English 3 (AP Language and Composition) (Period 3)

AP (Advanced Placement) English Language students will learn the skills necessary to succeed in university-level courses and on the AP Language and Composition exam. Further, students will continue to develop skills such as close reading of nonfiction writing, analyzing writing for rhetoric and skillful use of language, synthesizing numerous texts into coherent arguments, and writing sophisticated analytical and persuasive essays. These skills will prepare students for the intense reading and writing demands they will experience in 12th grade and college.

To unite and give shape to the content of our course, we will read, discuss, and write about classic and contemporary nonfiction prose dealing with crucial cultural, social, and political issues which affect and define our country today (we will also examine multimedia texts including photography, video, music, political cartoons, etc.). Because an essential aspect of college-level learning is a critical inquiry into our lives—examining the elements of our world we take for granted, ignore, or understand only superficially—this course will train students to think, read, and write critically, creatively, and persuasively. This course will combine our study of rhetoric and composition with an analysis of literature so that we will supplement our nonfiction reading with fiction, drama, and poetry.