Reading Prestwick House AP Language and Composition

Teach your students how to read and analyze
complex nonfiction texts.

Unlike other Advanced Placement (AP)* Language and Composition guides that merely cover basic skill sets, Prestwick House AP Language and Composition was created for use as a complete practice program in your classroom.

With just one book, you can teach your students to read and analyze complex nonfiction texts while preparing them for the AP Language and Composition exam.

Each chapter focuses on a specific element of language use and includes two nonfiction passages—the first annotated to direct student reading and the second with AP-level questions on that topic.

Reader commentary examples, sample response essays, and practice exercises will aid students in discovering features they should notice in their own reading, which will ultimately help them gain a better understanding of unfamiliar texts and a higher score on the AP Language and Composition exam.

With Prestwick House AP Language and Composition, you can:

• Teach in-depth lessons, conveniently organized according to the language and textual elements your students will encounter on the AP Language and Composition exam
• Illustrate the thought processes necessary to obtain both a better understanding of the passages and a higher score on the AP Language and Composition exam
• Provide sample student essays for classes to follow and use as guides
• Gain rich content and instructional material through informative appendices
• Reinforce student understanding with an included bonus glossary of literary and rhetorical devices and logical fallacies

Your students will read texts like:

• Patrick Henry: “Address to the Second Virginia Convention”
• Susan B. Anthony: “On Woman’s Right to the Suffrage”
• Sojourner Truth: “Ain’t I a Woman?”
• Elie Wiesel: “Hope, Despair and Memory”

• Martin Luther King, Jr.: “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
• Thomas Paine: “The Crisis, Essay 1”
• Bruce Catton: “Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts”
• And more!

How is Prestwick House AP Language and Composition different from other AP Language prep books or practice programs?

The biggest problem with other AP Language prep books is their generic and content-empty nature. Since the AP Language and Composition exam is essentially a skills exam, most prep books focus only on the skills.

Prestwick House AP Language and Composition is as much a literature text as a skills text. Because most of the reading passages in the book are complete, not excerpted or abridged, it can be used as a primary text for nonfiction literature, as well as an AP prep book.

What kind of instructional content is in Prestwick House AP Language and Composition?

Each chapter of the book features unabridged nonfiction texts similar to those found on the actual AP Language and Composition exam. Many passages are annotated to point out the types of questions students should ask and the features they should notice in their own reading.

Model multiple-choice questions with answers and explanations help illustrate the thought processes needed for a better understanding of the passages and a higher score on the AP language exam. Sample student essays provide models for AP students to follow and imitate.

A glossary of literary and rhetorical devices and logical fallacies is also included to help students become familiar with the language they’ll need to use to discuss the passages on the exam.

How is the book organized?

The book is organized by chapters according to the various language and textual elements an AP student will have to examine and analyze on the AP Language exam: structure and organizational patterns, language and syntax, rhetorical devices, etc.

Does this book include models and exercises for the Synthesis essay?

Yes! The chapter on the Synthesis essay guides students on how to approach the synthesis task, how to use the sources, when to quote, paraphrase, or summarize information, and more.

How should I use Prestwick House AP Language and Composition in the classroom?

Prestwick House AP Language and Composition is perfect for both in-class and at-home practice. You can use the annotated texts to encourage class discussion or assign them as out-of-class reading tasks. Students can complete the multiple-choice questions as a classroom activity or as a homework assignment. The essay exercises can be either pure practice activities or graded tasks.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide how you want to use this book to fit your students’ needs.

Who would benefit the most from this book?

Prestwick House AP Language and Composition is designed primarily for students who plan to take the AP Language and Composition exam, but any advanced students would certainly benefit from the critical reading practice this book provides.