English 7/8 Honors (AP Preparatory)

Identity and Self-Exploration

Shakespearean & Contemporary Literature

Course Policies and Procedures

FALL/SPRING 2007Ms. Conn

Tutoring: By

Room 232

Course Overview:

The Honors/AP Preparatory English is a college-level course that follows the curricular requirements outlined in the College Board’s AP English Course Description. The course will provide you with intellectual challenges and workload consistent with those of an undergraduate English course. In this course, we will study drama, poems, short fiction, non-fiction, and novels that offer a panoramic perspective of the human experience. We will endeavor to answer the questions: How does literature teach us about ourselves? How are the struggles of humankind reflected in the universal themes of literature? What role does the understanding of these themes play in the present and future development of humanity? How does our writing, here and now, contribute to the collective “history” of humankind?

The demands of this course will be rigorous, but with substantial intellectual reward and accomplishment. There will be a significant amount of reading followed by a significant amount of discussion and written interpretation. It is imperative that you bring a love and dedication to reading and understanding with you on this journey. The proposed literary selections will serve as a guide, but may be subject to change within the scope of each unit theme.

In this course, we will use writing in three capacities: to understand, to explain, and to evaluate. Your papers will be examined based on four standards of writing effectiveness: content/support, organization/clarity, style and mechanics. Through workshops and the revision process, emphasis for writing will predominantly focus on the process, thus fostering maximum individual growth. You will compose critical, creative, informal and formal AP-based writing. The critical writings are based on close textual analysis of structure, style (language, imagery, symbolism, tone) and social/historical values. Critical writing asks that you evaluate the effectiveness of a literary piece, but to be an effective evaluator, one must understand and explain. Creative writing will also be a component of this course and will be assessed based on knowledge and application of appropriate structures and styles within the assignment’s parameters. Informal writing will include responsive and text-based writing, free writing, annotation, and interpretive responses. The informal pieces will be assessed based on depth of analysis and less on structure. Formal writing will include textual analysis, research, and AP examination essay writing.

Throughout the course, we will utilize workshop and language mini-lessons to assist in our goal of developing stylistic maturity in writing and language usage. Vocabulary and language development will also be included in accordance with mastery-level objectives.

Course Objectives

In this course, you will:

  • Improve close reading and analytical strategies
  • Stretch imaginative abilities in reaction to literature
  • Improve your ability to find and explain (through discussion and writing) what is of value in literature
  • Develop an effective understanding and use of rhetoric strategies, including tone, voice, diction and sentence structure
  • Improve organization in writing to improve coherence and emphasis
  • Effectively explain and support arguments
  • Advance vocabulary skills and language appropriation

Our Readings

For each text, we will examine:

  • Our own experiences and interpretations of the text
  • Literary elements within each text (character, theme, setting, tone, etc.), both those that are universal and those that are specific to each genre
  • The author’s writing style, use of language, and strategies
  • The influences of culture, time period, the author’s background, and literary period on the text

Writing Evaluation

For your writing, you will be evaluated by the following:

  • Thesis development
  • Logical organization (especially transitions, introductions, and conclusions)
  • Development of ideas, which includes balancing generalizations with specific supportive detail and evaluating which examples and quotations best develop the thesis
  • Rhetorical strategies that can be used to persuade the reader (controlling tone, use of a consistent voice, emphasis created through parallelism and antithesis)
  • Vocabulary use and word choice
  • Variety in sentence structure
  • Writing conventions (grammar, punctuation, etc.)
  • Development of your writer’s voice, which includes diction and tone

First Semester: Relationships—Parent-Child and Romantic Relationships

The first semester will include the following: course expectations, resume writing, college essay writing—focus on voice, organization, fluency, word choice, conventions, and peer review, college application process, literary terminology, introduction to analyzing literature for college/AP exam, introduction to vocabulary study, the nature of writing assignments in AP literature, Shakespeare’s life and times research/presentation, Shakespearean plays and supplementary poetry and short stories.

Theme 1: Inferiority vs. Authority (Quarter 1—6 weeks)

Essential Questions: How do we reconcile the power struggle in the parent-child relationship? Which models of authority are trustworthy?

Major Text: Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Theme 2: Rebellion vs. Responsibility (Quarter 1—6 weeks)

Essential Questions: Why do we engage in rebellious acts? Why do we decide to take on responsibilities?

Major Text: Henry IV Part I by William Shakespeare

Theme 3: Restriction vs. Freedom (Quarter 3—6 weeks)

Essential Question: How do restrictions on gender, class, and setting influence relationships?

Major Text: As You Like It by William Shakespeare

Second Semester: Socio-political Influences on Identity Formation

The second semester will include the following: advanced application of literary terminology, complex analysis of literature for college/AP exam, vocabulary/language skills study, composition and evaluation of writing assignments in AP literature, and study of contemporary, multi-cultural literature.

Theme 4: Old World vs. New World (Quarter 1—6 weeks)

Essential Question: How does identity develop in the face of conflicting societies and other external influences?

Major Texts: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

Theme 5: Finding a Purpose (Quarter 2—6 weeks)

Essential Questions: How do societal and environmental factors influence an individual’s purpose? What is the nature of a good life? What methods are employed to attain a good life?

Major Texts: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Reflections and Practice for the AP Exam (Quarter 3--6 weeks)

After the AP Exam, we will explore different types of texts, including film and other arts to supplement the course texts.

Grading:

Grades will be largely based on effort. You are encouraged to resubmit written work until the full potential for the piece is achieved. Similarly, your participation in class discussion and activities will form an important part of your grade. Late work, however, will be penalized (half credit given), so it is important to stay current with your assignments. Likewise, failure to complete a reading assignment in a timely manner will preclude your participation in class discussion/activities, thus negatively impacting your grade.

In-class writing, discussion, and activities—30%

Out-of-class writings and other assignments—40%

Examinations and quizzes—30%