; “High School Confidential: Notes on Teen Movies” by David Denby; “Hogarth”
from English Humorists of the 18th Century by William Makepeace Thackery

Biography/Autobiography: “A Miserable Merry Christmas” from Autobiography of Lincoln

Steffens by Lincoln Steffens

Science and Technology: “Learning Through Visuals: Visual Imagery in the Classroom”
by Haig Kouyoumdjian

Visuals: “Finding the Story Inside the Painting” by Tracy Chevalier (TED Talk); cartoon:
From Show and Tell by Scott McCloud; Hogarth’s paintings “Marriage a la Mode: The
Marriage Contract” and “Marriage a la Mode: The Toilette.”

Other Texts: The Great Gatsby; “To – ” by Percy Bysshe Shelley (poem); Everyday Use:
Rhetoric at Work in Reading and Writing by Hephzibah Roskelly and David A. Jolliffe. CR2

Unit Nine: The Power of Winning

Topic: Sports

Big Ideas: Claims and Evidence

Skills: 3.C, 4.C

Activities:
1. Students view the cartoon, “The 12th Player in Every Football Game” and then
read “Can Science Solve Football’s Concussion Crisis?” by Ryan Blasen and
“What Happens to the Brain During a Concussion?” by Richard Smayda. They
explain the ways that Blasen and Smayda qualify their claims through modifiers,
counterarguments, and alternate perspectives (Skills 3.C). CR5
2. Students choose a controversial topic from the field of sports, possibly including pay
inequity between the genders, paying college athletes, young people and injuries, or
any other topic that interests them. They then choose two articles they find on the
internet; the articles should present two sides of the chosen controversy. They create
a thesis statement and outline an essay; they choose one paragraph to write, in which
they qualify their claim using modifiers, counterarguments, or alternate perspectives
(Skill 4.C). CR6

AP Classroom
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check MCQ for Unit 9.
Practice: Complete Personal Progress Check FRQ for Unit 9.
Assessment
Complete sports essay draft.

Texts
Speeches: Lou Gehrig’s Farewell Speech; another student-chosen speech given by an
athlete or coach, showing quality of thought and organization

Letters and Op-Eds: “Paying Students to Play Would Ruin College Sports” by
Cody J. McDavis

Essays and Book Excerpts: “Barbaro” by Jane Smiley; “The Silent Seasons of a Hero”
by Gay Talese; “The Four Horsemen” by Grantland Rice

Biography/Autobiography: From How I Learned to Ride the Bicycle by Frances Willard

AP-Course Audit Teacher Resources © 2020 College Board 13

Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Sample Syllabus #1

Science and Technology: “Can Science Solve Football’s Concussion Crisis?” by Ryan
Blasen; “What Happens to the Brain During a Concussion?” by Richard Smayda

Visuals: “The 12th Player in Every Football Game,” cartoon, 1897 New York World; “Yes!”
1999 Sports Illustrated

Other Texts: “Ex-Basketball Player” by John Updike (poem)

AP-Course Audit Teacher Resources © 2020 College Board 14