Westford Academy’s Mission Statement
Westford Academy, in collaboration with home and community, provides a safe environment where high expectations advance academic excellence.
We are committed to promoting integrity and critical thinking, while fostering tolerance and life-long learning in an ever-changing global society.
AP Literature and Composition
What You May Expect from this Course
What I Expect from You
Who is my teacher? Rebecca Ingerslev
What will we read? Catch-22; Jane Eyre; In the Time of Butterflies; The Heart
of Darkness; Oedipus Rex or Antigone; Hamlet; Macbeth; selected poetry,
selected short stories and a modern novel of your choosing.
Grades:
This course can be worth 3 to 6 college credits, and qualifies as a college course,
therefore student work will be graded as such.
What is AP? (From collegeboard.com, Inc. 2006)
Tests, in- and out-of-class essays, projects and participation will constitute the
bulk of your quarter grades. Students are expected to participate verbally in
class. Participation will be graded on both quality and quantity. No voice= no A.
As in college, you will have far fewer assignments than an ordinary high school
class, and so everything you do (or do not do) will count much more. Late work
will receive at least one full letter grade off; work is late if it is not turned in at
the beginning of the class period when it is due. You must still turn in your
work the day it is due even if you are on a field trip.
This Advanced Placement course is designed to meet the curricular requirements
set forth by the College Board. The course includes an intensive study of
representative works of world literature written in several genres from the
sixteenth century to contemporary times that require careful, deliberative reading
that yields multiple meanings. The course teaches students to write an
interpretation of a piece of literature that is based on a careful observation of
textual details, considering the work's structure, style, and themes, the social and
historical values it reflects and embodies, and such elements as the use of
figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. The course includes frequent
opportunities for students to write and rewrite formal, extended analyses and
timed, in-class responses.
The course requires several types of writing. 1) Writing to understand: informal,
exploratory writing activities that enable students to discover what they think in
the process of writing about their reading (such assignments could include
annotation, free-writing, keeping a reading journal, and response/reaction papers;
2) Writing to explain: expository, analytical essays in which students draw upon
textual details to develop an extended explanation/interpretation of the meanings
of a literary text 3) Writing to evaluate: analytical, argumentative essays in which
students draw upon textual details to make and explain judgments about a work's
artistry and quality, and its social and cultural value; 4) Creative writing.
The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students' writing
assignments, both before and after the students revise their work, that help the
students develop: a wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively; a
variety of sentence structures; logical organization, enhanced by specific
techniques to increase coherence such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis; a
balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail; an effective use of
rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and
achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure.
How to Contact Mrs. Ingerslev
I teach in rooms 251 and 243. During B and E periods I may be found in the
Library or the English Department. Also, I am available after school on Tuesdays
and Thursdays. My voicemail is 692-5570 ext. 332, however, email is the best
way to contact me. My work email RIngerslev@westfordk12.us
College Level Behavior:

Show respect for yourself, your classmates, differing opinions and me.

Take notes on readings, lectures and class discussions.

Buy your own copies of the books we read, if possible, so that you can
underline, notate and/or highlight the material, just like you will in college.

Honor deadlines. We are all busy, but deadlines must be prioritized.

Do NOT consult Sparknotes or other “study guides” to facilitate your
understanding. Plagiarism in college can result in expulsion.

Type all work done at home using MLA guidelines.

Give two weeks’ notice for work conflicts due to religious holidays

Lastly, you are expected to take the A.P. Exam this May.
Attendance:
Attendance in this class is a priority. When you miss class, you miss discussion
and valuable material. Find a classmate who will share discussion and/or lecture
notes with you. For missing work, follow the handbook.
One Last Thing:
Please bring your positive attitude and your sense of humor to class and be ready
to share it with us. I look forward to teaching you and learning from you.
I have read the above and agree to these expectations.
__________________________________ _____________________________
Student Signature
Parent/Guardian Signature
Westford Academy’s Mission Statement
Westford Academy, in collaboration with home and community, provides a safe environment where high expectations advance academic excellence.
We are committed to promoting integrity and critical thinking, while fostering tolerance and life-long learning in an ever-changing global society.
AP Literature and Composition
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Printed Name of Student