AP English Literature and Composition (Cum Laude Recognition)
AP English Literature and Composition course engages students in the careful reading and
critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students
deepen their understandings of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and
pleasure for their readers. As they read, students consider a work’s structure, style and themes,
as well as such smaller-scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism
and tone. Writing is an integral part of the AP English Literature and Composition course which
will focus on the critical analysis of literature and include expository, analytical and argumentative
essays as well as creative writing assignments help students see from the inside how literature
is written. See Advanced Placement Expectations/Criteria (pg 17).
Communication Skills
Communication Skills students focus on practical language skills applicable in the workplace,
including creating and/or completing varied business forms. Students refine their skills in the
fundamentals of reading, writing, conventions of written and oral language, and research. Much
emphasis is placed on students’ practice of reading and writing as a process. Students survey
literature in historical context as well as other world selections. Texts include poetry, drama,
fiction, literary nonfiction, and expository texts. Students write for varied audiences and purposes
including exposition and persuasion, and they