Course Title: AP English Literature



AP English Literature and Composition

Course Overview

AP English Literature and Composition is an annual course, providing a survey of the major literary periods, genres, and critical theories. Apart from surveying literature, students will be deepening their understanding of how writers use various literary techniques to produce meaning. Students are expected to perform careful analyses of key works in various genres and time periods from selected authors.

Students will:

• understand and practice the three levels of analytical thinking.

• understand and avoid plagiarism.

• discuss and analyze literature using teacher-lead Socratic seminars and working informally in groups.

• read a different outside novel of literary merit as part of a reading circle every quarter. The reading circles will offer opportunities for differentiated instruction.

• discuss the structure, style, and themes of their selected work. They are expected to present their novel to the class, creatively introducing the novel, teaching selected passages, and writing sample multiple choice and essay questions.

• receive preparation for the AP Exam via the writing process including extensive teacher feedback and peer editing and timed and un-timed writing exercises.

• practice a variety of modes of writing, including writing to understand, explain, and evaluate.

• practice planning, annotating and organizing sample AP essays. They will practice scoring AP essays using AP scoring guides. Students will also practice literary analysis in their homework assignments.

• complete all reading assignments and participate fully in all group work. On occasion, pop quizzes may be given to ensure students are keeping up with their reading. Additionally, students are expected to maintain a reading log, making a minimum of four entries a week.

• analyze examples and non-examples of good writing, which will allow them to see both what to do and what not to do.

• receive teacher feedback on their writing assignments both before and after they revise their work. Rhetorical strategies will be reviewed, as well as tone and voice, and the scoring rubric will be used to instruct them on the writing expectations of the AP Literature test.

Essential Questions

How does language shape our perceptions of the world?

What role does literature play in society?

How can the same work of literature be read and interpreted in multiple ways?

How does style and structure affect the meaning of a work as a whole?

How can one evaluate the merit of a literary work?

Summer Reading

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Textbook: Kennedy, X.J. and Giola, Dana, ed. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, 9th edition. New York: Longman, 2005.

First Quarter

Weeks 1-2

• Questions about summer reading projects

• Introduction to MLA Style

• Reading Log instructions

• Teacher modeled annotation techniques

• Plagiarism: what is it, how to avoid it, and its consequences

• Discussion of Jane Eyre and The Picture of Dorian Gray

• Scoring, Overview of AP Test

• Essay pretest

• Summer reading project 1 due. (The Picture of Dorian Gray—Two AP open ended essays, selection of two passages with annotations and explanation of importance)

Literary Focus:

• Denotation/connotation

• Tone

• Imagery

• Theme

• Setting

• Mood

• Character

• Plot/Conflict

• Symbol/motif

• Social/historical values

Weeks 3-4

• Assignment of reading circle groups/books. Acquire 4 novels from list, new or used, or from media center/library. (check out )

• Review Editing vs. Proof-reading

• Thesis statement overview and small group practice with samples.

• Homework: read and take two column notes on Point of View 23-28, Character 91-94, Setting 124-126, Tone and Style 170-174, Theme 212-214 (be sure to note questions and ensure you can defend your future statements of theme by answering these questions), Symbol 251-253.

• Two timed AP practice essays.

Literary Focus:

• Imagery

• Tone

• Theme

• Conflict

• Character

• Symbol/motif

• Social/historical values

Week 4

• Summer reading project 2 due. ( Jane Eyre – Two AP open-ended essays, selection, annotation, and defense of two key excerpts)

• Reading circle meeting Monday. Be sure to bring novel. Please have read at least the opening 20 pages prior to your meeting. Plan the rest of your reading and assign jobs for the presentation due in five weeks. Read further and discuss novel in terms of point of view, character, setting, tone and style, theme, and symbolism. Use your notes. Recorder tracks findings of group. Homework: continue reading novel and making reading log entries.

• Introduction to scoring guide, practice scoring sample essays in small groups. Students explain what differentiates a 7, 8, or 9 from a 2, 3, or 4.

• In small groups, students score essays not graded by teacher and have the option to rewrite if theirs scores a five or lower. They will receive feedback on their writing and rhetorical strategies, tone and diction will be reviewed.

• Practice multiple choice test (two passages). Analyze and classify types of questions. Discuss answers.

• Test on style chart and notes.

Literary Focus:

• Point of View

• Tone and Style

• Theme

• Character

• Symbol/motif

Weeks 5-7

• Short stories for close reading

• Edgar Allan Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart,” p. 382

• Alice Walker “Everyday Use,” p. 102

• Kate Chopin, “The Storm,” p. 127

• Ernest Hemingway, “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” p. 174

• Shirley Jackson, “The Lottery,” p. 262

• Sandra Cisneros, “The House on Mango Street,” ouse of p. 554

• Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “Handsomest Drowned Man in the World,” p. 566

• Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” p. 571

• Zora Neale Hurston, “Sweat,” p. 594

• Jamaica Kincaid, “Girl,” p. 617

• Teacher-modeled discussion of one story

• Discussion through Socratic Seminar.

• Syntax: sentence structure and punctuation (examine author’s syntax, model sentences, examine effect of different structures)

• Two AP timed essays (scored and reviewed with rubric/teacher feedback and rubric)

• Peer and teacher writing conferences—using support: paraphrase and quotation marks

• AP multiple choice practice

• Reading Circle Meeting, week 6 (discuss reading logs)

• Analytical homework: For each short story, articulate theme in one sentence that expresses a universal truth about the human condition. State the manner in which the author creates theme (diction, tone, etc). Provide one example of each.

• Essay Exam: Students will write a 45 minute essay exam on a short story or short story excerpt, emulating an AP Prose Topic.

Literary Focus:

• Syntax/punctuation

• Imagery

• Point of View

• Tone and Style

• Theme

• Character

• Genre study

• Symbol/motif

• Social/historical values

Weeks 8-10

• Reading circle meeting, last one before presentations!

• Introduction to literary theory: jigsaw formalist, biographical, historical, sociological, psychological, gender, and reader-response criticism. In groups, students locate examples of criticism and commentary of each type and read the related literary work. Turn in one paragraph summary of each article.

• Jigsaw novels/short stories already studied. Which literary theory(ies) yield the most worthwhile analysis of the stories? Which elements would each type of critic focus on, specifically? Small group and whole group discussion.

• Reading circle presentations

• Annotated novel presented to teacher for grade.

First Quarter Reading Circle Novel List: Students will read one of the following novels with approximately 4-5 other students. They will discuss the text biweekly, exploring syntax and diction, setting, character, theme, mood, point of view, and other appropriate literary elements. One member of each group will be responsible for synthesizing the members’ comments as they discuss their ideas. Upon completion of the reading, students will present their novels using a creative, mood-setting introduction, an explication of two key passages of the book, and a third passage with student-generated AP style questions. Additionally, students will create a visual product representing key elements of the book.

• 1984

• Of Mice and Men

• Rebecca

• The Count of Monte Cristo

• The House of the Spirits

• The Scarlet Letter

• To Kill a Mockingbird

• Wuthering Heights

Second Quarter

Weeks 1-4

• Introduction to poetry

• Take power notes on Reading a Poem 701-705, Lyric Poetry 706, Narrative Poetry 708, Dramatic Poetry 711. Be sure to read the poems used as examples and the accompanying commentary.

• Take power notes on Listening to a Voice: Tone 717, Words: Literal Meaning 749, The Value of a Dictionary 754, and Word Choice and Word Order 758, Figures of Speech 814. Be sure to read the poems used as examples and the accompanying commentary.

• Homework: Complete Writing Assignment and one of the two Further Suggestions for Writing exercises on p. 836.

• Reading circle meetings weeks 2 and 4.

• Discuss works by featured and supplemental poets

• Maintain reading logs

• Carefully annotate student-chosen poems chosen

• Use two column chart to outline one student-chosen essay

• Groups closely analyze selected poems and present their findings to the class.

• Write two AP Poetry Essays (refer to sample given by teacher)

• Go over essays with AP scoring rubric; review rhetorical strategies, diction and tone.

• Practice two AP poetry multiple choice; analyze question types

Featured Poets: Students will study multiple poems written by each of the following poets, supplemented with individual poems by additional poets ranging from the 16th through 21st Century.

• Anne Bradstreet, The Author to Her Book, p. 719

• Elizabeth Barrett Browning, How do I Love Thee? P. 1154

• Emily Dickinson, p. 1098-1104 (selected poems)

• Dylan Thomas, Do Not Go Gentle… p. 927, Fern Hill, p. 1252

• Gwendolyn Brooks, WeReal Cool, p. 889, The Mother, p. 1152

• John Donne, Death Be Not Proud, p. 1162, The Flea, p. 1163,

A Valediction…p. 1164

• John Keats, Ode to A Grecian Urn, p. 1197, When I Have Fears, p. 1200,

• Langston Hughes, I, Too, p. 1118, Harlem, p. 1124, Mother to Son, p. 1117, Theme for English B, p. 1122

• Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ozymandias, p. 1078

• Andrew Marvel, To His Coy Mistress, p. 1208

• William Butler Yeats, The Second Coming, p. 982

• Robert Burns, Oh, My Love is Like a …p 833

• Silvia Plath, Daddy, p. 1222

• Robert Frost, Fire and Ice, p. 784, The Road not Taken, p. 962

• William Blake, The Chimney Sweeper, p. 1789, The Tyger, p. 1149

• William Shakespeare, Let not to the Marriage of True Minds, p. 917, My Mistress’ Eyes are Nothing Like the Sun, p. 1238

• William Wordsworth, ,The World is too Much With Us, p. 978,

My Heart Leaps, p. 770

• D.H.Lawrence, The Piano, p. 706

Literary Focus:

• Syntax/punctuation

• Imagery

• Tone and Style

• Theme

• Symbol/motif

• Figures of Speech

• Connotation/Denotation

• Genre study

• Voice

• Poetic forms

• Literary Criticism

Weeks 5-7

• Reading circle meeting week 6

• Othello, p. 1502-1600

o Overview of play

o Read and discuss all Acts—after each Act, answer questions on p.1601 pertaining to appropriate Act.

o Visualizing Othello: comparing and contrasting selected scenes from two filmed versions.

o Keep reading logs on all Acts

o Students will read literary criticism about the text and discuss the extent to which they agree and disagree with the critic.

o Timed AP open ended essay prompt on Othello (students will revise/review their essays with teacher feedback and the AP scoring rubric.

o Students will rewrite their timed essay, concentrating on greater precision in their vocabulary, organization, and development of ideas.

Essential Questions:

• What issues arise when one’s closest associate is diseased, evil?

• How can a man with Renaissance intelligence and sensitivity survive in a Medieval Society?

• How does language shape our perceptions of the world?

• How does one cope with disloyalty? Dishonesty?

Literary Focus:

• Imagery

• Tone

• Theme

• Symbol/motif

• Character

• Conflict

• Genre study

• Social/historical values

• Literary criticism

Weeks 8-10

• Reading circle presentations

• Student-led midterm review

• Midterm exam (AP multiple choice test, AP essay prompt)

• Review of exam answers

Second Quarter Reading Circle Novel List: Students will read one of the following novels with approximately 4-5 other students. They will discuss the text biweekly, exploring syntax and diction, setting, character, theme, mood, point of view, and other appropriate literary elements. One member of each group will be responsible for synthesizing the members’ comments as they discuss their ideas each week. Upon completion of the reading, students will present their novels using a creative, mood-setting introduction, an explication of two key passages of the book viewed through the lens of at least two different literary theories per passage, and a third passage with student-generated AP style questions. Additionally, students will write an essay, based on past AP open topics.

• Brave New World

• Frankenstein

• Pride and Prejudice

• Song of Solomon

• The Color of Water

• The Great Gatsby

• A Handmaid’s Tale

Third Quarter

Week 1

• Time period research project assignment (In groups, students research a particular time period, including a social/historical overview of the time period, major literary figures and an explanation of why they deserve their reputations of literary greatness, and the representative literature of the period. Prepare to teach it to the class. Outline of presentation in MLA format, annotated poems/excerpts, AP-style multiple choice questions.)

Weeks 2-4

The Glass Menagerie, p. 1972

o Socratic Seminar

o For each of the major characters of the play, write a simile or metaphor that represents the character’s personality. Visually represent your comparisons.

o AP take home essay (essay will be scored and teacher feedback provided on rhetorical strategies, diction and tone, using AP scoring rubric)

Essential Questions

• What defines madness?

• What is the difference between fantasy and reality?

• What are the characteristics of the Old South and the New South? How are they in conflict?

• Is the role of women in the play the same as today?

Literary Focus:

• Imagery

• Tone

• Setting

• Theme

• Symbol/motif

• Character

• Conflict

• Genre study

• Social/historical values

• Literary criticism

• Reading circle meeting weeks 2 and 4.

Weeks 5-7

• Read The Metamorphosis, p. 336-370

• Maintain reading log

• Focused discussion: discuss the mixture of comic and tragic elements in the story. Is everything in the story sad and horrifying or are there grotesquely funny moments as well? What effect does this have?

• Analytical homework: Explore how Gregor Samsa’s metamorphosis into a giant insect is symbolic of his earlier life and relations with his family.

• Research project presentations

Literary Focus:

• Setting

• Theme

• Symbol/motif

• Character

• Conflict

• Social/historical values

• Literary criticism

Weeks 8-10

• A Doll’s House, p. 1809-1866

• Maintain reading log

• Socratic Seminar

• Compare/contrast Nora and Jane Eyre.

• 2 timed AP essays

• 1 passage practice AP multiple choice

Third Quarter Reading Circle Novel List: Students will read one of the following novels with approximately 4-5 other students. They will discuss the text biweekly, exploring syntax and diction, setting, character, theme, mood, point of view, and other appropriate literary elements. One member of each group will be responsible for synthesizing the members’ comments and ideas. Upon completion of the reading, students will present their novels using a creative, mood-setting introduction, an explication of two key passages of the book, and a third passage with student-generated AP style questions. Additionally, students will create a brief film or skit representing key elements.

• As I Lay Dying

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

• Snow Falling on Cedars

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

• The Color Purple

• The Things They Carried

• Great Expectations

Fourth Quarter

Weeks 1-4

• Maintain reading log.

• Hamlet, p. 1603

o Overview of play

o Read and discuss all Acts—after each Act, answer questions on p.1710 pertaining to appropriate Act.

o Visualizing Hamlet: comparing and contrasting selected scenes from two filmed versions.

o Keep reading logs on all Acts

o Students will read literary criticism about the text and discuss the extent to which they agree and disagree with the critic.

o Timed AP open ended essay prompt on Hamlet

o Students will rewrite their timed essay, concentrating on greater precision in their vocabulary, organization, and development of ideas.

Literary Focus:

• Imagery

• Tone

• Setting

• Theme

• Symbol/motif

• Character

• Conflict

• Diction

• Voice

• Social/historical values

• Culminating activity: Select one work we have studied this year that has seemed the most impressive. Explain why, citing examples from the book.

Weeks 5-6

AP post test, review answers, AP EXAM!

Weeks 7-9

• Film Review – Watch movies based on novels or plays read in class; write a comparing/contrasting essay about major work and movie.

NOTES:

Two Column Notes: Read closely for thorough understanding of the plot details, the setting, the characters, etc. On the left hand column, list specific events, quotations, or other noteworthy items that you highlighted or used sticky notes for. Also, point out questions that occur to you as you read. In the right hand column, write an analysis of the details on the left.

MLA Formatting: All work should be typed and MLA formatted. Refer to the Owl at Perdue MLA Formatting Guide at .

Use the MLA heading on the first page of each typed assignment.

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