AP English Literature & Composition
Course Syllabus: 2012-2013
Freire Charter School
Ms. Stacey
Adapted from the College Board web site:
Much of our work in AP English Literature and Composition will involve the careful reading and critical
analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, you will deepen your
understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their
readers. As you read, you will be asked to consider a work’s structure, style and themes, as well as
such smaller-scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism and tone.
The course includes intensive study of a variety of representative works of recognized literary merit
composed between the 16th and 21st centuries. You will be exposed to many writers and writing
styles, but you will get to know a few works very well. As we closely read these texts, we will
concentrate on: (1) the experience of literature (the way we respond to in initially, on an emotional
level); (2) the interpretation of literature (the careful analysis we do to reveal multiple meanings);
and (3) the evaluation of literature (the final assessment we make of the text’s
quality and artistic achievement and how it reveals social and cultural values).
The most important requirement for this course is that you read every
assignment—read it with care and on time. You will likely need to plan time in
your schedule to get the readings—especially the novels—done! Poetry, though
usually not long, is complicated and should be read at least twice. The goal of
such close reading is to generate independent interpretations that go beyond the obvious.
Journaling, blogging, and/or marginal/sticky-note annotation will *always* accompany readings.
As we read, we will write. Writing is an integral part of the AP English course and exam. We will
sharpen our writing skills so that we may develop and organize our ideas in clear, coherent and
persuasive language, using:
• a wide-ranging vocabulary;
• a variety of sentence structures;
• a logical organization;
• a balance of generalization with specific, illustrative detail; and
• an effectively controlling “writing voice” or tone.
As we write together this year, you will collect your work in a Writing Portfolio. By revising selected
works, you will not only correct errors but reflect on the development of your skills as a writer.
Writing Assignments—In Detail
In this course, you will write many short, critical papers explicating poetry, short stories,
plays, and novels. Each paper is based on close textual analysis of structure, style
(figurative language, imagery, symbolism, tone), and social/historical values. You will
use specific and well-chosen evidence to articulate an argument about these texts.
These critical papers must be typed, double-spaced, and proofread (especially spellchecked) and will be approximately two-to-three double-spaced pages. I will often
require a rough draft for papers. Major writing assignments will typically be workshopped during class with peer support. You are encouraged to use the Writing Center, where I will
be Mon-Thurs after school from 3-4:30 pm, for additional support.
You will also be asked to write creative assignments— poems, drama, and short stories that take on
the rhetorical forms and styles of the literature we’re studying, or, that ask you to “rewrite” a story
from a different perspective. I will not grade these assignments on “creativity” alone, however. I will
also be looking for your knowledge and application of appropriate structures and styles as outlined
by the assignment; in other word: Did you understand, then apply, the techniques of art used in the
literature we’re studying? These techniques include structure, theme, and style (diction, syntax,
figurative language, symbolism, and tone).
OVER 
In-Class Writing, Quizzes and Exams
Expect to be quizzed after most reading assignments. I may not announce quizzes ahead of time,
and we will have a number of them, both straightforward “reading checks” and ones that ask you
dig a little more deeply into the text. At the end of some units, you will be given an exam that
features a new text or set of texts that you must write about using the skills gained
during that unit.
You will also be asked to write frequently in class: For example, you will journal in
response to your reading assignments on a regular basis, either in your notebook or
on the blog. We will also use writing as an assessment: As the year progresses, we
will practice for the AP Exam with more frequent in-class timed assessments, where
you will be given a new text (poem, story, excerpt) and asked to read, interpret,
analyze, and compose an essay in 40 minutes.
The AP Exam
In May, you will take the three-hour AP English Literature & Composition Exam,
which is made up of about 55 multiple-choice and three free-response essay
questions.
The multiple-choice questions assess your ability to critically read passages. There
will be four or five passages: usually, there are two poems, two prose passages, and
one “wild card”—sometimes, a play excerpt or literary criticism essay. There are
about 10-15 questions per passage. Since you have one hour to complete this
section of the exam, reading these passages efficiently is essential!
The essays, with an average time of 40 minutes for each, are in response to two
different types of questions: (1) an analysis of a passage or poem in which students
are required to discuss how particular literary elements or features contribute to
meaning; and (2) an “open’’ question in which students are asked to select a
literary work from their memory and discuss its relevant features in relation to the
question provided.
Quick Facts about the Exam:
 Performance on the free-response section of the exam counts for 55% of the
total score; performance on the multiple-choice section is worth 45%.
 Multiple-choice scores are based on the number of questions answered
correctly. Points are not deducted for incorrect answers, and no points are
awarded for unanswered questions.
 Because points are not deducted for incorrect answers, students are
encouraged to answer all multiple-choice questions.
 On any questions students do not know the answer to, students should
eliminate as many choices as they can, and then select the best answer
among the remaining choices.
Course Scope & Sequence
 Week 1 = Summer Reading Review
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Week 2-6 = Short Stories Unit / Response Essay (Connell, Jackson, Greene, Mansfield, Bambara,
Hemingway, Welty, Williams, Marquez, Joyce, Chopin, Faulkner, Updike, Oates, O’Connor,
Cisneros, Olsen)
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Week 7-8 = The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
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Week 9-13 = Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
 Week 14-15 = Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
(mid-terms)
 Week 16-18 = Poetry Unit 1 (covering a full range of literary periods and countries of origin)
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Week 19-21 = Turn of the Screw by Henry James w/ Literary Criticism “Lens Mini-Unit”
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Week 22-25 = Poetry Unit 2 / “Poetry in Context” Research Paper
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Week 26-28 = King Lear by Shakespeare / Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
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Week 29-30 = Test Prep
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Week 31-33 = Post-Exam Fun / Finals
Contact Information
PHONE: Leave a message for me by at Freire’s main number  215-557-8555
E-MAIL (preferred!)  staceycarlough@freirecharterschool.org
WEB SITE: http://freireAPenglish@wikispaces.com
The Writing Center Library
My classroom has a “mini-library” full of novels, plays, and books of poetry and short
stories. You may borrow these materials for school or personal use for a time of TWO
weeks, using the check-out binder. Upon checking out a book, you must ASK me and
get my signature on the form.
Academic Dishonesty
You are expected to turn in your own work. If the information did NOT come from your head – for
example, the information was taken from a web site, a book, or even a friend -- that source must be
noted!
If plagiarism in ANY form—including but not limited to cheating on a quiz or test,
copying homework, or using non-cited material—is suspected, there will be an
investigation by the Dean and penalties will be put into place, including a ZERO
on the plagiarized assignment. I take this matter very seriously, and so should
you: Take pride in your work, it is your voice.
Also, actually read everything I assign. I will not overburden you with hundreds of pages *because* I
intend for you to read carefully and thoughtfully. DO NOT USE SPARK NOTES OR OTHER ONLINE
SUMMARY TOOLS AS A REPLACEMENT FOR READING! You will obviously not have such resources on the
tests or the AP exam. If you do, you are cheating yourself out of the opportunity to truly develop your
reading skills, which you will need for the rest of your life. Be a scholar! Have original thoughts! Our
world needs your brains fully maximized!
Respect
It’s my hope that you will feel invested in the content, and therefore find that learning the skills comes
more easily. Everyone has bad days. I LOVE my students, and I am open and flexible, but I will not
be disrespected and I will not allow the safety and progress of our community to be disrupted. The
number one rule in my class is respect. Students must show respect by not talking while the
teacher or another student is talking. Disrespect may also take the shape of using insulting or
derogatory language or making mocking or inappropriate gestures or expressions. Anything
that attacks a person’s gender, sexuality, race, religion, social class, or physical or mental
aptitude will NOT be tolerated, even “as a joke.”
Grading Policy*

Homework/Class work/Participation: These “effort” assignments are typically worth
10-20 points each—together, they always average to 30% of the quarter grade.

Quizzes are typically worth 30-50 points each—they average to 20% of the quarter
grade.
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Writing assignments are typically worth 50-75 points each—they average to 25% of the quarter
grade.

Final Project/Quarterly Exam is typically worth 100-200 points each—these two items average
to 25% of the quarter grade. Collectively, these three “mastery” categories average to 70% of
your quarterly grade.
*For the first marking period, 20% of the total grade will come from the summer reading assignment, so each
remaining category above will be worth slightly less toward the quarterly average. Summer Reading
requirement: How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster and students’ choice of two novels
(one American and one World) and a set of poems from an AP-level list.
Homework: Expect homework (including reading) every night!

All homework is due at the start of class the day it’s due, unless otherwise noted on the
SmartBoard when you walk in.

Some assignments will be checked for content and returned at a later date, others will be
logged as complete and returned for use in class.

No late homework will be accepted—this includes homework that you try to hand in midperiod, at lunch, or that is “magically” found in your locker after school: The answer is “no”!
If you are absent, you are responsible for finding out what you missed. This is where most students fall
behind! Try to be in class every day. If you are not, you must:
1. E-mail me for your missed work/assignment
2. Check the class web site: <freireAPenglish.wikispaces.com>
3. Contact me or a classmate before your absence or, if the absence was unplanned, the day
you return (after class, at lunch, or after school).
4. You have as many days as you were absent to make up the missed assignment… so, if you are
out Monday, you have one day (Tuesday) to turn it in by Wednesday. You are expected to
come after school review missed class work/notes.
Your Binder & Journal Notebook: Remember, this class is all leading up to probably one of
the toughest, longest exams you’ll ever take. If you’re organized throughout the year, you’ll find
reviewing all this material in preparation for the exam much easier. Keep all handouts and notes in
your binder such that you can quickly find them as needed. Complete all journal assignments in
order, dated and titled. *I will be doing periodic, unannounced binder/journal checks every few
weeks – they will count for a grade!* You must be ready or you will receive a ZERO!
“TMC” Word-of-the-Day:
Over the course of the year, we will learn new vocabulary words to help us describe literature.
Many of these words will be helpful when trying to describe an author’s tone, a scene’s mood, or a
character’s personality. We will receive ten words at a time, and then each day, deal with one
word closely. Upon entering class, you should open your notebook to your TMC Vocab section
and copy down the day’s word. All of these words and the accompanying notes should be kept
in this same notebook so that you can prepare for quizzes throughout the marking period.
Quizzes

Reading Checks: Expect a reading check any time you are assigned reading for homework.
These will usually be very short and count for a homework grade. Sometimes, these reading
checks will be open note, so always do your annotations!

Reading Quizzes (Closed- and Open-Book): These types of reading quizzes count much more
than reading checks; they require you to think critically about a text and answer AP-like
multiple-choice questions. Take notes while you read and pay attention during class
discussions to ace these!

Vocabulary Quizzes: After reviewing the set of TEN (10) TMC Words of the
Day, we will have a quiz. These quizzes cumulative.

Grammar & Writing Quizzes: Each quarter, we will focus on reviewing a
few key grammar/writing skills. After each mini-lesson, you will practice
using the skill(s) and be quizzed. These are also cumulative.
If you are absent on the day of an assessment, you must be prepared to take
it after school on THE DAY YOU RETURN unless other arrangements have been
made. A different version of the quiz or test may be administered as a makeup. If you fail to make-up your quiz, you will receive a ZERO – no exceptions!
Final Essay/Quarterly Exam
At the end of each quarter, we will have a final major writing project. If you hand in a major
assignment late, your grade will suffer: You will lose 10% each day it is late. You have three days
before you receive a ZERO – no exceptions. We will also have a final exam at the end of each
quarter that tests your mastery of key reading and writing skills.
Scholarly Work Ethic
Preparation, effort, participation, and improvement may be factors in your grade, especially at the
end of the semester (if your grade is hovering on the border). In my eight years of teaching, I have
seen many bright students fail and not-so-naturally-bright students succeed based on their varying
ability to be positive, humble, and determined in the face of challenges. If you need help, ask. If you
need an extra day, ask. If you’re having a personal crisis, tell me. We are all human. I want you to
succeed, but I’m not psychic! But I need to see the best of you, every day – no excuses. Be hungry.
Ms. Stacey: English 3
2012-2013 Signature Page
Students and parents/guardians: Please read this WHOLE document carefully and sign below. You
will be held responsible for upholding its contents!
Then, detach and return this page to Ms. Stacey by: ______.
I, __________________, have read and understand the contents of this syllabus, and am fully aware of
Print name here
the policies stated within.
Student’s signature:_____________________________
Date: _______________
I, __________________, have read and understand the contents of this syllabus, and am fully aware of
Print name here
the policies stated within.
Parent/Guardian’s signature:_____________________________
Date: _______________
NOVELS
White Noise – Don DeLillo
Joy Luck Club – Amy Tan
In Our Time –
Atonement – Ian McKewan
Deliverance –
Rag Time –
Crime & Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Ken Kesey /Catch 22 – Joseph Heller (binder p. 51)
Song of Solomon – Toni Morrison
Turn of the Screw – Henry James
Jekyll & Hyde As I Lay Dying – William Faulkner
House of Mirth – Edith Wharton
Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
King Lear – Shakespeare / Oedipus Rex – Aeschylus(?)
Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – Muriel Spark
COMPLETE TEXT LOG SHEET FOR ALL BOOKS!
POETRY
About 50% of the test
“Build the skill toolbox”
Poetry Unit #1 = Lots of questions and discussion, w/ a test @ the end w/ one poem and questions
 Mini-Lectures on key topics’ review/discussion/quiz
Poetry Unit #2 = Practice AP Qs and then a new poem w/ AP prompt as test @ end
Both = ~ 3 weeks
“How does the language of the poem reflect the speaker’s attitude / meaning of ___?”
 diction
 fig lang
 difference between x and y
 organization
 details (literal/metaphoric)
 contrast in attitudes
 imagery
POEMS
“The Clasp” –Sharon Olds (companion to Use of Force)
“The Groundhog” –
“Storm Warning” – Adrienne Rich
“Whippoorwill” “Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” – T.S. Eliot
Shakespeare soliloquies
PASSAGES
Except from House of Seven Gables - Nathaniel Hawthorne
“Eleven” - Sandra Cisneros
“Captain McWhirr” = Joseph Conrad
“ “ – John Stuart Mill
Except from Their Eyes were Watching God – Zora Neal Hurtson
“Addison v. Johnson” –
“Spotted Horses” – William Faulkner
“The Lesson” – Banbara
“The Use of Force” – William Carlos Williams
Article on Song of Solomon – Toni Morrison (pg. 61 of binder)
STICK CAREFULLY TO WHAT EVIDENCE SUPPORTS; no wild interpretations or “maybes”
--“I see how ____, but how do you account for ___?”
WODs = Adjectives to describe characters/mood/tone
Keep a list of literary terms/elements (cumulative end-of-year “term test” – not MC)
“Complexity is Good” (multi-dimensional; multi-faceted; contradictory)
(Methods of analysis) DIDLS / SOAPtone (Speaker; Occasion; Audience; Purpose; Subject; Tone)
Marginal Notes for credit (handout); 2-3 marks per page
Annotating ≠ Underlining
AP MC Percentages:
65% = Easy
50-64% = Medium
49%  = Hard
“Theme Statements” (Perrine p. 208)
 different from topic; conflict; moral)
 has a subject and predicate
 stays within the scope of the text
 is general
 is central and unifying re: all text details
 can be stated in multiple ways
THEME STATEMENT FORMULA
When ____ (define relevant characteristic of protagonist… marital status, age, race, class, culture,
time pd, career) comes in conflict with _____ (define antagonist/-ic force(s)… emotion, person,
obstacle) in a situation in which ____ (define relevant circumstances, context, event….), ___ happens
/ the result may be ____ (problem/situation’s outcome / change in character / choice made).
Literary Criticism – validates different viewpoints / Tony Tanner
Include satire/humor (Wilde; Stoppard; Shakespeare)! Biblical/mythological allusions!
Y1 Final Paper – “Body of Work”; Lit Crits and texts as research materials – make a “statement’ about
author (access to lit crit database?) CLC; Bloom’s; Library of Phil web site
Week 1 = Summer Reading
Week 2-6 = Short Stories Unit
Week 7-8 = Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Week 9-13 = Catch-22
Week 14-15 = Song of Solomon OR The Awakening
(mid-terms)
Week 16-18 = Poetry Unit 1
Week 19-21 = Turn of the Screw / Lit Crit OR Victorian Novel (Jane Eyre or Pride & Prejudice / The
Importance of Being Earnest)
Week 22-25 = Poetry Unit 2 / RP
Week 26-28 = King Lear / Oedipus Rex OR Hamlet/Death of a Salesman
Week 29-30 = Test Prep
Week 31-33 = Post-Exam Fun
OTHERS –
Waiting for Godot OR Krapp’s Last Tape (in Perrine)
Invisible Man
Brave New World
Invisible Man OR Heart of Darkness
Common Texts on Syllabi:
Antigone - Sophocles
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – William Shakespeare
[The Glass Menagerie – Tennessee Williams]
Summer work -The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – Muriel Spark
The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
Things Fall Apart – Chinua Achebe
The Quiet American – Graham Greene
The Things They Carried – Tim O’Brien
Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Ken Kesey
King Lear – William Shakespeare
Death of a Salesman
Invisble Man
Love in the Time of Cholera
Siddhartha
Merchant of Venice
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The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy - Full text
o Sequence by Sandra Still
Hurt Hawks by Robinson Jeffers - Full text
Harlan Sewall by Edgar Lee Masters - Full text
Love on the Farm by D. H. Lawrence - Full text
The Convergence of the Twain by Thomas Hardy - Full text
I Corinthians 13:1-13 by Paul - Full text
Fletcher McGee by Edgar Lee Masters - Full text
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Macbeth by William Shakespeare - Full text
o Sequence by Sandra Still
o Essay on Macbeth by Christina Nelson
o The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - full text with links to definitions
o Shakespeare-Oxford Society
o ClickNotes by Philip Weller
o Falcon Education Link - Full course notes and plain talk play
o Mr. William Shakespeare and the Internet
A Man for All Seasons by Robert Bolt
Richard III by Shakespeare - Full text
John of Gaunt - Family tree
I John 4:7-21 by John - Full text
Sonnets by Shakespeare - Full text
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - Full text
o Sequence by Sandra Still
 Introductory Notes
o The Republic of Pemberley - Annotated with additional materials
o Money and Marriage by Ginger Grab
Emma by Jane Austin
Persuasion by Jane Austin
Part Four: Time and Eternity by Emily Dickinson - Full text
Some Foreign Letters by Anne Sexton
The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde - Full text
o Sequence by Sandra Still
o Introduction to Literature
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad - Full text
o Sequence by Sandra Still
o An Adaptation for Independent Radio by Tim Crook
o The Significance of Idealism in Heart of Darkness by Amis Lee
The Hollow Men by T.S. Elliot - Full text
The Negro Speaks of Rivers by Lanston Hughes - Full text
Luke 22:31-34, 47-62 by Luke
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson - Full text
o Sequence by Sandra Still
o Jekyll and Hyde Films
Man by George Herbert - Full text
London by William Blake - Full text
Dr. Heidegger's Experiment by Nathaniel Hawthorne - Full text
Richard Corey by Edwin Arlington Robinson - Full text
Hamlet by William Shakespeare - Full text
o Sequence by Sandra Still
 Introduction to Hamlet
 Interpreting Hamlet
o Shakespeare-Oxford Society
o Hamlet Texts
o The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark
o Hamlet - Full course notes and plain talk play
o Hamlet, Prince Of Denmark - The short prose version
A Lady with a Falcon on Her Fist by Richard Lovelace - Full text
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley - Full text
o Sequence by Sandra Still
 Frankenstein Seminar
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Peer Analysis
Essay
Comparison/Contrast Essay
o The Shelleys - English 450
o Hail Mary Shelley! & Exercise Untried Resources of Mind with Frankenstein
o Frankenstein - Penetrating the Secrets of Nature
The Monster's Human Nature by Stephan Jay Gould - Excerpts
Eve to Her Daughters by Judith Wright
o National Women's Justice Coalition - Women for WIK - Supported by Judith
o Other Poems
o Papers of Judith Wright
Paradise Lost by John Milton - Full text and study guide
o Study Guide by Sandra Still
o The John Milton Reading Room - Annotated full text
o The Iconography of "Paradise Lost"
Allegory of the Cave by Plato - Full text - Plato's Cave Project was created for the MassCUE/2002 Fall
Conference by a team of educators from the Foxborough, Westwood, and Newton Public Schools.
o Notes by College of the Canyons, California, Philosophy Department
o Study Guide by Peter Elsesser
Nietzsche - the Superman
o I Teach You the Superman by Friedrich Nietzsche
o Nietzsche's Superman by Anna Knowles
Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett - Full text
o Sequence by Sandra Still
 A Brief Overview
 Act I Notes
 Act II Notes
o The Second Coming and Mr. Godot by Jeffrey Miller
o Still waiting, for Mr. Godot by The Indian Express Newspaper
o Samuel Beckett
o Essay by Michael Sinclair
The Collar by George Herbert
Luke 23:26-24:7 by Luke
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Full text (site down 10/13/02)
o Sequence by Sandra Still
o Huxley's Brave New World
o Aldous Huxley - Background
o Teacher CyberGuide
o Revelations 21:1-8-22:1-5 by John
Related course materials

Wuthering Heights - Full text (site down 10/13/02)
o Introduction by Sandra Still
 Chapters 1-6
 Chapters 7-12
 Chapters 13-16
o Wuthering Heights - Full text
o Character List
Dates
Literature / Units of
Study
Writing / Thinking / Literary Skills
Fantastic Voyage
Satire & "Modest
Proposal"
appeals; advertising tricks; advertising analysis
Satire & Gulliver's Travels
personal narrative; thematic transitions; creative writing
(pastiche);
satire; narrative structure; author's purpose; bias;
stereotype; propaganda
9/2-9/19
The Odyssey
allusion; writing process revisited; epic poetry; stylistic
devices;
plot devices; character analysis; short stories; poetry;
research;
historical analysis of literature; critical theory; creative
writing
9/20-9/27
Beowulf
epic revisited; point of view; critical theory; imagery
9/28-10/5
The Canterbury Tales
satire revisited; creative writing; poetic devices; frame story
8/15-8/19
8/19-9/1
The Outsider
10/7-10/14
Fences
Dramatic techniques (Aristotle’s Poetics); stagecraft;
symbolism; historical criticism
10/14-10/26
Black Boy
autobiography; narrative devices; historical & biographical
criticism; race theory
10/27-11/4
The Metamorphosis
stylistic techniques and devices; tone; imagery;
characterization; allegory;
narrative technique; author's purpose; biographical criticism
Grendel
point of view; tone; characterization; style analysis; imagery;
manipulation
of reader; existentialism; poetry
11/5-11/11
Heaven and Hell
11/14-11/22
The Inferno
allegory revisited; symbolism; imagery; historical
perspective;
creative writing (pastiche); irony; allusion revisited
11/22-12/2
No Exit
allegory revisited; dialogue; irony; existentialism revisited;
point of view; historical perspective
12/5-12/10
Paradise Lost & Faust
poetic techniques; author's purpose
12/13-12/16
Archetypes, Final Exams, and Projects
Winter Break: Read Their Eyes Were Watching God
Second Semester Syllabus
Week
Writing / Literary Skills
Literature
Willful Women
1
Their Eyes Were Watching
God
literary and stylistic techniques; dialect
2
The Awakening
historical reference; author's purpose
3
The Awakening / Kate Chopin
literary criticism
4
A Doll House
author's purpose revisited
5
Jane Eyre
gothic elements; historical perspective; characterization
6
Jane Eyre
symbolism and imagery; romanticism vs. realism
7
Jane Eyre
feminist theory; plot devices; manipulation of reader
8
Sula
figurative language; historical perspective; stylistic
techniques
9
Sula
diction and style; characterization
10
Woman Warrior
historical perspective; narrative techniques
11
Woman Warrior
cultural comparisons
A Strange Twist of Fate
12
Oedipus Rex
dramatic techniques; irony; allusion
13
Macbeth
dramatic techniques; symbolism; diction; characterization
14
Macbeth
argumentation; historical perspective; poetic techniques
• Frankenstein, Shelley
• The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Shakespeare
• Heart of Darkness, Conrad
• Death of a Salesman, Miller
• Oedipus Tyrannos, Sophocles
The Tragedy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark. William Shakespeare (1601)
Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen (1813)
Frankenstein. Mary Shelley. (1818)
Sister Carrie. Theodore Dreiser (1900)
Heart of Darkness. Joseph Conrad. (1902)
Crime and Punishment. Fyodor Dostoevsky. (1917)
Brave New World. Aldolfus Huxley. (1932)
Waiting for Godot. Samuel Becket (1949)
Christy. Catherine Marshall. (1967)
Heart of Darkness, Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, The Turn of the Screw, The
Great Gatsby, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Hamlet, and Things Fall Apart
The Awakening, One Hundred Years of Solitude,
The Scarlet Letter, Cat’s Cradle, The Catcher in the Rye, and Brave New World
Catch 22, Joseph Heller
Beowulf, Translated by Burton Raffel
Grendel, John Gardner
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
Night, Elie Wiesel
• Life is Beautiful, movie
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
• Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
• Othello, Shakespeare
• Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
• One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey
• Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
• Catch-22, Joseph Heller
• The Scarlett Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne
• The Awakening, Kate Chopin
• The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien
• Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Fences by August Wilson
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
To Make a Long Story Short: Short Story Unit
- Various short stories
- Review and deep analysis of literary devices
- Timed writings and process paper
Women as Victims, Survivors, Heroes
- Novel: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- Various short stories and poems
- Leading discussion
- Timed writings
- 1-2 process papers
- Multiple choice practice
Figuratively Speaking: Poetry Unit
- Close study of a multitude of poems and their poetic devices
- Live Poets Society presentations
- Timed writings
- 1 process paper on poet of presentation
- Research
- Multiple choice practice
I Am Who I Am: The Search for Self
- Novel: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
- Various poems and short stories
- Timed writings
-Process papers
-Multiple choice practice
End of Semester I
All the World’s a Stage: Intro to Plays
- Study of elements in plays
- Difference between plays and other genres
Heroes?
- Plays: Hamlet by William Shakespeare and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
- Types of literary criticism
- Timed writings
- 1-2 process papers
- Student-led discussion
- Reduced Hamlet
- Research
Seriously Funny: A Study of Comedy
- Plays: The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and 1 of the following: Pygmalion
by George Bernard Shaw, Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare, or Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard as well as various other Shakespeare comedies.
- Timed Writing
- Process papers
- Study of the forms of humor
- Study of non-print materials
What Does the Future Hold?
- Novel: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- A look at dystopian fiction
- Timed writings
McDonnell, Helen et al. England and Literature. Scott, Foresman and Company, 1987.
o
Perrine, Laurence. Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich,
1985.
o Casson, Allen. Cliffs AP English Literature and Composition. Wiley Publishing, Inc. 2001.
o Shakespeare, William. Hamlet and MacBeth
o Swift, Jonathan. Gulliver’s Travels
o Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice
o Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein
o Bronte, Charlotte. Wuthering Heights
o Woolf, Virginia. Orlando and A Room of One’s Own
o Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest
o Joyce, James. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
o Dickens, Charles. Bleak House
o Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness
o Orwell, George. 1984
o Hemingway, Ernest. The Old Man and the Sea
o Stoppard, Tom. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
o Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot and Krapp’s Last Tape
o Malamud, Bernard. The Fixer
o Hwang, David Henry. Yellow Face
Summer Reading:
o Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales
o Campbell, Joseph. The Power of Myth
o (Seamus Heaney translation) Beowulf
o (Raffel translation) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
o Everyman
o Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman
Oedipus Rex and Antigone, Sophocles.
The Inferno, Dante Alighieri
Hamlet, William Shakespeare.
A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
The Awakening, Kate Chopin
Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
Native Son, Richard Wright
Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller
The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien
Unit I: “Boot Camp” (concept taken from Linda Davey)
Texts to be covered- “Celia Behind Me-” Isabel Huggan; “The Man Who Was Almost a Man-” Richard Wright;
“The Yellow Wallpaper-” Charlotte Perkins Gilman; “The Jacket-” Gary Soto; “Birthday Party-” Katherine
Brush
Major Assessments:
 You are to write an essay concerning the elements of literature- via essay prompts of the past- the
first three weeks of school in order to re-familiarize yourselves with literary elements and stylistic
devices through writing analysis. You will complete 5 essays during this short time frame. Essays
include, but are not limited to, those essay prompts from AP released tests from the following years:
1983, 1979, 1990, 2005, 1970, 1991. You will get each of your essays back the next class period so
you can evaluate your mistakes and correct them for the next essay. Please remember that you will
rewrite those essays that earn below a “5” in order to improve your analytical writing ability. This

first three weeks may be frustrating, but I will be with you every step of the way. You will be able
to visit me before school, during lunch, after school, and even on weekends if you need me.
Rubric evaluations of released essays from apcentral.com and discussion of why essays scored as
they did will be topics of class analysis and discussion
Unit II: The making of meaning in early societies
Texts to be covered- Gilgamesh, Beowulf excerpts, “Ozymandias,” Genesis chapters 1-3, Homer’s The Odyssey
excerpts
Major Activities and Assessments
Historical notes and qualities of the epic hero

Examples of diction will be discussed and discovered through annotation in order to develop
advanced vocabulary
 Dialectical journal consisting of remarks made based on annotation of the above excerpts in order
to identify tone, effective use of diction, symbolism, sentence structure, voice, and allusion
 SPOTTTS (one a week- “The Red Wheelbarrow” by William Carlos Williams, “The Eagle” by
Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “she being Brand” by E.E. Cummings, “Ozymandias, by Percy Bysshe
Shelley,” “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost, and “The Death of a Toad” by Richard Wilbur
 Creative writing assignment: You will create a mini epic of no more than two pages where your
establishment and maintenance of voice, controlling tone, achievement of appropriate diction and
sentence structure, use of symbolism and allusion, and vocabulary are utilized. A rubric will be
given to you when the specifics of the assignment are explained in order to ensure success on this
assignment. You will use your dialectical journal to assist you with accomplishing this
assignment’s goals
Second Nine Weeks:
**Please Note: All summer reading should have been complete at this point because they will be topics of
conversation for comparison of all works we read from this point and throughout the rest of this year**.
Unit III: The creation of monsters versus heroes, society’s influence, and our responsibility as citizens
Texts to be covered- Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (as outside reading); John Milton’s Paradise Lost excerpts;
Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness excerpts; Robert Browning’s “Porphyria’s Lover,” & “My Last Duchess;”
Sir Thomas Malory’s “Le Morte d’Arthur;” Lord Alfred Tennyson’s “Idylls of the King” and “Enoch Arden;”
Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man (excerpt Prologue and Chapter 1), poems by William Butler Yeats, John Keats,
and Langston Hughes
Major Activities and Assessments Historical notes of Romanticism, the Gothic Novel,
 Dialectical Journal Writing of Frankenstein to include annotation of characteristics of the gothic
novel and Romanticism, and thoughts on at least 5 quotes of significance to you
 “Cold” 40-minute timed writing upon scheduled completion of Frankenstein
 After completing Milton’s Paradise Lost excerpts, you will draw the imagery you see, making sure
to back up your interpretations from quotations found in your reading; Complete a preposition poem
describing one of the characters from the excerpts of your choice. This assist you with the
development of sentence variety structures, including appropriate use of subordination and
coordination
 SPOTTTS- one a week to include: “Porphyria’s Lover by Robert Browning and “My Last Duchess,”
(2) poems by William Butler Yeats, (2) poems by John Keats and (1) by Langston Hughes and
“Enoch Arden” by Lord Alfred Tennyson- 2 weeks to complete
 After reading the “Idylls of the King” excerpt, you will write about the battle scene leading to King
Arthur’s death. Making sure to include sentence variety, establishment and maintenance of voice
through diction, establishment and maintenance of tone, and effective use of stylistic devices such as
personification, alliteration, similes, and metaphors. You will be graded by your peers on how well
your use of the above devices are depicted.
 A take-home essay based on an AP released essay prompts dealing with The Heart of Darkness and
one dealing with Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man excerpt upon completion of the readings and class
discussion
Third Nine Weeks:
Unit IV: Alienation- How and why we become alienated. Is alienation necessarily negative?
Texts to be covered- Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Review “King Lear”(This should be no problem because it was
summer reading) & selected sonnets; Charles Dicken’s Great Expectations excerpts, Eugene O’Neill’s The
Hairy Ape, Zora Neale Husrston’s How it Feels to Be Colored Me; Judith Ortiz Cofer’s The Myth of the Latin
Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria; Maxine Hong Kingston’s No Name Woman; Elizabeth Barrett
Browning and a sundry of other Petrachan sonnets
Major Assessments:
 Historical notes of the tragic hero, Renaissance and Queen Elizabeth, Shakespearean sonnets vs.
Petrarchan sonnets
 Shakespearean and Petrarchan sonnet analyses for form, tone, imagery via diction through class
discussion and SPOTTTS assignments
 Creative writing: Write a Shakespearean sonnet making sure to discuss your idea of the meaning of
love. Be sure to control tone, maintain voice, with emphasis of appropriate diction and sentence
structure
 Take home writing analysis for each essay above selected from 50 Essays. A different prompt will
be given for each essay where you will be sure to develop an extended explanation/interpretation of
the meanings of these expository selections. Making sure to use logical organization, transitions,
and tone, as well as drawing upon textual details to make and explain judgments about a work’s
artistry and quality, and its social and cultural values. Your essays will be completed at home for
homework, brought into class the day each one is due where you will participate in a peer review
session for an opportunity to revise your essay before you turn it in for a grade. The AP College
Board rubric of a 0-9 scale will be utilized during these times.
 Dialectical Journals of a comparison between Hamlet and King Lear, remarks on at least 3
significant quotes per play, and annotations for evaluation of allusions, symbolism, and diction
creating tone.
 After reading the Hairy Ape, you will participate in a panel discussion regarding what this play
depicts with regard to alienation, how we become alienated, and the pros and cons of alienation. You
will back up your responses with textual evidence found in the selections we have read throughout
this unit to support your conclusions.
Fourth Nine Weeks:
Unit V: The Metaphysical- The Philosophical on Love, Death, and Time
Texts to be covered- Poems by: Wyatt, Spenser, Shakespeare, Marlowe, Raleigh, Herrick, Marvell, Donne,
Jonson, Suckling, Lovelace, Neruda; Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave
Major Assessments Historical notes
 Choose one of the metaphysical poets’ poems and as a take home essay answer the following essay
prompt from AP released 1984 test: “Select a line or so of poetry, … that you find especially
memorable. Write an essay in which you identify the line or the passage, explain its relationship to
the work in which it is found, and analyze the reasons for its effectiveness.” This essay will be
completed at home, brought back for peer and teacher review. You will take it back home, revise
and edit it and turn it in next class period. Then, keeping your essay in mind, this prompt will be
given to you again as an in-class 40 minute timed writing. You will be graded using the AP College

Board 0-9 essay rubric. You may use the turned in essay or you may select another poem of your
choice.
Creative Writing Assignment- Based on your new-found philosophy from your metaphysical
experience, you will create either a sonnet, poem of your choice other than a sonnet, a monologue, or
a letter to another person where you will discuss your metaphysical beliefs on a subject of love,
death, or time. Be sure to include social and cultural values you wish to address, development of a
variety of sentence structures and diction, coherence through effective transition and emphasis,
specific illustrative detail, and establishment and maintenance of voice and effective use of rhetoric,
including the control of tone.
Unit VI: Satire and Irony- How do we change our society for the better?
Texts to be covered- Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels & A Modest Proposal; Oscar Wilde’s The Importance
of Being Earnest, Sir Thomas More’s Utopia excerpt
Major Assessments Historical notes
 Create your own satire based on the models of the above texts. What are you making fun of and
how are you trying to correct it? Be sure to use effective style and diction in order to create tone