UCONN ECE English 1011: Seminar in Writing through Literature
Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition
2013-2014
Instructor: Kelly Price
Room: 1223
Contact: pricek@granbyschools.org
Writing Conference Times: Period 5 (Learning Center) & Period 6
COURSE OVERVIEW
UCONN ECE English 1011: Seminar in Writing through Literature/Advanced Placement
(AP) English Literature and Composition is a full-year elective course for seniors. All
literary forms will be represented spanning the periods from classical to modern times.
Writing will include writing to learn strategies such as writing several drafts based on
peer and teacher review, timed writings, active reading notes, discussion/lecture notes,
focused free writes, and partner notes and thoughts on designated literature.
The framework for the literature explored in this course revolves around life's journey
and the degree to which people self-actualize and/or reach a state of enlightenment.
Life's journey is viewed from the perspective of a range of periods and traditions.
Additionally, this framework not only allows students to reference works already
studied in the course as they engage a new piece but also to reference literature they
have read in other English courses or even on their own.
The formal writing revolves around interpretation and critical reading of texts set forth
in a cogent written analysis to support a position. Paper topics cover a range of options
some of which include an analysis of a writer's purpose in relation to audience, an
analysis of structure, style, and craft as a means of supporting theme, an exploration of
the evolution of the protagonist, the role of minor characters, etc.
Prerequisites
B+ or better in honors level required English 10/11 and the recommendation of the
English Department chairperson, teacher, administrator, and/or counselor. Students
must have successfully completed the summer reading/writing assignments to enroll in
this class. Students are encouraged to take the AP exam in May.
ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Class attendance is essential. See GMHS Attendance Policy. As well, please review
GMHS Academic Integrity Policy. Nota bene the penalties for plagiarism, which can
include assignment and course failure, a letter of censure sent to colleges, retraction of
recommendations, removal from honor societies, sports clubs and teams.
GRADING INFORMATION
Quarter 1 –
40%: Formal Writing
20%: Informal Writing
10%: Vocabulary
10%: Terminology
10%: Active and Insightful class participation
10%: Summer Assignment
Formal Writing: All essays that analyze, evaluate, interpret, and/or argue; essays that
imitate style; essays that reflect research and careful source selection strategies using
materials from beyond the classroom texts, and attention to proper citation styles;
essays that employ successful research strategies to support a complex argument
through synthesis of sources; AP-style essay simulations, and in-class essays. Your
formal writing grade will be assigned based on your success with the writing process as
evidenced in the final essay. You should keep all formal writing in a folder.
Informal Writing: Because composition is a means of enhancing comprehension of the
literature and also a means of learning to write a cohesive, unified, focused, and
mechanically correct document, students will write/rewrite drafts according to their
need as reflected in teacher and peer feedback and teacher and peer conferences. The
drafts are formative assessments; therefore, you will not be graded but you will lose
points if you do not complete assigned drafts. All first drafts, peer reviews, reflective
writing, and in-class drafting. Informal writing may also include passage-based
responses, responses to questions, and summaries. In-class notes and comprehension
checks will be included in this category.
Vocabulary: Vocabulary enrichment is an integral part of your academic growth as a
reader, writer, and communicator. You will select 40 high level words from your
reading; word lists are due every third Friday, starting on September 20th. Use the
following format:
1. Word – (part of speech) – definition as used by the writer. “passage in
which word is used” (writer’s last name title of work page).
Terminology: Literary discourse requires a deep understanding of high level
terminology that you can expect to identify, explain, interpret, analyze and evaluate.
Assessments will vary in this category.
Quarter 2 & Quarter 3 –
40%: Formal Writing
20%: Informal Writing
10%: Vocabulary
10%: Terminology
10%: AP Practice
10%: Active and Insightful class participation
Quarter 4 –
40%: Formal Writing
20%: Informal Writing
30% Final Project
10%: Active & Insightful class participation
TEXTS*
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (your summer reading selection)
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Daisy Miller by Henry James
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
Fences by August Wilson
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Literature and Composition edited by Renee H. Shea, Lawrence Scanlon, Robin Dissin
Aufses. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s. 2010.
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Hamlet by Shakespeare
*I reserve the right to vary, add, and/or delete materials based on class needs
Other Course Materials:
 Multiple Choice and Free Response Questions in Preparation for AP Literature
and Composition Examination. D&S Marketing Systems.
 Selected short stories
 Turnitin.com
 Noodletools.com
 Google Apps for Education
 Assigned websites and on-line readings and responses including blogs, wikis, and
research sites
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
-- Literary elements work together to create theme.
-- Literature reflects the values, voice, beliefs, and culture of the author.
-- Good literature reflects universal truths that transcend time and place; challenges
readers to examine their beliefs and learn vicariously from the problems faced by
characters in fiction and non-fiction; explores an idea that is innovative and/or
intriguing.
-- Good literature is well-crafted because it effectively employs literary devices.
-- Each genre has conventions specific to it as well as those that are shared with other
literary forms.
-- Readers construct meaning through connecting the text to personal experience,
other texts, and non-print media.
-- How one approaches interpretation of the literature is predicated on the critical lens
through which it is viewed.
-- Interpretation of literature may be colored by the lens through which it is viewed.
-- The reader's purpose in engaging a text may direct how he/she reads it and what
conclusions he/she reaches about the reading.
-- Organization, stylistic devices, syntax and diction support interpretation of text.
-- Grammar, usage, mechanics support interpretation of text.
-- Appropriate test-taking strategies support the successful completion of exams to
demonstrate the degree to which a reader applies the question to show his/her
understanding of the literature.
Essential Questions
As readers:
-- To what extent does craft illuminate what the authors want the reader to know about
characters, situation, setting and plot?
-- To what extent does craft reveal tone and mood?
-- To what extent do character, situation, conflict, plot, and setting create theme?
-- To what extent does point of view impact perspective and interpretation of the
selection?
-- What constitutes a "pivotal moment" in a work and how does it function within a
selection?
--To what extent does what the reader knows and believes support comprehension?
--To what extent does the reader's purpose direct the reading of the selection?
As writers:
-- To what extent does the student's comfort with concepts lead to construction of a
focused, provable, valid thesis statement?
-- How should the student writer choose and limit data from a text to support the
argument/position that the thesis statement suggests?
-- What constitutes a valid, logical argument?
-- To what extent do grammar, usage, mechanics, organization, and style support the
position proposed in the paper?
As members of a learning community:
-- To what extent does sharing/discussion provide a variety of interpretations?
-- To what extent does a variety of interpretations enhance understanding of the
literature?
-- What constitutes a supportive, open-minded community?
-- How do individual members contribute to the community while not dominating and
supporting those who are reluctant to share?
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Students will:
-- define and recognize point of view and its role in establishing character, tone, and
theme;
-- distinguish between the reliable and the unreliable narrator as a means of extending
comprehension;
-- define and recognize types of irony and explore how these are used to portray tone,
purpose, theme, and/or character (in those selections that contain irony);
define and recognize satire and demonstrate how use of satire establishes a criticism of
people and or society (in those selections that are satires or contain elements of satire);
explore the use of satire as a means of establishing themes (in those selections that are
satires or contain elements of satire);
-- recognize the means by which the author creates character and explore the use of
characterization as a means of supporting theme;
-- define and recognize the use of foil as a means of emphasizing a character's traits by
means of contrast(in those selections that contain characters who operate as foils);
-- recognize use of characters that function to reflect elements of the protagonist's
personality, traits, thinking, and behaviors (in those selections that utilize characters as
alter egos);
-- define and recognize paradox as a means of extending meaning in a text (in those
selections that utilize paradox);
-- recognize archetypal elements in the literature as a means of exploring story or plot
types, character types, and themes;
-- identify conflicts and explore how they direct plot, define character, and support
theme;
-- recognize or utilize footnotes where available to note allusions and how these extend
comprehension of a text;
-- define and recognize allegory as a means of moving the literature beyond the simple
story to an exploration the human condition and abstract ideas related to human
enterprises and institutions (in those selections that are allegorical or contain elements
of allegory);
-- identify symbols and explore the use of symbols to concretize and extend ideas
presented in the literature;
-- define and identify elements of literature and explore how they work together to
support theme;
-- recognize the mechanics of various plot structures and determine how plot structure
supports reader engagement and meaning of the work;
-- note words that signal a shift e.g. "yet," "however," "but," etc.;
-- note words and sentence structure that indicates cause and effect;
-- note sentence structure as a means of indicating relationships and relative
importance of information or details presented;
-- determine where juxtaposition is a factor in extending meaning or tone;
extend both reading and writing vocabulary;
-- recognize how syntax supports meaning and may impact tone;
-- recognize words in which connotation and/or double entendre extend the meaning
of text;
-- recognize tension in a selection, how it's created, and its function in the literature,
and its impact on the reader;
know and recognize figurative language in the literature and explore how it functions in
the selection and how it enhances comprehension and reader engagement;
-- create operational definitions of abstract ideas that provide the framework for
comprehension and a written position that addresses abstractions in relation to a
selection;
-- read beyond the literal so that through inference, the drawing of conclusions, and
evaluation, comprehension is brought to an advanced level that supports and reflects
critical thinking;
-- distinguish among details as a means of identifying "pivotal moments";
-- interpret "pivotal moments" in light of their significance in a selection;
structure composition so that writing reflects a critical apprehension of the literature;
--know and apply grammar, usage, mechanics, and elements of style to composition as
a means of ensuring a cogent, focused, and unified essay to support an argument
appropriate to the literature;
-- create a thesis statement that reflects what the question is asking;
-- enter a question through induction or deduction but know that the resulting essay,
because it must reflect the question asked, will look the same no matter how the
question is processed in relation to the literature;
-- select an organizational format that best supports the presentation of a written
argument/analysis;
-- apply transitions as a means of developing points in an argument/analysis;
-- know how to utilize feedback as a means of advancing writing through a series of
drafts;
-- apply those skills integral to reading a position pertaining to some aspect of the
literature so that the tone, logic of argument, and applicability to the text is assessed;
-- discriminate among details in an argument as a means of pulling out those that
pertain to what the student must know to extend comprehension of the piece and/or
support a position relative to a specific focus.
As readers, students will:
-- deliberately engage a text to activate his/her imagination as a means of entering the
world of the story/poem/play;
-- personally respond to the text to create meaning from it;
share personal responses with others as a means of expanding theories/possibilities
about what the text may mean;
-- consider the plausibility of a variety of meanings;
-- consider personal experience, exposure to other texts, and background knowledge as
factors in creating meaning;
-- move beyond a literal reading to one that requires making inferences, interpreting,
drawing conclusions, and evaluating text;
-- defend interpretations, conclusions, and evaluation of the literature based on textual
details, elements, and craft;
-- develop/enhance vocabulary through a personal list of words from the reading,
literary devices, and literary elements that they need to learn and apply.
As writers, students will:
-- engage in expressive and reader-based prose as a means of engaging in and
understanding text;
-- utilize writing as a means of supporting interpretation, conclusions, and evaluation
through revision of critical/analytical papers;
-- create a thesis statement that is integral to the text and is supportable;
-- choose supports appropriate to defending the thesis statement;
overtly explain how/why selected paper details and points work to support the thesis
statement;
-- choose an organizational pattern that supports a fluid, clear, and cogent argument;
-- demonstrate the understanding of essays about the literature through the writing of
precis or concise summary;
-- revise papers to enhance understanding of the literature and improve their own style
and content;
-- incorporate personalized feedback as a means of writing that demonstrates an
appropriate use of grammar, usage, and mechanics.
As members of the classroom community, students will:
-- peer conference and provide feedback on drafts;
-- share their thinking about the literature through discussion and shared writing;
-- consider new ideas and other viewpoints about the literature;
-- engage in a metacognitive conversation through which the teacher and students
share their thinking about the processes they used as a means of interpreting the
literature, taking notes, and addressing questions on essays and timed tests.