Advanced Placement: English Literature and Composition
Overview
The Advanced Placement English Program was inaugurated by the College Board of
Princeton, New Jersey, to prepare high school seniors for college work. The course is
taught on college level with readings appropriate to the “freshman.” The analysis and
evaluation of drama, novels, poetry, short stories, and nonfiction essays and the
development of writing skills are the foundations of the course. Critical thinking skills
are emphasized and encouraged through discussions and seminars
All students enrolled in AP are required by the County Administrative Unit to take the
AP Exam. This test will be administered by Mrs. Sasser in May and will be scored by
College Board. English IV-Honors is not a pre-requisite, but I highly recommend that all
students take the course. English IV-H provides a background in English literature and
covers many works that college professors expect high school students to have studied.
The majority of works studied will be taken from British and American literature. Each
student is expected to read ALL assigned literary works.
Each student’s progress will be determined by the quality of submitted essays based on
literary selections. Essays must be original compositions based on the student’s own
interpretations and analysis of literary works. Obtaining or copying information from
literary criticism, etc. is not permitted unless directed by the teacher. To a lesser degree,
seminars, cooperative learning activities, projects, memorization of poetry, plot tests, and
occasional “pop” quizzes will also contribute to the student’s total evaluation.
Essays will be returned with the scoring rubric used to evaluate the paper. My goal is to
return all papers within three days (be patient!). The comments written on returned papers
are designed to help the student improve overall writing style. Practice AP test sections
are returned the following day with comments but no specific grade. We will discuss
these tests in class but they are not part of your weekly grades.
Tutoring and individual assistance is available after school every day but Friday.
Elements of the course:
 Poetry Analysis Essays are due every Friday.
o Each grading period you will be given sheet of poetry. Select one poem
each week and write a detailed analysis of that poem. (TP-CASTT
Analysis Sheet will be a useful guide.)
o Essay should be typed and at least one page in length. Place the essay in
the box by the door at the beginning of class.
o Essays may be emailed to the teacher if you are absent.
 Novels
o Novels will be read outside of class and must be completed before the date
specified.
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o A short-answer test on the plot will be given before the novel is discussed
in class.
o After the novel has been studied, the student will write a timed-response to
a given prompt on that novel. (These prompts are designed to prepare
students for the essays required on the AP Test.)
AP Practice Tests
o At various times, the students will complete a multiple-choice practice
based on the literary analysis portion of the AP Exam.
Grammars as problems arise!
Weekly quizzes on literary terms (First Grading Period Only!)
Poetry Project and Presentation (Third Grading Period)
o This is an in-depth study of one poet and a minimum 5 poems done as a
small group.
o Each member of the group is required to write an in-depth analysis of one
poem.
Syllabus
You should read the selection in BOLD by the dates given. If you miss a class or if class
is canceled, you should continue reading. Be sure to organize your time so that you can
read carefully and not have to read at the last minute when your major worry is
completion, not comprehension. The biggest favor you can do for yourself this semester
is to keep up with the reading assignments.
Objective: The student will demonstrate an understanding of various literary
terms, genres, concepts and elements.
Background Reading for Fiction Study
“The Value of Literature” p. 5
“The Changing Literary Cannon” p. 7
“Plot” p. 37-45
“Character” p. 71-76
“Setting” p. 112-114
“Point of View” p. 138 – 143
“Symbolism” p. 179 – 181
“Theme” 199 – 202
“Style, Tone, and Irony” p. 219 – 223
Objective: The student will read the various short stories; analyze each based on
symbolism, tone, and character development. The student will generate a single
theme that connects the works.
Family Values
August 25 (F)
Welcome, Expectations, and Overview
August 28 (M)
August 29 (T)
August 30 (W)
August 31 (TH)
Sept. 1 (F)
Sept. 4 (M)
Sept. 5 (T)
Sept.6 (W)
Sept. 7 (Th)
Sept. 8 (F)
Sept. 11 (M)
Sept. 12 (T)
Sept. 13 (W)
Sept. 14(Th)
Sept. 15 (F)
Reading with a Critical Eye (N)/ The Cannon p. 1047N “In the
Cannon” p. 352LBR/ “The Dying Family” LBR (Begin GOW)
“The Story of an Hour” p.12B/ “I Want a Wife” p. 177 LBR
“A Rose for Emily” p. 54B
Discussion continues & Video
“A Good Man is Hard to Find” p. 368B/ Perspectives p. 423+
Review TP-Cast Writing
POETRY RESPONSE #1 (Everybody reads!)
“Barn Burning” p. 436B/ Perspectives p. 449+/ “Confessions of
an Erstwhile Child” p. 151 LBR
“Araby” p. 310B/ “Coming Home” p. 1N
“On Going Home” p. 9N (p. 143 LBR)
POETRY RESPONSE # 2 (Everybody reads!)
“Home Burial” p. 876B/ Perspectives 891+
“The Male Myth” p. 226 LBR / “Death of the Hired Man” (Handout)
“Dumpster Diving” p. 22N/ “Writing with an Active Voice” (N)
“The Horse-Dealer’s Daughter” p. 469B / IN-CLASS ESSAY
POETRY RESPONSE # 3/ Practice Multiple Choice Test #1/SSR
in GOW
Objective: The student will read the novel and be able to analyze the overall work
based on New Historical Theory and then be able to generate an essay to apply the
novel to a current social issue.
Sept. 18 (M)
Sept. 19 (T)
Sept. 20 (W)
Sept. 21 (Th)
Sept. 22 (F)
Plot test on Grapes of Wrath (Begin “Antigone”)
GoW
GoW
GoW
GoW / POETRY RESPONSE # 4
Sept. 25 (M)
Grapes of Wrath Essay Test
Objective: The student will read various selections of nonfiction and poetry to
determine how current events can influence writers and shape the collective view of
mankind.
Sept. 26 (T)
“A Valediction Forbidding Mourning” p. 677B/ “My Last
Duchess” p. 702B
Sept. 27 (W)
“The Harem Within” p. 162N /“Evan’s Two Moms” 392N /
“The River-Merchant’s Wife” p. 989B
Sept. 28 (Th)
Multiple Choice Poetry Test # 2
Sept. 29 (F)
POETRY RESPONSE # 5 (Everybody reads!)/ SSR in “Antigone”
Objective: The student will read a drama and apply various term, concepts and
dramatic elements to an analysis of the work. The student will be able to discuss
how the political background of the Greeks influenced the work and how the theme
of the work is relevant to our current political structure.
Oct. 2 (M)
Oct. 3 (T)
Oct 4 (W)
Oct 5. (Th)
Oct. 6 (F)
“Antigone” Plot Test
(Begin The Red Badge of Courage)
Background on the Greek Drama
“A”
“A”
POETRY RESPONSE #6/ “A”
Oct. 9 (M)
“Antigone” Essay Test
Objective: The student will read various selections of nonfiction and determine how
current events can influence writers and shape the collective view of mankind.
War and Politics
Oct. 10 (T)
Oct. 11 (W)
Oct. 12 (Th)
Oct. 13 (F)
“How to Tell a True War Story” p. 552B
Poetry of War (handouts)
“American Ignorance of War” p. 601AO/ “Twin
Towers”
“POETRY RESPONSE #7/ SSR in RBC
Objective: The student will read the novel and generate possible thematic
implications that show the influence of the past on our view of the present. The
student will write an essay that compares the “concept of valor” to the “reality of
war.”
Oct. 16 (M)
Oct. 17 (T)
Oct. 18 (W)
Oct. 19 (Th)
Oct. 20 (F)
The Red Badge of Courage Plot Test (Begin “Things…”)
RBC
RBC
RBC
RBC Essay Test/ POETRY RESPONSE #8
Oct. 23 (M)
Oct. 24 (T)
Multiple Choice Test # 3
“Ideas Against Torture” p. 652AO/“The Case For Torture”
p. 675N
“The Atom Bomb” p. 724N
“My Men” p. 673 LBR /“War Prayer” p. 1122N
“Crito” p. 681 LBR / Background on Tim O’Brien / POETRY
RESPONSE # 9
Oct. 25 (W)
Oct. 26 (Th)
Oct. 27 (F)
Oct. 31 (T)
Plot Test on The Things They Carried
Nov. 1 (W)
Nov. 2 (Th)
Nov. 3 (F)
Things
Things
Things / POETRY RESPONSE #10
Nov. 6 (M)
Essay Test on Things (Begin “Hamlet”)
Objective: The student will read various selections of work and be able to analyze
the overall work based on Feminists Theory and other new theories. They will then
be able to generate an essay that applies the works to society based on a given
theory.
Nov. 8 (W)
Nov. 9 (Th)
Self – Identity and The Social Outcast
“Coward” p. 763B/ “I’m Nobody” p. 840B/ “Ozymandis” p. 998 /
“Salvation” p. 654 LBR
“Eveline” p. 315B/ Perspectives 362+
“The Woman as Other” p. 333AO/ “Women’s Brain” p. 218 LBR
Nov. 10 (F)
“The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky” p. 203B/ POETRY RESPONSE #11
Nov. 7 (T)
Nov. 13 (M) “Colored Me”p. 41N/ “Black Men in Public Spaces” p. 396N
Nov. 14 (T)
“Hailing While Black” p. 270 LBR/ “What is a Homosexual” p. 256N
Nov. 15 (W) “Between the Sexes” p. 254N/ ‘Why Women Smile” p. 261N/ “The
Second Shift” p. 172 LBR
Nov. 16 (Th) IN-Class Essay Test
Nov 17 (F)
POETRY RESPONSE # 12 / SSR in “Hamlet”
Nov. 20 (M)
Nov. 21 (T)
Nov. 22 (W)
Nov. 24-25
“Hamlet” Plot Test
“H”
“H”
THANKSGIVING BREAK!
Nov. 27 (M)
Nov. 28 (T)
Nov. 29 (W)
Nov. 30 (Th)
Dec. 1 (F)
“H”
“H”
“H”
“H”
“Hamlet” Essay Test
Dec. 4
Dec. 5
Dec. 6
Dec. 7
Dec. 8
(M)
(T)
(W)
(Th)
(F)
Dec. 11 (M)
Dec. 12 (T)
Nectar in a Seive (Begin Frankenstein)
NS
NS
Essay on Nectar in a Seive
Begin Poetry Project
Poetry Project
Poetry Project
Dec. 13 – 15
Poetry Project (Media Center Time)
We will begin Frankenstein (Plot Test) after Christmas!
Jan 2 (T)
Jan 3 (W)
Jan 4 (Th)
Jan 5 (F)
Frankenstein Plot Test
Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Jan 8 (M)
Jan 9 ( T)
Jan 10 (W)
Jan 11 (Th)
Jan 12 (F)
Frankenstein Essay Test
Poetry Project
Poetry Project
Poetry Presentations
Poetry Presentations
Jan 16 (T)
Jan 17 (W)
Exam Review
FINAL EXAM!!!!
Texts Used for Class
Meyer, Michael, ed. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. 3rd ed. Boston: Bedford
Books. 1993.
Peterson, Linda H. and John C. Brereton, eds. The Norton Reader. 11th ed. NY: W. W.
Norton. 2004.
Stubbs, Marcia, Sylvan Barnet, and William E. Cain, eds. The Little, Brown Reader. 10th
ed. NY: Pearson. 2006.
Gardner, Janet E. Writing About Literature: A Portable Guide. Boston: Bedford Press.
2004.
Novels
(If you would like to take notes or “mark-up” the novel, you may purchase your own
copy from any local bookstore.)
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
“Antigone” by Sophocles
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
“Hamlet” by William Shakespeare
Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Second Semester Reading
Students who desire to score well on the AP Test in May will want to continue reading
during second semester. The novels listed below are available from the English
Department Library at any time. Every three weeks, a one hour book talk will be held
after school on one of the selections. You may read them in any order, but they are listed
by order of discussion.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Black Boy by Richard Wright
Adam Bede by George Elliot
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
Dubliners by James Joyce
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (if time permits)
Review sessions for the AP Test will be held if requested by the class.