AP English Literature and Composition
Mrs. Kristin Warsaw
2016-2017
[email protected]
Course Description
The course in AP English Literature and Composition is designed as a rigorous
freshman college-level course that “engages students in the careful reading and
critical analysis of imaginative literature” (College Board). Students will study works
from several genres of both British and American Literature and will write critically
about what they have read. While the primary focus of this class will be to prepare
students for the reading, writing, and discussion that will be required of them at
the college level , the expectation is that all students will take the AP Exam in
English Literature and Composition on May 3, 2017. Therefore, test preparation and
practice will be a regular component of the course.
Course Expectations
AP English Literature & Composition requires your best effort and invites you to
continue developing the habits of a self-motivated, critical thinker. This class will
include an intensive study of Literature; therefore it is essential that students keep
up with the reading assignments and come to class prepared to discuss, analyze,
and write about the Literature. There will be an emphasis on critical and analytical
writing that will require students to engage in all aspects of the writing process,
including revision. Writing conferences will be required and students will be
responsible for getting extra help with grammar or composition issues.
Course Components
1. Literature
a. Students will be expected to read a variety of works at home (see units
and works below) independently. Students will continue their Literary
Response Journals (LRJs), choosing compelling details from the text
and writing analyses that focus on author’s craft and purpose.
b. Students will learn to closely read and analyze text through methods
such as annotation with metacognitive markers, the SIFTT method,
and others. Students will respond to Literature in various formats,
including traditional written analyses, but also in creative formats such
as visual journals and mind maps.
2. Composition
a. Timed Essays will be given every two to three weeks, followed by
writing conferences in multiple formats (one-on-one with teacher, in
small peer groups, etc.) and revision. Revision may include a portion of
an essay only (e.g. the introduction) or the entire composition and may
focus on word choice, sentence structure, textual evidence, detail,
organization, voice, or any combination thereof. Timed essays will be
scored using a 9-point AP rubric.
b. Two advanced vocabulary words must be used correctly in each essay.
c. Two formal, multi-draft research papers will be required (one per
semester).
d. Mentor Text Journals: Students will write journal entries in response
to mentor texts. The focus of each entry will depend on the mentor
text and may include: the use of poetic devices in original poetry,
crafting a thematic statement, emulating an author’s syntactical style
to explore various sentence structures, and re-writing a text from a
differing point of view.
3. AP Exam Preparation
a. Socratic Seminars will focus on analysis of a specific text and will
include questioning using AP Question stems.
b. In class, students will practice answering multiple choice questions, as
well as responding to Free Response Questions from previous AP
Exams.
4. Lexicon Journal Assignment
a. In the back of the Literary Response Journal (LRJ) notebook, students
will keep an ongoing Lexicon journal where they will record and
practice using new vocabulary. Words will be assigned, and students
will also be required to include words encountered in their individual
reading. Vocabulary Quizzes will be given as well.
Adopted Course Text
​Arp, Thomas R. and Greg Johnson. ​Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense​. Boston,
MA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2006.
Grading Policy
Your grade will be based on the following categories:
50% Writing​. Students will write in a variety of formats and for a variety of
purposes, including short quick-writes, timed essays, and multi-draft essays.
30% Reading​. Students will demonstrate competency in reading comprehension
and literary analysis.
20% Speaking, Listening, and Media Literacy​. Students will demonstrate
competency in communication processes/interpretations, listening activities, and
media- or technology-based work.
MLA Formatting
All assignments must be submitted with the correct MLA format. Assignments that
do not have the correct heading or header will not be accepted for credit. There are
templates and samples on the course Web site. If you need clarification on this
formatting, please see me immediately.
Late Work Policy & Absences
Late homework assignments will be accepted for one week (7 calendar days) after
the due date. Late projects will not be accepted. If homework or a project is
assigned the day a student is absent, it is the student’s responsibility to find out
what was assigned and when it is due. Extensions will not be given. If you are
absent on the day an assignment is due, the assignment must be emailed or shared
with the teacher.
Late homework that is completed at home will receive a maximum grade of 70%.
Late homework that is completed in the library after school will receive a maximum
grade of 100%. A signed slip from the librarian must be attached to the work. If you
play a sport or have other after school obligations, please be sure to complete all of
your assignments on time.
Missed Tests, Quizzes & Timed Writings
You are required to see me on the day you return to school after an absence in
order to schedule a make-up. I will not track you down. You will have one week to
take the exam or to complete the timed writing. After one week, the assignment
will go into the Gradebook as a zero.
Early Release, Field Trips, etc.
If you miss class due to an early release for sports, or if you are attending a field trip
or other activity, it is your responsibility to find out about missed work.
Assignments due on the day of an absence must be turned in electronically or
turned in early.
Extra Credit
Extra credit will rarely be offered and will only be accepted if you have NO missing
assignments. If extra credit is offered, points will be given at the teacher’s
discretion.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is extremely important in our classroom. This means a few
things.
1.​ ​NO cheating- no plagiarizing from strangers, friends, or family members. Do
your own work and be proud of it. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be
YOUR best. Every source that you consult, quote, or paraphrase MUST be cited.
Plagiarism will result in a ZERO on the assignment and a discipline referral to the
office. Plagiarism can get you kicked out of college, so learn how to correctly give
credit where credit is due.
2.​ ​Academic Language- no cussing, no put-downs, and ABSOLUTELY no sexist,
racist, homophobic or other discriminatory remarks- not even if you’re “just
kidding.” Use academic vocabulary and maintain your integrity.
3.​ ​Effort- I expect your best effort on your work. Don’t sell yourself short. Doing
your best will open doors of possibility. Take pride and responsibility in your work.
Be in the Moment
It is very easy to get wrapped up in outside-of-class issues, pressure from other
teachers’ assignments, arguments with friends or significant others, upcoming
sports games, etc. My best advice to you is “Be in the Moment”. Even if you’re not
that “into” the book we’re reading, or you’re not an “English person” in general, try
to be present when you’re in class, paying attention and trying to learn something.
Ask questions. Own the material & make it your own. Focus on trying to understand
the perspectives of the authors you read and the ideas of your classmates . Leave
distractions at the door and you will be successful!
Units of Study
Unit One
Unit Title & Related
Quotes
A Pivotal Moment
(5 ½ Weeks)
“ I myself, after existing some twenty years, did not become
alive until I discovered my invisibility.” - Ralph Ellison,
Invisible Man
Focus Text
Summer Novels: ​Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, ​Never Let
Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, ​The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
Socio-Cultural Context/
Social Commentary
Invisible Man published in 1952; set in American South &
Harlem in the 1930s
Never Let Me Go published in 2005; set in England, late
1990s
The Namesake published in 2003; set in India, US & Europe,
1960s-2000
Essential Questions
1. How do moments in childhood and young adulthood
shape who are and who we will become?
2. What is the significance of a loss of innocence in
becoming an adult?
3. What are the defining characteristics of childhood,
adolescence, and adulthood?
Ancillary Texts
“Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid
“Greasy Lake” by T.C. Boyle
“A & P” by John Updike
Concepts
The format of the AP Exam, Analysis of a Prompt,
Bildungsroman, Theme (Meaning of the Work as a Whole),
Close Reading and Annotation
Writing Focus &
Workshops
Introductions, Thematic Statements
Personal Narrative: “A Pivotal Moment”
Compare & Contrast treatment of adolescence in “Greasy
Lake” & “A & P”; Mind Map for Summer Reading
Major Assignments
Summer: Literary Response Journals, ​How to Read
Literature Like a Professor Study Guide, Literary
Terminology Lexicon
Test Prep
2013 Open-Ended Prompt (pivotal moment); 2015 Poetry
Prompt (Walcott); 2015 Prose Prompt (Erdrich); Multiple
Choice Practice Exam (Released 2009)
Unit Two
Unit Title & Related
Quotes
A Mind Torn Asunder
(4 weeks)
“No body, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing
thing it is to have a man’s mind torn asunder by two projects of
equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction
at the same time.” -Laurence Sterne
Focus Text
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Socio-Cultural
Context/ Social
Commentary
Frankenstein, published 1818 (Gothic/British Romantic)
Essential Questions
1. How can struggling with an internal conflict ultimately
define who we are and who we will become?
2. How do one’s desires, obligations, and influences drive
one to act with passion or to remain passive? What are
the implications of each?
Ancillary Texts
Poetry:
Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Excerpts from ​Paradise Lost by John Milton
Excerpts from ​Divine Comedy: Inferno by Dante Alighieri
“Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats
“Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey” by William
Wordsworth
“Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Concepts
Frame story, author’s purpose, characterization, character foil,
theme, epic poetry, archetypal criticism
Writing Focus &
Workshops
Character Analysis, sentence variety and structure, thematic
statements
Major Assignments
Literary Response Journal for ​Frankenstein, ​Frankenstein
Intertextuality poster
Test Prep
1999 Open-Ended Prompt (Mind Torn Asunder), Prose Analysis
Critical Theory
Archetypal
Unit Three
Unit Title & Related
Quotes
Much Madness is Divinest Sense
(8 weeks)
Focus Text
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
Socio-Cultural
Context/ Social
Commentary
Essential Questions
Ancillary Texts
Hamlet, Published 1603/ Renaissance Period
A Streetcar Named Desire, Published 1947, Set in 1940s New
Orleans/ Modernism
1. What can we learn from tragedy?
2. Can insanity truly be defined? Is there an element of
“sense” within madness?
Literature Circle Books: ​Beloved by Toni Morrison, ​Gulliver’s
Travels by Jonathan Swift, or ​One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s
Nest by Ken Kesey
“Much Madness is Divinest Sense” by Emily Dickinson
“The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe
“My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning
“The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot
“The Lady of Shalott” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
The Lady of Shalott (painting) by J.W. Waterhouse
Ophelia (painting) by J.E. Millais
Concepts
Setting, Symbolism, Tone, Imagery, Characterization,
Tragedy, Tragic Hero, Irony, Ambiguity, Figurative Language,
Literary Time Period: Elizabethan Era England, feminist
criticism
Writing Focus &
Workshops
Theme Analysis, Symbol Analysis, style and voice,
Comparison/contrast for Hamlet & Prufrock or Ophelia &
Shalott
Major Assignments
Literary Response Journals for ​Hamlet and ​Streetcar,
Literature Circle Research Project
Test Prep
2001 Open-Ended Prompt (Much Madness), Poetry Analysis
Critical Theory
Feminist
Unit Four
Unit Title & Related
Quotes
Lies and Deceit
(4 weeks)
“God hath given you one face, and you make yourself
another.”
― ​William Shakespeare​, ​Hamlet
Focus Text
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Socio-Cultural
Context/ Social
Commentary
The Picture of Dorian Gray published 1890, Victorian Era
England
Essential Questions
1. What is worse: self-deception, or lying to others? Is
lying ever justified?
2. In what ways do people “sell their souls to the devil?”
What constitutes evil, and can it truly be defined?
Ancillary Texts
“Goblin Market” by Christina Rossetti
“The World is Too Much With Us” by William Wordsworth
Concepts
Point of view, narrator, Aestheticism, Literary Time Period:
Victorian, Marxist criticism, author’s style, ambiguity, diction
& tone analysis
Writing Focus &
Workshops
Literary Precis, Dissecting a prompt, sentence variety
Major Assignments
Literary Response Journal for ​The Picture of Dorian Gray;
Victorian Poetry Interpretation group project (Victorian Tea
Party)
Test Prep
2016 Open-Ended Prompt (Deceit), prose analysis
Critical Theory
Marxist Criticism
Unit Five
Unit Title & Related
Quotes
Thoughtful Laughter
(4 weeks)
“The true test of comedy is that it shall awaken thoughtful
laughter.” - George Meredith
“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as
laughter and good humor.” - Charles Dickens
Focus Text
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Socio-Cultural
Context/ Social
Commentary
Importance of Being Earnest first performed February 14,
1895/ Victorian Era
Essential Questions
1. What is the purpose of satire? How can it be used to
criticize aspects of society?
2. What is “thoughtful laughter”? How is it different
from other types of comedy?
Ancillary Texts
Victorian Poetry
Concepts
Satire, comedy, stock characters, Horatian vs. Juvenalian,
irony, social commentary, author’s purpose
Writing Focus &
Workshops
Scrapbook of style, syntax, word play
Major Assignments
Victorian Poetry Interpretation group project (Victorian Tea
Party)
Test Prep
1993 Open-Ended Prompt (Thoughtful Laughter), poetry
analysis
Critical Theory
New Historicism
Unit Six
Unit Title & Related
Quotes
Justice
(8 weeks)
“Deserves it! I daresay he does. Many that live deserve death.
And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do
not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the
very wise cannot see all ends.”
― ​J.R.R. Tolkien​, ​The Fellowship of the Ring
Focus Text
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Socio-Cultural
Context/ Social
Commentary
Essential Questions
Heart of Darkness published 1899 (Victorian/Modern) , set in
African Congo 1890 & London 1891
The Awakening published 1899 (American Realism)
1. What are the benefits and consequences of
challenging the social order?
2. Can literature serve as a vehicle for social change?
3. When and how should an individual take a stand
against an injustice?
Ancillary Texts
“The Women Do Not Travel: Gender, Difference, and Incommensurability in Conrad's Heart of Darkness” by Gabrielle McIntire
Concepts
Regionalism, Realism, motif, symbol, character foil, setting &
geography, imagery, social commentary, syntax
Writing Focus &
Workshops
Essay Norming, reverse outlining, group essay
Major Assignments
Symbolism of the River in HOD group project
Test Prep
2011 Open-Ended Prompt (justice), prose analysis
Critical Theory
Feminist, Psychoanalytic