AP SYLLABUS
0 General Document comments
0 Sentence and Paragraph comments
0 Image and Video comments
AP English Language and Composition Course Syllabus
Instructor: Ms. Melissa Easley Email: [email protected]
Location: LMHS campus, Room C300 Remind: text @ to 81010
Course Description
It is the goal of this course to “cultivate the reading and writing skills that students need for college success and for intellectually responsible civic engagement. The course guides students in becoming curious, critical, and responsive readers of diverse texts and becoming flexible, reflective writers of texts addressed to diverse audiences for diverse purposes. The reading and writing students do in the course should deepen and expand their understanding of how written language functions rhetorically: to communicate writers’ intentions and elicit readers’ responses in particular situations”.
This course assumes that you have already developed a command of standard English grammar. Therefore, writing assignments in this course will focus on the writing craft, assisting you to become a more competent writer in college-level coursework. The course emphasizes academic essays, some of which should be at least 1,000 words in length and be taken through multiple drafts before completion.
The AP Exam
The AP Exam for English Language and Composition will be administered on May 12, 2021.
The exam is three hours and fifteen minutes long and is comprised of two sections:
-
Multiple-choice questions 45 questions 45% weighting 60 min
-
Reading questions 23 - 25 questions
-
Writing questions 20 - 22 questions
-
-
Free-response questions 3 questions 55% weighting 2 hr 15
-
Q1: Synthesis 6 points
-
Q2: Rhetorical Analysis 6 points
-
Q3: Argument 6 points
-
The exam assesses the four “big ideas” for the course: Rhetorical Situation, Claims and Evidence, Reasoning and Organization, and Style.
Scores
Scores on the AP examination are reported on a five-point scale as follows:
5: extremely well qualified 2: possibly qualified
4: well qualified 1: no recommendation
3: qualified
Your score will be reported to you in early July. Most schools in Louisiana give credit for a score of 3 or better on the AP Language exam. However, some schools will only give credit for a score of 4 or 5. You will need to research any schools to which you plan to apply.
Grading Procedures
The standard grading scale in this class is as follows:
90 - 100 A 70 - 79 C Below 60 Failing
80 - 89 B 60 - 69 D
Students are expected to utilize JCampus to stay informed about their current grade in the course. I will not discuss grades during class; please see me before or after school or send an email if you prefer.
Labor-Based Grading Contracts
AP English classes at Liberty use Labor-based Contract grading to determine final course grades. This grading system rewards students with high work ethics for the labor they put into the course as they work toward growth and progress.
*This contract is to be signed by admin and teacher, then student and parent at the start of the semester.
*The contract adjusts to allowing less late and missed work per 9 weeks.
AP Details: 10 pt grading scales + extra quality point
Breakdown:
100 possible points a 9 weeks = 1-2 10-pt assessments (major) + 17-18 5-point assessments
*I reserve the right to alter assessments where needed based on participation and engagement
*because four grades of X or I would mathematically equal 80%, once you miss 4 assignments or turn in 4 incomplete assignments, one of your other 5-point assessments will drop to a 4 out of 5 in Jcampus to reflect the accurate class score of 79 C. The same method applies to D’s and F’s.
*there is a column in the gradebook called “grade adjustment.” This column is how I will make sure your grades are accurate (the math isn’t perfect, so we have to adjust by adding points to this column when needed).
*Is convert into 0Fs in Jcampus at the close of each 9 weeks when they are not revised to standards or if they were not eligible for revision, such as assignments like MC Monday.
2nd 9 Weeks
|
Final Grade |
# of Not Submitted Assignments
(recorded as X in Jcampus) |
# of Incomplete Assignments
(recorded as I in Jcampus) |
|
A 90-100 |
2 |
2 |
|
B 80-89 |
3 |
3 |
|
C 70-79 |
4 |
4 |
|
D 60-69 |
5 |
5 |
|
F 60- |
6+ |
6+ |
*If a student surpasses any one of these categories, their grade drops to the next category. E.g., if a student has 3 recorded grades of “I” but 2 recorded grades of “X,” that student has earned a “B” for the 9 weeks, and vice versa.
*The number of X and I total in each category determines whether the resulting class letter grade is + or -. For example:
Student A
|
Final Letter Grade |
# of Not Submitted Assignments
(recorded as X in Jcampus) |
# of Incomplete Assignments
(recorded as I in Jcampus) |
|
B+ |
3 |
0 |
Student B
|
Final Letter Grade |
# of Not Submitted Assignments
(recorded as X in Jcampus) |
# of Incomplete Assignments
(recorded as I in Jcampus) |
|
B- |
3 |
2 |
Further explanation of each category:
Not-Submitted Assignments refer to any assignment that is not completed within 3 days (24-hour cycles) of the due date prescribed by the teacher. “X” in Jcampus. Plagiarized assignments fall under this category.
Incomplete Assignments refer to any assignments turned in that have ignored guidelines and are inadequate. E.G. the assignment is a full essay, and the student turns in a paragraph; the assignment is a paragraph, the student turns in a sentence. Students may choose to turn these assignments in late instead of being recorded as “Incomplete.” “I” in Jcampus.
!Blank or half-completed documents turned in on the due date will not be given an “I” and more time/revision and will not be accepted for credit but will earn an “X” in Jcampus. We have a 3-day late policy for a reason. Use it or lose it!
!FRQs that score a 0 will not earn credit and will receive an “I” without revision.
*all FRQs will be revised, but that revision is a separate grade from the original timed exam.
JCampus & Google Classroom - I update JCampus and Google Classroom regularly. I strongly recommend retaining copies of all returned work until the grade has been posted in JCampus so that if there is a discrepancy, you may show me the assignment and I can make a correction at that time. Stay on top of your grades. This is a college-level course. It is not your parents’ responsibility to monitor your progress; you should be doing that yourself.
Cheating and Plagiarism
Cheating and plagiarism are both direct violations of our school’s Academic Honesty Policy. Students caught cheating will automatically receive a zero on the task, will be referred to the front office for disciplinary action, and will have a notation placed in their permanent record. To avoid any misunderstanding, do not talk during a quiz or test (even if you have completed your work). If you have a question, raise your hand and I will assist you. As a special word of caution: in a digital era and age of virtual learning, it is especially tempting to cheat or plagiarize. Aside from the morality and ethics of such behavior, I will caution you that failure to complete assignments independently will result in an inability to complete additional assignments in a more restricted environment. Do the work. You’ll be happy that you did.
Cheating is defined as any attempt to receive academic credit for work done by someone else. This includes but is not limited to the following:
-
Copying another student’s work on a test
-
Looking at another student’s test paper
-
Copying another student’s homework or turning in a term paper, report, theme or project written or prepared (in whole or part) by another person
-
Using a textbook, notebook or “cheat sheet” on a test when it is not authorized.
-
Using an electronic device like a cell phone, iPad, or iPod on a test when it is not authorized.
Plagiarism - the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own (This list is meant to be illustrative only.)
Providing illegal aid to enable others to cheat is also considered cheating. This includes but is not limited to the following:
-
Allowing your work to be copied and turned in by another student as his/her own
-
Allowing your test to be copied by another student Writing a term paper, report, theme for another student
-
Preparing a project for another student
-
Obtaining unauthorized information about a test and/or spreading this information.
-
Sharing text messages with another student to give answers or information when it is not authorized. (This list is meant to be illustrative only.)
-
Self- plagiarism: Reusing old papers from another current or past class
It should be noted that eyewitness accounts of a teacher, evidence based on written work or confiscated “cheat sheets,” will be accepted as determining the occurrence of cheating. In no case where cheating has taken place will academic credit for any part of the assignment in question be given to any student involved. In all cases when cheating is determined to have occurred,
(1) the suspected work will be confiscated and a grade of zero will be given;
(2) the teacher will counsel with the student and will contact the parents of the student involved, and
(3) notification of the offense will be sent to the Dean of Students for discipline.
In addition to the above, punishment may include: first offense: In-school suspension, second offense: suspension, third offense: magnet status revoked/expulsion.
Attendance/Tardiness
I expect all students to be in the classroom prepared to work on bellwork when the tardy tone sounds. Upon your arrival to class, please take care of any “housekeeping” tasks before the bell rings. If you are absent from school or miss a portion of class due to an appointment or some other cause, you are responsible for finding out what work you missed and completing that in a timely manner. Our school policy allows you one day to complete work for each day missed; if you miss school on Monday, you are to get your make up work Tuesday and have that prepared to turn in on Wednesday.
Writing Assignments
Students will be asked to write frequently throughout this course, in prompts of varying degrees of length and complexity (essays, research papers, analytical writing, rhetorical analysis, argumentative writing, et cetera). All writing assignments should include a works cited page, formatted using the most recent MLA style guidelines (information will be provided with each assignment/rubric). Although we are virtual, I prefer for you to hand write your essays and short responses, then take a picture to submit. We are trying to get Rocketbooks for y’all, but in case we don’t, handwritten is preferred. Handwritten assignments must be legible; I prefer that you use dark ink, skip a line, and write on one side of your paper unless it does not bleed through.
Membean & NoRedInk
*Membean is a weekly practice. In order to receive credit, students must meet their training goal for 2 weeks. This will be calculated at the end of the end of August.
*NoRedInk is independent grammar work. At the end of the 9 weeks, I will check each student’s progress, and students must not be missing more than 2 assignments to receive credit for the 9 weeks.
General Document Comments 0
icons on the left to see existing comments.
0 archived comments