05/20/04

Dear Students,

     Welcome to Advanced Placement English Language and Composition.  We have a rigorous journey to travel, but I am confident that success lies ahead!  To help this along, read the following.

     "An AP course in English Language and Composition engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes.  Both their writing and their expectations and subjects, as well as the way generic conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing.  The college composition course for which the AP Language and Composition course substitutes. . .allows students to write in a variety of forms--narrative, exploratory, expository, argumentative--and on a variety of subjects from personal experience to public policies, from imaginative literature to popular culture. . .The AP Language and Composition course assumes that students already understand and use standard English grammar.  The intense concentration on language use in this course should enhance their ability to use grammatical conventions both appropriately and with sophistication as well as to develop stylistic maturity in their prose.

     "Yearly, the Development Committee for English prepares a three hour examination that gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their mastery of the skills and abilities described above."  (Advanced Placement Course Description, May 2001-02, The College Board)

To prepare you for success in this course and the May 2004 examination, please consider the following:

1.  Regular attendance is a prerequisite to success.

2.  Assigned reading should be completed before the due date, as indicated on the course guide.  A syllabus can be accessed from this web page.

3.  Out of class writing assignments and long term projects are due on the date assigned.  Please arrange to have materials delivered to me on the due date if you happen to be absent.

4.  Active participation in all aspects of the class is a must!  All students should prepare to contribute productively to small and large group discussions, as well as short and long term assignments.

5.  Come with a positive attitude, prepare, and ON TIME.

6.  Civility towards each other will enhance the class atmosphere and discussions.

7.  Get a buddy-make sure to pick up handouts, assignments, and take notes for each other.

Supplies:  Notebook, keeping all handouts and returned papers; dividers; post-it notes; highlighters in two colors; pens and pencils; hole punch; paper; disk.

Grades:  Your semester average results in your total accumulation of points, figured into a % score by county guidelines: most assignments and quizzes are worth 50 points.  An additional grade worth 10% of the total term points is assigned based on class participation.

Plagiarism:  Papers submitted are expected to be the student's own work.  Information and opinions drawn from sources are to be attributed specifically to their respective sources, and students should use the proper forms of citation (MLA).  A student who submits a work either not his own or without clear attribution to the original source is guilty of plagiarism and will receive a "0" for that assignment and an administrative referral.

This is a college level course; expect to work hard!  But I have prepared a few Sheppardy boards for us as we progress through our rhetorical modes of discourse and study of vocabulary.