Advanced Placement
English Literature and Composition
Course Description
AP® is a rigorous academic program built on the commitment, passion and hard work of
students and educators from both secondary schools and higher education. With more than
30 courses in a wide variety of subject areas, AP provides willing and academically
prepared high school students with the opportunity to study and learn at the college level.
In this AP course, you will develop and apply the skills, abilities and content knowledge you
will need in college. Modeled upon a comparable college course, college and university
faculty play a vital role in ensuring that AP courses align with college-level standards. Only
courses using syllabi that meet or exceed the college-level curricular and resource
requirements for each AP course are authorized to carry the “AP” label. (AP English
Course Description: apcentral.collegeboard.com)
In this course you will learn English Literature through the lens of a collegiate mindset. All
materials, activities, expectations, and assessments will be tailored toward preparing you
for the Advanced Placement English Literature Exam and your pursuit of success in higher
education.
Expectations
Students are expected to…
Attend all classes and arrive on time
 Contribute to and support the
learning environment at HAIS
Remain up to date with assignments
 RESPECT the HAIS community
Come to class prepared
 Maintain a positive attitude
Follow set procedures
 Display appropriate behavior in
Turn in assignments on time
accordance with HAIS Student Code
Participate in different capacities
of Conduct and established
Adhere to current MLA Writing
classroom rules
Standards
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Course Texts
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In the following order we will be working with…
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Hamlet, William Shakespeare
Norton Anthology of British Literature
Literature: British Literature, Holt MacDougal
Supplemental materials will be provided for many texts.
Students are welcome and encouraged to bring in any medium of work (fine art,
music, videos) they find is relatable.
Supplies
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For a homework grade, students must have all of the following by 8/30/2013:
Laptop
 8 ½ x 11in Plain White Paper
1.5in 3-ring binder with plastic
 Package of Markers
inserts inside and out
 Folder with metal tabs for 3-hole
Pens – Red, Green, Black, and
paper
Blue
 Hand Sanitizer
#2 Pencils
 2 Tissue Boxes
3 Multi-Colored Highlighters
 2 rolls of paper towel
Package of Post-It Tabs
Course Outline
Unit 1
(8/26 – 10/4)
Unit 2
(10/7 – 11/8)
Unit 3
(11/11 – 12/20)
Examining the Classics Through a Modern Lens:
 F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby will be carefully read and
analyzed for its literary substance and connections to other
literature, history, and life as we know it today.
 Baz Luhrman’s 2013 film production of “The Great Gatsby” will
be used as an interpretation of the text. Imagery, the use of
contemporary music, and connections to society then and now will
be heavily concentrated on.
 Biographical context, reviews of the text and movie, music, and
other short pieces of literature will be used as supplemental
material.
Assignments will include: Daily Exit Tickets, student and teacher
generated questions for discussion after reading, student and teacher
generated writing prompts.
Unit Project: Analytical Essay – Hope and Hopelessness in The Great
Gatsby
A Close Reading of British Renaissance Poetry and the Metaphysical
World:
 The shift from religious text to those of love and human nature
 Poetic Devices
 The Metaphysical Poets: John Donne, Christopher Marlowe,
William Shakespeare, Edmund Spencer
 Poetic License – The Influence of King Henry VIII, Queen
Elisabeth, the disconnect from the Catholic Church, and the rise of
Protestantism
 What comparable contemporary pieces can we find?
 Renaissance Literature translated to the Fine and Performing Arts
Assignments will include: Daily Exit Tickets, student and teacher
generated questions for discussion after reading, student and teacher
generated writing prompts, poetry dissection, writing personal poetry
Unit Project: Poetry Café – participation will include original poetry,
research of a renaissance poet and his work, and a presentation using
Prezi and other mediums such as art, video, music, dance, and dramatic
performance.
“This above all: to thine own self be true…”: Muh-Muh-Muh-Madness
 William Shakespeare’s, Hamlet – To be read aloud in class as was
intended by Shakespeare. Performance days will be included.
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Unit 4
(1/7 – 2/14)
Unit 5
(2/17 – 5/1)
Unit 6
(5/2 – 5/23)
Who is William Shakespeare and where does Hamlet fit into his
portfolio of work?
 How seeing and hearing Shakespeare can help give his words
meaning
 Symbolism and character development in Hamlet
Assignments will include: Daily Exit Tickets, student and teacher
generated questions for discussion after reading, student and teacher
generated writing prompts.
Unit Project: A philosophical exploration – What are our fears and our
hopes in life? How can our fears transcend into the act of living and how
can our hopes protect us? Students will write a reflective piece on life and
death as it relates to the turmoil Hamlet faces in Shakespeare’s tragic
play.
Welcome to Geneva – The Original Transylvania
 Mary Shelley’s, Frankenstein will be the focus of Unit 4. We will
carefully read the well-known tale not only for an exploration of
theme and symbolism, but to pay homage to the original text that
has influenced an incredible array of interpretations since its
release almost two centuries ago.
 Mary Shelley: A female writer during the age of Romanticism
 Victor Frankenstein vs. Frankenstein: The man behind the
monster
Assignments will include: Daily Exit Tickets, student and teacher
generated questions for discussion after reading, student and teacher
generated writing prompts.
Unit Project: TBD
To Be or Not to Be… A Spinster:
 Feminism and Romanticism in Jane Austen’s, Pride and Prejudice
 An exploration of women in Austen’s time and women of today
- Marriage: Choice, Inheritance, Duty
- Perceptions of female independence
- What women do: Children, Home, Society, and Workplace
 Who was Jane Austen? – Relating biographical context to an
author’s collection of work.
 Relate to other works such as, “The Story of an Hour” by Kate
Chopin and “To Room Nineteen” by Doris Lessing.
Assignments will include: Daily Exit Tickets, student and teacher
generated questions for discussion after reading, student and teacher
generated writing prompts.
Unit Project: Essay: Compare and Contrast the women of Jane Austen’s
work to the women of today. What is different and what has stayed the
same. Debate and group work will be part of this project.
Making Connections:
 This unit will mostly be a review of the material covered to date.
Time will be spent making connections between text and written
work.
 If time permits, many materials in the medium of the fine and
performing arts will be offered as supplemental references.
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Writing Prompts will be used to make sure students understand
the components of complex questions, how to break them down for
optimal understanding, and how to put together an intelligently
developed answer. In doing this, students will be more prepared
for the questions they will be expected to answer on their AP
exam.
Grading Criteria
Six-Week Period
Tests
Projects
Quizzes
Homework
Classwork
25%
25%
20%
10%
20%
Semester
First Six Weeks
Second Six
Weeks
Third Six Weeks
Fall Final Exam
Total
25%
25%
25%
25%
100%
Grades in AP courses and Concurrent Course Credit classes approved by Houston
Community
College are given extra weight:
A = 5 points, B = 4 points, C = 3 points
Criteria for Grading High School Academic Subjects
90-100 Excellent quality of work through mastery of subject
80-89 Good quality of work - above average with consistent effort
75-79 Satisfactory quality of work, average achievement
70-74 Below quality of work expected – below average achievement
Below 70 Unsatisfactory quality of work – poor work, failing
Attendance
Attendance counts toward participation. If any portion of class is missed, it is the
responsibility of the student to find out what was missed without disturbing class time and
to make up the work. A student may check Edmodo for missed assignments and upcoming
work. No Excuses!
It will be at the discretion of the teacher to determine what constitutes as an excused
absence. For excused absences, late assignments will be accepted within 24 hours of the due
date without the deduction of points. Assignments will not be accepted late if it is the result
of an unexcused absence.
A student must be in attendance at least 35 minutes during a regular class period or 60
minutes in a 90-minute class period in order to be counted present.
Teacher Information
Ms. Fischer
HAIS Hours: 7am-5:30pm
To see me outside of class please email me
the night before or 24 hours in advance
nfischer@houstonisd.org
You may also reach me on Edmodo