Sioux Falls School District
AP English Literature and Composition
September 2011
Course Description:
This is a yearlong integrated course designed to improve student skills in language/composition, reading/literature, speaking and listening.
Course Guide:
1st semester
Ø For a complete listing of 1st semester activities, see attached syllabi.
Ø Significant Task: Literary criticism project
2nd semester
Ø For a complete listing of 2nd semester activities, see attached syllabi.
Ø Significant Task: Writing reflection project
AP English Literature and Composition meets all the National Common Core Standards as follows:
Reading Standards for Literature 6–12
RL 1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining
where the text leaves matters uncertain.
RL 2. Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their
development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build
on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of
the text.
RL 3. Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and
relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is
ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).
RL 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text,
including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific
word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or
language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare
as well as other authors.)
RL 5. Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of
a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a
comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as
well as its aesthetic impact.
RL 6. Analyze a case in which grasping point of view requires distinguishing what is
directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or
understatement).
RL 7. Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live
production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version
interprets the source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one
play by an American dramatist.)
RL 10. By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poems, at the high end of the grades 11–CCR text complexity band
independently and proficiently.
Reading Standards for Informational Text 6–12
RI 1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text
says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining
where the text leaves matters uncertain.
RI 2. Determine two or more central ideas of a text and analyze their development
over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another
to provide a complex analysis; provide an objective summary of the text.
RI 3. Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of events and explain how specific
individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the text.
RI 4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,
including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author
uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text
(e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).
RI 5. Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the structure an author uses in his or
her exposition or argument, including whether the structure makes points clear,
convincing, and engaging.
RI 6. Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text in which the rhetoric is
particularly effective, analyzing how style and content contribute to the power,
persuasiveness, or beauty of the text.
RI 7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different
media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to
address a question or solve a problem.
RI 10. By the end of grade 12, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end
of the grades 11–CCR text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Writing Standards 6–12
W 1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts,
using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
a. Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the
claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and
create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims,
reasons, and evidence.
b. Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the
most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and
limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge
level, concerns, values, and possible biases.
c. Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major
sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between
claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s)
and counterclaims.
d. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to
the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
e. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports
the argument presented.
W 4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization,
and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
W 5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most
significant for a specific purpose and audience.
W 6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update
individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback,
including new arguments or information.
W 10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and
revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of
tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Speaking and Listening Standards 6–12
SL 1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (oneon-
one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics,
texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and
persuasively.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read and researched material under
study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence from texts
and other research on the topic or issue to stimulate a thoughtful, wellreasoned
exchange of ideas.
b. Work with peers to promote civil, democratic discussions and decisionmaking,
set clear goals and deadlines, and establish individual roles as
needed.
c. Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe
reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a
topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote
divergent and creative perspectives.
d. Respond thoughtfully to diverse perspectives; synthesize comments, claims,
and evidence made on all sides of an issue; resolve contradictions when
possible; and determine what additional information or research is required
to deepen the investigation or complete the task.
SL 2. Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and
media (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions
and solve problems, evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and
noting any discrepancies among the data.
Language Standards 6–12
L 1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and
usage when writing or speaking.
a. Apply the understanding that usage is a matter of convention, can change
over time, and is sometimes contested.
b. Resolve issues of complex or contested usage, consulting references (e.g.,
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of English Usage, Garner’s Modern American
Usage) as needed.
L 2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing.
a. Observe hyphenation conventions.
b. Spell correctly.
L 3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in
different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to
comprehend more fully when reading or listening.
a. Vary syntax for effect, consulting references (e.g., Tufte’s Artful Sentences)
for guidance as needed; apply an understanding of syntax to the study of
complex texts when reading.
AP English Literature & Composition
the unexamined life is not worth living – Socrates
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to improve the ability of participants to write critically, to read critically, and to think critically. Repeatedly, students who take this course will be asked why: Why does the poet incorporate imagery in certain stanzas and not in others? Why does the author of the novel tell the story from a first-person point of view? Why does the student choose to arrange her essay in the way she does? Students who take this course will be asked other questions as well: What is the author suggesting in her novel about the value of loyalty and friendship? When it is appropriate to use one’s own experiences to support one’s arguments in a paper? Where in the play does the playwright seem to draw on his own life?
Through literature and composition we gain a better understanding of the world in which we live. Each is a powerful medium. In fact, there is perhaps none more potent. Reaping the benefits of literature and composition, however, takes some doing. It is not enough for students in this course to be curious. They also must be willing to work. So let’s talk about that.
Reading Assignments
In this course students read an array of works: novels; non-fiction works; plays; poetry. Some of the works are old. Some are new. Some of the works are relatively easy to grasp. Some are extremely dense and inscrutable. Some of the works will be assigned. Some of the works will be, to a degree, of one’s own choosing. Frequently, students will be reading two novels at once – an in-class novel and an independently read novel. Since critical reading and critical thinking are two of the over-arching goals of this course, what students read in this course will lend themselves to those endeavors. Steamy romance novels, murder mysteries, and pulp fiction – while entertaining and, in the eyes of some, worthy of study – are nowhere to be found on the reading list of this course. Because of the sheer amount of it that occurs in this course, participants must enjoy reading. Their affinity need not border on zeal, but for students who find reading to be akin to school lunches, this course will be anathema.
Writing Assignments
Did I say students read a lot in this course. Well, they write just as much. In this course students write persuasive essays, expository essays, narrative essays, literary analysis essays, and other kinds of papers as well. While the genres of the papers are changeable, one characteristic constant among all of them is the need to be well-conceived and well-written. Students learn to be true to the writing process in this course. Writing is revised … and revised … and revised again prior to submission. Papers written the night before they are due, or the day before they are due, or sometimes even the week before they are due, are punished. Papers painstaking in their pursuit of polish are rewarded. Writing is evaluated in terms of the originality, the creativity, and the depth of its ideas. Do introductions capture reader interest? Are arguments sufficiently evidenced? Is the research in a paper credible and current? Writing also is evaluated in terms of its organization, its voice, its sentence fluency, its word choice, and its conventions. Writing is critiqued closely. Papers receive ample amounts of instructor feedback. Writing is like most skills: The more one practices it, the better one becomes. For whatever reason [they’ve written more, they’ve read more, their parents are more literate, they have a natural talent if such a thing exists], some students are more skilled than others at writing, at expressing themselves thoroughly and coherently. By working hard, a less-skilled writer can close that gap until the time comes when his or her skills are equal to those of the more-skilled writer. It’s not a question of ability. It’s a question of effort. If this course has a mantra, that is it.
Students should note there is no opportunity for traditional forms of creative writing in this course. No fiction. No poetry. There are periodic group projects that lend themselves to creative thought in film and other medias. In addition, in preparation for the Advanced Placement Literature & Composition exam, some timed writing occurs now and then during this course.
Finally, grammar instruction in this course occurs in the context of composition. Explicit grammar instruction is the providence of other courses at this high school. This course does feature, however, explicit vocabulary instruction. Students are given 60 words a month to learn and then are tested. One important caveat: Following the first vocabulary exam, each subsequent exam includes that month’s 60 words as well as the previous month’s – or months’ – words. The fifth vocabulary exam, for instance, features a possibility of 300 words. Yes, these exams can be bearcats.
Required Texts
Here is a partial list of novels, plays, and anthologized materials for this course:
· Hamlet [William Shakespeare]
· The Kite Runner [Khaled Hosseini]
· The Things They Carried [Tim O’Brien]
· The Oedipus Plays of Sophocles
· The Glass Menagerie [Tennessee Williams]
· King Lear [William Shakespeare]
· Siddhartha [Hermann Hesse]
· A Doll’s House [Henrik Ibsen]
· Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry
· Story and Structure
· Heart of Darkness [Joseph Conrad]
· 1984 [George Orwell]
· Long Day’s Journey into Night [Eugene O’Neill]
Semester One
Weeks One, Two, Three & Four: The Short Story
Story and Structure and assorted readings
The big picture: The elements of literature – plot, setting, character, theme, and others – discussed collectively and broadly. Writing Assignment: Choose two of the short stories read during this unit and compare them thematically, stylistically and rhetorically.