Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition Syllabus

Course Overview / This Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition course is taught on a ninety-minute block schedule over an eighteen-week period and satisfies the English 12 requirement. It is designed to be a college-level class and characterized by the rigor of a college literature and composition class. The course will simultaneously prepare students for the AP English Literature and Composition Exam, which is given in May.
Students will engage in close reading of literary works from a range of genres including the novel, short story, poetry, and drama. Students will be expected to have reading assignments and accompanying writing assignments completed on time and be prepared for and actively participate in whole-class and small group discussions based on reading assignments.
The writing component of this course will focus primarily on critical writing about the literature. Students are expected to use their active reading skills to develop analytical essays that establish connections, exhibit effective use of supportive evidence form text(s), and build strong arguments.
In preparation for the AP Literature and Composition Exam, students will complete in-class practice free response questions as well as practice multiple choice exam questions throughout the course of the semester. Students will also be given the opportunity to take a full-length practice exam.
Elements of the Course / Summer reading assignment: Students will be assigned two novels as summer reading assignments and will be required to keep a reading journal for each novel. Reading journal responses will focus on open-ended questions, character analysis, reflections on direct quotes from the text, setting, and theme. During the first days and weeks of class, a practice multiple choice exam will be given on each novel .
Fall reading assignment: Students will be assigned one novel to read during the fall semester. There will be no literary journal assignment to accompany this book; however, during the first days of class, a synthesis essay will be assigned which will incorporate the two summer reading books and the fall reading book.
Periodic quizzes on literature readings: Students will be quizzed periodically to check for completion and understanding of assigned readings.
Reading Journals: Students will analyze their reading through the use of a reading journal. Entries in this journal should show that students have actively grappled with the text. Such interaction with the literary works will help students synthesize rather than summarize the text, prepare them for active participation in discussions and written assignments based on the readings, as well as quizzes and exams based on the readings.
Weekly vocabulary lessons and quizzes: Vocabulary lessons will focus on general vocabulary building as well as mastering literary terminology. Students will keep a vocabulary journal that consists of vocabulary assigned by the instructor as well as unknown words they encounter in their reading.
Literature seminars: Selected literary works will be examined throughout the semester in a seminar format. Seminars will involve close textual analysis to enhance comprehension and build listening and speaking skills.
Book reports: Approximately every four weeks, students will choose a book to read independently and prepare a presentation to be made to the class. A list of approved books will be provided by the instructor. Prior to the presentations, students will participate in workshops with the instructor and with small groups to ensure the focus of the presentation is on critical evaluation of the book as opposed to mere plot summary.
Writing Assignments: Students will have some creative writing opportunities, but the main focus will be on critical writing. Students will write several critical papers, both in class and out of class, exhibiting close reading of novels, poetry, and drama. Selected assignments will involve peer editing sessions and conferencing with the instructor throughout the development of several drafts. Editing sessions will primarily focus on developing vocabulary, using rhetoric effectively, varying sentence structures, using logical organization, and balancing generalization and specific.
Writing portfolio: Students will compile a writing portfolio of their writing throughout the course.
Grammar instruction: Grammar lessons will be taught as problems arise.
In-class practice free response questions: Students will complete in-class, timed written response questions specific to works of literature being studied in class. Students will workshop with peers and instructor and resubmit.
Practice multiple choice exam questions: Students will complete practice multiple choice exam questions specific to works of literature being studied in class.
Requires texts / Preliminary list of novels, drama, and anthologized material:
  • The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
  • A Lesson Before Dying, Ernest J. Gaines
  • Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
  • The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
  • Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neal Hurston
  • Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller
  • The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien
  • The Tragedy of Macbeth, William Shakespeare
  • Frankenstein, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly
  • Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
  • Night, Elie Wiesel
  • Short fiction, poetry, and essays—as selected
  • Literature and Composition: Reading, Writing, Thinking, Carol Jago, Renee H. Shea, Lawrence Scanlon, and Robin Dissin Aufses; Copyright 2011 by Bedford/St. Martins

Student Evaluation / Students will be evaluated in a number of ways, including but not limited to:
  • Quizzes and tests on assigned readings
  • Reading journals
  • Weekly vocabulary lessons and quizzes
  • Participation in class and group discussions and conferences with instructor
  • Book reports
  • Oral presentations
  • Projects
  • Writing assignments
Letter grades will be assigned according to the following scale:
93-100% = A
85-92% = B
76-84% = C
65-74% = D
<65% = F
Course Schedule
Week 1 / Introduction to the Course/Getting Acquainted and Comfortable/Summer Reading Discussions/Thinking About Literature (Chapter One)
  • Students will write biographical poems about themselves.
  • Students will write an informal comparison/contrast essay about themselves.
  • Discussions of summer and fall reading assignments
  • “Why Study Literature?”
  • “What Makes an Effective Reader?”
  • Approaching Literature

Weeks 2-3 / Close Reading: Analyzing Poetry and Passages of Fiction (Chapter Two and Summer Reading)
  • Anthologized fiction, poetry, visual texts, and conversations
  • The Elements of Style
  • Writing a Close Analysis Essay
  • Working with Multiple Texts: The Comparison and Contrast Essay—Analyzing common themes in summer reading assignments
  • Of Mice and Men,The Kite Runner, and In Cold Blood
  • Reading Journal
  • Practice multiple choice exam questions

Week 4 / The Big Picture: Analyzing Fiction and Drama (Chapter Three)
  • Anthologized fiction, poetry, drama, visual texts, and conversations
  • Elements of Fiction
  • Special Considerations for Analyzing Drama
  • From Analysis to Essay: Writing an Interpretive Essay—Symbolism in Trifles

Week 5 / Entering the Conversation (Chapter Four)
  • Conversation (Anthologized fiction, poetry, photography, and nonfiction essays)
  • Writing an Essay Using Multiple Texts: In “The New Colossus,” Emma Lazarus welcomes those seeking freedom and opportunity to come through “the golden door” of America. Has the United States lived up to this promise? Discuss by referring to a minimum of four texts, including anthologized material and summer reading books.
  • Anthologized material

Weeks 6-7 / Home and Family (Chapter Five)
  • Anthologized fiction, poetry, and visual texts
  • Conversation
  • The Writer’s Craft—Close Reading: Connotation
  • Death of a Salesman
  • Reading Journal
  • Writing Assignment: Analyze the impact of Miller’s use of music, set descriptions, and stylized dialogue on the tone and theme of the play.
  • In-class, timed free response practice question
  • Practice multiple choice exam questions

Weeks 8-9 / Love and Relationships (Chapter Seven)
  • Anthologized fiction, poetry, and visual tests
  • Conversation
  • Student Writing: Analyzing Irony in Narrative Fiction
  • The Writer’s Craft—Close Reading: Irony
  • Tess of the D’Urbervilles
  • Their Eyes Were Watching God
  • Reading Journals
  • Writing Assignment Topic Choices: Analyze how Zora Neale Hurston’s use of irony in Their Eyes Were Watching God lends meaning to the narrative OR Analyze how Thomas Hardy uses dramatic irony to create suspense in Tess of the D’Urbervilles.
  • In-class, timed free response practice question
  • Practice multiple choice exam questions

Weeks 10-11 / War and Peace (Chapter Eleven)
  • Anthologized fiction, poetry, visual texts, and conversation
  • The Writer’s Craft—Close Reading: Imagery
  • The Things They Carried
  • Night
  • Reading Journals
  • Writing Assignment: Writing an interpretative essay— Analyze the Social, Cultural, and Historical Value in The Things They Carried and Night
  • In-class, timed free response practice questions
  • Practice multiple choice exam questions

Weeks 12-13 / Tradition and Progress (Chapter Ten)
  • Anthologized fiction, poetry, visual texts, and conversation
  • Student Writing—Close Reading: Working with Sources
  • The Writer’s Craft—Close Reading: Syntax
  • A Lesson Before Dying
  • Reading Journal
  • Writing Assignment: Analyze the effect of the use of the first person narrator in A Lesson Before Dying, both by Gainer and by Jefferson.
  • In-class, timed free response practice question
  • Practice multiple choice exam questions

Weeks 14-15 / Identity and Culture (Chapter Six)
  • Anthologized fiction, poetry, visual texts, and conversation
  • Student Writing—Close Reading Fiction
  • The Writer’s Craft—Close Reading: Specialized, Archaic, and Unfamiliar Diction
  • Frankenstein
  • Reading Journal
  • Writing Assignment: Analyze how Mary Shelley’s use of language portrays the transformation of Victor Frankenstein’s character throughout the novel.
  • In-class, timed free response practice question
  • Practice multiple choice exam questions

Weeks 16-18 / Conformity and Rebellion (Chapter Eight)
  • Anthologized fiction, poetry, visual texts, and conversation
  • Student Writing-- Close Reading Drama
  • The Writer’s Craft—Close Reading: Tone
  • The Tragedy of Macbeth
  • Reading Journal
  • Writing Assignment: Analyze Shakespeare’s use of comic relief in The Tragedy of Macbeth.
  • In-class, timed free response practice question
  • Practice multiple choice exam questions