AP Language students lose points at the sentence level not because they have bad ideas, but because their prose gets in the way. This unit addresses that directly. Unit 7 covers two things: editing — finding and fixing the errors AP graders actually penalize — and style, building the sentence-level control that earns upper-range scores. Every component ties to what graders reward on timed essays. This is not a grammar refresher from ninth grade. The errors and the techniques are chosen specifically for AP writers. What's Included (11 resources): 16-Slide PowerPoint — Opens with two real-world punctuation disasters: a $1 million Canadian comma dispute and a legislative typo that cost the U.S. government $38 million in today's dollars. Covers comma splices, affect/effect, parallel structure, active and passive voice, modifier placement, and sentence variety, then moves into the imitation exercise.
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Speaker notes include facilitation guidance and think-aloud scripts throughout. Two-Track Pacing Guide — A 5-day sprint for classes running tight on time and a 10-day sequence for full development of the imitation exercise. Includes a parallel-track option for running grammar instruction alongside revision of FRQ essays from earlier units. 38-Term Glossary — Five categories: grammar and usage, punctuation and sentence errors, sentence structure, voice and diction, and style and craft. Each entry has a definition and a before/after example. Built to carry forward into Units 8, 9, and the exam. Opening Activity: When Punctuation Has a Price Tag — The 2006 Rogers vs. Bell Aliant comma dispute and the 1872 U.S. tariff typo. Students identify the error, rewrite the disputed sentences in both interpretations, and connect the stakes to their own timed writing.
Whole-class discussion sequence and optional quick write included. Discussion Prompts and Hinge Questions — Three structured discussions, including a whole-class debate on whether grammar costs AP points and a paragraph-ranking exercise with three versions of the same passage. Five hinge questions on comma splices, parallel structure, active voice, affect/effect, and modifier placement, each with the correct answer, a breakdown of common wrong choices, and a reteaching note. Formative Assessment: Passage Editing Task — A 14-sentence passage with 10 scored errors and 2 bonus errors across nine categories. Full answer key with partial credit guidelines and a debrief script. Anchor Text and Imitation Exercise — Excerpts from Orwell's "Why I Write" (1946) and Didion's "Why I Write" (1976) with parallel analysis tables, a sentence structure mapping activity, draft space, and an annotation guide. Students write a structural imitation using entirely original content. Teacher modeling script included. This is the core of the unit, not enrichment — students who can name what a skilled writer does at the sentence level and then replicate it have the analytical attention to syntax the AP exam tests. Editing Checklist and Common Error Reference — Tier 1 (six errors to check every time, minimum three minutes) and Tier 2 (eight errors worth knowing). Quick-reference table of the 12 most common AP essay errors with weak and corrected versions side by side.
Three-minute end-of-essay protocol students use from here through the exam. Teacher Notes and Rubric — Facilitation notes for every component, full debrief guide for the editing passage, think-aloud modeling script for the imitation exercise, and a four-criterion imitation portfolio rubric (12 points total). Extension Activity: The Sentence That Opens the Door — Seven opening sentences from published writers (Orwell, Didion, Austen, Chatfield, Salinger, and others) with a structured analysis table and three writing tasks, a four-set sentence-combining workshop, and a self-revision task where students apply unit tools to a sentence from their own previous AP writing. Unit Overview and Learning Objectives — Seven paired know/do objectives with AP skills alignment (4.A, 4.B, 4.C, 6.A, 6.B, 7.A, 7.B), assessment overview, and a component-by-component usage guide. The Orwell/Didion imitation is the piece this unit is built around. Two writers, same title, completely different sentence craft — students analyze both structurally, then write their own imitation using original content. When they can name what each writer does and replicate it, they've developed the kind of analytical attention to syntax that shows up in Row C sophistication scores. The comma-dispute opening hooks students who would otherwise tune out for a grammar unit. Particularly useful for classes that write strong arguments but keep landing in the 5–6 range — often because sentence-level issues are making clear thinking harder to see on the page. College Board alignment covers AP skills 4.A, 4.B, 4.C, 6.A, 6.B, 7.A, and 7.B. All materials are editable Word documents and PowerPoint — no school branding on student-facing pages.
This is Unit 7 of a complete, nine-unit AP Language and Composition curriculum. It builds on Unit 6: Argument Essay Craft and prepares students for the nuanced argumentation work in Unit 8: Advanced Argumentation and Sophistication. The complete course is available as the AP Language and Composition Complete 9-Unit Curriculum Bundle at over 30% off individual unit prices. If this resource saved you prep time, please leave a rating under My Purchases Provide Feedback. Every review earns you TpT Credits toward future purchases — roughly $1 in credits for every $10 reviewed. Follow Starmaker English & Journalism Tools to be notified when new resources launch or go on sale. Keywords: AP Language and Composition, AP Lang Unit 7, grammar and mechanics, sentence style, AP Lang writing, comma splice, parallel structure, syntax, Orwell Didion imitation, AP Lang curriculum, College Board aligned, AP exam prep, high school ELA, sentence-level writing, secondary English
Designed for grades 9th – 12th.
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