English IV AP Syllabus: English Literature and Composition
AP ENGLISH IV - AP Literature and Composition (In Process, additions and changes will be made throughout the course)
Holmes 2015-2016 Syllabus
General Overview:
The AP Literature and Composition course is an intensive program; the course is designed to adequately prepare enrolled high school seniors for the AP Literature and Composition exam and the demands of college level courses in general. In addition to a heavy reading load—students will also be expected to accomplish extensive analytical, expository, and argumentative writing. In-class timed essays based on readings, observations, and experiences will be required. Out of class essays—requiring multiple drafts—are based on prompts, selections, and close readings from assigned texts, novels, poems, plays, and short stories, nonfiction, and informational text. During the life of the course, students will discover a balance of literary works form the Anglo-Saxon period (oft considered the Early Middle Ages) to contemporary times derived from anthologies of British, American, and World Literature. Historical background information along with exposure to art and music of the select periods will also be shared, appreciated, and analyzed. Time will be focused on drawing students into written and verbal discussions that demonstrate a sophisticated level of reading, analysis and argumentative prowess mirroring the sophistication and maturity of a college classroom. Through close reading and analysis, students will deepen their understanding of how the elements of language and symbolism create meaning, and just how the complexity of the work adds to the richness of all the potential meaning in works of literature. No discussion or reading will be completed without taking the social and historical implications of the work (in the time period for which it was written and the time period in which we live) into consideration. It is with a complete as possible perspective the AP English Literature and Composition student will study.
Class structure: Lecture, Socratic seminar, general discussion, independent reading, in- class timed writing (practice and tests), vocabulary, language skills, digital communication, presentation, AP Practice exams, peer editing, review and analysis of those writings as well as Released AP Exam essays, some in-class readings followed by writing or discussion activities.
Each student is required to maintain a well structured notebook (binder)—complete with all course material. Binders may be both physical and digital in nature as information will be provided and obtained both ways. Students will have a school Gmail account. Students should also have a Flash drive to backup information.
Discussion Board: Conversations with the teacher and peers will be held via a discussion board or blog either through Blackboard, Google, or other source. These discussions will be based off of current readings as well as current affairs or unfinished class discussions.
Peer editing is an important aspect of any writing venture; therefore, prior to formal papers being turned in to the instructor, evidence of peer review is required (peer edit forms for each paper available in the Peer Edit Folder). Individual conferencing with instructor will take place frequently (schedule posted on AP board).
Arts integration is an important aspect of learning about any historical period, genre, and is readily applied to individual growth and understanding. Therefore, creative projects will be assigned as a component of each section. Live performances—whenever possible—are included in this course.
Students will be expected to read and write at a college level; they should be able to form concise thesis, backed up by supportive points and genuinely engaging discussions which sustain a logical, analytical argument with the use of advanced vocabulary and extensive knowledge of literary terms and devices. Articulation of ideas will be developed through rhetorical devices and the elements of voice (diction, detail, tone, imagery, syntax).
Course Elements:
Reading: The list of in and out of class readings are attached to this syllabus. The list is not necessarily exhaustive nor the be all end all of what will or won’t be read, but it is a very good idea of what will be actively read and analyzed. Please know that there is a mandatory summer reading assignment as well.
Writing: Annotations, Dialectical Journals, Major Works Data Sheets, Free response, timed in-class essays, research, analysis, creative (prose and poetry)
Vocabulary: Vocabulary is taken from Sadlier-Oxford as well as from AP vocabulary lists, readings, and Latin and Greek Derivatives. Weekly writing and oral exercises involving current events and readings that have students utilize the week’s words in sentences that demonstrate use and meaning. This is a burgeoning list as we aim to build our individual lexicons, not simply memorize for tests.
Literature Terms and devices: Including but not limited to: The “general knowledge” terms and devices. Higher level terms and devices: The Elements of Voice, ad hominem, Reductio ad absurdum, polysyndenton, synecdoche, metonymy, etc.
Grammar and Conventions: review of important elements applied to effective writing: sentence by type and structure, comma rules, coordinating conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs, semicolon, appositive, etc.
Structure of the essay: General and specific rules for writing the essay: essay by form and type—expository, analytical, argumentative, and informal/personal—writing to explain, evaluate, and understand.
Effective use of: organization, transitions, diction, sentence structure, coherence, etc.
Exam Preparation: In many ways the entire course is in preparation for the AP exam, it’s just disguised as reading literature and writing about it! However, we will use various tools to prepare including released AP exams, Applied Practice workbooks, and other miscellaneous resources from AP Institute Instructors and the College Board.
Primary Texts:
Arp, Thomas R, and Greg Johnson. Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense.
Booth, Allison and Kelly J. Mays. The Norton Introduction to Literature. Third Edition
DiYanni, Robert. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama and the Essay. Third Edition. McGraw-Hill, Inc: New York. 1994.
Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ninth Edition. Pearson- Longman: New York. 2005.
Prentice Hall Literature: The British Tradition. Penguin Edition. Pearson-Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. 2007.
Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar: Communication in Action, Diamond Level. Handbook Edition. Pearson-Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. 2004.
Vogel, Richard Dr. Multiple-choice and Free Response Questions in Preparation for the AP English Literature and Composition Examination. Eighth Edition. D&S Marketing Systems, Inc. New York. 2012.
Units: (Summer Unit through Unit Nine) Terms: 1st quarter ends 10/22, 2nd quarter ends 1/15, 3rd quarter ends 3/24, 4th quarter ends 6/3
Each Unit will incorporate a mix of lessons designed to entice, excite, and encourage the individual student to expect the unexpected—produce documents related to the standards of an AP class, and prepare for the AP Exam and college level courses. The first unit is designed to provide an overview of the course as well as cover summer reading, review ideas and concepts taught in AP III, and prepare for college applications and scholarships. Subsequent units are designed in chronological order, and are genre and subject specific. Just like there is no truly defining year that separates one literary movement from another, the Units are fluid, in that they may overlap, or bleed into one another.
All of the units will have assessments based on the three weights that apply to this class: class work/homework—25%, Quizzes—30%, Tests/Projects—45%
While not all work will be recorded for a grade, the majority of it will be used to form a grade whether you are being assessed holistically, visually, or according to written standards and rubrics.
· Expect weekly quizzes on vocabulary, current reading quizzes will also occur
· Essays are based on AP type questions, whether the free response question is linked to poetry, prose, literature, analytical, expository, or argumentative.
· Essays may be timed or untimed and some will be selected to go through several drafts and peer edits
· There are benchmark assessments, and there will be a Midterm exam in January.
· All students will take the AP Exam in May
· Independent Novel project – after AP exam in May
· Tests on works read will consist of AP type Multiple choice questions and essay prompts
· Work assigned is due on the due date – late work is taken with points deducted. (see individual assignments for guidelines)
· “Minor” homework assignments are a zero if not complete for due date. (see individual assignments for guidelines)
· Full Practice test from Applied Practice workbooks and Released exams (minimum of 8)
· Discussion board posts, in-class Socratic seminar/lecture discussions
Students are expected to include all learned information in all written responses: Literature terms and devices—especially when included in the prompt of an essay assignment: all conventions reviewed, including sentence structure and type.
Summer Assignment: Read and respond to Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Throughout the course of the summer (10 weeks) students will receive emails featuring a reading guide and questions. Students must respond weekly to the questions posed in 300-500 word responses that include textual evidence. Students will also participate in the essay contest found at aynrand.org. There will be two rough drafts, peer editing, teacher conferencing, and the final will be submitted online per guidelines found on the website.
*Discussions will be held during the 1st two weeks of classes
* Students will continue to refer to this as we move on to the next portion, How to Read Literature Like a Professor (purchased for the 1st week of classes.)
Unit 1: Welcome Back: – (≈ 8/24-9/21) Introduction and course overview, summer reading review, review of literary terms and concepts from AP III, Preparing for college, How to Read Literature Like a Professor
· Introduction to the course: Expectations, Course Syllabus, Information Sheets, Diagnostic tests
· The College Application and Essay: Common Application essays, scholarship essays, creating the curriculum vitae, and prepping for requesting letters of recommendation
· Grammar Review: Important elements essential to effective writing
· Literary Terms and Devices/Vocabulary – AP III lists and new vocabulary with Sadlier-Oxford program
· AP Rubrics—introduction and explanation
· Prepping for Poetry, Prose, and Literature (Applied Practice , The Norton Introduction to Literature, Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense) Reading and analysis
· How to explicate a poem: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/poetry-explications/
· Atlas Shrugged (Summer reading): discussion on reading and comparison to The Fountainhead, peer editing of essays, reflective responses to questions posed over the summer
· How to Read Literature Like a Professor: Students will read and annotate. Using select chapters, students will analyze Atlas Shrugged and other works previously read in APIII and outside of class. Reflective and analytical responses using textual evidence. (As the course progresses, students will be asked to use the concepts taught in HTRLLAP to analyze the works we read in AP IV).
· Poetry: “Fences” by Pat Mora, “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost
· Nonfiction: excerpt from “Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie
· Visual art (“The Minotaur” by George Frederic Watts) paired with “The House of Asterion” by Jorge Luis Borges, discussion on impressions, Greek and Roman mythology
· Listen to NPR (this is a continuing concept) – discussion of current affairs along with art and culture. Used also to discuss elements of voice.
Unit 2: The Anglo-Saxons - (≈9/21 – 10/16) The epic Beowulf, elegiac poetry
· Historical and cultural background information (lecture and handouts)
· Poetry: “The Seafarer,” “ The Wanderer,” and “The Wife’s Lament” Read and analyze for conventions of elegiac and heroic poetry
· Listen to readings of the works in Old English
· Epic: Beowulf: Christian and pagan elements, wergild, comitatus, cultural values
Excerpt from Grendel by John Gardner, 2007 Robert Zemekis film Beowulf for analysis of modern rendering, AP essay test (multiple prompts)
· Benchmark (≈ 5th week of school)
· Continued reading of How to Read Literature Like a Professor and practical applications
· Continued work with diction, imagery, tone…
· Vocabulary continues through all units
Unit 3: The Middle Ages – (≈ 10/16 -11/6) Corruption in the church and in government, ah how the times have changed?
· Historical and cultural background (student web search, discussion, and handouts)
· The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer – General Prologue, The Wife of Bath’s Tale and Prologue, The Pardoner’s Tale and Prologue, and an additional tale and prologue of students choice (independent readings with class review, discussion, and some fun with middle English)
· All work is analyzed, discussed, compared to preconceived notions of the pilgrims both historical and modern and personal point of view
· Students look up pilgrims and learn about what was the traditional role and compare to Chaucer’s description. Make predictions about why on quest, etc. Compare to previous readings and beliefs (bring up Scarlet Letter, Sinner’s in the Hands, etc. and modern televangelisim)
· Students create their own Canterburyesque pilgrim along with a prologue and tale for their character
· Discussion of Arthurian romances and read either Morte d’ Arthur or Gawain and the Green Knight
· Bisclavret – Marie d’ France
· Discussions on archetypes and of course use of HTRLLAP.
· Continued work with diction, imagery, tone…
· Vocabulary continues through all units
· Poetry Out Loud! Introduction and poem selections. Classroom competition in November prior to Thanksgiving
Unit 4: The Renaissance – (≈11/6- 11/24) 1500-1670 “To be or not to be…”
· Historical and cultural background information (lecture and handouts)
· Shakespearean and Petrarchan sonnets
· Critical essay(s) on Hamlet
· Read, act out, analyze, discuss
· AP essay and Multiple choice test
· Poetry Out Loud classroom competition. Winner goes on to compete at school competition in December.
Unit 5: The Romantic Period – (≈11/24-1/4/16) 1798-1870
· Historical and cultural background (student web search, discussion)
· This period begins with students reading and analyzing “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” over Thanksgiving break along with their web quest into the time period. (romanticism, Erasmus, Agrippa, Albertus Magnus…) essentially they look up the allusions made in the novel prior to reading
· Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – Dialectical journals, annotations
· Essential Questions:
How do we form and shape identities?
What is the relationship between love and trust or between love and loyalty?
How do our personal experiences shape our views of others?
What does it mean to be an insider or an outsider?
How do we know how to make good decisions?
How do the decisions and actions of characters reveal their personalities?
What is the relationship between decisions and consequences?
· Excerpt from Paradise Lost by Milton
· Excerpt from the Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
· “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Breaking Bad (television show connection) http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/08/01/ozymandias_poem_breaking_bad_trailer_raises_question_about_percy_shelley.html
· Poem: Wordsworth, “Tintern Abbey”
· Excellent source for vocabulary as we have already had many of the words in our program
· AP test is timed essay and multiple choice questions. The test is also used for part of the Midterm exam.
· The essay goes into a rewrite with peer editing.
Unit 6: Victorian Period and Aestheticism (≈1/4 – 3/4) 1837-1901
· Historical and cultural background (student web search, discussion, and handouts)
· During exam week students will read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and look up information for the time in which the novella was published and the aesthetic movement. Wilde was at the end of the Victorian period and Dickens at the beginning, so there is an overlap. Students will understand the cultural and political shifts during the period and of that of the preceding period.
*Faustian legend examples from the text are to be noted and analyzed. Students will annotate and respond to posed questions provided prior to reading.
· Excerpt from The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe and an excerpt from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's tragic play Faust and the concept of the Faustian bargain.
· Great Expectations by Charles Dickens – Dialectical Journal
· AP multiple choice and essay test(timed) on Great Expectations
· Reading quizzes on both Dorian and Pip
Unit 7: Awakenings: Feminist, Modernist and Existentialist (≈3/4 -4/4)
Each author and work will begin with historical and authorial background information.
· The Awakening by Kate Chopin - breakdown by chapters in HTRLLAP as well as discussion. AP multiple choice and essay test
· The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
· The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus (relate to original Greek Sisyphus) and the philosophy of the absurd
· Plato’s Allegory of the Cave - http://ed.ted.com/lessons/plato-s-allegory-of-the-cave-alex-gendler
Unit 8: Miscellaneous works and Exam practice and preparations (≈ 4/4-5/4)
· Practice exams from Applied Practice - there are four full practice exams. Students will complete some in class and some as take home assignments. Practice under time restrictions at home and in class.
· Prepping for Poetry, Prose, and Literature reviewed
· Voice Lessons reviewed
· Literary terminology reviewed
· Students will review exam tips, terminology, and they will practice scoring released essays that have been scored by AP readers.
· “The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket” by with questions from
· “The Lady and the Dog” by with questions from
· A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
· AP EXAM – May
Unit 9: Independent novel
· Will be assigned following AP exam and its project will be due prior to the end of classes for seniors.
· Work must come from the literary canon.
· Students will complete a project and presentation.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR MAJOR WORKS:
Frankenstein
Essential Questions:
Death of a Salesman
Essential Questions:
Essential Questions:
· What is the value of family and how do one’s interactions with his or her family shape him or her?
· What issues does this work raise about contemporary society particularly concerning its views and minorities and surviving injustices?
Hamlet
Essential Questions:
AP ENGLISH IV - AP Literature and Composition (In Process, additions and changes will be made throughout the course)
Holmes 2015-2016 Syllabus
General Overview:
The AP Literature and Composition course is an intensive program; the course is designed to adequately prepare enrolled high school seniors for the AP Literature and Composition exam and the demands of college level courses in general. In addition to a heavy reading load—students will also be expected to accomplish extensive analytical, expository, and argumentative writing. In-class timed essays based on readings, observations, and experiences will be required. Out of class essays—requiring multiple drafts—are based on prompts, selections, and close readings from assigned texts, novels, poems, plays, and short stories, nonfiction, and informational text. During the life of the course, students will discover a balance of literary works form the Anglo-Saxon period (oft considered the Early Middle Ages) to contemporary times derived from anthologies of British, American, and World Literature. Historical background information along with exposure to art and music of the select periods will also be shared, appreciated, and analyzed. Time will be focused on drawing students into written and verbal discussions that demonstrate a sophisticated level of reading, analysis and argumentative prowess mirroring the sophistication and maturity of a college classroom. Through close reading and analysis, students will deepen their understanding of how the elements of language and symbolism create meaning, and just how the complexity of the work adds to the richness of all the potential meaning in works of literature. No discussion or reading will be completed without taking the social and historical implications of the work (in the time period for which it was written and the time period in which we live) into consideration. It is with a complete as possible perspective the AP English Literature and Composition student will study.
Class structure: Lecture, Socratic seminar, general discussion, independent reading, in- class timed writing (practice and tests), vocabulary, language skills, digital communication, presentation, AP Practice exams, peer editing, review and analysis of those writings as well as Released AP Exam essays, some in-class readings followed by writing or discussion activities.
Each student is required to maintain a well structured notebook (binder)—complete with all course material. Binders may be both physical and digital in nature as information will be provided and obtained both ways. Students will have a school Gmail account. Students should also have a Flash drive to backup information.
Discussion Board: Conversations with the teacher and peers will be held via a discussion board or blog either through Blackboard, Google, or other source. These discussions will be based off of current readings as well as current affairs or unfinished class discussions.
Peer editing is an important aspect of any writing venture; therefore, prior to formal papers being turned in to the instructor, evidence of peer review is required (peer edit forms for each paper available in the Peer Edit Folder). Individual conferencing with instructor will take place frequently (schedule posted on AP board).
Arts integration is an important aspect of learning about any historical period, genre, and is readily applied to individual growth and understanding. Therefore, creative projects will be assigned as a component of each section. Live performances—whenever possible—are included in this course.
Students will be expected to read and write at a college level; they should be able to form concise thesis, backed up by supportive points and genuinely engaging discussions which sustain a logical, analytical argument with the use of advanced vocabulary and extensive knowledge of literary terms and devices. Articulation of ideas will be developed through rhetorical devices and the elements of voice (diction, detail, tone, imagery, syntax).
Course Elements:
Reading: The list of in and out of class readings are attached to this syllabus. The list is not necessarily exhaustive nor the be all end all of what will or won’t be read, but it is a very good idea of what will be actively read and analyzed. Please know that there is a mandatory summer reading assignment as well.
Writing: Annotations, Dialectical Journals, Major Works Data Sheets, Free response, timed in-class essays, research, analysis, creative (prose and poetry)
Vocabulary: Vocabulary is taken from Sadlier-Oxford as well as from AP vocabulary lists, readings, and Latin and Greek Derivatives. Weekly writing and oral exercises involving current events and readings that have students utilize the week’s words in sentences that demonstrate use and meaning. This is a burgeoning list as we aim to build our individual lexicons, not simply memorize for tests.
Literature Terms and devices: Including but not limited to: The “general knowledge” terms and devices. Higher level terms and devices: The Elements of Voice, ad hominem, Reductio ad absurdum, polysyndenton, synecdoche, metonymy, etc.
Grammar and Conventions: review of important elements applied to effective writing: sentence by type and structure, comma rules, coordinating conjunctions, conjunctive adverbs, semicolon, appositive, etc.
Structure of the essay: General and specific rules for writing the essay: essay by form and type—expository, analytical, argumentative, and informal/personal—writing to explain, evaluate, and understand.
Effective use of: organization, transitions, diction, sentence structure, coherence, etc.
Exam Preparation: In many ways the entire course is in preparation for the AP exam, it’s just disguised as reading literature and writing about it! However, we will use various tools to prepare including released AP exams, Applied Practice workbooks, and other miscellaneous resources from AP Institute Instructors and the College Board.
Primary Texts:
Arp, Thomas R, and Greg Johnson. Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense.
Booth, Allison and Kelly J. Mays. The Norton Introduction to Literature. Third Edition
DiYanni, Robert. Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, Drama and the Essay. Third Edition. McGraw-Hill, Inc: New York. 1994.
Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ninth Edition. Pearson- Longman: New York. 2005.
Prentice Hall Literature: The British Tradition. Penguin Edition. Pearson-Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. 2007.
Prentice Hall Writing and Grammar: Communication in Action, Diamond Level. Handbook Edition. Pearson-Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. 2004.
Vogel, Richard Dr. Multiple-choice and Free Response Questions in Preparation for the AP English Literature and Composition Examination. Eighth Edition. D&S Marketing Systems, Inc. New York. 2012.
Units: (Summer Unit through Unit Nine) Terms: 1st quarter ends 10/22, 2nd quarter ends 1/15, 3rd quarter ends 3/24, 4th quarter ends 6/3
Each Unit will incorporate a mix of lessons designed to entice, excite, and encourage the individual student to expect the unexpected—produce documents related to the standards of an AP class, and prepare for the AP Exam and college level courses. The first unit is designed to provide an overview of the course as well as cover summer reading, review ideas and concepts taught in AP III, and prepare for college applications and scholarships. Subsequent units are designed in chronological order, and are genre and subject specific. Just like there is no truly defining year that separates one literary movement from another, the Units are fluid, in that they may overlap, or bleed into one another.
All of the units will have assessments based on the three weights that apply to this class: class work/homework—25%, Quizzes—30%, Tests/Projects—45%
While not all work will be recorded for a grade, the majority of it will be used to form a grade whether you are being assessed holistically, visually, or according to written standards and rubrics.
· Expect weekly quizzes on vocabulary, current reading quizzes will also occur
· Essays are based on AP type questions, whether the free response question is linked to poetry, prose, literature, analytical, expository, or argumentative.
· Essays may be timed or untimed and some will be selected to go through several drafts and peer edits
· There are benchmark assessments, and there will be a Midterm exam in January.
· All students will take the AP Exam in May
· Independent Novel project – after AP exam in May
· Tests on works read will consist of AP type Multiple choice questions and essay prompts
· Work assigned is due on the due date – late work is taken with points deducted. (see individual assignments for guidelines)
· “Minor” homework assignments are a zero if not complete for due date. (see individual assignments for guidelines)
· Full Practice test from Applied Practice workbooks and Released exams (minimum of 8)
· Discussion board posts, in-class Socratic seminar/lecture discussions
Students are expected to include all learned information in all written responses: Literature terms and devices—especially when included in the prompt of an essay assignment: all conventions reviewed, including sentence structure and type.
Summer Assignment: Read and respond to Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Throughout the course of the summer (10 weeks) students will receive emails featuring a reading guide and questions. Students must respond weekly to the questions posed in 300-500 word responses that include textual evidence. Students will also participate in the essay contest found at aynrand.org. There will be two rough drafts, peer editing, teacher conferencing, and the final will be submitted online per guidelines found on the website.
*Discussions will be held during the 1st two weeks of classes
* Students will continue to refer to this as we move on to the next portion, How to Read Literature Like a Professor (purchased for the 1st week of classes.)
Unit 1: Welcome Back: – (≈ 8/24-9/21) Introduction and course overview, summer reading review, review of literary terms and concepts from AP III, Preparing for college, How to Read Literature Like a Professor
· Introduction to the course: Expectations, Course Syllabus, Information Sheets, Diagnostic tests
· The College Application and Essay: Common Application essays, scholarship essays, creating the curriculum vitae, and prepping for requesting letters of recommendation
· Grammar Review: Important elements essential to effective writing
· Literary Terms and Devices/Vocabulary – AP III lists and new vocabulary with Sadlier-Oxford program
· AP Rubrics—introduction and explanation
· Prepping for Poetry, Prose, and Literature (Applied Practice , The Norton Introduction to Literature, Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense) Reading and analysis
· How to explicate a poem: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/poetry-explications/
· Atlas Shrugged (Summer reading): discussion on reading and comparison to The Fountainhead, peer editing of essays, reflective responses to questions posed over the summer
· How to Read Literature Like a Professor: Students will read and annotate. Using select chapters, students will analyze Atlas Shrugged and other works previously read in APIII and outside of class. Reflective and analytical responses using textual evidence. (As the course progresses, students will be asked to use the concepts taught in HTRLLAP to analyze the works we read in AP IV).
· Poetry: “Fences” by Pat Mora, “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost
· Nonfiction: excerpt from “Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie
· Visual art (“The Minotaur” by George Frederic Watts) paired with “The House of Asterion” by Jorge Luis Borges, discussion on impressions, Greek and Roman mythology
· Listen to NPR (this is a continuing concept) – discussion of current affairs along with art and culture. Used also to discuss elements of voice.
Unit 2: The Anglo-Saxons - (≈9/21 – 10/16) The epic Beowulf, elegiac poetry
· Historical and cultural background information (lecture and handouts)
· Poetry: “The Seafarer,” “ The Wanderer,” and “The Wife’s Lament” Read and analyze for conventions of elegiac and heroic poetry
· Listen to readings of the works in Old English
· Epic: Beowulf: Christian and pagan elements, wergild, comitatus, cultural values
Excerpt from Grendel by John Gardner, 2007 Robert Zemekis film Beowulf for analysis of modern rendering, AP essay test (multiple prompts)
· Benchmark (≈ 5th week of school)
· Continued reading of How to Read Literature Like a Professor and practical applications
· Continued work with diction, imagery, tone…
· Vocabulary continues through all units
Unit 3: The Middle Ages – (≈ 10/16 -11/6) Corruption in the church and in government, ah how the times have changed?
· Historical and cultural background (student web search, discussion, and handouts)
· The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer – General Prologue, The Wife of Bath’s Tale and Prologue, The Pardoner’s Tale and Prologue, and an additional tale and prologue of students choice (independent readings with class review, discussion, and some fun with middle English)
· All work is analyzed, discussed, compared to preconceived notions of the pilgrims both historical and modern and personal point of view
· Students look up pilgrims and learn about what was the traditional role and compare to Chaucer’s description. Make predictions about why on quest, etc. Compare to previous readings and beliefs (bring up Scarlet Letter, Sinner’s in the Hands, etc. and modern televangelisim)
· Students create their own Canterburyesque pilgrim along with a prologue and tale for their character
· Discussion of Arthurian romances and read either Morte d’ Arthur or Gawain and the Green Knight
· Bisclavret – Marie d’ France
· Discussions on archetypes and of course use of HTRLLAP.
· Continued work with diction, imagery, tone…
· Vocabulary continues through all units
· Poetry Out Loud! Introduction and poem selections. Classroom competition in November prior to Thanksgiving
Unit 4: The Renaissance – (≈11/6- 11/24) 1500-1670 “To be or not to be…”
· Historical and cultural background information (lecture and handouts)
· Shakespearean and Petrarchan sonnets
· Critical essay(s) on Hamlet
· Read, act out, analyze, discuss
· AP essay and Multiple choice test
· Poetry Out Loud classroom competition. Winner goes on to compete at school competition in December.
Unit 5: The Romantic Period – (≈11/24-1/4/16) 1798-1870
· Historical and cultural background (student web search, discussion)
· This period begins with students reading and analyzing “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” over Thanksgiving break along with their web quest into the time period. (romanticism, Erasmus, Agrippa, Albertus Magnus…) essentially they look up the allusions made in the novel prior to reading
· Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – Dialectical journals, annotations
· Essential Questions:
How do we form and shape identities?
What is the relationship between love and trust or between love and loyalty?
How do our personal experiences shape our views of others?
What does it mean to be an insider or an outsider?
How do we know how to make good decisions?
How do the decisions and actions of characters reveal their personalities?
What is the relationship between decisions and consequences?
· Excerpt from Paradise Lost by Milton
· Excerpt from the Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
· “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley
Breaking Bad (television show connection) http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2013/08/01/ozymandias_poem_breaking_bad_trailer_raises_question_about_percy_shelley.html
· Poem: Wordsworth, “Tintern Abbey”
· Excellent source for vocabulary as we have already had many of the words in our program
· AP test is timed essay and multiple choice questions. The test is also used for part of the Midterm exam.
· The essay goes into a rewrite with peer editing.
Unit 6: Victorian Period and Aestheticism (≈1/4 – 3/4) 1837-1901
· Historical and cultural background (student web search, discussion, and handouts)
· During exam week students will read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and look up information for the time in which the novella was published and the aesthetic movement. Wilde was at the end of the Victorian period and Dickens at the beginning, so there is an overlap. Students will understand the cultural and political shifts during the period and of that of the preceding period.
*Faustian legend examples from the text are to be noted and analyzed. Students will annotate and respond to posed questions provided prior to reading.
· Excerpt from The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe and an excerpt from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's tragic play Faust and the concept of the Faustian bargain.
· Great Expectations by Charles Dickens – Dialectical Journal
· AP multiple choice and essay test(timed) on Great Expectations
· Reading quizzes on both Dorian and Pip
Unit 7: Awakenings: Feminist, Modernist and Existentialist (≈3/4 -4/4)
Each author and work will begin with historical and authorial background information.
· The Awakening by Kate Chopin - breakdown by chapters in HTRLLAP as well as discussion. AP multiple choice and essay test
· The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
· The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus (relate to original Greek Sisyphus) and the philosophy of the absurd
· Plato’s Allegory of the Cave - http://ed.ted.com/lessons/plato-s-allegory-of-the-cave-alex-gendler
Unit 8: Miscellaneous works and Exam practice and preparations (≈ 4/4-5/4)
· Practice exams from Applied Practice - there are four full practice exams. Students will complete some in class and some as take home assignments. Practice under time restrictions at home and in class.
· Prepping for Poetry, Prose, and Literature reviewed
· Voice Lessons reviewed
· Literary terminology reviewed
· Students will review exam tips, terminology, and they will practice scoring released essays that have been scored by AP readers.
· “The Grasshopper and the Bell Cricket” by with questions from
· “The Lady and the Dog” by with questions from
· A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
· AP EXAM – May
Unit 9: Independent novel
· Will be assigned following AP exam and its project will be due prior to the end of classes for seniors.
· Work must come from the literary canon.
· Students will complete a project and presentation.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS FOR MAJOR WORKS:
Frankenstein
Essential Questions:
- How do we form and shape identities?
- What is the relationship between love and trust or between love and loyalty?
- How do our personal experiences shape our views of others?
- What does it mean to be an insider or an outsider?
- How do we know how to make good decisions?
- How do the decisions and actions of characters reveal their personalities?
- What is the relationship between decisions and consequences?
Death of a Salesman
Essential Questions:
- How do we form and shape our identities?
- How do we define who we are?
- What can you learn about yourself by studying the lives of others?
- Is humankind inherently good or evil?
- What is reality and how is it constructed?
- How can we ever truly be certain of our reality?
- What is the relationship between decisions and consequences?
- How can a person’s decisions and actions change his/her life?
- How do the decisions and actions of characters reveal their personalities?
- How do decisions, actions, and consequences vary depending on the different perspectives of the people involved?
- In a culture where we are bombarded with other people trying to define us, how do we make decisions foe ourselves?
- What tools can the individual use to judge the difference, or draw the line between, illusion and reality?
- What is the American Dream?
- In what ways does the American Dream mean different things for different Americans?
- Are independence and dependence separable or inseparable?
Essential Questions:
· What is the value of family and how do one’s interactions with his or her family shape him or her?
· What issues does this work raise about contemporary society particularly concerning its views and minorities and surviving injustices?
- How do the choices we make influence our own lives and the lives of our ancestral generations to follow?
- During times of adversity, how do people manage to survive, and why does survival occur in such varying levels of courage and dignity?
- What literary aspects in Fences make it both a particularly African American and universal work of art?
Hamlet
Essential Questions:
- How did Elizabethan society’s belief systems with regard to religion, science, and culture influence Shakespeare in the writing of Hamlet?
- Why is Hamlet considered one of the most complex characters in English literature?
- What is the purpose of the gravedigger scene
- How does language set the tone, develop the physical setting, introduce themes, and reveal aspects of characters?
- How does gender and class affect the characters and events of Hamlet?
- Is Hamlet truly insane or just pretending?
- Does Hamlet really see the ghost or is the ghost a manifestation of his guilt?