AP ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION COURSE SYLLABUS
Mrs. Christy Mansfield
Valley Stream North High School
Valley Stream, New York
GOALS
The primary goal of this course is to provide you with higher level reading, writing and thinking experiences.
It is your job to discover the techniques, language and values you need to take advantage of the
experiences with which you will be presented. You will read, think and write regularly, and the feedback you
receive will require constant monitoring and adjusting on your part. The desired end result is still you, but a
‘new and improved’ you. Your reading, writing and speaking will evince clear, concise, analytical thought.
You will also be completely familiar with and prepared for the AP English Literature and Composition exam.
No writing assignment will be accepted late.
ONGOING ACTIVITIES
You will be presented with 7-10 AP style Part II essays per quarter for timed practice. You will
develop techniques for analyzing essay prompts and organizing essays. You will establish a language base
for student writers using classmates’ work as well as scored essays and commentary provided by the
College Board.
AP style Part I multiple choice passages and questions will be analyzed, characterized, and
organized for recognition according to difficulty level. Samples will also be presented for practice in a timed
fashion.
SYLLABUS
First Quarter
JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT: DRAMA
You will select a play from a list of works of literary merit to read outside of class. You will divide the
play into two sections and read and make notes as your ongoing homework assignment. Two
journals, written IN CLASS, will be required for submission throughout the quarter on assigned
dates. Each journal/analysis will include, for EACH ACT:
~ a properly formatted bibliographical entry for the work.
~ a discussion of plot.
~ an analysis of characterization, to be followed in subsequent journal with
discussion and evidence of character development.
~ an analysis of the author’s dramatic techniques (or specific literary devices and
their effect on the overall meaning of the work).
~ an exposition of theme, addressing the concepts or evident messages in the
play at each of the stages.
~ a discussion of insights gained by consulting a literary criticism of the piece
(second journal only).
Understanding SATIRE/NON-FICTION UNIT
Includes:
- a review of satirical terms and language devices
- developing a language base with which to analyze and discuss pieces of writing in
terms of structure: annotate for argument (what the author is doing) rather than for
content (what the author is saying.)
- reading, annotating and analyzing various pieces of satire and writing at least one
full analysis.
~ SHORT STORIES: Arthur C. Clarke’s “History Lesson,” “The Children’s Story” by James
Clavell and “Greatest Man in the World” by James Thurber. “History Lesson” by Arthur C.
Clarke (focus: allegory, setting, perspective, perception, human arrogance, human search
for meaning, fallibility of scientific discovery) and “A Children’s Story” by James Clavell
(focus: allegory, setting, brainwashing, weakness of human nature, human search for
meaning)
follow up: 3-5 page free response discussion of the two pieces, without the help of outside
sources.
- BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley Introduction of TONE and how to effectively
write about literature.
Understanding EXISTENTIALISM
Includes:
- an introduction to philosophy and Existentialism in particular, its tenets and
characteristics as used in literary distinction.
- reading and analysis of Albert Camus’s The Stranger and Herman Melville’s “Bartleby
the Scrivener…”
- extensive consultation and analysis of various related literary criticisms.
- round table group discussions of findings.
- AP style Part I multiple choice, prose and Part II free response essay
prompts, timed practice.
Outside Reading: Man’s Search for Meaning Victor E. Frankl – presented as a study of the
existential philosophy
ALTERNATE: Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis – presented as a study of the absurd in literature,
as well as a psychological study of character and the family dynamic.
Second Quarter
JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT: NOVEL
You will select a novel from a list of works of literary merit to read outside of class. You will divide
the novel into two sections and read and make notes as your ongoing homework assignment. Two
journals, typed, will be required for submission on assigned dates throughout the quarter. Each
typed journal will include:
~ a properly formatted bibliographical entry for the work.
~ a discussion of plot for the section (this requirement will give me a sense of
your writing style and individual writing problems).
~ an analysis of characterization, to be followed in subsequent journals with
discussion and evidence of character development.
~ an analysis of the author’s language use (of specific literary devices and their
effect on the overall meaning of the work).
~ an exposition of theme, addressing the concepts or evident messages in the
novel at each of the three stages.
~ a discussion of insights gained by consulting a literary criticism on the piece
(second journal only).
Understanding POETRY, using Perrine’s Sound and Sense
Includes:
- reading of explanatory chapters in the text and outlining information in notebooks.
- reading poems independently and answering reading and analysis questions to
help support understanding of the pieces.
- developing a technique for reading poetry which will help you make skillful and
productive annotations for later analysis of tone, form/structure, language use,
speaker and subject, point of view and overall meaning of the work (theme).
- focusing in the text on reviewing and building on understanding of language
devices in prior knowledge base, and learning about the terms and functions of
other, more sophisticated technical poetic devices.
- AP style Part I multiple choice and Part II essay prompts for poetry, timed practice.
Understanding SHAKESPEARE
Includes:
- reviewing the elements of the tragic form and drawing on knowledge base for a
system of studying texts in terms of form/structure, figurative language,
characterization and rhyme and meter.
- Unit of study: reading Shakespeare’s Hamlet listening to recorded reading,
performing, making notes, completing ongoing character and concept organizers,
answering study guide questions and establishing theme statements. Video
resources (both Kenneth Brannaugh and Mel Gibson film versions to view selected
scenes).
- AP style free response essay prompts, timed practice.
- reviewing poetry reading technique using selected Shakespearean sonnets.
- AP style Part I questions and Part II essay prompts for poetry, timed practice.
-Introduction to POETRY
Third Quarter
JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT: MODERNISM
Outside of class, you will read two works: Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Ayn Rand’s Anthem.
ALTERNATE: Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart
Includes:
- reading and analyzing various short stories using similar technique developed for
reading poetry.
- a Writing Workshop during which you will extrapolate examples of each type of
essay from each of the first three quarters as collected in the writing folders. You
will perform a structural analysis to determine which two or three common writing
problems have vexed you most. Rewriting and revising will take place as a result of
self-analysis and one-on-one conferences with me.
- AP style Part II essay prompts for prose, timed practice.
Fourth Quarter
JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT: POETRY AND PHILOSOPHY
You will select from a list of 16 concepts about which you will compose a thesis (ie. Beauty: In Praise
of It, War: Man’s Inhumanity to Man, Doubt: The Inward Eye/Introspection). Along with each topic, you
will be provided with a list of poets and poems related by topic/theme. After looking up and
photocopying as many poems from the list as you can find, you will select four or five and use them
to support your thesis. Once again, it’s just you, the texts and your brains. This 5-7 page paper
should show me all that you have learned this year. It also provides you with excellent brain exercise
just before the AP exam.
LITERARY TIME PERIOD TEAM RESEARCH PROJECT/PRESENTATION
Includes:
- designating teams of students to research various literary time periods: the social
context, the literary characteristics in style, major authors and examples of pieces
which clearly evince the researched characteristics.
[Classic Greek and Roman, Medieval, 16th century, Victorian, Elizabethan, Romantic, 17th
century, 18th century, early Modern, Modernism, Feminism]
- a 7-10 minute lesson prepared by each team to be presented to the class with
photocopied outlines of the time period and its characteristics, as well as copies of
each sample piece of poetry or prose.
AP EXAM REVIEW
Includes:
- multiple choice question practice.
- AP style Part I questions and Part II essay prompts for poetry, timed practice.
- one full length, timed Part I (1999) exam practice with scoring and evaluation.
- a compilation of essays most indicative of individual ability which represent one
prose, one poetry and one free literature response taken in a timed fashion in order
to assess possible score on AP exam in May.
- 30 minute meditation session the morning of the exam.
POST AP EXAM
Includes:
- a film viewing and review: “Dead Poet’s Society”
- a dramatic reading supplemented by audio musical interludes: Man of La Mancha
by Dale Wasserman (follow up: a comparison to Cervantes’ Don Quixote)