11th Grade AP English Language and Composition
Price
TBA
Duration
4 Quarters; 2 Semesters
Table of Contents
COURSE OBJECTIVE
Prepare for the English Language and Composition AP (or CLEP) exam with this comprehensive course. Build your reading comprehension skills and learn to write better essays. Learn about the elements of argument and composition as you develop your critical-reading and writing skills. You’ll read and analyze nonfiction works from various periods and write essays with different aims: for example, to explain an idea, argue a point, or persuade your reader of something.
The AP English Language and Composition course aligns to an introductory college-level rhetoric and writing curriculum, which requires students to develop evidence-based analytic and argumentative essays that proceed through several stages or drafts. Students evaluate, synthesize, and cite research to support their arguments. Throughout the course, students develop a personal style by making appropriate grammatical choices.
This course will prepare you for copywriting, editing, translation, and journalism jobs.
Connect Course to College Majors and Careers
AP English Language and Composition provides a foundation for success in a wide range of fields. Explore how this course can prepare you for 46 college majors and the 98 careers it could lead to.
AP English Language vs AP English Literature
The main difference between the two courses is the types of texts you will explore.
AP English Language focuses more on analyzing non-fiction works, such as news articles, essays, speeches, memoirs, and more. In this course, you'll develop skills that will help you explain an idea, argue a point, or persuade a reader that a particular viewpoint is correct. AP English Language is equivalent to an introductory, college-level literary analysis course.
AP English Literature focuses more on analyzing works of fiction, such as poetry, short stories, novels, or plays. In this course, you'll develop skills that focus mainly on close reading; with these skills you will dissect literary works and write analyses of them. AP English Literature is equivalent to an introductory, college-level literature course.
COURSE FORMAT
The class meets 90 minutes twice a week (M/W or T/Th) for 20 weeks. Like all other courses in our curriculum, AP English Language and Composition consists of two components: asynchronous and synchronous learning.
We use the AP English Language and Composition: Exam Prep course for the asynchronous flipped classroom portion of the course. This makes up 30% of your overall grade.
Your academy instructor will facilitate the virtual in-person synchronous portion of the course. This makes up 50% of your overall grade.
Asynchronous Learning
AP English Language and Composition: Exam Prep course on Study.com was created by a panel of expert instructors who break down concepts with bite-sized, animated video lessons organized into topical chapters that improve comprehension and retention, making learning fun and engaging. Each video is approximately 5-10 minutes long and comes with a quick quiz to help you measure your "first exposure learning" during the pre-work phase before the actual class. At the end of each chapter, you will complete a chapter test to see if you're ready to move on or have some material to review.
You should expect to spend 50-70 minutes per week on these homework assignments. The academy intentionally schedules no classes on Fridays to provide dedicated time for homework assignments and out-of-class projects.
Synchronous Learning
Our academy instructor, who will also serve as your Gamemaster, will facilitate the live, virtual classroom sessions, which will supplement and build upon the AP US Government and Politics: Exam Prep course. Additionally, they will answer any questions you may have about the asynchronous material.
Our primary resources are Excelsior University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) and Online Reading Comprehension (ORC) Lab. These innovative, award-winning tools are designed to complement or even replace traditional textbooks. As a trailblazer in online education since the early 2000s, Excelsior University’s cutting-edge resources are trusted by institutions nationwide for their quality and effectiveness.
The Excelsior OWL and ORC Lab offer an interactive and comprehensive approach to mastering writing and reading skills. Excelsior OWL covers everything you need to know, from grammar and punctuation to essay structure and research techniques. With video lessons, interactive tutorials, and practice exercises, you'll build a strong foundation for college-level writing and learn essential citation styles like APA, MLA, and Chicago.
Excelsior ORC Lab complements the OWL by sharpening your reading skills. This comprehensive resource features a variety of multimedia activities, quizzes, videos, and interactive PDFs. You'll learn strategies for analyzing complex texts, including identifying main ideas, understanding context, making inferences, and evaluating arguments. With practice exercises and reading passages, you'll become a confident reader and develop the critical thinking skills necessary for success.
Our in-person sessions are designed to make learning fun and interactive! Here's what you can expect:
Interactive discussions: We will delve deeper into key concepts from the asynchronous material and address any common misconceptions.
Game-based activities: Earn points and badges, and climb the leaderboard as you embark on edventures through grammar and !
Simulations: Step into the shoes of the President and other political leaders to experiment with key concepts in the political system such as passing a federal law, balancing federal and county budgets, environmental crises, international conflicts, foreign policy, terrorism, and more.
Exams
Each semester, there will be a comprehensive mid-term exam over all content covered during the first quarter and a comprehensive final exam over all content covered during the second quarter. Each of these four exams is weighted equally, and the combined average will make up 20% of your course grade.
COURSE TOPICS
COURSE CONTENT
Chapters: 11; Lessons: 105
INTERACTIVE DISCUSSION BOARD
Each chapter features an interactive discussion board powered by Discussion Hero, a gamified platform developed by Northwestern University. Students choose between "hero" and "villain" roles and avatars, earning points for their contributions. This fosters a sense of competition and engagement, making discussions even more rewarding.
Benefits of Participating in Discussions:
Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills: Go beyond memorization and passive learning by analyzing information, evaluating different perspectives, and forming your own conclusions.
Enhance communication skills: Practice clear communication, learn to articulate your ideas effectively, and develop respectful listening and rebuttal skills.
Fosters a collaborative learning environment: Learn from each other, share knowledge, and collaborate on problem-solving, creating a dynamic and enriching learning community.
Deepen your understanding of the content: Actively engaging with the course material through discussion solidifies and expands your understanding beyond lectures and readings.
Provides diverse perspectives: Discussions expose you to different viewpoints and interpretations, encouraging critical thinking and broadening your understanding of the subject matter.
Offers opportunities for self-reflection: Examining your own thoughts and arguments in response to prompts and engaging with others' perspectives helps solidify your learning and identify areas for further exploration.
Apply knowledge to real-world scenarios: Apply course concepts to real-world situations through discussions, enhancing the material's relevance.
Build a digital learning portfolio: Discussions serve as a reference for your learning journey, allowing you to revisit key concepts and track your progress.
Develop digital literacy: Discussions provide a platform to practice online communication etiquette, including respectful disagreement, constructive argumentation, and responsible information sharing.
To actively engage in meaningful learning and reap the benefits mentioned above, participation in each chapter's discussion board is expected and will contribute to your overall grade. Your instructor will provide a clear rubric within Discussion Hero outlining the expectations for participation and how your contributions will be evaluated. This ensures consistent and transparent assessment while allowing you to showcase your understanding and critical thinking skills throughout the course.
COMMONLIT 360
Level-up reading and writing growth with CommonLit 360!
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
In the first semester, students learn to analyze argumentative texts and build strong arguments by studying experienced authors' techniques in persuasion. They practice constructing, revising, and refining their own arguments through various writing assignments, including rhetorical analyses and formal argumentative essays. The workload is similar to a college-level composition course, requiring independent and timely completion of assignments.
The second semester focuses on synthesis and documentation tasks. Students will analyze many examples of synthesis essays, apply what they learn as they create their own texts based on multiple sources, and explore the use of visual and multimedia evidence in arguments. They also work on improving their argument delivery style by incorporating rhetorical devices, varied syntax, and essential grammatical concepts. Writing assignments include constructing multimedia arguments, style studies, and research-based projects that require synthesizing information and ideas. Like the first semester, this portion of the course demands independent and diligent effort from students.
COURSE OUTCOMES
After completing this course, you will be able to:
Reading closely, analyzing, and interpreting a piece of writing
Evaluating a source of information
Gathering and consolidating information from different sources
Writing an evidence-based argument
Drafting and revising a piece of writing
Explain writing revision and skill development
Structure and write an essay
Begin the writing process successfully
Detail the basics and conventions of essay writing
Use source materials correctly
Provide a review of grammar and rhetorical devices
PREREQUISITES
There are no prerequisites for this course.
COLLEGE COURSE EQUIVALENT
An introductory college-level literary analysis course.
COURSE CERTIFICATE
Earn a Certificate of Completion which shows that you have completed the course.
Your Instructor
TBD
