Welcome to AP Language and Composition with Mrs. Arresto! The Advanced Placement course in English language & Composition provides a challenging reading and writing experience for students willing to engage in a committed relationship with various genres of literature. The objectives of this course are to help you build the strongest English background possible and to provide you with an opportunity to earn college credit. Your enthusiastic participation in AP English is necessary to ensure that you meet the objectives of this course and that you achieve success on the SAT, ACT, English Regents exam, and the AP Language and Composition exam. Therefore, you are expected to be disciplined and independent readers and writers.
Literature: In accordance with the guidelines set forth by the College Board for such a course, AP English Language and Composition focuses on a range that, by critical consensus, demonstrates superior literary merit. All texts are college-level reading for mature, discerning students.
Macbeth - a tragedy play by William Shakespeare
The Great Gatsby - a Jazz Age novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Selected memoirs, full-length non-fiction works, speeches, films, poems,
photographs, advertisements, essays, and articles
Selections from The Language of Composition (AP Language & Composition textbook)
Writing: This is a writing intensive course. Considering this, we will be working a great deal on formal essay writing and critical response. To meet the requirements of the Regents, we will write literary analysis essays and short responses; to prepare for the AP exam, we will write rhetorical analysis, argumentative, and synthesis essays. In addition to these formal pieces, we will also write personal reflections and creative essays.
Language Skills (Usage, Grammar, Style, and Vocabulary): This entire course emphasizes the study of language: syntax, style, vocabulary, and the rhetoric of argument. We will reinforce grammar skills as they relate to our reading and writing.
Exams: You will take the English Regents exam on January 21st as well as the AP English Language and Composition exam on May 13th. While the AP exam focuses only nonfiction texts - speeches, essays, historical letters, and political documents - the Regents exam also incorporates fiction works, such as short stories and poetry. We will be preparing for both exams simultaneously by emphasizing close reading skills and persuasive writing skills.
It is my hope that you will take an active interest in the work we do in class. I look forward to a successful year!
Literature: In accordance with the guidelines set forth by the College Board for such a course, AP English Language and Composition focuses on a range that, by critical consensus, demonstrates superior literary merit. All texts are college-level reading for mature, discerning students.
Macbeth - a tragedy play by William Shakespeare
The Great Gatsby - a Jazz Age novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Selected memoirs, full-length non-fiction works, speeches, films, poems,
photographs, advertisements, essays, and articles
Selections from The Language of Composition (AP Language & Composition textbook)
Writing: This is a writing intensive course. Considering this, we will be working a great deal on formal essay writing and critical response. To meet the requirements of the Regents, we will write literary analysis essays and short responses; to prepare for the AP exam, we will write rhetorical analysis, argumentative, and synthesis essays. In addition to these formal pieces, we will also write personal reflections and creative essays.
Language Skills (Usage, Grammar, Style, and Vocabulary): This entire course emphasizes the study of language: syntax, style, vocabulary, and the rhetoric of argument. We will reinforce grammar skills as they relate to our reading and writing.
Exams: You will take the English Regents exam on January 21st as well as the AP English Language and Composition exam on May 13th. While the AP exam focuses only nonfiction texts - speeches, essays, historical letters, and political documents - the Regents exam also incorporates fiction works, such as short stories and poetry. We will be preparing for both exams simultaneously by emphasizing close reading skills and persuasive writing skills.
It is my hope that you will take an active interest in the work we do in class. I look forward to a successful year!
Mrs. Arresto Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District English Department