This course can help prepare students who wish to continue their English education after high school, as well as students who wish to perform exceptionally well on the writing and critical thinking portions of the SAT exam. The level of aptitude in this subject will assist students wishing to excel on the SAT and in college courses.
According to the College Board’s website, Advanced Placement English: Literature and AP English: Language and Composition courses should focus primarily on developing a student’s ability to both understand and interpret literature. These courses should also test a student’s ability to communicate through the written word in a clear and concise manner. Depending on a college or university’s requirements, students may be able to substitute AP English courses for college credit or skip over elementary English courses in favor or intermediate or advanced coursework.
An AP course in English Language and Composition engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts, and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Both their writing and their reading should make students aware of the interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and subjects as well as the way generic conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing.
AP English Literature and Language are serious courses and include many course goals. According to the College Board’s website, by the time students take their AP Calculus exam (or the SAT exam) they should be prepared to do the following:
- Read a wide range of literature and be able to conduct in-depth readings of each text. Students should be submitted to works across several genres and time periods and be able to analyze hem deeply and thoroughly. Students should also be able to express a literary work’s cultural, historical, and artistic significance both orally an in well-written sentences. They should also pay close attention to detail and subtext so as to fully understand a literary work’s meaning.
- Write responses to literature as well as express their own thoughts and creativity. Students will be required to write responses to literature as well as annotation, freewriting, and some form of response journal. Written responses to literature should be clear, concise, and thorough. They should also tackle the literary work’s significance and themes. Similarly, a student’s freewriting sand annotations should include the same amount of effort and thoroughness.
Students will be able to learn:
- A wide range of vocabulary
- A variety of sentence structures
- Logical organization, enhanced by writing techniques such as emphasis, transitions, and other literary devices.
- How to balance general ideas with specifics.
- How to use rhetoric effectively to prove one’s point, controlling a paper’s voice, point of view, rhetoric, and other devices.
- Learn how to properly use APA, MLA, and Chicago formatting styles when writing reading responses.
Students that choose to take Advanced Placement courses should be aware of the commitment they’re making to their education. They should also know that these courses can help to set themselves apart from other college applicants and help them develop the study skills they’ll need once they enroll in college. Students that do well in their AP courses will see a definite payoff when in their GPA, their college exam scores, and their ability to succeed in college.
Students that wish to get into the college or university of their choice should take a serious look at Advanced Placement courses. Not only do they look excellent on high school transcripts, they can also help students earn college credit before even applying to college! This can save students valuable time and money. But, most importantly, students will also prepare themselves mentally for their future education and careers. The sooner students begin taking their education seriously, the sooner they’ll be able to see the payoff!
Here you will find AP English outlines and rhetorical devices. We are working to add more AP English resources such as unit notes, topic notes, study questions, and practice quizzes.
