Advanced Placement English



Advanced Placement English

Ms. Janet Chu, Room 221 253-804-4539 Ext. 2210 jchu@auburn.wednet.edu

Course Syllabus

Course Goals:

• To gain confidence in one’s abilities to read, write and think at the college level

• To prepare to compete successfully on the Advanced Placement English exam and in future college-level English classes.

Objectives:

1. To become a stronger reader of challenging literary texts especially those commonly taught in college English classes

2. To become more sophisticated in the skills of literary analysis necessary to read difficult texts well

3. To focus on an author’s style and how style conveys meaning

3. To introduce and practice the skills necessary to understand and analyze poetry

4. To acquire an historical awareness of English literature from 449 AD to the beginning of the twentieth century

6. To acquire the writing skills necessary to produce clear, succinct, and well-supported essay answers given a limited amount of time

7. To introduce and create a personal essay for use with college and scholarship applications

Advanced Placement Texts

September: College Essay, Fahrenheit 451

October: Poetry

November: excerpts from Beowulf & Grendel

December: Macbeth

January: Poetry, Tartuffe

February: Tale of Two Cities

March: Pride & Prejudice

April: Choice of two modern novels for independent study & review

May: AP Literature Exam

Expectations:

1. Expect Advanced Placement material to be difficult, but not impossible. You may have to read a particular piece three to four times before all the subtleties of meaning become clear to you. The goal is to challenge you while at the same time providing you with the tools and skills to handle the challenges effectively.

2. Works should be read to the assigned point before they are discussed in class. Be responsible for securing the class notes and assignments from a classmate or the teacher if you must miss class.

3. Students should take notes during lecture and discussion. It is difficult to remember anything of much significance without noting it in some way.

4. KEEP ALL YOUR WRITTEN WORK. This will provide review for you in the spring.

A separate binder for this class will be helpful.

5. Assignments are expected on time because, generally speaking, late assignments are not accepted in college. Therefore, avoid procrastination and learn the time management skills to be an effective student. In addition, be aware that the assignments build on skills learned previously; procrastinate now and you put yourself in a difficult position. Any missing work will receive a zero until it is turned in. The final deadline for all work is ten days before the end of the semester. Please take this into account, as you will be placed in a CORE class if your grade for this class is a D or F.

6. Each student will be responsible for regular participation in class discussions and activities.

7. Regular on-time attendance is expected to assure the best environment for learning. Lectures, discussions, and activities missed cannot easily be replaced, even with extra effort. Accordingly, students must avoid unnecessary absences. Long term illnesses or extenuating circumstances need to be brought to the attention of the instructor by personal contact.

8. Assignments and homework must be prepared to the assigned point BEFORE it is discussed in class. To accept work AFTER the analysis and discussion in class would not accurately measure student performance and progress. Therefore, if you miss class, an alternative assignment measuring the same skills will be made available to you.

9. Most of the grade for this class is based on assessments, primarily essays. Banked essay opportunities each quarter will allow students to make up for a missing essay or raise the score of an existing grade. In addition, you will, in most cases, have the opportunity to rewrite to improve an existing score.

10. You always have homework in AP English, so please budget your time accordingly. Even

when you don’t have specifically assigned homework, there ARE things you can do to be better prepared for class. You might even consider reading a good book . . .

11. I will be available before and after school. Please do not hesitate to ask for help.

12. Intellectual honesty is important to me. Your work should reflect your efforts ---not someone else’s. We will discuss intellectual honesty in class, but be aware that plagiarized work will earn a zero and will seriously affect both your grade and your reputation.

13. Grades will be based on practice assignments and assessments. Most of the grade will be based on assessments with approximately 25% of your grade based on your final. Please remember that quarter grades are progress reports; the quarters are not averaged to determine your semester grade. The Language Arts Department grading scale will be used.

93 – 100% A 87 – 89% B+ 77 – 79% C+ 67 - 69% D+

90 – 92 % A- 83 – 86 % B 73 – 76% C 60 – 66% D

80 – 82 % B- 70 – 72% C-

14. Notice that very little of this syllabus has to do with behavioral expectations. That’s because I am pretty sure you know how to behave. Basically, courteous behavior is expected that allows everyone to learn.

Course Outline of Units

I. College Essay

II. Introduction to AP English Literature & Composition

Skills: Making inferences, understanding the task, process for revision

Reading: Fahrenheit 451

Writing: Journal entries and analysis of literary techniques

III. Poetry Analysis

Skills: Review of poetic terms, how to read poetry, examine how poets use

devices such as tone, imagery, similes, metaphors, personification to

create meaning

Assignments: Discussion: Making Inferences from Art

Pre-assessment, self-evaluation of poetry analysis

Writing: Analysis of poetry

IV. The Anglo-Saxons

Background: Lecture on history, social structure, and values of the Anglo-Saxons with a special emphasis on the language and the concept of the hero.

Skills: Continuation of use of poetic devices; characterization

Readings: “The Seafarer”

“Beowulf”

Excerpt from Grendel

Writing: Comparison/Contrast

V. The Renaissance and Shakespeare

Background: Review of Shakespearean language, drama and tragedy. Lectures on the history of the Renaissance, social structure, beliefs and values. Review of important details of Shakespeare’s life and the influences of King James on the play, Macbeth.

Reading: Macbeth

Skill Focus: Use of dramatic structure and tragedy of damnation

Recognition of irony (all types) and use within the play

Character contrasts and purpose

Following the development of a theme through imagery, plot, and

character development

Test: Quotations – Speaker, context, and significance

In-class essay: two or three analyzing different soliloquies or

Conversations

Major Works Data Sheet – students review the novel by listing important

scenes and their purpose, characters and their description and

purpose, important quotations, examples of the author’s unique

style, use of image patterns or symbolism, and major themes.

Formal Essay: Various topics such as the use of an imagery pattern

throughout the play and how it effects meaning, or

the nature of the villainy of Macbeth or Lady

Macbeth and how that contributes to the theme.

VI. Satire

Background: Definition of satire and elements of satire

Readings: “A Modest Proposal” & Tartuffe

Skill Focus: Different tones in satire

How authors create satire and humor

Effect of satire and humor

Major Works Data Sheet (see explanation under Macbeth Unit)

In-class essays: Analysis of satire - Given a selection from the reading, students explain the tone, how it is created, and its effect on the reader.

First Semester Final Exam: Students are given a poetry selection and a free response question taken from old AP English Literature exams. They have approximately one hour and 45 minutes to write two responses. Students also take a one hour multiple choice exam using a multiple choice section from a released AP exam. (Exam questions and multiple choice sections vary). At the beginning of second semester, we debrief the final exam discussing the two essays and ways to improve performance.

Second Semester

I. A Tale of Two Cities

Background: Dickens and his style of writing as well as the French Revolution

Readings: A Tale of Two Cities

Skill Focus: Using dialectical journals for reading and responding

Using questioning to further understanding

The use of foreshadowing

Seeing inferences and connections between events and characters

Major Works Data Sheet (see explanation under Macbeth Unit)

In-class essays: Analysis of a scenes for tone, extension of character, or explicating theme. (Three or four given throughout the reading of the novel.)

Formal essay: Prompts vary but are modeled after a typical AP free response prompt.

II. Pride and Prejudice

Content: Rules for behavior, importance of class etc. in 19th century England

Readings: Pride and Prejudice

Skill Focus: Analysis of satire

Purpose of various characters

Causes and effect of changing perceptions

Importance of context to a novel

Major Works Data Sheet (see explanation under Macbeth Unit)

III. Exam Preparation

Sample prompts and readings are assigned. Instruction includes review of annotating the prompt, careful and critical reading of the selection, brainstorming and organization, and beginning the essay. For one or two the students, will practice writing the full essay. Students are also given rubrics and sample essays to evaluate.

Second Semester Final Exam: Students are given a mock AP exam with multiple choice section, and three essays. These are evaluated and discussed in class prior to taking the national AP exam.

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