1. AP English Language and Composition AP Night Presentation
Welcome Prospective AP Language Students!
AP English Language and Composition AP Night Presentation
Mr. Eisner
February 20, 2019

2. Sample AP English Language and composition test question
It is the fate of actors to leave only picture postcards
behind them. Every night when the curtain goes down
the beautiful coloured canvas is rubbed out. What
Line remains is at best only a wavering, insubstantial
5 phantom—a verbal life on the lips of the living.
17. What is the relationship of the second and third sentences (lines 2-5) to the first sentence (lines 1-2)?
They are structurally less complex than the first.
They are expressed in less conditional terms than the first.
They introduce new ideas not mentioned in the first.
They clarify and expand on the first.
They question the generalization made in the first.

3. D  The Correct answer is…
The metaphor of actors as “picture postcards” is expanded upon through details of what happens after the show is over. These sentences clarify for the reader the “fate of actors”.

4. Overview
AP Language combines the study of 11th grade American Literature (The Scarlet Letter, Huck Finn, Gatsby, The Crucible) with the study of rhetoric. 

5. Rhetorical Analysis Focuses on non-fiction prose texts
(letters, speeches, narratives, essays).
Students learn about the rhetorical
triangle (every text has a speaker
who writes with purpose for an
intended audience and who uses
specific techniques to achieve
that purpose).
Students master their understanding of tone, diction, syntax, and imagery by analyzing texts and writing their own.

6. *The exam (2018) is $94 w/o fee waiver; with = $5.
Consists of 2 sections (3 hrs. 15 mins.)
Multiple Choice (1 hour) (45%)
45 questions (5 answer choices)
Passage-based (4 passages from pre and post-20th century prose texts)
3 Free Response Questions (2 hours,15 minutes) (55)%
Rhetorical Analysis (analyze speaker’s choices)
Synthesis (read 6 documents and form an argument)
Argument (agree, disagree, or qualify a statement)
*The exam (2018) is $94 w/o fee waiver; with = $5.

7. Summer Assignment (2018) Due Day One.
Zora Neal Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God
Steven King’s memoire On Writing.
Both assignments have an extensive written component.
Flash cards for >100 rhetorical terms.
*Failure to complete the summer assignment will deeply impact the student’s grade in the course, but not preclude you from being in the course.
*Reading list subject to change for the 2019 school year. Check with your counselor in May for more details.

8. What Else Makes AP Language Unique?
4 additional independent reading assignments over the course of the year.
Students must take the AP exam in May.
Students prepare directly for the exam with practice tests and questions.
Students are held to a much higher standard of timeliness and work completion.
Students utilize technology and independent learning skills on a much more regular basis.

9. WHO SHOULD TAKE THIS COURSE
Students who love to read and write.
Students who have a strong command of English.
Students interested in studying how texts function on a rhetorical level.
Students who can dedicate time to completing the summer assignment and 5-10 hours per week toward homework.
Students who are serious about engaging in important conversations about a variety of texts and subjects.
Students who wish to make tremendous growth in English.

11. Questions?