AP® English Literature and Composition Syllabus
Course Objectives:
§
Students carefully read and analyze works of
both British and American writers as well as works written in several genres
from the sixteenth century to contemporary times.
§
Student write an interpretation of a piece of
literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details.
§
Students have frequent opportunities to write
and rewrite formal, extended analyses and timed in-class responses. The course requires:
-Writing to Understand: Informal, exploratory writing
activities
-Writing to Explain:
Expository, analytical essays
-Writing to Evaluate: Analytical, argumentative essays
§
The AP teacher will provide instruction and
feedback on students’ writing assignments, both before and after the students
revise their work.
Required Texts and
Materials:
The Kite Runner-Khaled Hosseini (summer reading)
Their Eyes Were
Watching God-Zora Neale Hurston
(summer reading)
Scarlet Letter-Nathaniel
Hawthorne
Frankenstein-Mary Shelley
Beowulf-Unknown
Death of a Salesman-Arthur
Miller
King Lear-William
Shakespeare
The Rivals-Richard
Brinsley Sheridan
Barrons AP English Literature and Composition Study
Guide
In addition to the above readings, you will be reading
several short stories, poems, and excerpts from larger works.
Individual Readings:
From the list of AP® suggested novels, you will each choose
two novels to read independently.
For these individual novels, you will need to complete a written
assignment. I expect your writing
to be well developed and clearly organized, and focus on the critical analysis
of literature with special attention to literary terms and the elements of
style.
Written
Components:
§ Using the AP College Board website, find a
free response question that fits the independent novel you chose. In a thought-provoking essay, address
all aspects of the question. You
can find sample questions at: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/english_lit/samp.html?englit (You can also find the example free response
questions by googling: AP English
Literature writing prompts)
§
Identify
three key passages and explain their significance to the work as a whole. Type each passage exactly using correct
MLA citation format. In your
response, answer the basic AP® style question: What effect does the passage
have and how has the author achieved the effect?
To guide you in keeping up with the workload, it is strongly
recommended that one individual reading assignment be turned in before winter
break and the other before spring break.
You are welcome to turn in the assignments prior to these
deadlines. I am available to meet
with you on an individual basis both before and after school to review your
novel choice and your written assignments.
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Discussion Format:
To reinforce students’ critical analysis of literature, the
Socratic Seminar will be used for many of our discussion formats.
What is Socratic
Seminar? A Socratic Seminar is
a method to try to understand information by creating dialectic in class in
regards to a specific text. In a
Socratic Seminar, participants seek deeper understanding of complex ideas in
the text through rigorously thoughtful dialogue, rather than by memorizing bits
of information.
Why are we conducting
Socratic Seminars? One skill
that we are seeking to develop this year is the ability to express an analysis
of a text both in writing and speaking.
The analysis should be reasonable and supported with textual evidence
(this is critical on the AP® exam).
The expression of that analysis should be concisely and clearly
presented.
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Other Key Components:
Analysis
Analytical activities from the text Voice Lessons: Classroom
Activities to Teach Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, and Tone by Nancy
Dean will be used throughout the year.
The purpose is to aid students in interpreting excerpts from literature
based on careful observations of textual details. In addition, How to
Read Literature Like a Professor:
A Lively Guide to Reading Between the Lines by Thomas C. Foster will
also be used for the purpose of improving analytical responses.
Vocabulary
Learning new vocabulary is a key component to understanding
text and deeper meaning.
Literary terms
An extensive list of literary terms will be given at the
beginning of the year. Terms will
be discussed in detail and examples will be provided. Students are required to have a strong understanding of the
terms throughout the year. Quizzes
will be given.
Grammar
Grammar mini lessons will be included throughout the year
and as problems arise. Much of the
grammar lessons will be taught in context of the students’ writing.
Writing Revisions
Revision is considered a necessary component of all formal
writing. The teacher is willing to
meet with you outside of class to give input. If you are not satisfied with a score on a writing
assignment, you are encouraged to revise and resubmit. Revisions are accepted within THREE
school days of the date you received your paper. All revised work must be HIGHLIGHTED on the new draft.
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Writing Rubrics
All assignments for formal papers will include a specific
grading rubric. We will go over
the rubrics prior to submitting papers and reviewing expectations for the
particular piece of writing.
Please consult each rubric carefully before submitting your work. The following is an AP Nine Point Trait
Rubric which will be used for the majority of your writing.
AP® Nine Point Trait Rubric
9-8
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Superior papers respond fully to the questions asked and
are specific in their references, cogent in their definitions, and free of
plot summary that is not relevant to the question. Shows a full understanding of the issues and supports
points with appropriate textual evidence and examples. Demonstrates stylistic maturity by an
effective command of sentence structure, diction, and organization. These essays need not be without
flaws, but they demonstrate the writer’s ability to discuss a literary work
with insight and understanding and to control a wide range of the elements of
effective composition.
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7-6
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Responds correctly to the questions but is less thorough,
less perceptive or less specific than 9-8 papers. These essays are well-written but with less maturity and
control than the top papers.
They demonstrate the writer’s ability to analyze a literary work and
use textual evidence, but they reveal a more limited understanding than do
the papers in the 9-8 range.
Some lapses in diction or syntax may appear, but they demonstrate
sufficient control over the elements of composition. Generally, 6 essays present a less
sophisticated analysis and less consistent command of the elements of
effective writing than essays scored 7.
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5
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Superficiality characterizes these 5 essays. Response to the question, but
discussion of meaning may be simplistic, mechanical; they may be overly generalized,
vague, or inadequately supported.
Typically, these essays reveal simplistic thinking and/or immature
writing. They usually
demonstrate inconsistent control over the elements of composition and are not
as well conceived, organized, or developed as the upper-half papers. On the other hand, the writing is
sufficient to convey the writer’s ideas.
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4-3
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Attempts to deal with the questions, but do so either
inaccurately or without support or specific evidence. Discussion is likely to be
unpersuasive, perfunctory, underdeveloped or misguided. The meaning they deduce may be
inaccurate of insubstantial and not clearly related to the question. Part of the question may be omitted
altogether. The writing may
convey the writer’s ideas, but it reveals weak control over such elements as
diction, organization, syntax, or grammar. Typically, these essays contain significant
misinterpretations of the question or the work they discuss; they may also
contain little, if any supporting evidence, and practice paraphrase and plot
summary at the expense of the analysis.
May contain excessive and distracting spelling and grammatical
errors. Lengthy quotations may
replace discussion and analysis.
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2-1
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These essays compound the weakness of essays in the 4-3
range and are frequently unacceptably brief or poorly written. Fail to respond to the question. May reveal misunderstanding or may
distort the interpretations.
They are poorly written on several counts, including many distracting
errors in grammar and mechanics.
Although the writer may have made some effort to answer the question,
the views presented have little clarity or coherence and only slight, if any,
evidence in its support.
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First Semester Schedule
Weeks One-Two:
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Review of
Key Literary Terms: Discussion
of literary terms and examples in context
§
Understanding
Literature: Imaginative
literature, conventional themes, literary canon; how to interpret and evaluate
literature and the function of literary criticism
§
Reading
and Writing about Literature: Reading
literature: previewing,
highlighting, annotating Writing about literature: planning drafting, revising, editing
§
American
Literature Timeline: Age of
Faith/Puritanism, Age of Reason/Revolution, Romanticism, Realism, Modernism,
Contemporary; in-depth study of historical context, genre/style, major writers,
and sub-genres such as gothic literature, naturalism, civil war, frontier, 20th
century poets, Harlem Renaissance; Create a detailed PowerPoint presentation
explaining a time period and how literature was impacted.
§
Socratic
Seminar: Discussion of
required reading (from previous classes) & begin Major Work Data Sheets
§
Close
Reading: Review of passages
from The Great Gatsby. Discussion of passages, themes,
symbols, literary terms, social classes, Tom vs. Gatsby, Jazz Age, Downfall of
Gatsby’s dream
§
Diagnostic: AP® Timed Writing Prompt (The
Great Gatsby)
Weeks Three-Four: (Begin
Scarlet Letter independently)
§
Understanding
Fiction/Short Stories: Plot: “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, “A
Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner;
Character: “A&P”
by John Updike, “Gryphon” by Charles Baxter; Setting:
“The Storm” by Kate Chopin, “I Stand Here Ironing” by Tillie Olsen; Point of View: “A Good Man is
Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor, “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner
§
Choose
Independent Novels: Discussion
of Literary Merit
Character Essay:
In both “A&P” and “Gryphon,” the main characters struggle
against rules, authority figures, and inflexible social systems. Compare and contrast the struggles in which
these characters are engaged.
Or
Compare and Contrast the
main characters in Kate Chopin’s short stories “The Storm” and “Story of an
Hour.” What struggles do these
characters face? What do the characters
tell us about Chopin’s view of women?
Weeks
Five-Eight: (Begin Independent
Novel)
Scarlet Letter by
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Symbols: Scaffolding, Cemetery, Leech, Gold,
Birds, Light/Dark, Colors, Black Meteor, Darkness/Lightness, The Black
Man/Satan, Mirror, Vegetation, Book, Pearl, Rosebush/Roses, Elf, Imp, Prison
(jail/prison door), Letter “A”, Green Red, Night/Day, Halo, Snake, Forest,
Heart Tapestry, Weeds/Flowers, Sun
Themes: Human Frailty and Sin, Hypocrisy,
Alienation, Redemption
Literary
Terms: Foreshadowing, in
medias res, irony, characterization (indirect/direct), allusions,
personification
Scarlet Letter Essay:
In many novels, the author
incorporates the use of symbols to trace theme(s), character(s), or significant
event(s). Write an essay
discussing Hawthorne’s use of symbolism to support at least one of the above
elements. Choose 2-3 symbols to
discuss and cite specific examples and explain their significance and impact.
Some questions to
consider:
Does
it run throughout the text, or only in a particular portion of the text?
Does
it appear at particular moments?
How
does the author use the image or symbol?
What
does it suggest?
What
are the meanings associated with it?
Does
the image work the same way in each place or have changing or evolving
meanings?
Does the author specifically
address the symbolic nature of the object or image?
- Writing Conferences for Scarlet Letter
Essay
- Artistic Representation of Symbols from
Essay
Weeks Nine-Ten:
§
Understanding
Fiction/Short Stories-Close Reading:
Style, Tone, and Language: A Clean, Well-Lighted
Place by Ernest Hemingway, The Things
They Carried by Tim O’Brien Symbol and Allegory: The
Lottery by Shirley Jackson, Everyday
Use By Alice Walker Theme: Yellow
Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins
Gilman, Chrysanthemums By John
Steinbeck
Analysis Assignment
Analyze the style, tone,
and language of one of the short stories read.
Conference with teacher to
work on areas of weaknesses on an individual basis
Weeks
Eleven-Thirteen:
Understanding Poetry
§
Defining Poetry, Reading Poetry, and Recognizing
kinds of poetry; Themes, word choice/word order, imagery, figures of speech,
sound, form, symbol, allegory, allusion, myth
§
My Papa’s
Waltz Theodore Roethke, Do not go
gentle into that good night Dylan Thomas, The Passionate Shepherd to His Love Christopher Marlowe, The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd Sir
Walter Raleigh, How Do I Love Thee Elizabeth
Barrett Browning, An Irish Airman
Foresees His Death William Butler Yeats, On the Notion of Tenderness in Wartime Carl Philips, My Grandmother Would Rock Quietly Leonard
Adame, Negro Langston Hughes, Fire and Ice Robert Frost, To the Virgins Make, To Make Much of Time Robert
Herrick, The Man He Killed Thomas
Hardy, Cinderella Anne Sexton, The Chimney Sweeper William Blake, Daddy Sylvia Plath, To My Dear and Loving Husband Anne Bradstreet, You Fit into Me Margaret Atwood (Additional Poetry for further reading and analysis)
§
Close
Reading: Socratic discussion of poems individually and poems in comparison
to each other
§
Presentation: Student-lead discussion of poems
Poetry Analysis Paper
In an essay, you will
explore two or more related poems.
Consider the elements of poetry discussed in class. You may wish to consider some of the
following:
Speaker, audience, occasion, setting, purpose, theme, tone, structure and development, diction, imagery, metaphor, simile, personification,
metonymy, symbols, paradox, overstatement, understatement, and irony, allusions, sound repetition, meter.
Weeks
Fourteen-Seventeen
Frankenstein by
Mary Shelley
§
Romantic
and Gothic Movements
§
Use
of characterization, point of view, protagonist, antagonist, narrator, tragic
hero, setting, mood, tone, diction, connotation, imagery, symbolism, syntax,
verisimilitude, epiphany, catharsis, structure, climax, resolution, Gothic novel, allegory,
foreshadowing, stereotype, simile, metaphor, hyperbole, flashback, irony,
pathetic fallacy, and personification.
§
Narrators
that manipulate readers and readers that manipulate the text
§
Socratic
discussions
Response Journal:
Throughout
the reading, keep a journal with responses to daily reading. Use the questions below, or reflect on
your book in your own way.
Characterization: Describe a character that you
had strong feelings about. What were your feelings about the character? How did
Shelley describe this character in such a way that you couldn't help feeling
the way you did about them?
Setting and Mood: Describe a scene in which
setting and mood were particularly effective. What language made them effective
in this particular scene?
Diction: Find a sentence that uses very
effective diction (word choice). Why were the words (or why was a word) particularly effective
here? Would a synonym for this word have worked as well as this one? Explain.
Syntax (Sentence
Structure): Find
a sentence in which the sentence structure is particularly effective. Try to
describe how the sentence is structured and what makes it so effective. What
was its effect on you as a reader? Would structuring the sentence differently
have changed its meaning?
Week Eighteen
Review
for Semester Exam
Second Semester
Schedule
Weeks One-Four (Choose second independent novel
and begin reading)
Death of a
Salesman By
Arthur Miller
§
In class reading of the play with
discussion. Written responses
outside of class.
§
The extent to which human beings have control
over the direction of their lives and the formative experiences that determine
the architecture of one’s character
§
the varieties of love that the characters
experience and desire and the meaning of faith and irony
§
the literary techniques by which an author
creates mood, constructs characters, and suggests sub-textual significance
Open-Ended AP® Question
(Choose one of the following)
The most important themes
in literature are sometimes developed in scenes in which a death or deaths take
place. Choose a novel or play and write a well-organized essay in which you
show how a specific death scene helps to illuminate the meaning of the work as
a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.
Or
Works of literature often
depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a protagonist; main
characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their own values.
Select a novel or play that includes such acts of betrayal. Then, in a
well-written essay, analyze the nature of the betrayal and show how it
contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Weeks Five-Six (Continue
Independent Novel)
Research Paper
The research paper will require you to select and
research a theme in American Literture.
You will select four works (short story, poem, essay/non-fiction, and
novel or play) and examine how the authors address this theme in their
literature. Your thesis should
express what the theme is and what you have concluded about how this theme is
represented in American Literature through your examination of these works.
Weeks Seven-Nine
Beowulf unknown
§
Socratic Discussion of Key Elements
§
Close Reading of Student-Chosen passages
§
Question Writing
§
Reader-Response Journal (Keep the free response
in mind as a guide)
Consider the following:
Look at the religious
references in Beowulf--what are the names for God? What biblical events are
mentioned, and who mentions them? What specifically pagan practices (sacrifice,
burial, augury, etc.) are described? How do the characters see their relationship
to God (or the gods)? Why would a Christian author write a poem about a pagan
hero? Does the heroic code expressed in Beowulf conflict with a Christian
sensibility?
Weeks Ten-Thirteen
King Lear by
William Shakespeare
§
Themes explored: the nature of evil,
sanity/insanity, and the inseparability of power and authority.
§
Discussion of major elements: Lear’s familial relationships and the parallel plots of Lear
and Kent
§
Psychological context: Lear’s relationships with his daughters, the daughters’
relationships, and Lear’s madness.
§
Reader’s Theater
Week Fourteen-
Closer Look at the AP® Exam
§
Discussion
of Close Reading and Exam Questions
§
Test Prep
Books
§
Review answering
strategies, thinking processes, pitfalls, etc.
§
Writing
workshop—revisit one previous piece of writing with teacher
Post Exam
The Rivals by
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
§ Reading
Drama for Enjoyment
