Moore
A.P. Literature
Welcome to A.P. Literature
This course can be very challenging or not. The choice is yours. Keep up with the reading, your
essays, the written work, and participate in class – follow the syllabus and you will be fine.
Remember, this course is intended to emulate a collegiate English course and will prepare you for
college-level expectations.
Course Overview
This course is based on the recommended literature in the Advanced Placement Literature and
Composition Examination and is designed to comply with the requirements of the AP Literature and
Composition course description in two nine-week quarters in 90 minute blocks. Further, you will
be studying literary terms, analysis of literature, and several different genres of literature. I expect
that you will use class time appropriately, be on task, be prepared, and be courteous and respectful.
Materials
You will need to keep a three-ring binder with all of your work and all information that I hand out.
You will also need lined, college-ruled, loose-leaf paper for the in-class writing assignments.
Writing
Your writing activities are divided into three core areas: reader response journals, daily essays, and
formal essays. Reader response journals are written and maintained for every work of literature
(poem, short story, novel, etc.) we read and discuss in class. Your goal with the RRJ is two-fold;
first, to illustrate your basic understanding of the work by commenting on character, plot, theme,
and conflict, and second, to critically review the work from your own perspective by offering your
own personal evaluation of the work. I have created a template for your use, but you will find that
you will want to add additional pages to fully discuss each work. Daily essays are the bulk of your
written work. With most literature, you will be expected to write either a timed, in-class response
or will have overnight to prepare an interpretation. These essays will be approximately two
handwritten pages in length. For each essay, you will read the work, develop your own analytical
perspective and present a clear and convincing argument, using textual support, that your analysis is
correct. On average, you will write three daily essays a week. Formal essays are the papers that
you develop over the course of a week or two. You will write five over the course of both quarters.
You will have questions to respond to based on the literature we have just completed. Unlike daily
essays, you will have the opportunity to revise your formal works and will be expected to produce
multiple drafts and demonstrate development throughout the writing process. The final formal
essay, your historical analysis paper, is longer than any of the others and requires your own
development of the question, although the general topic to be studied is presented to you. It is a
modified research paper requiring deep textual analysis with supporting materials, which explore
the relevance and significance of the work of literature in relation to the time and societal
circumstances in which it was written.
You will be expected to revise your work. Rough drafts that are messy, scribbled, illegible, or
contain mechanical errors will not be accepted. It is expected that all written work contain specific
references to the text being analyzed and, where possible, direct quotations.
Format of Assignments
This class relies heavily on a combination of written work and class activities. Formal essays
(literary essays and final historical analysis papers) must be typed in 12 pt Times New Roman,
double-spaced, with 1-inch margins, with a title page noting name and date. You name should not
be anywhere else on the document. Staple the upper left-hand corner. Informal writing should be
handwritten on loose-leaf paper.
Independent Meetings
In the course of each quarter, you are required to sign-up for a minimum of two one-on-one sessions
with me to analyze and improve your writing. The length of the session will vary based on your
writing needs and may be conducted before school, after school, during homeroom, or during my
prep period. Please sign-up on my door for your time slot and be certain to bring all of your writing
with you to the sessions. You must complete at least one session before midterms each quarter. You
may sign up for more than two sessions as needed.
Homework and Late Work
Homework is due at the beginning of class. If you miss class, you are responsible for turning in
missing assignments as well as current assignments at the beginning of the class period in which
you return. Follow the syllabus to make certain you are aware of assignments and deadlines. You
will not be reminded.
Late work will not be accepted. If you have a valid reason for not turning in your homework on the
due date and do not want your grade to be affected negatively, you may ask me for an extension. I
will consider requests made before the due date (and, in extenuating circumstances, requests made
on or after the due date), but be sure to have any completed work with you in order to demonstrate
that you are making progress. I reserve the right to deny extensions. I reserve the right to not accept
work that is not on time.
Cheating Policy
Cheating is absolutely unacceptable. In this class, all cheating will result in a score of zero. No
exceptions. Perceived, but not proven cheating may result in a second or alternate assignment if
that is warranted. Under no circumstances will cheating be overlooked. Cheating is defined as
looking at someone else’s work, sharing your own work, taking materials to assist you from the
teacher, or in anyway getting an unfair advantage due to unethical procedures. When you present
someone else’s ideas, writing, or speech as your own, you are cheating. When you re-submit a
paper or work for this class that you completed for another class, you are cheating.
Cheating will not be tolerated. Cheating, based on the assignment, may result in failure.
This does not mean you should not share opinions on literature and discuss the work of the course.
Just use common sense to determine whether you are learning through your conversations or are
trying to gain an unfair advantage. Think before you cheat.
Student Evaluation
You will be evaluated on class discussion, a variety of writing activities, tests and quizzes, and
presentations. You will receive clear assessment guidelines for each activity. Your writing
assignments will be graded on the nine-point weighted A.P. scale (which is used on the A.P. exam).
This will be explained in detail during the course. Rubrics are utilized throughout to provide a
holistic understanding of the score achieved.
Grade Breakdown
The following represents the approximate values of assignments:
Class discussion/participation
15% of grade
Literature Circle Presentation
15% of grade
Essays/daily writing/RRJs
50% of grade
Historical Analysis Paper
15% of grade (third term only)
Vocabulary tests
15% of grade (second term only)
Practice tests
5% of grade
Grading Scale
You will be graded on a standard grading scale. It is possible to earn an A+.
100 – 90
A
89 – 80
B
79 – 70
C
69 – 60
D
Below 60% is failing
Growth in Writing and Interpretation: THIS IS WHY WE ARE HERE!
What you should notice over the course of the class is growth in your understanding and
interpretation of literature and in your ability to express your understanding of a work in writing.
When we begin, it is possible that you will struggle to either understand what is asked in your
interpretation of the literature or to fully express your interpretation. Therefore, anticipate that your
scores may initially be low or may fall into a steady pattern and that we will need to study your
writing to see what you can do to improve. EVERYONE WILL BE DIFFERENT.
We will begin on the first day with an initial writing to help me gauge your strengths and
weaknesses. That day, I will explain and illustrate for you, as a class, the writing process and will
provide you with tools to help you with your writing – before you do any writing. On the third day
of class, you will work with your peers and one-on-one with me to study your writing for patterns
so that we may see what you need to focus on for the next work. The essay we examine on the third
day will be drafted and re-drafted into a complete work.
To help you recognize patterns in your own writing, we will be studying each other’s essays
throughout the course. Much like in earlier grades when you did peer evaluations using the six
traits of writing, you will be expected to be able to study your peer’s writing and comment on the
author’s use of language, sentence structures, organization, ideas (content), voice and tone, and
basic conventions (which are the least relevant concept). Similarly, I will also comment on these
concepts in your writing so that you may take them into consideration as you revise and rewrite.
Throughout the course, you are expected to schedule meetings with me to work one-on-one on
drafting and revising your writing. Also, you will notice that periodically in the syllabus writing
strategies and peer evaluations are noted. We will continuously address writing strategies as a class
and will begin most days with the return of previous writing and discussion on that writing. Do not
wait for those moments, however, if you have questions, so do others.
Ideally, with the combination of the study of your peer’s work and my exploration of your writing,
you will be able to identify patterns that need correcting in your own work. This means thinking
beyond technical errors to a true study of the elements of writing that affect the reader’s
understanding.
Personal growth in writing with your ability to reflect and explain that growth will affect your
final grade.
Texts and Resources
The following is a list of the texts that will be utilized in class. In addition, we will be using
numerous resources from the library and will be reading additional literature in small group and
independent situations. You may not like a lot of the literature we study. Your personal opinion is
important as long as you can explain why you believe a work is of questionable artistry or quality.
Core Texts:
Arp, Thomas R. and Greg Johnson. Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sounds, & Sense. Boston,
MA: Wadsworth Cenage Learning, 2009.
Roberts, Edgar V. and Henry E. Jabobs. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1992.
Supplemental Texts:
Cuddon, J.A. The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. New York: Penguin
Books, 1998.
Favorite Poems: A Quotable Anthology. Logan, IA: Perfection Learning, 1983.
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. New York: Warner Books, 1999.
Porter, Adam L. Introducing the Bible: an Active Learning Approach. Upper saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Prentice Hall, 2005.
Roche, Paul. Sophocles: the Complete Plays. New York: Signet Classic, 2001.
Whole Class Literature:
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Literature Circle Texts:
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya
Angelou
The Fixer by Bernard Malamud
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hossieni
King Lear by William Shakespeare
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad (opt.)
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor
Dostoyevsky
Native Son by Richard Wright
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
One additional work on your own.
Good Luck
I hope that this course is both challenging and interesting. Although the class is not intended to be
easy, I do not expect you to struggle alone when you are really stumped. Please see me before or
after school or during homeroom in room 234 with any questions. Or contact me at
moores@ellsworth.k12.wi.us and visit the AP Literature information on my teacher webpage.
TEST: Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Reader Response Journal Checklist
Complete Reader Response Journal worksheets for each piece of literature read.
These will be collected at various times throughout both quarters. The list below is a
prediction of the literature to be read over the course of both terms. There may be
some additions or deletions depending on time.
Please add pages to the worksheets as necessary.
CHECK TITLE
CHECK TITLE
Jane Eyre
The Stranger
Heart of Darkness
The Awakening
personal choice novel
Choose a poem
Choose a poem
Choose a poem
A & P – short story
Everyday Use - short story
Barn Burning – short story
“Next Please” – poem
“Ethics” – poem
“Poetry” – poem
“Revolutionary Petunias” poem
Slave on the Block – short story
The Blue Hotel – short story
The Jilting . . . – short story
Rape Fantasies – short story
A Hunger Artist – short story
I Stand Here Ironing – short story
Hills . . . Elephants – short story
“A Modest Proposal” - satire
“The Rape of the Lock” – satire
“Oedipus Rex” – play
“Antigone” - play
The Color Purple
Metamorphosis
“To His Coy Mistress” – poem
Edith Hamilton’s Mythology
“Shall I Compare Thee” – pm.
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings
“Diving into the Wreck” – pm.
The Fixer
“Metaphors” – poem
The Joy Luck Club
“Last Words” – poem
Yellow Raft in Blue Water
“Mirror” – poem
A Farewell to Arms
“Unknown Citizen” – poem
The Kite Runner
“The Fish” – poem
Crime and Punishment
“A Supermarket in CA” – poem
Native Son
“Nikki Rosa” - poem
Invisible Man
“A Doll’s House” – play
As I Lay Dying
“King Lear” – play
The Grapes of Wrath
Great Expectations
Syllabus for A.P. Literature
Class in summary: throughout the next few months you will read a variety of works of literature
and will study that literature, through class discussion and a variety of writing activities. Make
certain that you pay close attention to the prompts for each writing activity so that you are able to
discern the goal of the writing. You will be writing for a variety of purposes.
The syllabus is subject to change, but should be
assumed as accurate in reference to all due dates.
SECOND QUARTER
DATE
November 3
November 4
November 5
November 6
November 7
November 10
November 11
November 12
November 13
November 14
PROPOSED ACTIVITY
Syllabus and course expectations; note taking; get vocabulary
for the term; review how to write ‘reader response journals’;
discuss summer novels; early introduction to literary allusions,
especially the Bible; In-class timed essay on summer novel;
peer evaluate with rubric, critique and examine the nine-point
scale; how to write essays
WRITE: fear and expectations of the course
Discuss writing assignments; John Updike A&P page 65;
WRITE: prose analysis
discussion of A&P; Alice Walker Everyday Use p. 80;–
WRITE: prose analysis
Discussion of Everyday Use; William Faulkner Barn Burning
p. 178; – WRITE: prose analysis
Discussion of Barn Burning; Discussion of summer reading –
prepare for test. Margaret Atwood Rape Fantasies WRITE:
prose analysis
First vocabulary test; introduction to literature circle one;
Work in partners on developing essay from Monday. Meet
one-on-one with Ms. Moore to improve writing and score on
essay
Essay test on summer reading; select essay to develop to
length; discuss papers
Discussion of Rape Fantasies; Franz Kafka A Hunger Artist
WRITE: prose analysis
Discussion of A Hunger Artist; First multiple choice practice
test; correct test and go over answer explanations
Peer review session on writing expectations; work on reader
response journal checklist; work on summer reading journals.
Ernest Hemingway Hills Like White Elephants. WRITE:
Prose analysis.
DUE
Fears & expectat.
in-class essay
analysis of A&P
analysis of
Everyday Use
analysis of Barn
Burning
rewrite of in-class
essay
analysis of Rape
Fantasies
analysis of A
Hunger Artist
November 17
November 18
November 19
November 20
Second vocabulary test. Discussion Hills Like White
Elephants. Introduction to drama. Shakespeare’s plays:
introduction and overview of all of his works. Begin reading of
Shakespeare’s “King Lear.”
Shakespeare’s “King Lear”
WRITE: character analysis of Lear (or other male character)
Shakespeare’s “King Lear”
WRITE: character analysis of Cordelia (or other female
character)
Shakespeare’s “King Lear”
analysis of Hills .
. . Elephants
character analysis
of Lear
character analysis
of Cordelia
November 21
Third vocabulary test; begin reading Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”
– WRITE: dramatic predictions
November 24
November 25
DUE: Developed literary analysis essay
Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”
WRITE: Character analysis of Nora/role of female in 19th
century literature
Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”
November 26
Finish play and final discussion of Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House”
December 1
December 4
DUE: reader response journal part one.
Fourth vocabulary test; begin essay on drama, Lear or Doll’s
House, and develop for second significant essay; continued
discussion on drama; Slave on the Block p. 457 by Langston
Hughes – WRITE: prose analysis
Discuss Slave on the Block; read I Stand Here Ironing p. 492
by Tillie Olsen, answer questions – WRITE: prose analysis
Discuss I Stand Here Ironing; The Blue Hotel p. 99 by Stephen
Crane, answer questions – WRITE: prose analysis
PRACTICE TEST: multiple choice component
December 5
PRACTICE TEST: essay component
December 8
December 9
December 10
December 11
December 12
Preparation time for literature circle presentations
LITERATURE CIRCLE PRESENTATION ONE
LITERATURE CIRCLE PRESENTATION TWO
LITERATURE CIRCLE PRESENTATION THREE
LITERATURE CIRCLE PRESENTATION FOUR
December 15
December 16
December 17
LITERATURE CIRCLE PRESENTATION FIVE
LITERATURE CIRCLE PRESENTATION SIX
Introduction to Literature circle 2 – begin reading texts; time to
review with each other for essay test on lit circle books
Essay test on literature circle presentations
Literary analysis
DUE: developed literary analysis essay on drama
essay
December 2
December 3
December 18
Literary analysis
essay
character analysis
of Nora
RRJ One
analysis of Slave
on the Block
analysis of I Stand
Here Ironing
analysis of The
Blue Hotel
December 19
Introduction to Mythology and other significant literary
allusions; Mythology sections assigned; prepare myths
December 22
December 23
Mythology presentations
Mythology presentations
January 5
DUE: reader response journal part two. Mythology
presentations; Introduction to Greek drama; begin reading
“Oedipus Rex”
“Oedipus Rex”
WRITE: character analysis of Oedipus Rex
Conclude and discuss “Oedipus Rex”
WRITE: constructive analysis of “Oedipus Rex”
Begin reading “Antigone”
January 6
January 7
January 8
January 9
“Antigone”
WRITE: character analysis of Antigone
January 12
“Antigone”
WRITE: constructive analysis of “Antigone”
Conclude Greek drama. Time to work on essays, reading of
Lit Circle books.
Introduction to satire. Read “The Rape of Lock” by Alexander
Pope. Read “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift.
WRITE: satire analysis
Discussion of the poem and the essay. Examination of “The
Onion” and SNL.
Preparation time for literature circle presentations.
January 13
January 14
January 15
January 16
RRJ two
character analysis
of Oedipus
analysis of
“Oedipus Rex”
character analysis
of Antigone
analysis of
“Antigone”
analysis of satire
THIRD QUARTER
DATE
January 19
January 20
January 21
PROPOSED ACTIVITY
DUE: literary analysis essay on Greek drama and mythology
Introduction to poetry. Explain how to write poetry
explications. Philip Larken “Next Please” p. 834; Linda
Pastan “ethics” p. 835; Marianne Moore “Poetry” p. 828;
Andrew Marvel “To His Coy Mistress” p. 825
WRITE: poetry explication
Continued poetry. Shakespeare “Shall I . . .” p. 633; Adrienne
Rich “Diving into the Wreck” p. 950; Sylvia Plath p. 641, 946,
947
WRITE: poetry explication
Continued poetry. Auden “The Unknown Citizen” p. 887;
Elizabeth Bishop “The Fish” p. 605; Frost or other works
WRITE: poetry explication
DUE
Literary analysis
essay
poetry explication
poetry explication
January 22
Discussion of summer selected poems. Intro to poem analysis;
select poem on which to write literary analysis
DUE: reader response journal part three. Summer poetry
discussion continued. WRITE: explication of summer poem
poetry explication
poetry explication
January 28
January 29
January 30
Introduction to The Color Purple by Alice Walker;
“Revolutionary Petunias” p. 977; review test taking strategies;
answer questions about tests, vocab, etc.
DUE: poem analysis
Preparation time for literature circle presentations
LITERATURE CIRCLE PRESENTATION ONE
LITERATURE CIRCLE PRESENTATION TWO
LITERATURE CIRCLE PRESENTATION THREE
February 2
February 3
February 4
February 5
February 6
LITERATURE CIRCLE PRESENTATION FOUR
LITERATURE CIRCLE PRESENTATION FIVE
LITERATURE CIRCLE PRESENTATION SIX
PRACTICE TEST: multiple choice component
PRACTICE TEST: essay component
February 9
February 10
Essay examination on literature circle presentations
Go over practice test answers, discuss in partners and score as
a class. Discussion of The Color Purple
Final discussion, essay test on The Color Purple
Watch film of The Color Purple
Finish film of The Color Purple
January 23
January 26
January 27
February 11
February 12
February 13
February 17
February 18
February 19
February 20
February 23
February 24
February 25
February 26
February 27
March 2
March 3
March 4
March 5
March 6
RRJ three
Literary analysis
essay
Introduction to Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka; time to read
novel
Discussion of Kafka; explanations of historical analysis papers
Time to work on Kafka, historical analysis papers.
Peer review of The Color Purple essays. Time to work on
drafting and reading of novels.
DUE: developed literary analysis essay on The Color Purple
Discussion of Kafka.
Final discussion on Kafka. Test on Kafka
Time to work on historical analysis papers. Choose novels.
PRACTICE TEST: multiple choice component
PRACTICE TEST: essay component
Go over test answers, discuss in partners and score as a class.
Novel presentations.
Novel presentations.
Novel presentations.
Novel presentations.
Novel presentations.
Literary analysis
essay
March 16
March 17
March 18
March 19
March 20
March 23
March 24
March 25
March 26
March 27
March 30
March 31
DUE: reader response journal part four. Time to work on
historical analysis papers.
Time to work on historical analysis papers.
Time to work on historical analysis papers.
Research, work on historical analysis paper; first meeting with
Ms. Moore
Research, work on historical analysis paper; first meeting with
Ms. Moore
Research, work on historical analysis paper; second meeting
with Ms. Moore
Research, work on historical analysis paper; second meeting
with Ms. Moore
Time to work on historical analysis papers.
Time to work on historical analysis papers.
DUE: historical analysis paper; Presentation of historical
analysis paper.
Presentation of historical analysis paper.
Presentation of historical analysis paper.
RRJ four
draft one of paper
draft two of paper
historical analysis
paper