AP Literature and Composition
Poetry Unit Syllabus
Poetry predates literacy, but the oldest forms of written poetry go back as far s 1700 BC, with strong
historical evidence suggesting they existed even earlier. Poetry reading and analysis comprises a large
portion of the AP Literature exam, and students generally feel less confident about their poetry analysis.
In 2014, our students did better than the global mean on the poetry elements on the test, so our
preparation is working. Last year, we required all students to take the exam, so naturally all of our scores
were lower across the curriculum areas.
Expectations: for all poems that we read, I expect to see thorough annotations or notes and
explanations that connect what you have annotated/noted to overall meaning. I will not check them
every class, but be prepared for me to check or collect them at any time.
You will have a test that assesses both the poetic elements we study and the content of the poems
themselves at the end of the unit. With poetry, we want to engage in analysis, not simply explication;
explication occurs when a student attempts to clarify or bring meaning to a work of fiction; analysis
takes place when he or she studies the creative process of establishing that meaning. You will also have
assignments beyond just reading the poems throughout the unit, as noted below.
The poems come from Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound and Sense or I’ll provide them on a
handout. If you prefer to find and print hard copies of the poems so that you can annotate on the poem,
feel free, but you are responsible for having the book in class to access any supplemental material we
use. This unit in the Perrine’s book is particularly good; the background readings are very helpful and
the questions on the poems are good at providing tips and helping students get to the key ideas in the
poems.
Syllabus – all homework is due the next class period unless otherwise noted.
September 28-29
Lesson 1
Focus: Elements of poetry: dimensions of poetry, tips for reading, explicating and analyzing
Activities: practice multiple choice, “The Habit of Perfection;” practice close reading/analysis,
Homework (due for lesson 2): Work carefully through Chapters 1 and 2 of the Elements of Poetry
section of your Perrine’s book. These chapters contain many, many poems, and I want you read them,
but we will focus on just a couple of them: “Dulce et Decorum Est,” by Wilfred Owen, and “Ars
Poetica,” by Archibald MacLeish for Chapter 1, and “Mirror,” by Sylvia Plath
Sept. 30-Oct. 1
Lesson 2
review “Habit of Perfection,” practice close reading/analysis of “The Centaur,” by May Swenson
discussion of “Dulce et Decorum Est”
Homework: finish summer work analysis papers
October 2-5 Lesson 3 (summer work analysis papers are due)
We’ll spend part of this class working on summer essays.
Focus: imagery instruction and application
poems: “Meeting at Night” by Robert Browning, page 701; “Parting at Morning” by Robert Browning,
page 702; “After Apple Picking” by Robert Frost, page 709; “The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy
page 969-70
Homework: practice poem analysis – “Blackberry Picking” by Seamus Heaney – read and annotate,
notes on ideas about meaning
October 6-7 Lesson 4
Focus: imagery, figurative language, introduce irony
practice group analysis essay on “Blackberry Picking”
poems: “The Guitarist Tunes Up” by Frances Cornford page 715; “Introduction to Poetry” Billy Collins
page 733; “Valediction: Forbidding Mourning” by John Donne page 729-80
Homework: irony poems: “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning page 775-76; “Incident” by Countee
Cullen 759-60: “The History Teacher” by Billy Collins 769
Oct. 8-9
Lesson 5
Focus: irony; allusion/symbolism;
practice multiple choice: “Sestina”
assign original poems; discussion of irony poems from homework
Homework: allusion and symbol: “Digging” by Seamus Heaney p. 739; “Sorting Laundry” by
Elisavietta Ritchie p.769; “Hazel tells LaVerne” by Katharyn Machan p. 785; “Out Out –” by Robert
Frost p. 779 “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” Robert Herrick p. 742, “Miniver Cheevy” by
Edwin Arlington Robinson p. 785; “Power” by Adrienne Rich p 751
Oct. 12-13
Lesson 6
Focus: allusion and symbol, introduce tone
graded multiple choice
work with homework poems
applying tone: “Ending” by Gavin Ewart 820
Homework: tone poems: “Crossing the Bar” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson 811; “Dover Beach” by Matthew
Arnold 816-817; “I had heard it’s a fight” by Edwin Denby 803; “The Convergence of the Twain”
Oct. 14-15
Lesson 7
Focus: tone, romanticism; structure: sonnet
work with tone poems
romanticism movement Wordsworth/Coleridge
Homework: “My mistress’ eyes” by William Shakespeare 809; “On First Looking into Chapman’s
Homer” by John Keats 886
Oct. 16-19
Lesson 8
Focus: structure: sonnet/rhythm
graded analysis: tone
Homework: rhythm poems “Woman Work” by Maya Angelou 832; “Break, Break, Break” by Alfred,
Lord Tennyson 862; “Old Ladies’ Home” by Sylvia Plath 856
October 20-21
Lesson 9
Focus: structure/rhythm
work with rhythm, scansion
Homework: finish original poems
October 22-23
Lesson 10 (end of first quarter)
original poems due; share
rhythm work in class, unit review
Homework: review poems, skills, terms
October 27-28
Lesson 11
Focus: assessment part 1 – poem analysis
review terms and poems
Homework: study for assessment
October 29-30
lesson 12
assessment part 2 – terms/poems/skills (including multiple choice)
Homework: TBA for unit 3