A.P. English Literature Syllabus
Grammar 1. Students will demonstrate mastery in recognition of grammatical and punctuation errors. Through selfediting and revision of essays and research projects, students will demonstrate college level skills. 2. Students will practice choosing correct and sophisticated grammatical constructions through study of literary models. Our study of major English and American poets, as well as selected poets from different ethnic groups, and of short stories, plays, and novels will focus on linguistic analysis of grammatical constructions. 3. Students will choose appropriate and effective grammatical constructions for collegelevel clarity, coherence, and parallelism in written work. 4. Students will manipulate grammatical constructions to improve creativity and fluency in original pieces.
Composition 1. Students will write an effective college application essay suitable for a highly competitive college. 2. Students will practice formal, semiformal, and personal writing through purpose oriented compositions. The term will begin with students writing a literacy autobiography, which recalls their journey to literacy in both reading and writing. The autobiography will serve as an assessment tool as well as a selfexploration and reflection for the students. In addition, the course continually requires writing to understand: informal, exploratory writing to help the students discover themselves in the writing process. For example, students will illuminate their responses to Janie Crawford’s journey in Their Eyes Were Watching God by keeping a journal of personal experience with and reflections on the hypocrisy of the “porch sitters” in their own lives, their own deviations from the norm in dress, and their acceptance or rejection of Janie’s belief in the divine spark in each soul. Parts of the journal will be shared with the class. Students will reflect on the contemporary nature of
the themes in A Doll House and relate them to modern day gender roles and relationships. Additional assignments include annotations on Hamlet’s treatment of Ophelia in the tragedy, with particular attention to the play scene in Act III. Another Hamlet assignment will include an indepth application of psychoanalytic theory and its elucidation of the meaning and purpose of the play. Also, students will write a response/reaction to Ethan Frome’s infatuation with his wife’s cousin and to his failed suicide attempt at the novel’s climax. At least once every month, students will be given a freewriting assignment to enhance writing comfort, creativity, and relevance. Sharing these with the class will be encouraged but not demanded, and they will not be graded for accuracy. Students are encouraged to keep a journal that delineates new vocabulary and writing techniques along with brainstorming on topics discussed in class or from personal experience as an impetus for further writing both in and out of class. 3. Students will adapt the essay format introduction, body, and conclusion for the purposes of each assignment and will use thesis/thematic statement, topic sentence, clincher sentence, and transitional words effectively. Stress will be placed on conclusion that hone in on the thesis while making a strong, final statement that has universal, beyondthework application. Topics will be mainly literary. Both short timed essays and longer formally prepared essays will be stressed. Exemplary essays with a variety of styles and techniques will be shared with the whole class with the end of learning new strategies from other students. 4. The course includes frequent opportunities for students to write and rewrite formal extended analyses and timed, inclass responses. Many of the weekly essays are timed to fifty minutes in response to a former AP prose or poetry prompt, while about one/third are devoted to analysis of works and poems studied in class. The term paper requires a 1015 page study of a major literary work, focusing on a variety of interpretations from critical sources (at least twelve) and culminating in the student’s own argument based on textual evidence. In both timed and home writing assignments, students will evaluate the writing process and argue elements of the work’s artistry and quality and its social and cultural values. Assignments done outside of class will generally be longer and more fully developed and cited. For example, students will explain the allegorical and cultural implications of Hurston and Ibsen’s works and, in contrast, the pessimistic portrayal of the
human experience in the works of Wharton and Conrad. 5. Students will vary diction, syntax, and other stylistic devices to polish sophistication of style. Examination of critical theory and literary models will enhance student mastery of technique and development of an individual style. Critical theories will include structuralism, biographical and sociological background study, feminist theory, Marxist theory, deconstruction, mythological/ archetypal theory, psychological theories of Freud, Jung and Adler, and reader response. 6. Students will practice composition and selfediting skills in timed and untimed environments. The timed essays will be generated from AP questions and from the major works studied. Students will write about one essay per week. Most weekly inclass compositions will be followed by a rewrite allowing a more thorough analysis and polishing of the student’s writing style. Student papers will be shared as models of effective literary analysis and will be used to generate lively discussion focusing on constructive criticism. Students write at least one timed writing every one to two weeks, followed by a revised essay, and at least two longer essays every six weeks requiring preparation at home. All essays emphasize textual evidence as the basis for analysis. 7. Students will write interpretations of literature based on careful observation of the work’s textual details, considering structure, style, and themes. Students will bring to class the first day a study guide on Metamorphosis and Their Eyes Were Watching God. The teacher will use student responses as a model for incorporation of textual evidence into an essay. Students will be asked to find additional quotes to support the goals of the study guide and to practice analyzing and applying them effectively to the targeted concept in small groups. Students will also work in groups on oral and written reports covering at least four aspects of each major work studied during the year in prose, drama, and longer poems including structure, setting, character, themes, and style. After presentation of the reports, students will write an inclass essay on one of the topics. Use of quotations from the texts is required and must be combined with analysis. A short story boot camp including a study of at least eight different short stories starting the third week of school will allow students to generate several short essays focusing on indepth analysis and insightful choice of quotations targeted to each individual piece. The research paper in January
requires a student to combine critical analyses of one literary work with his/her own examination of the text to present varied interpretations and to argue a valid interpretation based on the author’s background, word choice, syntax, and imagery. 8. Students will write an interpretation of pieces of literature based on a careful observation of the work’s textual details, considering the social and historical values it reflects and embodies. Part of the summer reading assignment requires a sociological and biographical overview of the author’s milieu and fictional setting. Class discussion on the social/political/personal forces affecting Zora Neale Hurston’s work will be followed by student taught reports on Henrik Ibsen and the Victorian climate pictured in A Doll House. Students will also explore Edith Wharton’s life experiences and philosophy as reflected in Ethan Frome and the myriad social, intellectual, and philosophical issues impacting Joseph Conrad’s The Heart of Darkness. Following the discussion of each major literary work, students will use textual evidence to argue incorporation of social and historical forces in an essay on each work. Library research on the authors’ literary periods, reports on at least two critical essays per major work, and the student’s own textual investigation are expected. The research paper also will include relevant social and historical data pertinent to interpretation. 9. Students will write interpretations of literature based on careful observation of the work’s textual details, considering such elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. The course will open with a study of short stories by such writers as Raymond Carver, Alice Walker, Flannery O’Connor, Katherine Anne Porter, Tim O’Brien, Tillie Olsen, and James Joyce. Through lecture, class discussion, and worksheets focusing on use of imagery and symbolism and their relation to tone in prose, the students will hone their analytical skills. Most of the weekly inclass or out of class compositions requires sophisticated analysis of these literary devices as part of the assignment. The Poetry Unit in the winter will extend these creative concepts to narrative, lyric, and dramatic poetry from the English and American canon, as well to poetry from different ethnic and modern perspectives. Each student will be assigned two poems to explicate to the class, culminating in several essays from the AP testing material and from the class assignments that require extensive analysis of imagery, symbolism, diction, and tone.
10. Students will be guided through the writing process. At the beginning of the course, and as needed as the class progresses, the teacher will preface each assignment with a discussion of expectations, a grading rubric, and suggestions for preparation, which may include guided brainstorming. Every graded paper (excluding most freewriting assignments) will offer extensive feedback on analytical, organizational, and style successes and concerns. Usually, a successful student response will be shared with the class culminating in an assessment of the paper’s strengths. The teacher will stress the need to balance generalization and insight with specific, illustrative detail mainly through class examinations of timed essays in response to AP prompts but also in student ledexplications and group reports. Although rewrites are required for any essay given an AP score of 6 or below, students will always be offered a rewrite opportunity for any essay. The term paper also requires that students use textual evidence as the basis for any generalizations or insights. Vocabulary 1. Students will focus on vocabulary building by using literary texts for inspiration. Sophistication and effect of vocabulary choice will be expected in compositions, class discussion, and oral reports. 2. Students will practice appropriate use of a thesaurus in homework assignments. 3. Students will continually review vocabulary related to literary elements, style, and tone with the goal of gaining proficiency in applying this vocabulary to the analysis of literary works. SAT and AP Preparation 1. Students will practice Verbal Sections of the new SAT to enhance proficiency on sentence completion and grammatical aspects of the writing and critical reading areas. 2. Students will use the A.P. multiple choice workbook to prepare for the single and paired critical reading sections. Released tests from the College Board 1987, 1991, 1994, 1998, 2004 will be given in both informal and formal settings. Strategies and skills will be individualized for
each student via conferences with the teacher. 3. APstyle multiple choice questions based on literary pieces under study will be used to review AP exam strategies while also serving as a vehicle for indepth analysis of the targeted work. 4. Students will practice timed writings for the essay section of the SAT based on questions from previous years. 5. APstyle essay prompts will be created based on the focus of our analysis of select literary pieces. Reading Comprehension and Analysis 1. Students will explore the background and trends in world literature from the Renaissance to the present, emphasizing English and American works and including ethnic literature. 2. Students will recognize purpose, character, plot, tone, theme, and style in prose literature studied and be able to express these concepts in a critical manner using literary terminology. 3. Students will recognize structure, style, persona, theme, and other literary devices in poetry studied, with an emphasis on changes in poetic theory and practice from the classical age to the modern age. 4. Various strategies for literary analysis, such as SOAPS and TPCASTT will be applied to increase comprehension and critical thinking skills. 5. Students will practice written literary analysis in an independent fashion and according to different modes of literary criticism with an emphasis on textual (structural) criticism. 6. Students will tackle increasingly difficult prompts from previous A.P. tests to enhance evaluation of a variety of genres and styles. Focus will be on determining meaning and style in single prompts and comparison and contrast prompts. 7. Students will apply comprehension skills to both multiple choice and essay questions based on previous A.P. tests.
Creative Writing 1. Students will create poetry both individually at home and from inspirational exercises in class. Some will be shared orally with the class. Some poems will be free form while others must conform to certain types, such as the sonnet, sestina, or villanelle. 2. Students will submit creative work to the school literary magazine and to contests and publications. Students will organize the literary magazine, accept editorial duties, and create the final product using InDesign. 3. Students will freewrite in their journals using prompts developed from the literature and/or historical and cultural time period being studied in class. 4. Students will be given various strategies and techniques to incorporate into their creative writing endeavors, such as showing rather than telling and developing comprehensive characterizations based on sociological, physiological, emotional, and cultural characteristics. 5. Students will model creative pieces based on the literary styles of renowned authors and poets.
Research Skills 1. Students will research and compose a scholarly 1015page research/literary analysis investigating a least two critical approaches to a major literary work. The paper will conclude with the student’s interpretation of key critical areas based on textual analysis. This assignment stresses the balance of generalization with textual evidence. At least 12 sources and the use of collegelevel research tools and libraries will be required. Students will be given access to Old Dominion University Library for use of their reference materials. 2. Students will review assessment of research material, with an emphasis on collegelevel sources and controversial arguments. Use of scholarly and reputable sources will be demanded. 3. Students will effectively use and cite quoted and paraphrased material. Instruction will be given in the MLA, APA, and footnotes formats. 4. Students will search background material on authors, literary periods, and
works independently. 5. A class website (Wikispace) and pathfinder will be set up for students to facilitate research endeavors and disseminate useful tips in the research process. 6. In addition to the large research paper, students will complete several shorter research assignments to enhance comprehension and appreciation of literary works studied in class. For example, students will research Ibsen’s life and times as a vehicle to further comprehension of his play A Doll House. Speech 1. Students will improve effectiveness of oral presentation in group projects focusing on major novels, plays, and poetry studied in class. 2. Students will improve effectiveness and comfort level of individual oral presentation in formal, extemporaneous, and impromptu speeches., including one defending their term paper thesis. 3. Students will orally present creative poems and select creative pieces from their journals. 4. Students will organize and teach lessons in preparation for the open question on the A.P. Literature Exam. These lessons must include insight based on specific textual evidence. Evaluation and Assessment: Teachers develop a plan for evaluation and assessment in the following ways: 1. Class discussion (informal and formal assessment of student preparation and contribution) 2. Student oral performance on group and individual reports focusing on the major works studied 3. Student competency on timed writings on prose and poetry prompts 4. Student competency on multiple choice questions from previous A.P. tests, teachercreated APstyle multiple choice questions, studentcreated APstyle multiple choice questions, and from
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workbooks Acceptable completion of the term paper steps and creation of a final product (requirement for graduation) Student performance on outofclass essays and rewrites of varying purposes and length. Essays will cover tone, purpose, point of view, shifts, structure, and other language issues in poetry, prose, and drama. Other compositions will focus on writing for a purpose descriptive, argumentative, editorial, etc Student mastery of a sophisticated, correct, and individual style of writing. Student ability to pair generalization with concrete and specific textual evidence
Resources: College Board Media Center Staff and Library facilities Technology Staff Local college libraries Textbooks: The Official SAT Study Guide College Board th Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing, 5 edition ( includes Hamlet and A Doll House and poetry from the Renaissance to modern times) Multiple Choice Questions in Preparation for the A.P. English Literature Examination A Guide to MLA Documentation Critical Encounters in High School English, Appleman Paperbacks: Metamorphosis Their Eyes Were Watching God Ethan Frome Heart of Darkness
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Poetry: Shakespeare, Milton, Donne, Gray, Shelley, Byron, Wordsworth, Keats, Browning, Arnold, Tennyson, Hardy, Hopkins, Yeats, Auden, Heaney, Dickinson, Poe, Whitman, Sandburg, Frost, Williams, Brooks, Rich, L. Hughes, Angelou, Plath, Giovanni Short Stories: Joyce, Hemingway, Wright, O”Brien, O’Connor, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Walker, Marquez, Steinbeck, Kincaid, Lawrence, Tan Drama: Hamlet A Doll House Reference Sources: th
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5 edition Poetry Speaks Barron’s How to Prepare for the A.P. English Literature Exam Cliff’s AP English Literature and Composition Preparation Guide Literature and Its Times Beacham’s Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor 1982, 1987, 1991, 1994, 1998, and 2004 A.P. Literature Exams A.P.Guides from Prentice Hall: Hamlet, A Doll’s House, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Ethan Frome College Board A.P. English Literature Teacher Guide and Student Guide College Board A.P. English Literature Focus on Poetry Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
Diogenes & Moneyhun Crafting Fiction nd Tyson’s Critical Theory Today: A User Friendly Guide 2 Edition th Barron’s The Art of Styling Sentences 4 Edition
Videos: Films for the Humanities and Sciences: Alice Walker, John Irving Apocalypse Now, Hamlet, Henrik Ibsen Projects: Research/analysis project Studentcreated APstyle questions Short Story Boot Camp Philosopher Report Original short story in style of author studied during the year Creative packet, villanelle or sonnet and one choice poem Creative piece in the style of O’Brien’s The Things We Carried Spectrum literary magazine Web Sites and Online Databases ProQuest GaleNetBiography Resource Center, Literature Resource Center, Opposing Viewpoints ABCCLIO World Book Online Reference Center Grolier Online University and college websites www.collegeboard.com Questia.com Wikispaces.com (class website and specific sites created based on class projects and essays) www.blogger.com – for class discussions.