Norris Language Department

AP® English Literature and Composition Syllabus

“The reading of all good books is indeed like a conversation with the noblest men of past centuries who were the authors of them, nay a carefully studied conversation, in which they reveal to us none but the best of their thoughts.”
-Rene Descartes

Course Description:

Welcome to AP Literature! I am looking forward to reading and discussing great literature with you this year. This course is designed to engage you in the close reading and critical analysis of literature. Further, this course will prepare you to take the AP® Literature and Composition Exam this spring. This course complies with the curricular requirements described in the AP English Course Description. (C0-S0)

Curricular Requirements:

The College Board AP Literature and Composition curricular requirements are listed below. Each requirement has been given a code, and these codes are used throughout this syllabus to indicate where and how each individual requirement is being met. ‘C’ corresponds with the curricular requirements as indicated in the AP English Literature and Composition Syllabus Development Guide. ‘S’ corresponds with the scoring component within each requirement. Numbers are matched accordingly. (C0-S0)

C0-S0: The teacher has read the most recent AP English Course Description

C1-S1: The course includes an intensive study of representative works such as those by authors cited in the AP English Course Description.

C1-S2: The course includes a study of both British and American writers, as well as works written in several genres from the sixteenth century to contemporary times.

C2-S3: The course teaches students to write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details, considering such elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone.

C2-S4: The course teaches students to write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details, considering the work’s structure, style, and themes.

C2-S5: The course teaches students to write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details, considering the work’s social, cultural, and/or historical values.

C3-S6: The course includes frequent opportunities for students to write and rewrite timed, in-class responses.

C3-S7: The course includes frequent opportunities for students to write and rewrite formal, extended analyses outside of class.

C3-S8: The course requires writing to understand: Informal/exploratory writing activities that enable students to discover what they think in the process or writing about their reading (annotation, free writing, reading journal, reaction/response papers, and/or dialectical notebooks)

C3-S9: The course requires writing to explain: Expository, analytical essays in which students draw upon textual details to develop an extended interpretation of a literary text.

C3-S10: The course requires writing to evaluate: Analytical, argumentative essays in which students draw upon textual details to make and explain judgments about a work’s artistry and quality.

C3-S11: The course requires writing to evaluate: Analytical, argumentative essays in which students draw upon textual details to make and explain judgments about a work’s social, historical and/or cultural values.

C4-S12: The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments both before and after the students revise their work that help the students develop a wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately.

C4-S13: The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments both before and after the students revise their work that help the students develop a variety of sentence structures.

C4-S14: The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments both before and after the students revise their work that help the students develop logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence. Such techniques may include traditional rhetorical structures, graphic organizers, and work on repetition, transitions, and emphasis.

C4-S15: The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments both before and after they revise their work that help the students develop a balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail.

C4-S16: The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing assignments both before and after they revise their work that help the students establish an effective use of rhetoric including controlling tone and a voice appropriate to the writer’s audience.

Course Overview:

Reading:

You will be reading daily from great literature that includes novels, short stories, dramas, poems, and non-fiction works. (C1-S2) We will study the works of both British and American writers. (C1-S2) The works that have been chosen for study are written by authors who are recommended in the AP English Course Description. (C1-S1)

Reading assignments are grouped by time period and span from the Renaissance through the modern day. (C1-S2) As we enter a new time period, we will study the history and literary movements so that we can understand their impact on the writers of that time period. Part of analyzing literature is understanding how it reflects the historical and cultural values of its time. (C2-S5)

Analysis:

You will be asked to participate in the analysis of each work of prose, poetry, or drama we read together. This analysis may include a focus on structure, style, theme, social and/or historical values of the time period, use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. We will practice our analytical skills through discussion and informal writing, and then you will apply them to the formal writing that you will do for class. (C2-S3, C2-S4, C2-S5)

Informal Writing:

You will be asked to complete informal writing assignments to aid and explore your understanding of the texts that we read together. You may be asked to keep dialectical journals, make annotations, answer open ended questions, generate questions, complete a reading journal, write a reaction/response paper, participate in an electronic discussion board, or free write. (C3-S8)




Formal Writing:

You will be asked to write both in-class timed essays and out-of-class formal extended analyses. (C3-S6, C3-S7) Lessons on writing will be a part of our class periods. Lessons will focus on the six traits of writing: idea development (including appropriate use of details), organization (including choosing appropriate structure for each given assignment), sentence fluency, word choice (including intensive vocabulary study), voice (including tone), and conventions. (C4-S12, C4-S13, C4-S14, C4-S15, C4-S16)

In-Class Timed Essays: You will be given a prompt in class, and you will have 45-50 minutes to read, plan, write, and proofread your essay. We will then ‘talk’ through the prompt, review previous essays on the prompt and look at how each essay scored and why, and then peer review your essays. I will also give written feedback on each essay, and I will be available for student conferencing during IAP time. (C3-S6, C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)

Extended Analyses: You will be given a prompt or a subject about which to research and write. It will be your job to complete this assignment outside of class, however every student will need to conference with me during IAP before turning in a final draft on the given due date. This conference will allow for me to review your writing so far and give feedback on what can be done to improve the writing before you turn the paper in for a grade. Further, peer conferences will be held during class time for each extended analysis. I will provide feedback on your final drafts as well, and you will then have one week to turn in a rewrite of your paper. (C3-S7, C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)

Written papers will focus on writing to explain, wherein textual details are used to analyze the meaning of the literature, and/or writing to evaluate, wherein you will use textual details to develop an argument about the literature’s artistry, quality, social and/or cultural importance. (C3-S9, C3-S10, C3-S11)

Vocabulary:

You will have weekly vocabulary words and quizzes. You will be expected to incorporate these words into your writing. (C4-S12)

Textbooks:

This class will make use of two anthologies:

Vignery, Katie, ed. Adventures in English Literature. Athena ed. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston,
1996.

Vignery, Katie, ed. Adventures in American Literature. Athena ed. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston,
1996.

Grades:

Each class assignment will be given a point value, and the following grade scale will be used:

Assignments Percent of Final Grade
Informal writings, discussions, in-class activities 25%
Reading quizzes and tests 25%
Formal writing assignments (in and out of class) 50%







Course Content:

Unit #1: Introduction: Analyzing and Writing About Literature

*Focus on literary terms (C4-S12)

*Close readings practice of novel excerpts, short stories, drama, and poetry (C2-S3, C2-S4, C2-S5)

*How to ask and answer important questions about literature (C3-S8)

*Sample essays used to model using textual details to write an essay (C2-S3, C2-S4, C2-S5)

*How to write an effective essay. (Six traits, Thesis and support, Use of Rhetoric, Introductions, Conclusions, Transitions) (C4-S12, C4-S13, C4-S14, C4-S15, C4-S16)

*In-Class Write: Using one of the books you read for your summer reading requirement, write an in-class essay on the following prompt from a previous AP Exam: One of the strongest human drives seems to be a desire for power. Write an essay in which you discuss how a character in a novel or a drama struggles to free himself or herself from the power of others or seeks to gain power over others. Be sure to demonstrate in your essay how the author uses this power struggle to enhance the meaning of the work. (C2-S4, C3-S6, C3-S9)
-Peer review essay for idea development (C4-S15)

Unit #2: The Renaissance

*Historical Background, Literary Movements, Major Writers/Poets

*Read Hamlet by William Shakespeare (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Write daily reading journals (C3-S8)
-Class discussion: figurative language, imagery, symbolism, tone (C2-S3)
-Class discussion: imagery, tone, themes (C2-S4)
-Class discussion: cultural, historical, social value (C2-S5)
-In-class essay: Write a well-organized essay explaining the difference between what
appears to be true and what is true in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Be sure to focus on how this disparity emphasizes the meaning of the play. (C3-S6, C3-S9)
-Peer review in-class essay for word choice (C4-S12)

*Renaissance Poetry: Read selections from poets of the Renaissance including William Shakespeare, Sir Thomas Wyatt, Sir Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Christopher Marlowe, Sir Walter Raleigh, John Donne, George Herbert, Andrew Marvall, Ben Jonson, and John Milton (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Discuss elements of poetry (C2-S3)
-Explicate a poem (i.e. identify figurative language, imagery, symbolism, tone, structure, style, theme) (C2-S3, C2-S4)
-Discuss poetry movements during the Renaissance (C2-S5)

Unit #3: The Restoration and Eighteenth Century

*Historical Background, Literary Movements, Major Writers/Poets

*Satire: Read A Modest Proposal and an excerpt from Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift and The Rape of the Lock by Alexander Pope (C1-S1, C1-S2).
-What is satire? (C2-S4)
-Keep a dialectical journal focusing on how the writers employ the use of satire (C3-S8)
-Class discussion

*Eighteenth Century Poetry: Read selections from poets of the Restoration and Eighteenth Century including Alexander Pope, Thomas Gray, Robert Burns, and William Blake (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Discuss elements of Eighteenth Century poetry (C2-S5)
-Explicate a poem (i.e. identify figurative language, imagery, symbolism, tone, structure, style, theme) (C2-S3, C2-S4)

*Extended Analysis: Compare and contrast the two poems that you have explicated (one from the Renaissance and one from the Eighteenth Century) Write a well-organized essay focusing on the similarities and differences between the two poems in terms of diction, structure, use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, tone, style, or theme. Use these comparisons to show how each poem belongs distinctly to the time period in which it was written (focus on the differences between poetry of the Renaissance and poetry of the Eighteenth Century). Final paper should be 4-5 pages in length. (C3-S7, C3-S9, C3-S11)
-Use poetry explications completed previously as your base of knowledge (C3-S8)
-Research your poems and their poets for further information (MLA citations)
-Conference with me during IAP previous to your final draft due date (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-Rough draft due for workshop the day before final draft due date (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-Final draft may be rewritten (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)

Unit #4: The Romantic Age

*Historical Background, Literary Movements, Major Writers/Poets

*Read Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë.(C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Generate questions as you read (C3-S8)
-Participate in Socratic Circles
-Understand the Romantic Novel (C2-S4)
-Understand the Gothic Novel (C2-S4)
-In-class Essay: Focus on one of the characters in Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, and write a well-organized essay indicating how that character’s mind is pulled in conflicting directions by two compelling desires, ambitions, obligations, or influences. Identify each of the two conflicting forces and explain how this conflict with one character illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole. (C3-S6, C3-S9)
-Peer review essay for sentence fluency. (C4-S13)

*Romantic Poetry: Read selections from poets of the Romantic Age including William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, George Gordon, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats. (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Discuss poetic movements of the Romantic Age (C2-S5)
-Explicate a poem (i.e. identify figurative language, imagery, symbolism, tone, structure, style, theme) (C2-S3, C2-S4)

*Read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Participate in electronic discussion board (C3-S8)
-Extended Analysis: Compare and contrast Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë to Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Write a well-organized essay explaining how the two works are similar and different in terms of diction, structure, imagery, symbolism, themes, characterization, or tone. Indicate how each novel can further our understanding of what it means to be a “Romantic” or a “Gothic” novel. Your completed essay should be 4-5 pages in length. (C3-S7, C3-S9)
-Use discussion notes completed previously as your base of knowledge (C3-S8)
-Research the books and their authors for further information (MLA citations)
-Conference with me during IAP previous to your final draft due date (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-Rough draft due for workshop the day before final draft due date (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-Final draft may be rewritten (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)

Unit #5: The Flowering of New England

*Historical Background, Literary Movements, Major Writers/Poets


*Read The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne (C1-S1, C2-S2)
-Keep daily reading journals (C3-S8)
-Participate in Socratic Circles and class discussion
-In-Class Essay: Write a well-organized essay naming three characteristics of Hawthorne’s style and cite examples of each. (C3-S6, C3-S9)
-Peer review essay for organization (C4-S14)

*Read poetry from the Flowering of New England including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Emily Dickinson. (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Discuss transcendentalism (C2-S5)

*Read excerpts from other major writers of the time period.(C1-S1, C1-S2)
-From Walden by Henry David Thoreau
-From Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
-Discuss anti-transcendentalism (C2-S5)

*Extended Analysis: Write a well-organized essay discussing the differences between transcendentalism and anti-transcendentalism. Use the works that we have read (ie: Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville) to examine the differences as evident in the literature of this era. Final paper should be 4-5 pages in length. (C3-S7, C3-S11)
-Use class notes and discussions as your base of knowledge (C3-S8)
-Research the writers and the movements for further information (MLA Citations)
-Include several examples from the works of literature
-Conference with me during IAP previous to your final draft due date (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-Rough draft due for workshop the day before final draft due date (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-Final draft may be rewritten. (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)

Unit #6: The Victorian Age

*Historical Background, Literary Movements, Major Writers/Poets

*Read A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Historical Background: The French Revolution
-Participation in on-line discussion board (C3-S8)
-Participation in Socratic circles and class discussion
-In-class Essay: Write a well-organized essay tracing the development of the major theme of A Tale of Two Cities- rebirth through sacrifice- as it applies to Dr. Manette, Sydney Carton, and Charles Darnay. (C3-S6, C3-S9)
-Peer Review essay for tone and voice (C4-S16)

*Read poetry from The Victorian Age including Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning, Thomas Hardy, and A.E. Housman. (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Discuss elements of Victorian poetry (C2-S3, C2-S5)

*Read The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Participation in class discussion.

Semester I Final: In-Class Essay: Write a well-organized essay giving your definition of high-quality literature. Think through everything we have discussed in class this semester. Then, identify which of the works of literature that we’ve read this semester best fits your definition. Give examples explaining why this work best fits your definition of high-quality literature. (C3-S6, C3-S10)

Unit #7: The Civil War Era

*Historical Background, Literary Movements, Major Writers/Poets

*Read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Keep a dialectical journal (C3-S8)
-Participation in Socratic circles and class discussion
-In-Class Essay: Despite being widely acclaimed as an American masterpiece, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the sixth most frequently banned book in the United States. Write a well-organized essay discussing why this book may be so high on the banned list, using examples from the text. Then, defend the use of this book in the classroom. What can be learned from this book? What points would you make to someone who felt it should be banned. Keep your focus on literary merit and the ability for literature to shed light on the time period in which it was written. (C3-S6, C3-S11)
-Peer review essay for idea development (C4-S15)


*Read poetry from The Civil War Era including Walt Whitman, W.E.B. Du Bois, Native American Poetry. (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Discuss elements of Civil War Era poetry (C2-S5)
-Explicate a poem (i.e. identify figurative language, imagery, symbolism, tone, structure, style, theme) (C2-S3, C2-S4)

*Read non-fiction selections including an excerpt from My Bondage and My Freedom by Frederick Douglass, and “The Gettysburg Address” by Abraham Lincoln. (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Participate in class discussion

Unit #8: Realism and Naturalism

*Historical Background; Literary Movements; Major Writers/Poets

*Read The Open Boat by Stephen Crane (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Participate in class discussion

*Read My Ántonia by Willa Cather (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Daily reading journals (C3-S8)
-Participate in class discussion and Socratic circles
-Extended Analysis: Write a well-organized essay tracing the character changes in Jim and Ántonia through the novel. How does each character change individually? How does their relationship with each other change? What influences shape the lives and personality traits of each? Be sure to use the text to provide examples. Your final essay should be 4-5 pages long.(C3-S7, C3-S9)
-Use class notes and discussions as your base of knowledge (C3-S8)
-Include several textual examples
-Conference with me during IAP previous to your final draft due date (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-Rough draft due for workshop the day before final draft due date (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-Final draft may be rewritten. (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)

*Read poetry from the era including: Edwin Arlington Robinson, Edgar Lee Masters, and Paul Laurence Dunbar. (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Discuss poetic elements of the era (C2-S5)





Unit #9: English Literature in the Modern Era

*Historical Background; Literary Movements; Major Writers/Poets

*Read Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Participate in on-line discussion board (C3-S8)
-Participate in Socratic circles and class discussion
-In-Class Essay: Write a well-organized essay discussing the use of ‘darkness’ throughout the text. What does darkness represent? Does this meaning change throughout the book? Use textual examples to support your points.(C3-S6, C3-S9)
-Peer review essay for word choice (C4-S12)

*Read poetry from the era, including: William Butler Yeats, D.H. Lawrence, Henry Reed, Dylan Thomas, and Margaret Atwood (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Discuss poetic elements of the modern era (C2-S5)
-Participate in class discussion

*Read short stories and excerpts from the era, including: (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-from A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
-The Rocking-Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence
-Dead Men’s Path by Chinua Achebe
-Respond to texts through reading journals (C2-S8)
-Participate in class discussions

Unit #10: American Literature in the Modern Era

*Historical Background; Literary Movements; Major Writers/Poets

*Read The Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Keep daily reading journals (C3-S8)
-Participate in Socratic circles and class discussion

*Read Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Keep daily reading journals (C3-S8)
-Participate in Socratic circles and class discussion

*Extended Analysis: Write a well-organized essay examining the idea of the ‘Great American Dream’ as seen in The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman. Compare and contrast this dream in these two works. What does each work have to say about the dream? What does the dream reveal about America? (C3-S7, C3-S11)
-Use class notes and discussions as your base of knowledge (C3-S8)
-Include several textual examples
-Conference with me during IAP previous to your final draft due date (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-Rough draft due for workshop the day before final draft due date (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-Final draft may be rewritten. (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)

*Read As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Keep a dialectical journal (C3-S8)
-Participate in Socratic circles and class discussion
-In-Class Essay: Write a well-organized essay discussing how the journey of the Bundren family is a significant factor in developing the characterization and the theme of the work. (C3-S6, C3-S9)
-Peer review essay for sentence fluency (C4-S13)



*Read Native Son by Richard Wright (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Generate questions as you read (C3-S8)
-Participate in Socratic circles and class discussion
-In-Class Essay: Write a well-organized essay discussing how Wright weaves historical events into his fictional narrative. What is the overall effect of this technique on his novel? (C3-S6, C3-S9, C3-S11)
-Peer review essay for organization (C4-S14)


*Read poetry from the era including: Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg, Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, Edna St. Vincent Millay, E.E. Cummings, Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Anne Sexton, Leslie Marmon Silko, and more…(C1-S1, C1-S2)
-Discuss American poetry of the Modern Era (C2-S5)
-Class Discussion
-Extended Analysis: Choose one American poet from the Modern Era to study. Do extensive research on this poet and on his/her poetry. Then write a well-organized 4-5 page essay focusing on your poet and his/her poetry. You may develop your own thesis to craft your paper as you will all be studying different poets and types of poetry, but you must have your topic approved by me before you proceed. This is not simply a report- it should be an insightful look into poetry of the modern age by having a larger understanding of the poet’s life and the influence of the time period in which the poetry was written. (C3-S7, C3-S9, C3-S11)
-Use class notes and discussions as your base of knowledge (C3-S8)
-Include several textual examples
-Conference with me during IAP previous to your final draft due date (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-Rough draft due for workshop the day before final draft due date (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-Final draft may be rewritten. (C4-S12, 13, 14, 15, 16)

*Read fictional and nonfictional short stories and excerpts from the era, including: (C1-S1, C1-S2)
-from Dust Track on a Road by Zora Neale Hurston
-from The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday
-Mother Tongue by Amy Tan
-The Names of Women by Louise Erdrich
-The First Seven Years by Bernard Malamud
-Everyday Use by Alice Walker
-In-class write: Write a well-organized essay establishing the importance of reading literature from many different perspectives (race, gender, ethnicity, religion, etc). What can be learned? How does reading literature from different perspectives benefit the individual? Society? Use examples from texts we have read in class. (C3-S6, C3-S10, C3-S-11)
-Peer review essay for tone and voice (C4-S16)

Semester II Final: In-Class Essay: The “Great American Novel” is defined as a novel that best represents the spirit of life in America during the time of its writing. Choose which American novel read by our class this year best fits this definition. Write an essay explaining why this work is the best example we read this year of “The Great American Novel.” (C3-S6, C3-S10)