AP English Literature and Composition

AP English Literature and Composition Syllabus

 

Instructor: S. Whitter-Walker

Email: [email protected]

 

Course Description 

This course is designed to engage the student in careful, close reading and critical analysis of literature. Through close reading of selected texts of prose and poetry, students will deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide meaning. They will consider the writer’s style, structure, and themes, as well as literary elements such as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. Throughout this process, students will work to strengthen their writing skills and speed. Students will write a variety of compositions based on the literature. This course also includes vocabulary, research skills, and oral presentations. The course is designed to comply with the curricular requirements described in the AP English Course Description, in order to prepare the students to take the AP English Literature and Composition examination in one year. The course will also help students incorporate a Christ-centered perspective in all aspects of communication.

 

Course Objectives: Students will:

1. Find and explain (through discussion and writing) what is of value in literature
2. read numerous assigned short stories, poems, and at least four novels/drama selections.
3. analyze, in class discussions and in essays, the various elements of fiction and poetry as they function to create a work of literature.
4. study vocabulary in the context of the literature and with college level word lists; to help students advance in vocabulary skills to cope with unfamiliar language.
5. compose essays with a minimum of errors in mechanics and usage.
6. develop a personal style of writing.
7. read and research two novels by one author.
8. write documented essays using  MLA style.
9. develop and practice strategies for answering multiple choice and essay test items appearing on the AP Examination in English Literature and Composition.
10. understand the nature of literature in an artistic sense and in its historical context

 

 

 

Texts

 

Primary Texts:

Roberts, Edgar, and Jacobs.  Literature: an Introduction to Reading and Writing: Compact Edition

            Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 6^th Ed

Penfield, Elizabeth. Literary Visions Study Guide  NY: Longman, 2009

Secondary Texts: (Texts marked with * may be found at your local libraries; others are to be found in the main text)

Mulatto, Langston Hughes

Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller

A Doll House, Henrik Ibsen

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen*

Hamlet, William Shakespeare

Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare

Oedipus Rex, Sophocles

Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston*

The Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison*

Araby, Joyce

The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde*

Various Satirical selections

Various persuasive texts

 

Poetry (including but not limited to work by):

Emily Dickinson

Robert Frost

Thomas Hardy

William Shakespeare

Matthew Arnold

William Blake

Christopher Marlow

Robert Browning

Joyce Carol Oats

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Dylan Thomas

Alice Walker

Langston Hughes

 

Short Stories (Including but not limited to):

The Necklace, Guy de Mauppassant

Trifles; A Jury of Her Peers, Susan Glaspell

Masque of the Red Death, Edgar Allan Poe

How to Become a Better Writer, Lorrie Moore

The Lottery, Shirley Jackson

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, Ambrose Bierce

Two Kinds, Amy Tan

Barn Burning; A Rose For Emily, William Faulkner

A Worn Path, Eudora Welty

Blue Winds Dancing, Tom Whitecloud

The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin

 

Methods of Instruction:

Large and small group discussion is the primary way in which students come to understand a particular work of fiction or poetry. Discussions will sometimes be student led. Cooperative learning groups and peer teaching will also be used in this class. Projects/assignments will be done individually as well as in groups. This will include debates and interviews (of writers and characters etc.).

Assessment:

• Assessment is done primarily through essays.
• Some quizzes are given (weekly vocabulary quizzes).
• Knowledge of literary terms is tested.
• Students are expected to actively participate in discussions, debates etc.
• An exam is given at the end of first semester.
• Students will create a writing log to help with self-assessment of writing.
• Students who take the AP test in May are not required to take the second semester exam

Writing

Writing Log Assignment

To help students improve consistently in their writing over the year, each student will keep a writing log in a binder that will show progress and areas needing improvement. The most important aspect of the log, however, is that it engages the student in the process of thinking about writing.

The binder must have these documents in the beginning:

• copy of the AP scoring rubric
• copy of editing marks and explanations
• copy of the directions for the writing log and requirements
• grade and comment sheet

Documents needed for all essays specified by teacher:

--a page with the prompt attached

--all drafts of the essay (including teacher comments)

--any prewriting or processing notes you made for yourself

--log comments.  The point of this part is for you to discuss with yourself the strengths and weaknesses of your writing. Answer several of these questions for each essay:

• What problems (if any) did I have in understanding the prompt? Explain.
• What was my "so what?" point? Remember, "so what" refers to the main idea the writer was trying to communicate as you see it. It is the idea that is universal, timeless, and human. It is what we can learn more about ourselves by understanding. Your thesis statement is NOT your "so what."
• Where lapses in organization occurred, what was the cause?
• Have I introduced my quotations carefully, giving context and weaving them in grammatically and logically?
• What do I need to take from the teacher's comments for this essay to work on for next time? How do I plan to do that?
• What did I do better this time (or worse) than last time?
• If I have chosen to revise this essay, what do I plan to do differently? What significant changes will make the essay much improved over the first draft?
• What else have I learned about myself as a writer from this essay?
• Do I have a need for teacher conference? Write down what you need to discuss and make an appointment. After the conference, record what was discussed and what you plan to take from the discussion to improve your writing.

Most writing will be timed essays written in the 40-minute time constraint of the AP test. Assignments will focus on critical analysis of literature and will include expository, argumentative and analytical essays. All assignments will be typed, double spaced with one-inch margins, using Times New Roman (or another font that is easily read) 12 point, and must be printed in black ink.

Students will also write their reaction to the pieces of literature studied in class and independently.

Reading

             Reading will be selected from the list on pages 2 and 3, and will also include selections from past A.P. exams. Students will learn “how to make careful observations of textual detail, establish connections among observations, and draw from those connections a series of inferences leading to an interpretive conclusion about the work’s meaning and value”(from College Board Course Description). We will study the various stylistic elements--diction, detail, point of view, organization, syntax, and other literary techniques an author uses to establish tone and develop ideas in a text.

 

 

Grading:
Grades will be computed on a 100-point scale and are divided into the following categories:

1. Quizzes: 20% -- This category consists of reading checks and daily/weekly quizzes.

2. Classwork: 35%-- This includes short writing assignments, essays
3. Homework: 15%
4. Tests: 30% -- This category consists of tests, essays (both in-class and at-home), and major papers and projects.

 

Grade              Points              Percentage

A                     4.00                 93-100

A-                    3.66                 89-92  

B+                   3.33                 86-88

B                     3.00                 83-85

B-                    2.66                 79-82

C+                   2.33                 76-78

C                     2.00                 73-75

C-                    1.66                 69-72

D+                   1.33                 66-68

D                     1.00                 63-65

F                      0.00                 62 & below

 *Essays will be scored using AP rubric (50 pts). A 40-minute timed essay on either poetry or prose will be written in class every two to three weeks. Any essays—written in class or out of class—receiving scores of D or F, must be rewritten. The rewrite grade then replaces the original grade. All essays, drafts, final copies, revised copies, are to be kept in the Writing Log.

 

Materials: Students are expected to maintain a separate three ring binder for this class.

 College Dictionary
 Other materials TBA.

Classroom Policies:

*All school-wide policies as stated in the student handbook will be observed in this class.
*Absent students have five school days to make up work missed.
*All assignments should be complete and on time. Only assignments with prearranged extensions or doctor’s excuse will be accepted late.