Advanced Placement Language and Composition

2016 -- 2017
Course Information
School

Ms. Jackson | Room MC 10 | Harding University High

Office Hours on Mon. & Tues. 2:30 3:30 PM or by appointment
Website: msjacksonhuhs.weebly.com
Email: christianab.jackson@cms.k12.nc.us Phone: (704) 750-5907

This is a year-long course that meets during 2nd Block on A-Day throughout the entire year.

Welcome to AP Language and Composition at Harding University High School. You can expect
to work hard in AP English, and I know that every single one of you is up to the challenge if you
put your mind to it.
PLEASE NOTE, THIS IS A CONDENSED VERSION OF THE FULL AP SYLLABUS FOR OUR COURSE.

Course Overview:
AP Language and Composition provides students (i.e. you) with a college-level education (prior
to attending college). The content, quality, and amount of work will thus be the similar to a
college level Language and Composition course in which you will learn to read, understand,
analyze, synthesize, interpret, evaluate, and respond to nonfiction prose and visual texts.
The three purposes of AP Language and Composition are:

Improve and refine your ability to write comfortably, confidently, and competently in
both formal and informal formats, using the full array of language resources: appropriate
syntax, diction, tone, and other rhetorical devices.

Improve and refine your ability to read, analyze, interpret, and evaluate nonfiction prose
and visual texts.

Demonstrate mastery of your reading and writing skills on the AP exam (and possibly
earn college credit).
The AP Language and Composition Exam
The AP Exam is intense and is comprised of two sections. Section I is multiple choice; it is 60
minutes long, and there are 55 questions. Section II has three essays and is 2 hours long. The
test is graded on a scale of 1 to 5. 45% of that grade is based on Section I; the other 55% is
based on Section II.
Research Paper
CMS requires all juniors and seniors to complete a Graduation Project. In 11 th grade, students
complete a 6-8 page research paper on a topic of their choice. It is not possible to pass the
class or graduate without completing the research paper.

AP Expectations:
The AP Language and Composition course is a college level writing course designed to improve
your reading and writing ability. This course is foundational in supporting your academic progress
in all other college classes. It is expected that you will operate in the class as if you are in college
and uphold the school and classroom rules, as well as the norms we develop to maintain an ideal
learning environment.

Beyond the class norms that are developed together during our first week, there are three
basic behavioral expectations for our class:

1. Engage fully in our learning community. This includes coming to class on-time and
prepared to actively contribute through classwork or partner activities. You are expected to discuss
more often and at a higher level in an AP course; you must study often in order to improve. In order
to engage fully, your personal itemscell phones, food, and grooming productsshould be kept in
your bag at all times.
2. Respect the space and people around you. Use class resources, including the
Chromebooks, as if they were your personal property and financial liability. You are expected to
keep your personal workspace and our shared environment neat and free of clutter. Use your
language in a way that encourages and supports your fellow classmates and teacher. Your language
includes not only your word choice, but your volume and tone as well. Disrespecting one another
will not be tolerated within our community.
3. Strive for academic excellence. This includes your participation and persistence in
class. If the goal is to become proficient in a language, you must actively complete all work to the
best of your ability. This course will challenge your skills; learning to effectively manage your time
and seek help when needed are qualities that will foster academic excellence.

Supplies and Materials

In this class, that means having your supplies EVERY DAY. If you are in need of any supplies,
please see me after school during office hours or contact me via email and I will do my
very best to find what you need. Your supplies include:
1 Composition Notebook to remain in the classroom
Binder and dividers (at least 1 inches) to keep with you
Loose-leaf Paper (or notebook kept in binder)
Pens
Highlighters
Post-it Notes
Primary Texts
Assigned texts provided by School:

Additional texts we may use:

Patterns for College Writing. 9th Ed.

Thank You for Arguing by Jay Heinrichs
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell
A Dogs Purpose W. Bruce Cameron
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by
Douglas Adams

Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Note: These are two tentative texts that may be
used in this course. You will be asked to
purchase them or make arrangements with Ms.
Jackson. Students will be given over a month
notice should they be assigned.

Grading Policy
Overall letter grades follow the CMS scale: A 100-90 B 89-80
F +below 60

C 79-70

D 69-60

The weight breakdown in our class is as follows:

Formal (Tests, Papers, Projects, Presentations)...........70%

Informal (Classwork, Homework, Quizzes, Exit Tickets)....30%

Midterm ..20% (of Q2 grade)
Final.20% (overall class grade)

Zero Tolerance: Plagiarism and/or cheating result in a zero (with no makeup

opportunity). This results in serious consequences and/or expulsion at college
and university.

Attendance and Late Work Policy

If you are absent, it is your responsibility to contact me via email or phone
prior to your absence or the day of your absence. You are in an advanced, fast-paced
class. As a result, conversations about what you missed will NOT take place during class, but
MUST take place via email, the day you are absent. Please note, that this communication
cannot replace the learning that takes place in a class period.
It is not possible to learn and master the material if you are unwilling to meet requested
due dates.
The following policy will therefore be enforced concerning late work:

All work is due by the beginning of class.

All late work will be penalized 10 points per school day (even if its late by just one
period).
This means that the highest grade an assignment that is turned in 4 or more days after
the due date is an F. Late days include B days. Assignments will not be accepted
7 school days after the due date.
If you miss any quiz or bell work at the beginning of class due to being tardy, you will
not be given time to make up that work and will receive a zero for that assignment.
Last minute, emergency computer problems and printer ink issues are never
acceptable excuses for late work.

There are exceptions for the late work policy. If there is an emergency preventing you from
completing your work, please communicate with me ASAP in order for us to come up with a
solution. Communication via email or phone is required before the due date! As stated
previously, you are in an advanced, fast-paced class. Therefore, it is necessary to
communicate early on so that you do not fall behind.

Tutoring and after-school help

As students in a college-level course, it is vital that you take your learning needs into your own
hands and seek help when you need it. If you cannot stay after school, please email me with
your specific questions and concerns or set up an appointment for a phone conference. I will
respond to all emails within 24 hours on weekdays. If you contact me after 5pm, I will not
respond, so make sure you are proactive. Again, do not wait until the last minute!

Professional and Teaching Experience

I graduated in 2011 with a Bachelors in Political Science and German, with a minor in History
from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. After graduation, I was awarded a Fulbright Grant to
teach English in Ingelheim, Germany for a year. In 2013, I was accepted as a corps member of
Teach for America, an organization which works in cities in the United States to ensure that all

children have access to a quality education. In 2014, I completed my Graduate Certificate in

English Secondary Education from University of North Carolina, Charlotte. This is my fourth
year teaching English at Harding University High School!

Again: this is only a condensed version of the full syllabus. It is still required that
you read and review the entire syllabus for this course and refer to it frequently.
It is available on our Google Classroom site. Our class code is
______________________

The teacher reserves the right to change these expectations should the need arise. Based
upon the needs of students, I will adjust our content accordingly, so as to expand upon student
strengths as well as address and improve upon student weaknesses. This is part of teaching.