AP LITERATURE
Course Overview:
AP Literature is designed as an intensive examination of various genres of
literature as well as extensive writing practice. Frequent writing in many different modes
will develop student’s ability to reason and express that ability. The course will cover
literary elements and rhetoric, poetry, drama, short stories, and novels.
Central textbook used will be Perrine’s Structure, Sound, and Sense (Ninth Edition)
Central novels used will be Nine Stories-J.D. Salinger
Wuthering Heights-Emily Bronte
100 Years of Solitude-Gabriel Garcia Marquez
As I Lay Dying-William Faulkner
Heart of Darkness-Joseph Conrad
Brave New World-Aldous Huxley
Going After Cacciato-Tim O’Brien
Various student-chose novels for projects and required outside reading.
Students are required to earn 20 points of Accelerated Reader by choosing novels from
a list of books commonly used in AP exams.
In addition, students will select a novel from the list over 500 pages for an extensive
analysis of plot, structure, elements, and themes. Suggested books include: East of Eden,
Light In August, Exodus, Moby Dick, along with many others.
As AP Literature is a college-level course expectations for level of work and commitment
are high. No assignments will be accepted late. Students will be required to read and
write on a regular basis and should expect homework every night. Students are expected
and required to participate in in-class discussions to increase not only their understanding
of text but also that of their classmates.
All papers in AP Literature will be assessed using Mr. Moore’s holistic rubric (see
attached).
Students will have one week from the time a paper is returned to them to revise and
improve the paper.
GRADING: STUDENTS WILL BE ASSESSED IN A NUMBER OF METHODS.
FOCUS WILL BE ON WRITING AND AP STYLE TESTS.
EVALUATION SCALE:
A=90-100
B=80-89
C=70-79
D=60-69
F=59 AND BELOW
GENERAL ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS:
ALL ASSIGNMENTS DONE OUTSIDE OF CLASS MUST BE IN BLUE OR
BLACK PEN. PENCIL MAY ONLY BE USED ON IN CLASS WORK. UNDER
NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL ROUGH EDGES BE ACCEPTED.
Quarter One
** All items subject to change
Test Practice from AP Central website
Students will practice an in class version of a free response question as well as a multiple
choice practice section.
Introduction to literary elements using short stories from text as well as Nine Stories
-Tone, irony, characters, theme, plot, point of view, dialogue, setting
Short in class writings on each element
Element Quiz
Writing Project
-Literary element practice
Wuthering Heights circle discussion groups
Introduction to poetry
-Breaking down poems
-Elements applied to poetry
Students will write an in class and an out-of-class paper on application of figurative
language to a poem.
-Poetry test practice
Quarter Two
Introduction to drama
-Comedy v. Tragedy
-Hero archetypes
Oedipus Rex and Antigone
Writing project
Shakespearean Drama
Othello and Macbeth
-Othello test practice
Writing Project
Weekly element checks on student choice novel:
Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, Turn of the Screw, This Side of Paradise
The Importance of Being Earnest
-Comedic elements and film study
Dollhouse
Literary Criticisms
-Feminism, Marxism, New Criticism, Mythological
Writing Project
-Application of critical schools
100 Years of Solitude
-AP stem question practice
Cumulative Semester Exam
Quarter Three
** All items subject to change
Elements of poetry
-Various styles and genres
Students will have a writing quiz daily over the text reading (Perrine’s Sound, Structure,
and Sense) as well as interpretation of poetry. Questions will include poetic elements,
figurative language, as well as literary elements.
Major Project-Students will read a novel on the approved AP approved list over 500
pages and create a PowerPoint presentation addressing all of the major literary elements.
The project will be due in the spring before the AP exam. The project will consist of a
visual/oral assessment presented to class as well as a written assessment.
As I Lay Dying
Writing Project
T.S. Eliot
-Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
-Hollow Men
Heart of Darkness
-Film study of imagery with Apocalypse Now
Literary Element Review
-Various short stories
-Student lead discussions
Quarter Four
** All items subject to change
Utopias
Brave New World
Test Practice
-Examination of Question 1, 2, 3
Going After Cacciato
PowerPoint Projects Presented
AP Literature Exam
Film-Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Cumulative Semester Exam
MR. MOORE’S HOLISTIC RUBRIC
(0%)-TOTALLY OFF TOPIC, INAPPROPRIATE, OR DOES NOT MEET CLASS STANDARDS.
1 (50%)-OVERLY SIMPLISTIC IN RESPONSE OR A RESTATEMENT OF THE QUESTION.
FACTUAL ERRORS ARE NUMEROUS. DEVELOPMENT IS MINIMAL. ORGANIZATION LACKS
FOCUS AND IS HARD TO FOLLOW. WORD CHOICE IS BELOW GRADE LEVEL AND
CONTAINS MANY ERRORS IN SELECTION. SENTENCES CONTAIN NUMEROUS ERRORS IN
CONSTRUCTION AND FORM AND ARE REPETITIVE IN TYPE. SEVERE PROBLEMS IN
GRAMMAR, PUNCTUATION, AND USAGE.
2 (60%)- SIMPLISTIC IN RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION. FACTUAL ERRORS ARE FREQUENT.
DEVELOPMENT IS ATTEMPTED BUT IS NOT DETAILED OR ACCURATE. ORGANIZATION IS
ATTEMPTED BUT IT IS DIFFICULT TO FOLLOW. WORD CHOICE IS BELOW GRADE LEVEL
AND IS OFTEN NOT PRECISE. SENTENCES CONTAIN SIGNIFICANT ERRORS IN
CONSTRUCTION AND FORM AND ARE NOT VARIED IN TYPE. SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS IN
GRAMMAR, PUNCTUATION, AND USAGE.
3 (65%)-PORTRAYS MANY OF THE SAME QUALITIES AS THE 2 BUT CONTAINS MORE
INSIGHT, DEPTH, AND BETTER HANDLING OF LANGUAGE.
4 (70)-ADEQUATE RESPONSE TO THE QUESTION. FACTUAL ERRORS ARE PRESENT AND
NOTICEABLE BUT DO NOT SIGNIFICANTLY HINDER MEANING. DEVELOPMENT IS BASIC
AND DOES NOT GO BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE QUESTION. ORGANIZATION IS CLEAR
ENOUGH TO FOLLOW WITHOUT DIFFICULTY. WORD CHOICE IS ON GRADE LEVEL
ALTHOUGH NOT ALWAYS PRECISE. SENTENCES ARE USUALLY WELL-CONTROLLED,
EXPRESSION IS SOMETIMES AWKWARD OR UNCLEAR. A BASIC CONTROL OF GRAMMAR,
PUNCTUATION, AND USAGE IS APPARENT EVEN THOUGH THERE MAY BE FREQUENT
ERRORS.
5 (75%)-PORTRAYS MANY OF THE SAME QUALITIES AS THE 4 BUT CONTAINS MORE
INSIGHT, DEPTH, AND BETTER HANDLING OF LANGUAGE.
6 (80%)-RESPONDS TO THE QUESTION WITH MORE THAN ADEQUATE DEPTH AND INSIGHT.
FACTUAL ERRORS ARE FEW IF ANY. DEVELOPMENT CONTAINS DETAIL AND GOES
BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE QUESTION. ORGANIZATION IS CLEAR AND ENHANCES
UNDERSTANDING. WORD CHOICE IS ABOVE GRADE LEVEL, ACCURATE, AND PRECISE.
SENTENCES ARE WELL-CONTROLLED, VARIED, AND CONSTRUCTED WELL. WHILE THERE
MAY BE A FEW ERRORS IN GRAMMAR, PUNCTUATION, AND USAGE, A COMMAND OF THE
LANGUAGE IS APPARENT.
7 (85%)-PORTRAYS MANY OF THE SAME QUALITIES AS THE 6 BUT CONTAINS MORE
INSIGHT, DEPTH, VOICE, AND BETTER HANDLING OF LANGUAGE.
8 (90%)-RESPONDS TO THE QUESTION WITH EXTRAORDINARY DEPTH, INSIGHT, AND
CLARITY. DEVELOPMENT CONTAINS DETAIL AND DEPTH. ORGANIZATION IS CLEAR AND
IDEAS ARE RELATED TO THE QUESTION WITH CLARITY. WORD CHOICE IS ABOVE GRADE
LEVEL, ACCURATE, AND PRECISE. SENTENCES ARE USED TO ENHANCE UNDERSTANDING
AND ARE VARIED AND CONTROLLED. THERE MAY BE FEW ERRORS IN GRAMMAR,
PUNCTUATION, AND USAGE AND A MASTERY OF LANGUAGE IS APPARENT.
9 (95%)-PORTRAYS MANY OF THE SAME QUALITIES AS THE 8 BUT CONTAINS MORE
INSIGHT, DEPTH, VOICE, AND BETTER HANDLING OF LANGUAGE. A SUPERIOR EFFORT.