This course is designed to help students become skilled readers and writers through engagement with the following course requirements: 1 Composing in several forms (e.g., narrative, expository, analytical, and argumentative essays) about a variety of subjects 2 Writing that proceeds through several stages or drafts, with revision aided by teacher and peers 3 Writing informally (e.g., imitation exercises, journal keeping, collaborative writing), which helps students become aware of themselves as writers and the techniques employed by other writers 4 Writing expository, analytical, and argumentative compositions based on readings representing a variety of prose styles and genres 5 Reading nonfiction (e.g., essays, journalism, science writing, autobiographies, criticism) 6 Analyzing graphics and visual images both in relation to written texts and as alternative forms of text themselves 7 Developing research skills and the ability to evaluate, use, and cite primary and secondary sources 8 Conducting research and writing argument papers in which students present an argument of their own that includes the analysis and synthesis of ideas from an array of sources 9 Citing sources using a recognized editorial style (e.g., Modern Language Association, The Chicago Manual of Style) 10 Revising work to develop:#N#A wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively;#N#A variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination;#N#Logical organization, enhanced by techniques such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis;#N#A balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail; and#N#An effective use of rhetoric, including tone, voice, diction, and sentence structure.
Reading nonfiction (e.g., essays, journalism, science writing, autobiographies, criticism) Analyzing graphics and visual images both in relation to written texts and as alternative forms of text themselves. Developing research skills and the ability to evaluate, use, and cite primary and secondary sources.
The AP Language and Composition exam tests your rhetorical and composition skills. Essentially, how do authors construct effective arguments in their writing? What tools do they use? How can you use those tools to craft effective writing yourself? That is the essence of rhetorical analysis.
A major thing you can do to prepare for the AP Lang and Comp exam is to read nonfiction— particularly nonfiction that argues a position, whether explicitly (like an op-ed) or implicitly (like many memoirs and personal essays). Read a variety of non-fiction genres and topics, and pay attention to the following:
One essay where you create an original argument in response to a prompt. You will have about 40 minutes to write each essay, but no one will prompt you to move from essay to essay—you can structure the 120 minutes as you wish.
The first is how well you can read and understand nonfiction passages for their use of rhetorical devices and tools. The second is how well you can "think like a writer" and make revisions to texts in composition questions.
The free response section has a 15-minute reading period. After that time, you will have 120 minutes to write three essays that address three distinct tasks. Because the first essay involves reading sources, it is suggested that you use the entire 15-minute reading period to read the sources and plan the first essay.
When you are reading passages, both on the multiple-choice section and for the first two free-response questions, interact with the text! Mark it up for things that seem important, devices you notice, the author's argument , and anything else that seems important to the rhetorical construction of the text. This will help you engage with the text and make it easier to answer questions or write an essay about the passage.
#1 : Interact with each passage you encounter!#N##2 : Consider every text's overarching purpose and argument.#N##3 : Keep track of time#N##4 : Plan your essays#N##5 : Identify and address counterarguments in your essays.
We were lucky enough to have a local school district that offered virtual AP courses to not only students in their district, but for homeschoolers in the surrounding districts. This offered my daughter access to an AP teacher, as well as a full year structured course geared towards skills needed to find success with the AP English Language exam.
One of the things her instructor impressed upon her is the need to practice for the time multiple choice section.
rhetorical analysis essay – an essay that breaks a work of non-fiction into parts and then explains how the parts work together to create a certain effect—whether to persuade, entertain or inform.
While I will not debate anything related to test taking (it is a hoop we are jumping through), therefore skills specific to test taking are important. Given that I haven’t taken an AP exam in over 20 years and this was our first run through with my own children, I am happy there are books out there to help.
1. Cracking the AP from Princeton Review – From test taking techniques, to 2 full practice test, pacing drills, and sample student essays scored at different levels. This is a solid review book that has it all.
AP English Language and Composition is an introductory college-level composition course. Students cultivate their understanding of writing and rhetorical arguments through reading, analyzing, and writing texts as they explore topics like rhetorical situation, claims and evidence, reasoning and organization, and style. Document.
The CED was updated in the summer of 2020 to include scoring guidelines for the example questions. This document details the updates made to the course and exam description (CED) in September 2019. It includes printable copies of the updated pages, which can be used as replacement sheets in your CED binder.
The College Board is very detailed in what they require your AP teacher to cover in his or her AP English Language & Composition course. The exam tests your abilities to understand how authors use rhetoric and language to convey their purpose. Students are also expected to apply these techniques to their own writing and research projects. Some of the major skills tested include the ability to: 1 Identify an author’s purpose and intended audience 2 Recognize rhetorical devices and strategies in an author’s work 3 Demonstrate understanding of citations in research papers 4 Apply these skills and techniques to their own writing 5 Create and organize an argument defended with evidence and reasoning 6 Plan, write, and revise cogent, well-written essays
For AP English Language multiple-choice questions, you are presented with two Reading Passages and three Writing passages. The two Reading passages are nonfiction passages taken from all sorts of works. The idea is to get you to focus on rhetorical devices, figures of speech and intended purposes, under rigid time constraints and with material you haven’t seen before. The three Writing passages are student-produced essays. The idea is to get you to revise the essay that help the writer accomplish his or her goal.
Some of the major skills tested include the ability to: Identify an author’s purpose and intended audience. Recognize rhetorical devices and strategies in an author’s work. Demonstrate understanding of citations in research papers. Apply these skills and techniques to their own writing. Create and organize an argument defended with evidence ...
Rhetorical analysis essay: Asks you to analyze the techniques an author uses, and discuss how they contribute to the author’s purpose. Argument essay: Presents a claim or assertion in the prompt and then asks you to argue a position based on your own knowledge, experience, or reading.
Rhetorical Analysis: Students will read a nonfiction text and analyze how the writer’s language choices contribute to the intended meaning and purpose of the text. Argument: Students will create an evidence-based argument that responds to a given topic.
Starting April 8, students can try out the test-day experience by answering example questions in the digital testing application. See the Digital Practice page for general information about practice options.
Students should be aware of some aspects of testing digitally that they’ll encounter—in the Digital Practice and on exam day: The digital testing application includes an annotation tool, which allows students to mark text and make notes on passages.