AP English Literature and Composition Syllabus Mrs. Burleson, Room 208 ABurleson@nu-district.org Understandings: As a result of the course, students will understand that: Literature provides a mirror to help us understand ourselves and others. Writing is a form of communication across the ages. Literature reflects the human condition. Literature deals with universal themes, i.e., man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. self, man vs. God. Essential Questions: These arguable, recurring, and thought-provoking questions will guide inquiry and point toward the big ideas of the course. How does literature help us understand ourselves and others? How has writing become a communication tool across the ages? How does literature reflect the human condition? How does literature express universal themes? Literature reflects its social, cultural, and historical values. COURSE DESCRIPTION: AP English Literature and Composition is designed to be a college/university level course, thus the AP designation on a transcript rather than H (Honors) or CP (College Prep). This course will provide you with the intellectual challenges and workload consistent with a typical undergraduate university English literature/humanities course. As a culmination of the course, you will take the AP English Literature and Composition Exam given in May. A grade of 4 or 5 on this exam is considered equivalent to a 3.3 4.0 for comparable courses at the college or university level. A student who earns a grade of 3 or above on the exam will be granted college credit at most colleges and universities throughout the United States. COURSE GOALS: 1. To carefully read and critically analyze imaginative literature. 2. To understand the way writers use language to provide meaning and pleasure. 3. To consider a work s structure, style, and themes as well as such smaller scale elements such as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. 4. To study representative works from various genres and periods (from the sixteenth to the twentieth century) but to know a few works extremely well.
5. To understand a work s complexity, to absorb richness of meaning, and to analyze how meaning is embodied in literary form. 6. To consider the social and historical values a work reflects and embodies. 7. To write focusing on critical analysis of literature including expository, analytical, and argumentative essays as well as creative writing to sharpen understanding of writers accomplishments and deepen appreciation of literary artistry. 8. To become aware of, through speaking, listening, reading, and chiefly writing, the resources of language: connotation, metaphor, irony, syntax, and tone. REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS: Students are expected to bring all relevant books or materials to class on the days assigned. This includes paper and a writing utensil. AP Lit Writing Portfolio- It is important that students keep all class materials organized. A large portion of the grade for each quarter will come from the submission of a portfolio to be kept in a three ring binder. This binder should be exclusive to this course and not contain any other materials. Technology- It is expected that students will regularly have access to either a computer or tablet with internet access for both reading and writing assignments. All drafts of all written assignments (essays, etc.) must be typed in MLA format and will be turned in via email. Students must maintain good standing with the school s Acceptable Use Policy and make sure they know their user IDs and passwords for their network logins as well as their school Google accounts. Books: While many texts will be provided for your use in the AP Literature and Composition course, the student should consider obtaining a personal copy of the various novels, plays, epics, poems, and short fiction used in the course. All titles may also be found in the local library branches. Some of the works used can also be accessed online. Our main text for this course will be Meyer, Michael, ed. The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing. Bedford/St. Martin's., however, we will frequently supplement this text with other materials such as: Short fiction and essays as selected Poetry as selected Dramatic Works- as selected Wuthering Heights, Brontë Modern novels as selected The Tragedy of Macbeth, Shakespeare Beowulf, Anonymous The Canterbury Tales Chaucer
PERFORMANCE TASKS: Timed essays based on past AP prompts Essay questions as required of college-level writers Reading/responding to/analyzing novels, drama, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry Imaginative writing including but not limited to: poetry, imitative structures Literary analysis papers expository and persuasive Personal essay Reader s Log- double-entry journal WRITING EXPECTATIONS As this is a literature and composition course, you will be expected to use every assignment that involves writing to practice your best composition skills. Composition assignments will include: statements, paragraphs, timed writes (essay tests), and formal essays (personal, expository and argumentative). No matter the kind of writing assigned, your best composition skills should be practiced. We will work with various composition constructions, Standard Written English, sentence variety, and word choice. 1. Many times you will be asked for your opinion or idea about an aspect of a work of literature. You will post these to a discussion board. Please use complete sentences with clear support for your ideas. 2. Students will be responsible for keeping a log of reactions and reading responses to each piece of literature read in class. Logs must include quotations and student responses to material. 3. All assignments for formal papers will include a specific grading rubric. We will go over the rubrics prior to submitting papers and review expectations for the particular composition or paper. Please consult each rubric carefully before submitting your work. You will be expected to rewrite larger papers and literary analysis after you receive feedback. 4. Timed writes (essay tests) will present a scoring guide as feedback. These will be scoring guides as use by the AP English Literature and Composition Exam for that specific question. 5. Students must demonstrate an ability to produce written compositions that are clear, with revision, in their intention, well organized, and supported by evidence. 6. Grammar and usage: As a senior in an AP English Literature and Composition course, you should have a good command of Standard Written English. There will be mini-lessons throughout the course dealing with complex grammar and usage issues, sentence constructions, and diction. Sentence structure and variety is an ongoing component of all teacher-led and/or peer review activities in this course.
Reading and Writing Schedule First Semester- 1 st Nine Weeks Week 1: Introduction to the Course What is literature? The Nature of Literature, The Value of Literature, and The Changing Literary Canon (Meyer 1-7) Reading Fiction Responsively/ Close Reading (Meyer 13-23). Student Reading Inventory- Students will create a list of literary works with which they are very familiar. Weeks 2-4: Anglo- Saxon Literature/Beowulf Literary Terms Pre-test Characteristics of Anglo-Saxon Literature Language and Poetics- Diction, Alliteration, Kennings, Compounding, Parallelism and Formulas. In-class close reading of Prologue (Heaney 2-7) Discuss issues of language as identified above, as well as social/cultural values warrior culture, epic hero (compare to 21 st century hero), role of women, importance of lineage. Introduction (Raffel ix-xxii)- Discuss Beowulf Poet, role of religion in the epic. Reading Literature in Translation- In class, students will create criteria and a rubric for a good translation, then assess various versions of the epic based on criteria, evaluating for style, diction, and content. Point-of-view Writing Assignment- Students will re-write the battle with Grendel or the Battle with Grendel s mother in first person from the point-of-view of the monster. Focus on timed writing. In class discussion of free response essay questions and responses. Students will become familiar with AP essay rubric and will practice scoring sample student responses and peer response to past exam prompts. Timed Writing: Analysis of cultural values presented in Beowulf- Think about what Beowulf s words and deeds suggest about traditional Anglo-Saxon values. Then, in a well-structured essay, identify three of these values. Explain what Beowulf says or does to demonstrate these values or to suggest their importance to the Anglo-Saxons. Week 5: Preparing for College Level Writing College Writing Diagnostic Essay Students will complete an in-class timed essay in response to an article and prompt developed by Ohio State University writing professors. Essays will be assessed as college-ready, not collegeready, or borderline college-ready based on the following criteria: comprehension of article, evidence to support clearly stated ideas, organization of essay into coherent paragraphs, and overall language skill including punctuation, word choice, and style. Students will meet with instructor to review essay assessment and any student failing to meet college-readiness standards will be given suggestions for revision. Revised essays must be re-submitted by the end of the week and will be revised until the student meets college-readiness standards. Personal Essay for College Admission/Scholarship Applications Students will choose one of the five prompts for the Common Application to write and revise. Drafts will be due at the end of the week, but it is expected that each student will revise his or her essay multiple times over the course of the semester until both the student and the teacher are satisfied with the essay. The instructor is available outside of class for help with this assignment.
Weeks 6-7: Medieval Literature/Characterization Character (Meyer 129-136) Bartleby The Scrivener, Melville. Introduction to The Canterbury Tales. The General Prologue focus on direct and indirect characterization. Students will create a visual representation of a character from the prologue using the text as a guide. Timed Writing- Character Analysis- How does Chaucer use at least three types of indirect characterization to develop a character in the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales? Is this character what you would expect him or her to be? Why or why not? How does your understanding of this character contribute to your understanding of the work as a whole? Weeks 8-9: The Canterbury Tales The Pardoner s Tale, Focus on Irony. In class writing: Analyze the multiple ironies in The Pardoner s Tale. How does irony contribute to Chaucer s depiction of the clergy in the Middle Ages? How do they contribute to the artistry of the whole? The Wife of Bath s Tale, Focus on Argumentation Class debate, Did the Knight learn his lesson? Using the text, students will prepare and present arguments. First Semester- 2 nd Nine Weeks Weeks 10-11: Medieval/Renaissance Poetry Study and analyze ballads, discuss meter, rhythm and rhyme. Some Principals of Meter (Meyer 947-52). Exploration of folk ballads: Bonny Barbara Alan, and Get up and Bar the Door Exploration of Literary Ballads: Ballad of Birmingham, Randall; The Tale of Custard the Dragon, Nash; La Belle Dame Sans Merci, Keats; Saturday s Child and Incident, Cullen. Newspaper Ballad Writing Assignment- Students will write ballads based on current events imitating rhythm, rhyme, and narrative elements of traditional folk ballads. Weeks 12-13: Medieval/Renaissance Poetry Study and analyze sonnet forms- English vs. Italian Exploration of Sonnets/ Petrarchan Conventions Various sonnets- Petrarch, Spenser, Shakespeare, Drayton Modern sonnets- Millay, Hayden Sonnet Writing: Students will write several sonnets of varying formats. Formal Literary Analysis: During week 12, students will begin an in-depth literary analysis on a topic of their choice related to medieval or renaissance literature or poetry. This will require several written drafts to be work-shopped with peers and students will be required to conference with the teacher before the final draft is submitted. Weeks 14-17: The Tragedy of Macbeth/Literary Analysis Paper Students will respond to discussion questions for each act. Students will trace a motif throughout the play. Focus on diction, tone, and syntax.
Group Writing/performance: Students will create a script of a single scene from Macbeth in a film genre of their choice (ie. Western, Film Noir, Sci-Fi, Gangster), rehearse and perform for the class. Timed Writing- Analysis of If it Were Done, solliloquy- In a well organized essay, breifly summarize Macbeth s thoughts and analyze how the diction, imagery, and syntax help convey his state of mind. Week 18: Semester Exams Students will prepare for and a take a full-length practice AP exam. Second Semester- 3rd Nine Weeks Weeks 19-20: Poetry Reading Poetry Responsively (Meyer 755-76). In-class reading aloud of poetry with discussion of tone and speaker; discussion of tone as metaphor for sound: the sounds we hear everyday; conversion of sounds to words. Possible selections include: Snapping Beans, Parker, Those Winter Sundays, Hayden, Dog s Death, Updike, The Fish, Bishop, Mountain Graveyard, Morgan, l(a, Cummings and, Introduction to Poetry, Collins. In-class writing: Students will create found poetry from non-fiction sources, focusing on language they find beautiful. Poetry Journal: During this and subsequent units, students will be expected to keep a poetry journal and write several original poems a week of varying form and style. Weeks 21-22: Poetry Word Choice, Word Order, and Tone (Meyer 801-820) In-class reading and analysis of poetry with discussion of diction, connotation and denotation, word order and continued discussion of tone. Selections include: How I Discovered Poetry, Nelson; Hazel Tells Laverne, Machan; Latin Night at the Pawnshop, Espada; To a Captious Critic, Dunbar; To the Virgins, Herrick; To his Coy Mistress, Marvell. Additional poets studied: Thomas Hardy, John Keats, Gwendolyn Brooks, Billy Collins, Joan Murray, Sharon Olds, and Garrison Keillor. Timed Writing: Critical analysis of a poem. Analysis must include poet s use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism and tone. Weeks 23-25: Individual Poetry Projects Students will select a poet of their choice and design their own in-depth case study which will include: A daily schedule of poems to be read and annotated, at least 3 original poems created by the student to imitate the style and form used by the selected poet, a brief presentation on the poet s life and work, and, a formal essay addressing one of the topics below: What poetic techniques does the author uses consistently and to what effect? What common themes does the author portray throughout his/her poetry? A study of the historical, cultural, or social setting of their construction.
Formal essays will be work-shopped with peers as well as the instructor before submitted for a final grade. Weeks 26-28: Wuthering Heights Nature, Romanticism, Setting Students will begin exploring setting through writing descriptions of romantic paintings. Students will complete study guides for each chapter of the novel as they read, as well as make special note of how setting affects mood. Socratic Seminar- Students will lead a Socratic Seminar style discussion of the novel. Timed Writing: Insiders vs. Outsiders- In some literary works, a distinction is drawn between outsiders and insiders. Choose at least one of each type of character from Wuthering Heights. Discuss what qualifies each character as either an outsider or an insider, and explain how these distinctions contribute to the meaning of the novel as a whole. Second Semester- 4 th Nine Weeks Weeks 29-30 Contemporary Novel Literature Circles Students will choose one of the following novels to study: The Poisonwood Bible, Kingsolver The Handmaid s Tale, Atwood The Kite Runner, Hosseini Atonement, McEwan Within each assigned group, students will be responsible for various group roles and individual assignments. Roles include: Discussion leader, summarizer, passage analyst, and vocabulary expert. Individual writing assignments include daily reading logs, brief passage analysis, vocabulary journaling and development of discussion questions. Research Assignment: Students will also be responsible for a research paper on a topic of their choice related to the novel. This will require several written drafts to be work-shopped with peers and students will be required to conference with the teacher before the final draft is submitted. Weeks 31-33 Drama In class Conferences over student writing. Reading Drama Responsively (Meyer 1383-6) Trifles, Glaspell. Drama vs. Narrative comparison to A Jury of her Peers, Classical and Modern Tragedy Oedipus the King, Sophocles Death of a Salesman, Miller Timed Writing: Nature of Tragedy- Compare and contrast tragic figures. Weeks 34-36: Autobiography/ Memoir Reading and Writing Students will pick a memoir or autobiography of their choice to read and respond to. Students will create a multi-genre portfolio of writings about their own lives.