Advanced Placement
English Literature and Composition
Fall 2011 & Spring 2012
“The writer must write what he has to say, not speak it.”—Ernest Hemingway
“Writing, when properly managed, is but a different name for conversation.”—Laurence Stern
“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read
them.”—Mark Twain
Professor:
Location:
Phone:
Email:
Texts:
Farrah Hilton
1110
703-6735
fhhilton@wsfcs.k12.nc.us
*Provided Texts: Macbeth
The Craft of Revision
A Lesson Before Dying
The Sound and the Fury
Consultation Hours: Mornings (Daily)
Mon. 3:40-4:30 and by
appointment
Kite Runner
Brave New World
The Bedford Introduction to Lit.
Othello
In addition to the above texts, there will be several supplementary books for the course, most of them
novels. You are responsible for purchasing these books. Please be aware that reading assignments are
based upon the texts I have, therefore, you need to have the same version as the rest of the class.
*Supplemental Texts (Purchase):
The Help
The House of Sand and Fog
The Bedford Handbook
Advanced placement English is a college-level course, which will encompass mostly study in British
Literature, writing, and outside reading of novels and plays. Advanced Placement English has three main
purposes. The first is to refine your writing abilities with emphasis on maturity of style and thought as a
means of expressing yourself effectively and fluently. As you complete high school and face college,
immature syntax, superficial analysis, and major grammatical errors should have vanished from your
writing. In fact, the mastery of writing will be the foundation of your entire college education. The second
purpose is to introduce you to a study of fiction, drama, and poetry in order to increase your understanding
of literature through critical analysis and thinking. The final purpose is to prepare you to earn college credit
through the AP Examination by mastering the aforementioned skills.
You have chosen to take a class that is MUCH more academically demanding than the regular English
curriculum, and you will be working quite diligently as a result. I must stress that this is not a class for those
who want an easy grade with little effort. To do well, you will have to budget your time, apply yourself
assiduously, read extensively (and comprehend what you read!), write often and well, revise your written
work until it is excellent, do a lot of work outside of class, and stay alert during class. Students who neglect
to pay close attention or listen carefully will be at a great disadvantage. I rarely repeat instructions,
especially if I have given a written assignment sheet. This is a wonderful class, and I immensely enjoy
teaching it; I hope that you will do well and will leave the class at the end of the year feeling that you have
benefited from it.
Course Objectives:
Reading:
*To improve the student’s reading ability for comprehension, interpretation, and evaluation
*To improve the student’s vocabulary
*To furnish the student with the ideas for discussion and writing
*To improve the student’s thinking skills through critical reading and analysis
*To introduce the student to literary terminology and its use
*To introduce the student to the genres of fiction, drama, poetry, and prevalent themes in literature
*To make the student a better reader of his native language through the analysis of how that
language is used in a variety of forms.
*To enable the student to read complex texts with understanding and appreciation
Writing:
*To review and refine the student writing as a process that includes invention, drafting, revising,
and editing
*To provide students the opportunity to master the art of writing about fiction, drama, and poetry
*To emphasize writing about literature critically, including expository, analytical, and
argumentative essays
*To improve the student’s thinking skills by writing critical essays about literature
*To expect the student to write prose of sufficient richness and complexity in order to communicate
effectively with mature readers
*To introduce the student to a variety of writing techniques, including informal responses, imitation
exercises, journal keeping, in-class responses, and longer formal papers.
The AP Examination
*To prepare students for the AP Examination by familiarizing them with the test’s format
*To improve the student’s test-taking skills through timed drills of multiple choice and essay
Questions
*To deal with effective test-taking strategies
*To instill confidence in the student which should ensure the student’s achieving AP credit or
advanced standing.
Required Materials:
*All supplemental texts
*Blue/black ink pens
*Loose-leaf paper
*Spiral notebook
*3-ring binder
*Pencils
*Agenda/organizer
*1 inch 3-ring binder
Grading: Throughout the course, there will be numerous opportunities for earning points, including in
class assignments, homework, essays, projects, quizzes, and tests. There will be a required mid-term exam
and the AP exam (this cost is approximately $83) in this course as well as several reading and writing
assignments. Much of the writing will be based on your reading (critical analyses that focus on expository,
analytical, and argumentative essays), but there will be other types of writing as well, such as college
application essays and personal essays. There will not be nearly as many grades as you are used to having
(for example, you will be expected to read for homework, but there might not be any written work associated
with the reading). Moreover, late work will NOT be accepted after it is one day late (10 point penalty) and
since this course is on an A Day/B Day schedule, one day late is the next day regardless of whether class
meets or not. Student work will be evaluated extensively and fairly. Students are graded based on their
performances, and the expectations for each specific grade is on the attached rubric. This course is
academically demanding and requires diligent and attentive work. Furthermore, in this course, like all
college courses, student grades are FINAL and nonnegotiable.
Major papers and projects
40%
Quizzes, Short Papers, Timed AP drills
25%
Group work/Peer Review
20%
Class attendance, participation, journals, other assignments
15%
Grading Scale: A=93-100
B=85-92
C=77-84
D=70-76
F=below 70
Attendance: I am a firm believer in attending class, and it is a student’s first responsibility to be present for
class, especially with a course that meets every other day. Since this class will mix lectures, activities,
discussions, writing workshops, and student-led interactions with texts and essays, attendance is
absolutely vital. Therefore, attendance and participation are a component of your grade (see above). The
easiest way to gain credit in this course is to show up and participate.
Absences: If you are out of class for any reason (even if it is a field trip, illness, etc.), you are responsible for
any work missed, including note-taking. Keep in mind that you only have 1 day of grace per SEMESTER, so
use it wisely. If you are out of school on a day an assignment is due, you must have someone bring it to me
or you must email it to me by class time. Otherwise, you have used your D.O.G.
D.O.G. (Days of Grace): You will have one day of grace each semester in turning in assignments. I realize
that there may be a time that something happens to you that will prevent you from turning in an assignment
on time. You may choose to use a day of grace for one late day, which will be the following day even if class
is NOT meeting that particular day. No further grace periods will be given for any required work, INCLUDING
ABSENCES! This means that you cannot be absent on a day when an assignment is due and expect extra
time. If you are absent and you do not get your work to school, you have used your day of grace. I would
suggest that you not use both of them on the first assignment. It is a long time to the end of the semester,
knowing you have no more leeway! Also, remember this: it is better to turn in your assignment, even if it is
not perfect, than to take a zero on it. Since you will be revising EXTENSIVELY, one bad grade will not mean
failure.
Expectations: In order to provide an environment conducive to maximum learning, I have found that certain
reasonable requests must be accepted and followed by students. I fully expect you to adhere to the
following rules of this classroom. Maturity is a prerequisite, and behavioral problems or immaturity WILL
NOT be tolerated. It is a privilege to be in this class, and anyone who chooses to disrupt the learning
environment will be removed.
1.
2.
3.
4.
No headgear (hats, bandannas, visors, stockings, etc.) or sunglasses will be allowed.
Be in your seat, ready to begin class, when the tardy bell stops ringing.
Be fully prepared for class everyday: pens, notebook, texts, paper.
Do only your English work in this class unless you are completely finished with all of your
assignments.
5. Keep up with all of your materials, especially the ones I give you. I do not make several extra
copies of the materials that I hand out. It is up to you to be organized and to keep up with your
materials.
6. Show respect for the materials in the classroom—do not deface or write on desks or leave your
trash in the desks.
7. Do not throw any material---book, pencil, pen, etc.---in my classroom.
8. Use correct English in class, NO MATTER WHAT TYPE OF LANGUAGE YOU USE OUTSIDE OF
CLASS!
9. Show respect for the rights and opinions of others; do not talk when others are talking or talk
out of turn. We can discuss almost any issue as long as we do it in a civilized manner.
10. NEVER sleep in class. I will not allow sleeping at any time in the classroom. The number one
priority for you at school should be to improve your mind and to learn whatever material is
being presented. Contrary to popular belief, YOU CANNOT LEARN WHILE SLEEPING!
Tardies: You will not come to class with an unexcused tardy. If you are tardy to class, the following actions
will occur: 1st offense—warning, 2nd offense—15 minutes of after school detention with teacher, 3rd tardy—
30 minutes after school detention with teacher and parent contact (should not occur in college course), 4th
offense—referral to appropriate administrator, 5th offense—referral to appropriate administrator. Ten
tardies in a quarter will equate to one absence in class.
Academic Integrity/Plagiarism: All graded work must be that student’s work. All students must sign the
honor code statement. Violations of this policy will be dealt with under WSFCS regulations and may result
in receiving a “0” on the assignment, an F on your transcript, and possibly suspension.
Plagiarism is a serious offense. Any ideas or words borrowed from a source, including Internet
sources, even if they are paraphrased, must be cited in your writing. DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT
COMMITTING PLAGIARISM! You are all extremely bright or you would not be taking this class, and I know
that you know how to cite research sources because you have written a research paper just last year, so use
the knowledge you have, along with the MLA guides we have in our books, to be sure that you give proper
credit to your sources.
Notetaking: It is essential that you get into the habit of taking notes on information given to you in class.
There is a lot more lecturing in a college-level class than you are accustomed to, so take good, extensive
notes. Also, it is a very good idea to take notes as you read outside of class, not only on content but on
issues you might want to discuss about the works and questions you have concerning them. Using your
reading reflection journal should facilitate this process.
Study Suggestions: Revision is a critical element of writing well. Hence, we will form groups to help you not
only with writing but with understanding and analyzing texts. It would be beneficial for you to arrange your
own peer groups outside of class so you may review one another’s papers, discuss texts, ask questions, or
generate ideas. Revised papers that have been resubmitted for a second evaluation MUST be completely
revised or they will not be accepted. Changing grammatical problems does NOT constitute revision.
Outside Reading: Everyone will be expected to read certain books for the class, and you will be reading the
same selections, for the most part. It is important that you not get behind in your reading and that you
understand the literary concepts that are truly germane to the texts. Reading is one of the most important
activities of an educated person, and it is an integral part of any English curriculum, so I fully expect you to
get used to reading the assigned work. We will discuss in class how you prefer to be evaluated on the
outside reading. Under NO circumstances should you substitute a shortened version of the literary work (for
example, Cliff’s Notes, Spark Notes, any INTERNET NOTES, and the like) for your reading. If I find out that
you are using a shortened version, you will receive no credit for the book. Furthermore, you will be penalized
with an academic integrity violation, which is accompanied by out of school suspension. If you are puzzled
by some part of your reading assignment, then you may come in to see me before school and I will try to
help you. I have planned for us to read the previously listed supplemental texts (in addition to the provided
texts) as well as forming book clubs if time permits.
*Book Clubs—in theory we will have 5-6 groups reading various novels, which will be one of the
following. Please note that not all of these titles are available from EHS.
Angela’s Ashes (provided)
The Road to Devotion (provided)
White Oleander (not provided)
The Crying of Lot 49 (provided)
A Clockwork Orange (not provided)
The House of Sand and Fog (provided)
AP English IV Literature and Composition
Thematic Focus: Identifying and Confronting Personal Struggles
Tentative Syllabus
August 25—Outlining the course. Discussion of Academic Integrity. Summer reading.
Identity and Culture (August-September)
Selection from The House on Mango Street: “My Name”
Expository Essay: Name essay
Novel: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
College Application essay
Poetry:
“Introduction to Poetry”; “We Real Cool”; “Century Quilt”; “I too”; “What it’s like to be a black
girl”; “The Two Fridas”; “Bully”
Fiction: “A & P”
Timed essay
Practice multiple choice exam
Tradition and Progress: Adversity and Dealing with the Past (September/October)
Novel: Kite Runner
Analytical essay: Kite Runner
Poetry:
“On Being Brought from Africa to America”; “Death of a Ball Turret Gunner”; “Battle Hymn of
the Republic”; “America”; “Southeast Corner”; “Calvary Crossing a Ford”; “The World
Is Too Much With Us”; “Sestina”
Fiction: “Happy Memories Club”; “A Rose for Emily”; “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall”; “The Things
They Carried”
Timed essay
Practice multiple choice exam
Myth, Reality, Superstition: Faith and the Conflict between Good and Evil (October/November)
Novel: The House of Sand and Fog
Essay: Argumentative
Poetry:
“Jabberwocky”; “Dover Beach”; “Snow White”; “Death Be Not Proud”; “Fire and Ice”; “Rime of
the Ancient Mariner”
Fiction: “Yellow Wallpaper”; “The Five-Forty Eight”; “Revelation”; “How Much Land Does a Man Need”
Timed essay
Practice multiple choice exam
Love, Loss, and a Sense of Humor (December)
Poetry:
Shakespearean sonnets, “Annabel Lee”; “You’re Missing”; “Passionate Shepherd to His
Love”; “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd”; “Marvell Noir”; “How do I Love Thee”;
“Hazel tells Laverne”; “Porphyria’s Lover”; “Green Chile”; “Schizophrenia”
Novella: Make Me Disappear
Novel: The Sun Also Rises
Timed essay
Practice multiple choice exam
Madness, Sanity, and Turmoil: Family Dynamics (December/January/February)
Drama: Macbeth
Novel: The Sound and The Fury
Argumentative essay
Poetry:
“The Moths”; “Mother to Son”; “Weary Blues”
Fiction:
“Teenage Wasteland”; “Story of an Hour”; “A Good Man is Hard to Find”
Timed essay
Practice multiple choice exam
Societal Values: Conformity, Rebellion, Alienation, and Morality (February/March)
Drama: Othello
Novel: Brave New World
Expository essay: Propaganda
Analytical essay: Outcasts
Poetry:
“Eleanor Rigby”; “Richard Corey”; “To the Virgins”; “To His Coy Mistress”; “My Last Duchess”
Fiction: “The Storm”; “Barn Burning”; “Happy Endings”
Timed essay
Practice multiple choice exam
Enlightenment and Ignorance: Learning Lessons (March/April)
Novel: A Lesson Before Dying
Argumentative essay
Poetry:
“Girl”; “Sweat”; “Greasy Lake”; “Gratitude to Old Teachers”; “Pass/Fail”; “History Teacher”;
“The Road Not Taken”; “Dulce Et Decorum Est”
Fiction: “Everyday Use”; “Give of the Magi”
Timed essay
Practice multiple choice exam
Class, Gender, Race, and Interpersonal Relationships (April/May)
Novel: The Help or A Thousand Splendid Suns (student choice)
Expository essay
Poetry:
“This is just to say”; “Sex without Love”; “You Fit into Me”; “Marks”; “Queens”; “Telephone
Conversation”; “Spelling”
Fiction: “Lady with a Pet Dog”; “Lust”; “Federigo’s Falcon”
Timed essay
Practice multiple choice exam
Confronting Personal Struggles (May/June)
Book Clubs
Reading
Whereas AP English III emphasizes the reading and analysis of non-fiction prose selections, AP English IV
emphasizes the reading and analysis of imaginative literature: fiction, drama, and poetry. Thus, it is vital
that you become familiar with the forms, the techniques, and terminology used in these genres in
preparation for the AP exam. If you are willing to follow instructions, accept criticism, and work hard,
mastery of this material should be easy.
Writing
As in AP English III, you will be required to write a number of papers, which should provide adequate
practice for writing about fiction, drama, and poetry. Since many errors common to beginning papers were
corrected in AP English III, emphasis in AP English IV will be on refining and polishing your writing with
attention to a more mature usage of diction, syntax, tone, and audience in order to achieve a more
sophisticated style.
Emphasis will be on invention, drafting, and revision with papers progressing through three drafts,
evaluated by peers and instructor. In this process you will be expected to use The Bedford Handbook,
especially the chapters dealing with syntax and word choice. Too, the section on writing about literature will
be invaluable.
Finally, ALL papers must be computer generated, using Times New Roman font, 12 pt., following MLA
format used for college papers. Also, since papers about imaginative literature require the use of
quotations, use MLA format of introducing quotations and using in-text citations.
The Advanced Placement Examination
The culmination of AP English IV is the Advanced Placement Examination, given nationally each year in May.
By scoring a 3 or higher, a student can gain advanced placement standing in college and/or possibly earn
college credit. There are two basic methods by which this can be accomplished. The first is to read all daily
assignments carefully and conscientiously. By doing so, the student builds those skills expected of
Advanced Placement students. The second is to become familiar with the format and types of questions
asked on the examination. To this end there will be timed essays and multiple choice drills which should
facilitate scoring well on the examination. These drills are a vital part of AP English IV and failure to perform
accordingly will seriously and adversely affect one’s grade and possibly one’s score. Students enrolled in
AP English IV are required to take the examination on May 10, 2012.
Evaluation and Credit
All writing assignments will be scored based on the following rubric:
The A paper is a SUPERIOR paper in every way, characterized by the following traits::
*Outstanding word choice
*Outstanding organization
*Outstanding syntax with a wide variety of sentence patterns
*Maturity of thought, logic, and language
*Clear purpose with detailed development, supported by examples, quotations,
and indirect references
*Presents a clear, concise, thoughtful analysis, explanation, or argument
*No major errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation
*No more than one or two minor errors depending on length
The B paper is an EXCELLENT paper, characterized by the following traits:
*Good word choice, sentence structure, organization
*Good syntax with a wide variety of sentence patterns
*Good maturity of thought and logic
*A stated purpose with less development, examples, and details of the superior
paper
*Presents a thoughtful analysis, explanation, or argument that is not as clear or
concise as the superior paper
*No major errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation
*No more than several minor errors depending on length
The C paper is an AVERAGE paper, characterized by the following traits:
*Average word choice, often simple, immature, inappropriate
*Adequate organization
*Good sentence structure but often simple and lacking in variety
*Fair logic, clear enough to convey the paper’s purpose
*Average maturity of thought but lacks adequate development
*Only one major error in grammar, spelling and punctuation and/or several minor
errors
The D paper is a BELOW AVERAGE paper, characterized by the following traits:
*Poor diction, misuse of words, non-standard expressions
*Some attempt at organization
*Garbled, fragmented, or unclear sentence patterns
*Little thought, resulted in poorly conceived, expressed, and developed ideas
*Serious errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, mechanics (No more than two
major errors or multiple minor errors)
The F paper is a FAILURE, characterized by the following traits:
*Poor and immature word choice
*Lack of organization
*Disconnected or garbled syntax
*Long, uncontrolled, infantile, short, or choppy sentence patterns
*Lack of logic which fails to conceive, state, or develop an idea
*Three major errors and/or multiple minor errors
NOTE: Major errors consist of the following:
*Comma splices
*Lack of subject-verb agreement
*Lack of pronoun-antecedent agreement
*Unjustifiable fragment
*Run-on or fused sentence
*Misuse of “to, too, two; their, they’re, there; its, it’s”
*Five misspelled words
*Any three of the following:
misuse of
*semi-colon (;)
* colon (:)
*apostrophe (‘) in plurals, possessive nouns, possessive
pronouns