Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School
AP English Literature
and Composition Syllabus
Course Description
In keeping with the objectives of the College Board Advanced Placement Program, this course is designed to teach beginning college writing through the intensive study of representative “works of recognized literary merit” as described in the AP Course Description. The reading list includes works by both American and British literature, written in several genres, from the sixteenth century to contemporary times. The course readings also meet the guidelines established by the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and observe the school’s English curriculum sequence. All texts will require careful, deliberative reading and offer multiple meanings.
AP English Literature and Composition teaches students to write an interpretation of a piece of literature by carefully observing textual details such as structure, style and themes. Students will be asked to prepare a variety of written responses to the readings, as well as on other related topics, as part of the semester’s work. While students may be called upon to use any of the four classical modes of discourse (description, persuasion, narration, and exposition), emphasis will be on literary analysis. All written assignments are designed to fostering students’ ability to use textual details like figurative language, imagery and symbolism as well as the social and historical values of the time period within which the work was originally written.
To enroll in the AP English 12, students must be recommended by the MVRHS English Department and complete the summer reading and writing assignments. While not a prerequisite, AP Language and Composition (AP English 11) is a desirable precursor to this course. Transfer students, or others who enroll late, must complete the prerequisite summer work within 30 days of their first class.
In May, students will take the AP Literature and Composition Exam. Those who receive a score of three or higher may be awarded three credits of college English from participating institutions. In practice, however, most institutions only award credit for scores of four or above.
Writing Assignments and Activities
Writing instruction and activities in this class are designed to help students develop, 1. logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, including repetition, use of effective transitions and emphasis; 2. a variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination; 3. a balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail; 4. effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure; 5. a wide ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively.
In this course we use Edgar V. Robert’s Writing About Literature (10th ed.) as our basic writing text. After readings and lessons based on Robert’s approaches to analyzing literature, students are asked to write on representative texts from our readings (see the sample texts in “representative readings” section of the syllabus). In addition, students will sometimes be asked to write an original response to literature in the form of a short story, poem, or other creative piece. Students will also be assigned a number of mandatory AP practice essays under simulated test conditions, which will then be evaluated by students, the instructor other students, or both. Students who are absent for any reason when a practice essay in given are required to make it up outside of
class.
This course includes frequent opportunities for students to write and rewrite formal, extended analyses and timed, in- class responses. The course includes the following writing activities:
Writing to Understand:
Informal, exploratory writing activities that enable students to discover what they think in the process of writing about their reading (such assignments may include annotation, free writing, journaling, and response/reaction papers.
Writing to Explain:
Expository and analytical essays in which students draw upon textual details to develop an extended explanation of the meanings of a literary text.
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 and its social and cultural values.
This course provides students with unusual opportunities for personalized writing instruction and feedback through teacher-student writing conferences. Students are also encouraged to have a pre-assignment conference with the teacher outside of class to clarify concepts, the assignment guideline or for an early feedback on drafts. Rubrics are provided for formal writing assignments. Students are also encouraged to rewrite papers which did not meet either the student’s or teacher’s performance expectations provided that one, the paper came in on time, and two that the student first schedule re- write conference and supply the original graded draft at the time the rewrite is turned in. In this class, the purpose of rewrites is to improve students’ writing, not just their GPA.
Letter grades will be assigned to written assignments according to the following standards:
A -Excellent; superior, surpassing.
B -Satisfactory; conforming to a standard.
C -Fair; sufficient but not ample.
D -Poor; less than adequate, inferior in quality.
F -Failing; deficient, below minimum expectation.
Quarter grades will be calculated as percentages of the following categories: writings, 25%; tests, 25%; projects, 25%; class participation, 25%.
All incoming AP English students must successfully complete the summer reading and writing assignments. Transfer students, or others who enroll late, must make up the summer work within 30 days of their first class.
Teaching methods include lectures, student presentations, discussions, individual/ group projects and guest speakers. Instruction is designed is to foster an appreciation and facility for the close analysis of great literature. Primary consideration will be given to an author’s manipulation of content through such elements as symbolism, imagery, figurative language, structure, etc. Students are also expected to participate in regular timed writing exercises and test practice sessions and have at least one conference with the teacher outside of class.
Homework is expected to be completed expeditiously. Due to the time provided, late assignments will not generally be accepted, except by prior consent of the instructor. Students who are absent from school for any reason on the day an assignment is due must find means to have it delivered to the school or e-mailed to me at my department link at mvrhs.org. Without prior notice, students absent for scheduled presentations, tests and homework assignments will receive a zero with no make up allowed. In accordance with school policy, no make up work due to approved travel or illness will be accepted after five school days from the student’s return to school. Students who are absent from class for any reason can obtain missed assignments on the “Homework” link on my web page.
Students are expected to be fully attentive from the opening to the closing bell. Tardiness will be noted. In addition, the structure of this course requires that students be both active participants in class and respectful of the opinions of others. Rather than simply agreeing or disagreeing with classmates, all students are encouraged to offer insights and interpretations of their own.
Observations or concerns about any aspect of the course are welcome. Please speak to me outside of class.
First Quarter: Introduction to College Literary Analysis
Summer reading; essay and test
What is “literature”?
Contemporary theories of literary analysis
Close analysis of a text
Writing effective college essays
Princeton Review literary terms (including poetic forms) for the course and quiz
Period/ thematic unit #1
Period/ thematic #2
Strategies for the AP test: timed essays and objective exercises
Roberts: Ch. 1 Preliminary
Ch. 3 Writing About a Close Reading
Ch. 4 Writing About Character
Ch. 5 Writing About Point of View
Sample writing assignments for the quarter:
Close analysis of a selected poem such as “Dover Beach”
Analysis of a character in a major novel such as Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
Fictional journal entry by a character in a short story such as “First Communion”
Second Quarter: Analysis of Extended Texts
Interdisciplinary research presentations: Literary Movements
Comparison and contrast of texts
Literary interpretation through performance
Period/ thematic unit #3
Period/ thematic unit #4
Strategies for the AP test: timed essays and objective exercises
Roberts: Ch. 6 Writing About Plot and Structure
Ch. 7 Writing About Setting
Ch. 8 Writing About Theme
Ch. 9 Writing About Metaphors and Similes
Sample writing assignments for the quarter:
Analysis of setting in a major novel such as Wuthering Heights
Analysis of theme in a poem such as “Ode on a Grecian Urn”
Poem using figurative language to convey theme
(Mid term exam)
Third Quarter: Analysis of Forms and Tropes
Research presentations on poetic forms (ballads, elegies, odes, sonnets, etc.)
Unit on a major figure: poetry and drama of Shakespeare test/essay/project
Literary mock trial
Strategies for the AP test: timed essays and objective exercises
Roberts: Ch. 10 Writing About Symbolism and Allusion
Ch. 11 About Tone
Ch. 13 Writing About Poetic Form
Period/ thematic unit #5
Period /thematic unit #6
Sample writing assignments for the quarter:
“Celebrity Sonnet” in Shakespearean, Spenserian or Petrarchan form
Analysis of tone in a short story like “B Wordsworth”
Analysis of symbolism in a major work like Heart of Darkness
Fourth Quarter: Principles and Practices of the AP Test
Research on period poets or literary movements
Princeton review strategies
Full AP practice test
Roberts: Ch. 16 Writing About Film
Ch. 17 Writing Examinations
Ch. 18 Writing and Documenting the Research Essay.
Sample writing assignments for the quarter:
Research Paper on the Celtic Revival
Comparison of symbolism in a film and book version of a work such as Beloved
Research presentations on contemporary poets
Princeton review strategies
Full AP practice test
Roberts: Ch. 16 Writing About Film
Ch. 17 Writing Examinations
Ch. 18 Writing and Documenting the Research Essay.
Major writings DUE WEEK OF 4/9, 4/30, and 5/21