AP English Language and Composition: Pragmatically Exploring the Relationship Between

Language, Meaning, and Existence.

Course Overview
The AP English Language and Composition course is designed to help students become analytical,
rhetorical readers and writers. Students in this course are taught to read critically by focusing their
attention on the choices that authors make in relation to social context(s), audience(s), and purpose(s).
Most texts used throughout the year will be nonfiction and will come from a variety of formal and
informal sources and genres (e.g., academic journals, advertisements, scientific arguments, letters,
political cartoons, critical essays, charts and graphs, etc.). In conjunction with reading and analyzing
texts of such variety, students will also be required to produce formal and informal writings of the same
sort; consequently, the course helps students become skilled, rhetorical writers who compose for a
variety of purposes within a variety of contexts. Students learn to write while making their own
choices that pay strict attention to social context(s), target audience(s), rhetorical mode(s), and overall
purpose(s).
AP English Language and Composition enables students to read complex texts with understanding,
while also teaching them to write prose of sufficient richness and complexity to communicate
effectively with mature readers. The ultimate goal of building the rhetorical skills the class fosters is to
help mold students into individuals who will actively and intelligently engage with the world around
them. The AP English Language and Composition course helps students move beyond reading for mere
comprehension, and it moves them past composing programmatic responses; it encourages them to
think critically and purposefully about the rhetorical choices that authors make, and it leads them to
consider the choices they make when deciding to add their voice into any given discourse: civil or
academic.
Students must take the AP exam in May to receive AP credit on their transcript. A qualifying score of
three (3) or better on the AP exam may earn a student college credit.

Student Outcomes and Goals

After completing the course, participating students1 will have developed:

• Close reading skills focusing on the rhetorical movements of authors. In doing such, students
will be able to read critically while evaluating an author’s style and means of producing certain
effects on the desired audience.
• The ability to produce complex thesis statements while subsequently supporting the
aforementioned with evidence and commentary in a clear and logical fashion.
• The ability to synthesize information from various sources—formal and non—in order to
strengthen their own arguments. This coincides with developing their own ability to rely on
their own life experiences as ample means of support for their arguments.
• The ability to realize that authors make rhetorical and stylistic choices to achieve their
purpose(s); consequently, students will move to be more purposeful in their own
communications in order to adequately and/or effectively engage their audience(s) in any
contextual discourse whether the opportunities for such arise within academic or civil
environments.

Course Expectations

As this is a high school course operating at a college-level course, performance expectations

are appropriately high, and the work is challenging. That is not to say that there will be more
work throughout this course than a typical honors course; but rather, AP assignments will
require responses that explore the uses and functions of language at a greater depth. Students
are expected to commit time outside of class to personal study of the course content; homework
assignments, in conjunction with independent-study materials, may be found on the course
website. Often, work in this class involves assignments that have extended deadlines, so it is
expected that students have—or prepare to quickly develop—effective, appropriate time
management skills.

1
*For the sake of this document the terminology participating students refers to those who have completed all of
their work and have put forth their best efforts.
Primary Texts [CR2]

Heinrichs, Jay. Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach
Us about the Art of Persuasion. 3rd ed., Three Rivers Press, 2017.

Jolliffe, David A., and Hephzibah Roskelly. Writing America: Language and Composition in
Context. Pearson, 2014.

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. Boston: Houghton
Mifflin, 2001.

Secondary Texts [CR2]

Not all of the texts and visuals that students analyze will be found in the above texts, though
most will. In the above texts, primarily Writing America, students will work through
historical periods in American history learning how to analyze various media sources. In
seeing that students are taught to analyze written texts, visuals, and data images, all
supplementary texts—not located within the primary texts—will be given to students on their
Daily Overviews (see below) or presented in class. With these secondary texts, students will
work to establish relationships between the texts and visuals and the concepts of each unit.

Grading Guidelines
Classwork, Homework, and Participation 25 percent
Quizzes, Multiple Choice, and Scripture Memorization 35 percent
Unit Exams, Major Writing Assignments, Projects 40 percent

Daily Overviews
Class overviews for the day’s activities and lesson will be handed out almost every day of class.
These overviews will provide students with important notes, readings, and other information
including any homework that may be due in the immediate future. Every overview will be
posted in the class’s dropbox within 48 hours.
If absent for any reason, it is the student’s responsibility to access the dropbox, download the overview,
and get any missed work. Questions such as, “I was out; what did I miss yesterday?” will not be
answered (except in extenuating circumstances); however, instructors will be more than happy to field
any questions related to the work detailed on the overview. Since all quizzes and tests are listed on the
overviews and then posted to dropbox, it is the student’s responsibility to be aware of any missing
quizzes or tests and make them up in accordance with the late work policy. (This includes Multiple
Choice Activities and Timed Writings.) Should students not adhere to the aforementioned, they may
not receive credit for completed work.

Rhetorical Device Weeklies: [CR3, 5, 7, 9]

Each term, students will be given a list of 5 rhetorical devices to identify and analyze. For each
device, students will have to define the term, find and document an example* of the device in use
(properly cited: MLA), and produce a topic sentence detailing the purpose of the device’s use, especially
in relation to elements of the rhetorical situation; this topic sentence must be in “What/Why” format,
fully analyzing—and demonstrating your understanding of—the purpose of the device in the examples
that you may choose. Following the completion of 5 topic sentences, you must then choose any one
device to develop into full paragraphs using the “What/Why, Where, How?” model that you will learn
in class.

Per term, completion of the 5 devices will be due at the end of the term. Dates may not be presented on
Daily Overviews, so be responsible, as these dates are detailed below. All assignments must be
completed and uploaded on or before the due date(s). (You are responsible for your own technology.
You may not use a crashing computer and/or lack of internet over the weekend as an excuse. If this is
the case, you must hand in this work hand-written. It is due when it is due. Any exceptions to this
must be discussed with your instructor at least 3 days PRIOR to the assignment’s due date.) Each set of
5 terms will count as a 50 point test grade. If any of the 5 terms is missing from the final product, or if
you don’t have two fully developed paragraph for two of the terms, you may receive a 0 for the
assignment. (i.e. If you don’t do all of the terms, even if you do 4 out of 5, and they are done well, you
may get a zero for a test grade.) *Note: All examples students utilize must either come from any
reading found in Writing America or readings (or other media) that we have worked with in class.
Remember, proper analysis stems from understanding and evaluating all elements of the rhetorical
situation and connecting such to rhetorical and stylistic choices and purpose.

THIS IS AN INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT; ANY QUESTIONS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO ME: YOUR

TEACHER! YOU MAY NOT COLLABORATE IN ANY WAY WITHOUT MY CONSENT!

T-1 (10/17) T-2 (1/9) T-3 (3/27) T-4 (TBA)

Pathetic Appeal* Anecdote Satire x

Ethical Appeal* Repetition Euphemism x

Logical Appeal* Rhetorical Question Understatement x

Parallelism Extended Metaphor Hyperbole x

(Parallel Structure)

Extended Metaphor Antithesis Verbal Irony x

*These are not actually devices, and you may not include these words in your topic sentences or
paragraphs. Instead you will have to comment on what the author is doing to elicit the
(pathetic, ethical, logical) appeal. For example, if you were watching an ASPCA commercial,
instead of saying “produces a pathetic appeal” in your topic sentence, you would say “litters the
commercial with images of abused puppies.” Instead of saying “uses an ethical appeal,” you
would say, “relies on the fame of Sarah Mclachlan.” Instead of saying “produces a logical
appeal,” you would say, “provides a logical call to action after detailing the problem.” See
below for an example of how a student is expected to complete this assignment.

Format: How to structure your Rhetorical Device Weekly Responses:

Rhetorical Term: (Insert Term)

Provided Definition: copy and paste a definition from the handout provided to you.

Personal Definition: Reword the definition as you understand it.

Example: Type out an example from class reading /Writing America

MLA Works Cited Citation for Specific Work Cited (even if from an anthology)

What/Why Topic Sentence: Topic Sentence Template

In (Title) (Author’s Last Name) (Academic Verb + (ADJ) Rhetorical Term) in order to (author’s purpose
for using said term).

Paragraph of Effect in What/Why, Where, How? Structure: Paragraphing Template

In (Title) (Author’s Last Name) (Academic Verb + (ADJ) Rhetorical Term/Device related to term) in order to
(author’s purpose for using said technique). Take, for example, how (insert context—a summary of what
happens before your textual example) (insert textual evidence that shows device in use) (cite in-text MLA). This
(academic verb—can be the same one from the topic sentence)(purpose—can be taken from topic sentence)
because (explanation as to how the textual evidence reveals the purpose. Note: This last part—after the word
because—can’t be effectively completed in less than two sentences.)

When you look at the example below, please know that this is an example of what an A entails. If you
are not thorough in completing these assignments, you should not expect an A, or even a B, just for
attempting to do the work. Effort without demonstrating much skill is likely to earn you a C. You must
practice building your skills, and you shouldn’t be waiting until the night before these assignments are
due to complete them. These extended due dates are purposefully designed to reward students who DO
NOT procrastinate.

Example Rhetorical Device Assignment:

Rhetorical Device: Extended Metaphor

Dictionary definition: a figure of speech that constructs an analogy between two things or ideas over an elongated
period of text

Personal definition: the comparison of two things that maintains for longer than the typical metaphor

Example: “Like Cheyenne Mountain, today’s fast food conceals remarkable technological advances behind an ordinary-
looking façade.” (Note: Image resounds throughout intro.)

MLA Works Cited:

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York, NY: Harper Perennial, 2005.
Print.

What/Why? TS:

In Fast Food Nation Schlosser develops an unnatural extended metaphor in order to illuminate the notion that what one
sees is not always reality.

Purpose paragraph:

In Fast Food Nation Schlosser develops an unnatural extended metaphor in order to illuminate the notion that what one
sees is not always reality. Take, for example, how after he details the inner workings of the contemporary geographical
marvel, he reveals that “like Cheyenne Mountain, today’s fast food conceals remarkable technological advances behind
an ordinary-looking façade” (Schlosser 7). The direct comparison between the fast-food industry and Cheyenne
Mountain illuminates the notion that what one sees is not always reality because it exposes the true nature of the
mountain as being one that “conceals remarkable technological advances” (Schlosser 7); such a statement elicits
elements of secrecy. In revealing such, he then connects the secrecy of the iconic landscape to the makeup of the fast
food industry, thusly suggesting that, although fast food appears one way—as a natural, ordinary food source—it is
laden with “remarkable technological advances” that many don’t know about; consequently, this raises doubt within his
audience. Such statements suggest that members of contemporary society are being misled about what they eat—seen
in his use of the word “conceals” which is negative in connotation—by being made to believe it is a common, safe food
source. And yet, it is also revealed that under the guise of this natural order, much like the mountain, there lies
elements within that suggest the industry itself is actually an “ominous DEADLY Force” (Schlosser 2).

Rhetorical Prompts: [CR4, 6, 8]

Periodically throughout the year, a rhetorical prompt—which is often a creative, expository, or

argumentative assignment—will be posted on a class overview. Students must respond to these
prompts by the assigned due date. Each rhetorical prompt response will count as a quiz grade.
These prompts will require students to practice composing pieces for a variety of different
purposes and contexts. Most prompts will have an assigned method of development to go
along with them. What this means is, although most compositions are multi-modal, students
will be given a method of development (narration, description, process analysis,
exemplification, comparison and contrast, classification and division, definition, cause and
effect) on which their composition must focus. This does not mean that students are limited to
only writing within the presented method; rather, student responses must include excerpts that
utilize the indicated pattern(s) of development.
Student Folders and Conferences
Every student will be given an assignment folder. Nearly every assignment that is turned in will be
collected and stored in this assignment folder. All assignments that are put in the folder MUST be
logged in on the assignment-log-in sheet. Any assignment that is not logged-in will not be graded, and
a student may receive a zero. A master copy of the assignment sheet will be kept on the instructor’s
desk, and students are welcome to access this master copy at any time before or after class to make sure
their assignment folders are up to date before their folders are graded. If a student misses any class—for
whatever reason—the master copy of the assignment sheet will tell him/her what s/he is expected to
hand in, and the assignments that s/he has missed. It is said student’s responsibility to access this
information on his/her own! At the beginning of each term, students will be given a new sign in sheet.
Furthermore, before students ask their instructor about work they “may” be missing, they must
compare their folders’ sign-in sheets with the master copy and deduce the answer for themselves. Any
further clarification that may be needed will then be addressed. Students must be independently
accountable to manage their work in relation to the circumstances of their lives: the instructor aptly
provides student with a plethora of information regarding classroom activities (Daily Overviews,
Online Postings of Overviews, and the Assignment Sign-In Sheet).

It is imperative that these folders be kept up-to-date because the assignments found therein will be
what guides the student-teacher conferences that will take place during the school year. Although these
folders will be housed in the classroom, students will be allowed to sign them out periodically for up to
3 days. If a student desires to sign out his/her folder, this is a conversation that must be initiated by
him/her. All work that goes home in the folder must be returned after review.

Student-Teacher conferences will be done during class time, and students, with their instructor, will
review assignments (e.g., essays, draft essays, timed essays, etc.) found within their writing folders. The
primary purpose of this time is to promote an individual awareness of a student's strengths and
weaknesses as a writer. (Special focus topics include: vocabulary usage, syntactical structure,
arrangement and function, and use of rhetorical techniques.) This time is used in order to help
students develop their voice as writers. The secondary purpose of this exercise is to help the instructor
evaluate areas where students are struggling. These conferences will lead to a tailored learning
environment and help promote greater success in the course. Ultimately, if a student has a pressing
concern with comprehending and/or understanding elements of the course, this is the medium in
which to share such.

Late Work
All work must be submitted at the beginning of the class period on the day it is due. Missing homework
will result in a zero grade for that assignment. Late work (e.g., essays, projects) will be accepted at the
teacher’s discretion (see honesty policy). Students have five calendar days to make up missed tests,
timed writings, and quizzes. A zero will be recorded in RenWeb until the missed test, timed writing, or
quiz is made up. Absentees must take the initiative to acquire and complete missing work. Other
extenuating circumstances will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the individual teacher.

Honesty Policy

If a student decides not to complete his/her homework for ANY reason, all s/he needs to do is record
the following details on his/her folder sign-in sheet: Assignment Title/Actual Due Date/ “Not
Completed”. (I need no further explanation, nor do I care for one, even if your little sister flushed your
favorite stuffed hedgehog down the toilet the night before the assignment was due.) Should a student
complete this simple task, s/he will be granted a free 5-15%, depending on the assignment, for being
honest.
Hand-Written Policy

Because the AP exam requires students to write all of their essays by hand, it is imperative that students
practice expressing themselves through the hand-written word. In order to practice and improve
writing fluency and cognitive fluidity, all work must be completed—with exception to online
assignments—in black or blue pen. Any and all work that violates such, will be scored as a zero until
corrected to meet the aforementioned criteria. Furthermore, if an assignment is hand-written, but is
illegible, the assignment will be scored as a zero; however, in such cases the teacher may offer an
opportunity for the work to be made up. (Note: Final copies of assignments should not look like
treasure maps.)

Essay Writing

Essay Grading
All essays will be graded at an AP standard. The grade scale is from 1-6; since there is an
expectation of improvement as students progress through the course, grade equivalents will
change each quarter.

Essay Rough AP Class grade Class grade Class grade

Score Exam grade Equivalent Equivalent Equivalent
T1-2 T3 T4
6 5 95-100 95-100 95-100
5 4 88 -94 86 -94 83-94
4 3 80-87 76-85 71-82
2-3 2 70-79 66-75 61-70
0-1 1 60-69 60-65 50-60

Process Writing [CR4, 6, 8, 11, 13]

Expository writing is the instrument that carries students’ voices to their audiences.
Workshops and student-teacher conferences have been programmed into the course;
ultimately, with the aid of peers and mentors, students should come to see writing as a
multiple-step process that requires research and multiple revisions. The major paper for this
course will coincide with the school’s Junior Paper. Students will be taught out to move
through the planning, process in order to produce drafts that will be peer edited. Upon the
peer edit—in conjunction with teacher commentary—revisions will be expected, ultimately
moving the student to engage in a final revision in order to submit a polished draft.

Timed Writing
Throughout the year students will complete numerous timed essays to develop skill in writing
argumentative and analytical essays. These writings are integrated into the natural progression
of the course. Timed writing is accelerated and, therefore, distinct from more deliberate
expository writing processes. Students need to learn how to gather, organize, and express their
ideas quickly in order to succeed on standardized tests, on college exams, and in the
workplace.

Research [CR6, 11, 13]

Throughout the course students will learn to evaluate, select, and synthesize source material based on
validity and purpose. They will draw on the strategies outlined in Writing America (e.g. Chapter 6) as
they compose a major paper that moves through multiple drafts and timed (synthesis) essays; with
timed-writing the research process is condensed. The research component of this course is intended to
help students incorporate ideas from credible authors to increase the validity of their own arguments.
During initial research, students will be explicitly taught how to search for, find, and evaluate credible
evidence.

Citation and Documentation Standards

All written work for the course will adhere to the citation and documentation standards set forth in the
The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (Eighth Edition). In particular, major essays will
include in-text citations and Works Cited pages that are properly formatted. With that, timed-writing
exercises and other assignments should include seamlessly-woven direct quotes and paraphrased
references that competently credit authors and their works. Ultimately, students should recognize that
citing sources is not merely an administrative function; rather, it is a necessary step toward producing
essays that are rich, informative, and, above all, free from plagiarism.

Grammar and Style Exercises [CR4, 10]

Students will be asked to complete grammar exercises in a number of ways. Covered during the first
week of school, students and teachers will work with using punctuation and conjunctions and discuss
the advantages of using different elements for different purposes and audiences. (e.g. Students may be
asked to use a colon instead of a comma and conjunction; they will then be asked to explain their
decision.) It is important for students to think about their own purposes in their own writing. This
personal thought development will then help them evaluate similar moves in the writing of other
authors.

Second, grammar exercises contained in Writing America will serve as another medium of rhetorical
grammar study. The concepts highlighted in those exercises will serve as catalysts to improve students’
understanding of their own writing and the writing of others. These exercises are meant to teach
students how understanding word choice and coinciding sentence structures further their arguments
stylistically.

Lastly, Students will also be responsible for learning/reviewing some grammatical and stylistic
conventions via OWL which can be found via a quick Google search.
One of the principal goals of this course is it to show students the connection between grammar and
style. In other words, it is important for them to understand the “why” behind the grammar rule so
that they will be compelled to study grammar enthusiastically and take command of the language. In
terms of rhetorical competency, it is essential that students understand how diction, grammar, and
syntax work together in a high-quality piece of writing.
Vocabulary Quizzes, Exercises, and Activities
Vocabulary will be presented, studied, and assessed in various ways. Above all, students will add to
their respective lexicons by examining words in context, by comparing connotations and denotations,
and by using new terms in their writing.

Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism=Failure!!!! No excuses, no exceptions. Plagiarism is stealing or “borrowing” someone else’s

work or ideas and presenting them as your own. Using a document or part of a document written by
another student is plagiarism. Buying an essay from one of the services that sells such documents is
plagiarism. Using a document published on the Web is plagiarism. Having someone else write an
essay for you is plagiarism. If you plagiarize, you will fail the assignment, your parents and the
administration will be contacted, and you will be subject to other disciplinary action as outlined in the
WCS Student Handbook. Plagiarism is both stealing and cheating; both acts are unacceptable.
School Year Tentative Guide [CR1]
(Intro to Rhetoric and the AP Exam)

Unit 1—Rhetorical Situation—Critical Reading: How to identify elements of the rhetorical

situation and identify and evidence.
Description: In this unit, students will learn how to analyze texts to identify exigence,
speaker, audience, claims, and purpose. They will be taught to annotate texts based on
methods of development and Classical Argument structure. Students will be taught
how to identify claims and corresponding evidence, and they will begin to discuss how
to explain such. [CR3, 5]

Key Media: Rhetorical Grammar Packet, Honda “Rock Van” Commercial, Fast Food
Nation: Introduction, The Gettysburg Address, Initial Readings from
Writing America[CR2]
—Rhetorical Situation—Critical Reading and Writing: How to write rhetorical analysis.
Description: This sub-unit will work to help kids explain how to analyze and
articulate the relationship between claims and evidence in others works; furthermore,
in doing so, students will write defensible theses, supported with evidence, and learn to
write rhetorical analysis essays that analyze rhetorical and stylistic choices. In doing so,
students will make their own claims in response to the works of others and provide
evidence and commentary that justify observations of purpose (in relation to
understanding exigence and audience). [CR3, 5]

Key Media: Modified Flow Chart, Fast Food Nation: Chapter 9 (“What’s in the Meat?”),
Fast Food Nation: Chapter 8 (“Kenny”), varied media from unit 2 in Writing
America, rhetorical writing thesis and paragraphing templates [CR2]
—Reasoning, Organization, and Style—Putting it all together.
Description: Students will work to further analyze the structures of works and their
stylistic elements. Students will continue to write rhetorical analysis that move them to
develop and prove—with evidence and commentary—defensible theses that interpret
purpose(s) within varied works. Furthermore, precise test preparation will also be
introduced with students beginning to complete scaffolded multiple choice
assignments. Furthermore, students will also work to produce their first major, drafted
and revised writing project that is stylistically modelled after an excerpt from Debra
Marquardt’s Horizontal World. In this piece, students will be required to write about
elements of their lives that are intimately different than the stereotypical views that
many hold. Students will draft, peer edit, and produce a final copy. The final copy will
be marked and highlighted in a manner that showcases a student’s ability to match
Marquardt’s stylistic and structural choices. As part of this unit, students will be
required to read George W. Bush’s post-9/11 speech, and write an essay analyzing the
rhetorical choices he makes to achieve his purpose. [CR3,4, 5, 10, 12, 13]

Key Media: Bush’s 9/11 Speech, Dillard “Teaching a Stone to Talk” MC, Excerpts from
Debra Marquardt’s Horizontal World, unit 3 varied media from Writing
America, JFK Rhetorical Analysis Prompt [CR2]

Unit 2—Developing Argument—Generating Defensible Claims, Providing Evidence, and

Producing Commentary.
Description: Students will learn to analyze different arguments based on Toulmin
structures. In doing so, they will also learn that in order to generate and support
claims, they must argue the validity of warrants and evidence, and in doing so, they
will produce their own claims that require evidence and commentary. Furthermore,
the foundation of this unit will teach students how to generate arguments based on fact
by analyzing fictional circumstances that require verdicts in court. The introductory
activities for this unit are meant to get students used to consistently correlating evidence
with thesis statements while also developing commentary. [CR4, 6]

Key Media: Queenie Cartoon Breakdown, Thomas Paine Argument Prompt 2011,
Singer Solution to World Poverty, Various “The Ethicist” columns, unit 4
 varied media from Writing America [CR2]

Unit 3—Common Threads—Entering the Conversation

Description: With the foundations of rhetorical analysis and argument laid, students
will be taught how to generate arguments that explicitly enter a larger conversation.
They will learn to evaluate sources based on elements of the rhetorical situation,
identify claims, evidence, and commentary of others, and then evaluate how to
synthesize such elements into their own writing. Throughout this unit, students will
work to write and revise thesis statement and body paragraphs to explicitly learn how
to put sources in conversation with one another as a way of providing evidence in
order to further an individual student’s argument. Furthermore, students will work on
learning how to plan research papers (and timed writings) in order to maximize
writing efficiency both in and out of the test setting. Particularly in this unit, students
will focus on arguing ideas, not things. They will come to realize that the concrete
elements of an argument are often vehicles to understanding the argument of ideas.
[CR5]

Key Media: High school drama prompt, synthesis sprint materials, technology in school
documents and visuals, daylight savings documents and visuals, space
exploration documents and visuals, unit 4 varied media from Writing
America, Holiday Synthesis Documents, Bowling for Columbine, Various
articles containing political half-truths, Heston’s NRA Speech (Denver,
1999) [CR2]

Unit 4—Satire and Archaic Language

Description: Students practice all of the foundational skills through the lens of studying
satirical pieces, typically those that are also considered archaic. Students will not only
rhetorically analyze satirical works, they will work to stylistically produce their own
satirical works within contemporary contexts in order to practice both their rhetorical
analysis and argument skills. As students may satirize major news events, these
activities will also support synthesis skill development as well. [CR5]

Key Media: “Macbook Wheel” Onion Video, “Triune Tale of Diminutive Swine,” “A
Modest Proposal,” Satire Flow Chart and Spectrum Document, “The
Speech of Polly Baker,” various works by William Hazlitt, various AP Lang.
exam satire prompts. [CR2]

Unit 5—Major Paper: Creating a Mini-AP Exam and Full-Process Paper

Description: This will be the major process piece for the year. Although students will
have worked on planning, drafting, editing, and revising on their other assignments,
this paper will require such steps for credit. Students will generate prompts, develop
theses, analyze sources and evidence in order to synthesize in their arguments, and
produce arguments. Students will be required to find at least one quantitative source to
include in their paper. Furthermore, students will work to produce mini AP exams
based on the common prompt language found in the CED. Their synthesis prompt may
be on the topic of their choice; however, it must be worded with the common prompt
language (though requiring the synthesizing of 6 sources instead of 3). The primary
purpose of such is to have students write a synthesis prompt which will be the catalyst
for the paper. [CR6, 8, 11, 13]

Key Media: Pre-made templates for constructing exam materials; All other media is
generated or researched by students.

Unit 6—The End is Nigh: Peer Propaganda Project

Description: Students will work to synthesize all of the skills from the year by creating
a partner-generated propaganda project. Students will be required to create
propaganda flyers that synthesize other sources to promote opposing sides of differing
causes. These flyers must create arguments and include evidence as support. Upon
completion students will be required to rhetorically analyze their partners’ flyers; in
doing such, students must evaluate how all elements of the rhetorical situation, in
conjunction with stylistic choices, allows the flyer to achieve the purpose of its creator.
[CR3, 5, 9, 12]

Key Media: Building the Machine (anti-common core documentary), Waiting for
Superman, Supersize Me, Fathead, Various special interest flyers and visuals
(NRA, PETA) [CR2]