AP English Literature & Composition Syllabus
Course Description:
The AP Literature and Composition class is a preparatory class leading to the national
Advanced Placement Examination in English Literature and Composition in May. The
goals outlined in the AP English Course Description will be ultimately be the goals of this
class. The AP course will be taught with three primary objectives: students will take and
pass (3+) the AP English Literature exam; students will develop analytical skills in
reading and writing; students will develop critical thinking skills. The course will include
an in-depth reading of texts drawn from multiple genres, periods, and cultures. The
course demands an extensive reading of challenging texts and extensive writing
exceeding those of typical high school courses. Writing assignments will focus on
critical analysis of literature and will include expository, analytical, and argumentative
essays as well as well-constructed creative writing assignments. There is an increased
workload, and students need to be committed to these increased expectations. The AP
Literature and Composition course is a challenging, academically rigorous course that is
beneficial not only in terms of college credit or placement but also in terms of intellectual
growth. Students will focus on understanding a work’s style, theme, and structure, in
addition to more traditional literary analysis of the concepts of diction, figurative
language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. Students will complete both formal and
informal writing activities in a variety of formats. In addition, students are expected to
become adept at using the MLA-style of documentation.
There will be a variety of activities and teaching strategies used to meet the auditory,
visual, and hands-on learning styles of students. The students’ final grades will be
determined based on a variety of assessment methods, including the following:
classroom participation, unit examinations, quizzes, independent reading, writing
assignments, research paper, bell-ringer activities, in-class assignments, homework,
Socratic seminars, and writing portfolio. Students must have a completed portfolio in
order to receive a passing grade. Writing assignments will demonstrate analysis, critical
thinking, comparison/contrast, narration, description, exposition, argument, processanalysis, journaling, free-writing, reflecting, explication, and annotations. Some
assignments will be individual while others will require a group effort. Students are
expected to be active learners and to participate in class activities. Students should
adhere to attitudes and behaviors that represent the accepted norm for respectable
behavior in a group environment. Class participation will be part of each student’s
grade. Failure to appropriately participate may have a negative effect on the student’s
grade.
Course Objectives:
Students will meet the requirement of AP College Board, the Kentucky Program of
Studies, Core Content, and Academic Expectations.
Textbooks:
Kennedy, X.J., and Dana Gioia, eds. LITERATURE: An Introduction to
Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, 9th edition. New York: Longman, 2005.
Trimmer, James F., and Maxine C. Hairston, eds. The Riverside Reader, 8th
edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2005.
Novels and Drama:
1984 by George Orwell
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Frankenstein: Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz (excerpts)
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Othello by William Shakespeare
A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Beowulf – Anonymous
A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
The Scarlet Letter – Nathaniel Hawthorne
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde – Robert Louis Stevenson
Course Calendar/Schedule:
Week 1-7:
Course Introduction, Summer Reading, Nonfiction
Week 8-34: Literary (drama, short stories, novels, poetry)
Week 35-38: Reflective, AP Exam Review
Grading Criteria/Scale:
Students are graded on a point-system with final grades being a division of points
earned by points possible. Grading periods are divided into six 6-week periods, with a
semester exam each semester that is 10% of the final grade. The grading scale of the
school will be followed:
90-100 = A
80-89 = B
70-79 = C
60-69 = D
59 & below = F
Course Requirements/Guidelines:
1. The summer reading requirement must be completed prior to the first day of
school.
2. In-class, timed writings must be written in blue or black ink only. Skip lines.
3. Out-of-class essays must be typed, double-spaced in a size 12 font.
4. Deadlines are absolute.
5. Participation in writing workshops, including peer-conferencing and teacherconferencing, are mandatory components of the class. Writing assignments
accompanied by an asterisk in the course outline below are those for which
writing workshop participation are required.
6. Essays may be rewritten until the desirable grade is earned.
7. Reading is independent. You must budget your time appropriately to meet
reading deadlines.
Assessments:
1. There will be a major reading assignment for each month of school. Two
Socratic seminar days will be devoted to the assigned text, and there will be an
AP-style multiple choice test of 15-20 questions and an AP-style essay.
2. Quizzes over reading selections, vocabulary assignments, allusions, literary
terms/techniques, grammar/usage, etc. will be given at frequent intervals.
3. Essays will be both in-class and out-of-class. Both will be assessed. In addition,
assessment will occur at the various stages of the writing process through the
development of the essay. Essays may be rewritten to allow students to achieve
the grade they desire on the writing prompts.
4. There will be a major individual research paper, complete with MLA-style
documentation.
5. There will be a major group research project and presentation over an assigned
novel. There are a variety of components to this project, including student
creation of a PowerPoint presentation, a video, a music CD, a board game, an
advertisement, a eulogy, journals, a collage, and a time capsule to demonstrate
student analysis and understanding of style, structure, and theme.
6. Writing assignments, including all stages of the writing process, will be assessed
according to type and purpose. This includes students’ participation in peer and
teacher conferencing.
7. The Kentucky Writing Portfolio will be included as part of the writing assessment.
This will be dependent upon the requirements as determined by the Kentucky
Legislature.
8. Students will complete bell-ringer activities which will include free-writing
exercises, grammar/usage activities, responses to quotations, critical
thinking/writing activities, vocabulary exercises, sentence combining, etc.
9. Class participation is vital. Daily activities are crucial to learning and
understanding of key concepts. Students are expected to participate and will be
assessed accordingly.
Course Outline:
Week 1-7:
Summer Reading and Course Introduction, Nonfiction
During the first three weeks, follow-up will occur related to the summer reading
assignment. Students will participate in a Socratic seminar to discuss responses to the
summer reading selections. It is expected that students will have a framework for this
discussion based on email dialogues over the summer between the instructor and the
students. In addition, students will receive a thorough introduction to the course and its
expectations. Students will complete 25 multiple choice questions and will write 3
released item essays (one prose, one poetry, one open-ended) to establish a baseline
for an initial score.
Summer Assignment:
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REQUIRED READING (2 of the 3): (due by the first day of school)
o A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
o Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
o Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Robert Louis Stevenson)
o The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne)
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 1: Students must turn in two reflective essays, one for
each novel read. Reflective essays will demonstrate one of the types of reader
response: initial, affective, associative, personal response/stance, moral, or
gender.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 2: Students will prepare six note cards per novel read,
for a total of twelve note cards. The six topics for the note cards are: characters,
setting, structure/point of view, symbols, theme, and biography. Students
will use 5x8 index cards to identify key elements of the six topics. Students must
include a supporting quotation. Students must include proper MLAdocumentation for bibliographic information for the author’s biography.
ASSESSMENT: Students will take an exam of 15-20 multiple choice questions
and one AP-style open-ended essay (in-class timed essay).
Nonfiction Component # 1:
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REQUIRED “MAJOR” READING:
o The Canterbury Tales (Geoffrey Chaucer)
o Beowulf (Anonymous)
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 1: Autobiographical Essay – Students will choose
one quotation from a list. Using the quotation, students will write a brief essay of
approximately 500 words to explain who they are.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 2*: Alphabetical Autobiography – Students will
create a 26-page children’s style booklet about themselves. Each page will be
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devoted to one letter of the alphabet. There should be both text and pictures in
the booklet. Students should provide vivid descriptions of people/places/events
that are included. Each page of text should include two brief paragraphs for that
letter. Students will go through brainstorming, producing a rough draft,
peer/teacher reviews, revising, and producing a final bound copy of the booklet.
ADDITIONAL READING: from The Riverside Reader
o “Introduction” (pg. 1 – 18)
o “Narration & Description” (pg. 21-28)
o “The Veil” by Marjane Satrapi (pg. 29) – excerpt from a graphic novel
o “The Mullet Girls” by Jill McCorkle (pg. 41-49)
o “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell (pg. 68-76)
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 3: “Beginnings” prompt, pg. 19 The Riverside Reader.
In this essay of approximately 500 words, students will respond to the topic of
“beginnings”. This should be a narrative which describes (shows rather than
tells) about a “first” experience of their choice, including the significance of this
first.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 4*: Memoir, pg. 19 The Riverside Reader. Students
should create a profile of approximately 500 words about a person who has had
a significant impact on their lives. This piece will go through the workshop
process to allow revision for inclusion in the writing portfolio.
WRITING EXERCISE 1: Students will write a brief journal response to the
graphic novel excerpt “The Veil”.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 5: Students will select one of the essay topics from
pages 93-94 of The Riverside Reader and will prepare an essay of approximately
500 words. These prompts focus on the aspects of narration and description.
SOCRATIC SEMINAR: Students will participate in at least two Socratic seminars
related to The Canterbury Tales and Beowulf. Students will be introduced to the
various types of archetypes and should be able to verbalize the relationship
between archetypes and the reading selections.
ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT 1: Students will complete a multiple choice test of
15 questions and will write an open-ended AP-style essay over The Canterbury
Tales and Beowulf. The essay is an in-class timed writing.
ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT 2: Vocabulary – Students will complete
vocabulary assignments weekly. These assignments will involve lists of 30
alphabetical words per week. Students will be provided with the word list and
acceptable definitions. Activities will include sentence-writing (3 words used per
sentence, 10 sentences total) and an artistic depiction of at least one word from
the list. Students will complete a sentence-completion quiz at the end of the
week. This assignment will be on-going throughout the year.
Nonfiction Component # 2:
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REQUIRED MAJOR READING:
o Things Fall Apart (Chinua Achebe)
ADDITIONAL READING: from The Riverside Reader
o “Process Analysis” (pg. 95-102)
o “How Many It Takes” (pg. 103) – comic drawing
o “Grounds for Fiction” by Julia Alvarez (pg. 125-139)
o “Comparison Contrast” (pg. 165-173)
o “Shakespeare in the Bush” by Laura Bohannan (pg. 214-227)
“Definition” (pg. 337-345)
“Doorways: A Visual Essay” by Christopher M. Pizzi (pg. 346-352)
“Pain” by Diane Ackerman (pg. 358-363)
“Cause-Effect” (pg. 399-405)
“How Reading Changed My Life” by Anna Quindlen (pg. 420-430)
“Persuasion/Argument” pg. 475-485
“Stone Soup” by Barbara Kingsolver (pg. 506-516)
“Women and the Future of Fatherhood” by Barbara Dafoe Whitehead (pg.
517-525)
WRITING EXERCISE 1: After reading the comic drawing “How Many It Takes”,
students will create their own flow chart to explain a simple process such as
making an ATM transaction or washing a car or something similar. After creating
the flow chart, students will write an analysis of their own flow chart, including
why the process is not as simple as one might imagine and the importance of
including all the steps of the process. Before writing the analysis, students will
exchange flow charts and receive feedback in order to identify important parts of
the sequence that may be missing.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 1: Comparison-Contrast: Students will choose one of
the essay topics below to write a comparison-contrast essay. Students must do
basic research when compiling their data to use in the essay. Appropriate MLAstyle documentation is required. Essays should be 500-700 words.
o Write an essay comparing the way two news sources cover the same
story or comparing the way the same story may be told in two differing
cultures.
o Compare and contrast the arguments on both sides of a controversial
issue. Select two slogans that represent opposing sides of the
controversy. Compare and contrast the assumptions, evidence, and logic
of both slogans. Write an essay exploring the use of the slogans to
advance the arguments of both sides.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 2*: From The Riverside Reader, pg. 395, topic number
one: Students will select a category of objects that can be illustrated with pictures
or sketches to create a visual essay similar to that of Pizzi’s “Doorways”.
Students will need to mention special features alongside advantages and
disadvantages of each. The writing will undergo peer and teacher revision in
order to produce a piece that qualifies for the writing portfolio.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 3: From The Riverside Reader, pg. 568, topic number
three: Using the essays of Kingsolver and Whitehead, compare the kinds of
arguments each uses. Describe the dominant appeal of each essay. How do
the authors use evidence to support their claims, and what kinds of evidence do
they choose? Which essay do you find more effective? How have your personal
family experiences probably affected your response to the essays? Write a
reflective essay of approximately 700 words related to these questions.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 4: Students will write an approach paper for the novel
Things Fall Apart. This paper will consist of six parts: a heading, a summary
paragraph, character descriptions, discussion/essay questions, a key passage,
and an explanation for the key passage. The summary paragraph must
summarize the entire novel in no more than six sentences. Students must
include as much information as possible in these six sentences. For the
character descriptions, students will choose five of the main characters and will
describe these characters using a list of five words. Students will write three
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essay/discussion style questions. These questions should be similar in style to
the Socratic seminar questions that are asked. Students do not have to answer
these questions, only write them. Students will then identify what they see as the
most important passage in the novel, include it word-for-word identifying
speakers. In one paragraph, students will then explain why this passage is
important to the overall understanding of the novel and will explain any implied or
inferred themes presented by the passage.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 5: Students will create an annotated bibliography.
Students will choose an area of interest and they will find at least one book, one
periodical, and one web site to include in an annotated bibliography about that
topic. Annotated bibliographies must include correct MLA-style documentation
and a concise paragraph summarizing the source.
ANNOTATIONS: Students will use the post-it note form of annotating the text of
Things Fall Apart as they read.
SOCRATIC SEMINAR: Students will participate in at least two Socratic seminars
related to Things Fall Apart. Students will continue the debate about archetypes.
Additionally, students will discuss the thematic elements in the novel alongside
the thematic elements presented in the nonfiction selections, specifically
“Shakespeare in the Bush”, “Pain”, and “Stone Soup”.
ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT 1: Students will complete a multiple choice test of
15 questions and will write an open-ended AP-style essay over Things Fall Apart.
The essay is an in-class timed writing.
ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT 2: Vocabulary – Students will continue
vocabulary development exercises as explained previously.
Week 8-34: Literary (Drama, Short Stories, Novels, Poetry)
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REQUIRED MAJOR READING:
o One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn (weeks
14-16)
o Dracula by Bram Stoker (weeks 17-20)
o Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (weeks 21-23)
o Frankenstein: Prodigal Son by Dean Koontz (excerpts)(weeks 21-23)
o Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (weeks 24-25)
o Othello by William Shakespeare (weeks 26-27)
o A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen (weeks 28-29)
o The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams (weeks 30-31)
ADDITIONAL READING: from LITERATURE
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“A&P” by John Updike (pg. 13-20)
“A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner (pg. 29-36)
“The Jilting of Granny Weatherall” by Katherine Anne Porter (pg. 94-101)
“Greasy Lake” by T Coraghessan Boyle (pg. 143-151)
“The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe (pg. 386-391)
Various Poems (list at the end of the syllabus)
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 1:From LITERATURE, pg. 22, number one – In
approximately 250 words, support or refute the following remark with evidence
from Updike’s short story “A&P”: “Sammy is a male chauvinist who suddenly
sees the light.”
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WRITING EXERCISE 1: From LITERATURE – Write a short paragraph of about
100 words to demonstrate understanding of point of view based on the
following:
o Homer Baron’s POV about his affair with Miss Emily
o Store manager Lengel’s POV about Sammy
o POV of one of Okonkwo’s daughters about his death
o Grendel’s mother’s POV about the slaying of Grendel
o Baby bear’s POV about Goldilocks breaking his chair
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 2*: Write an essay of approximately 1000 words to
analyze the role of stock characters. Students may choose to analyze stock
characters in literature, television, or the movies. Students may approach the
assignment by analyzing one particular type of stock character, a particular genre
of television or movies, or a particular television or movie series. Student essays
will undergo conferencing and revision for inclusion in the portfolio.
WRITING EXERCISE 2: Write a response of approximately 250 words to the
following – How is the setting of a particular story (literature or film) important to
the inner life of the protagonist?
WRITING EXERCISE 3: From LITERATURE, pg. 211, number one – Students
will choose a subject they admire greatly, and in a paragraph of approximately
150 words, students will describe their admiration so that it is clear, and without
using phrases such as “I love this”. Students will then write another paragraph of
approximately 150 words from the point of view of someone who detests the
same subject, and without using phrases such as “I hate this”.
WRITING EXERCISE 4: Choose a story and state its main theme. Cite
evidence from the story that makes this theme clear.
WRITING EXERCISE 5: From LITERATURE, pg. 283, number four – Students
will choose a tangible item – animal, plant, house, or other man-made object.
Students will then write an opening paragraph for a story that will use this object
as a symbol. This paragraph will be kept and may be used later to develop a
literary piece for the writing portfolio.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 3*: Comparison-Contrast: From LITERATURE, pg.
287, number three – Choose two stories that are similar in some important way.
Write a comparison of the two stories that serves to evaluate them. This
assignment will undergo revision after conferencing.
WRITING EXERCISE 6: From LITERATURE, pg. 474, number four – Write
approximately three paragraphs discussing Poe’s feelings about fathers/sons
based on evidence from one of his short stories. How does the story take on an
additional meaning when viewed in the context of father/son relationships?
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 4*: From LITERATURE, pg. 2143-2144 – choose one
of the essay topics and write an essay of approximately 750-1000 words
analyzing a short story. Essays will be subject to peer and teacher
conferencing and revisions will occur.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 5*: From LITERATURE, pg. 2145-2146 – choose one
of the essay topics and write an essay of approximately 1500 words analyzing a
short story. Essays will be subject to peer and teacher conferencing and
revisions will occur.
WRITING EXERCISE 7: From LITERATURE, pg. 748, number 2 – students will
discuss their initial reactions to “The Red Wheelbarrow” in a paragraph.
Afterwards, students will read an explanation for the poem (provided on pg. 748)
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and will then reread the poem in light of this new information, and finally will add
a second paragraph discussing their second reaction to the poem.
WRITING EXERCISE 8: Students will briefly explain allusions, figurative
language, diction, paradox, rhythm, and other literary techniques found in
short stories and poetry they read.
WRITING EXERCISE 9: Students will write an epigram, a clerihew, a haiku, a
limerick, and a parody.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 6*: Students will participate in a “Gallery Walk”. After
looking through the displayed pictures, students will choose one about which to
write. Students will go through prewriting activities and will write a sonnet.
Through conferencing, revisions will be made so that the sonnet form is
achieved. This piece will go in the student’s writing portfolio.
WRITING EXERCISE 10: From LITERATURE, pg. 1069, students will complete
the exercise “Ten Terrible Moments in Poetry”, analyzing why these poetic
attempts were “failures”.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 7: Students will choose a poem and will write an
explication.
WRITING EXERCISE 11: In a paragraph of 150-200 words, students will choose
two of Dickinson’s poems and will analyze how her idiosyncratic capitalization
and punctuation adds special impact to the poem.
WRITING EXERCISE 12: Students will complete several exercises comparing
and contrasting sets of poems.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 8*: From LITERATURE, pg. 1799 – Students will
choose one of the dramas they have read and will apply Aristotle’s definition of
tragedy to the drama. Students will produce an essay that analyzes the drama
in terms of Aristotle’s definition.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 9*: From LITERATURE, pg. 2163-2165 – choose one
of the essay topics and write an essay of 750-1000 words analyzing a poem.
Essays will be subject to peer and teacher conferencing and revisions will occur.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 10*: From LITERATURE, pg. 2166 – choose one of
the essay topics and write an essay of 1500 words analyzing a poem. Essays
will be subject to peer and teacher conferencing and revisions will occur.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 11*: Students will prepare a literary analysis
research paper. Students will research, prepare note cards, and prepare a 5 to
7 page research paper. Peer and teacher conferencing will occur before a final
draft is submitted. Appropriate MLA-style documentation is required.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 12: Students, in groups of 4, will create an alphabet
book for one of the reading selections listed at the beginning of this unit to
demonstrate understanding of characters, symbols, events, etc. Each book must
contain a decorated front cover, a table of contents, a page about the author, a
decorated back cover, and 26 separate pages for letters, including a picture to
accompany each letter. Students will divide tasks. Each letter of the alphabet
must be represented and must include a paragraph of original writing.
Paragraphs should be error-free and of AP-quality. This is not a parody.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 13*: Students will prepare a literary interpretation of
one of the novels they have read during the course. This essay should be
approximately 750-1000 words in length, and it must address issues of textual
analysis as well as the historical and social impact of the novel. Peer and
teacher conferencing will occur before a final draft is submitted. If any outside
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sources are used to supplement the interpretation, appropriate MLA-style
documentation must be included.
ANNOTATIONS: Students will use the post-it note form of annotating the text of
Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Glass Menagerie as they read.
WRITING EXERCISES: Students will complete a one-pager for selected
excerpts of the reading material of this unit. In a one-pager, students will in a
single page, respond to the excerpt. These writings may discuss a significant
quotation, visual images, dominant impressions/themes, questions formed, etc.
These writings are not to be mere summaries; they should demonstrate some
understanding and insight into the selected texts.
SOCRATIC SEMINAR: Students will participate in at least two Socratic seminars
every four weeks related to the novels/dramas listed under the Required Major
Reading heading of the Literary Writing/Reading. Students will continue the
debate about archetypes in relation to the assigned readings.
ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT 1: Students will complete a multiple choice test of
15-20 questions and will write an open-ended AP-style essay (in-class, timed
writing) over the works listed under Required Major Reading. These
assessments will occur at weeks 20, 25, and 31.
ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT 2: During week 18, students will complete 25
multiple choice questions and will write 3 released item essays [one prose, one
poetry, one open-ended] to (a) count as their semester exam, and (b) compare to
the initial baseline established in week 2. The essays are in-class timed writings.
ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT 3: Students will participate in a Poetry Talk.
Students will choose one of the poems from the list and will do a dramatic
reading of the poem. Students will explain their rationale for why they chose to
read the poem as they did, and students will discuss their interpretation of the
poem, including how various literary elements of the poem contribute to their
interpretation.
ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT 4: Vocabulary – Students will continue
vocabulary development exercises as explained previously.
GROUP INDEPENDENT READING PROJECT: Students will be assigned their
group projects during this time frame. Final, completed projects will be due
during week 33. Students will be assigned to groups of 3 or 4, and groups will be
assigned a novel from the following list. Each group will prepare a 45-minute
presentation in regard to the assigned novel. Each presentation requires the
students to complete the following tasks: identify key quotations from the novel
and from the author and explain the significance, create a soundtrack for the
novel based on ten key scenes, create a 3-5 minute video based on a key
scene, create a multimedia display for the novel, identify the author’s style and
use key passages to demonstrate the style, research the author and other
interesting concepts related to the novel and compile in a group research
notebook complete with MLA-style documentation, identify key vocabulary,
create a time capsule related to the novel, identify and explain statements of
theme, create a board or computer game based on the novel, create a collage
based on the book, compile author background information, create a
persuasive advertisement in the form of a poster, a radio ad, or a travel
brochure to encourage others to read the book, create a ten-question quiz
based on the presentation, write an appropriate eulogy for a key character in the
novel, maintain journal entries related to the project throughout the course of
the project. Additionally, students will prepare a 1200 word essay in response to
an open-ended AP-style question. This project will integrate components of the
five strands of literacy as well as a variety of media formats and a variety of
writing components. Students will be in a constant state of peer review while
working with group members, in addition to periodic teacher review and
conferencing. Possibilities for group assignments include the following texts:
o The River Between Us by Richard Peck
o Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
o To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
o Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
o The Natural by Bernard Malamud
o Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
o A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain
o The Color Purple by Alice Walker
o A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
o The Inferno by Dante
o New Found Land by Allan Wolfe
o Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Week 35-38: Reflective and AP Exam Review
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REQUIRED MAJOR READING: Students will continue with the independent
reading group project novel which they were assigned. Students will present the
group presentations during week 33.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 1*: Students will complete a reflective piece of writing
which ties together their growth as a writer with the five strands of literacy. The
piece produced may be either a personal essay or letter. This piece will undergo
workshop activities including peer review and teacher conferencing.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 2*: Students will have completed the requirements for
the Kentucky Writing Portfolio, to include one personal or literary piece, one
transactive piece, one transactive with analytical focus piece, and one reflective
piece. The pieces included in the final portfolio will have undergone extensive
peer and teacher reviews and conferencing, with many revisions and rewrites on
the part of the student.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT 3: Students will write four letters. The first is to an
incoming AP-student to acclimate them to the class. Generalities must be
backed up with specifics. This should be a one to two page letter and should be
error-free. For letters two through four, students will brainstorm a list of 5 adults
at our school to whom they are grateful. They will choose 3 of those to write to.
In these letters, students will express their appreciation. Letters must be on
stationary (no notebook paper, spiral paper, etc.), and must be handwritten. All
letters should be error-free. These letters should be submitted in unsealed
envelopes, and after being checked, letters two through four will be delivered
either by the students or by me.
Additional Teacher Resources:
Odell, Lee, Richard Vacca, and Renee Hobbs, eds. Elements of Language, 5th
course. Austin: Holt, Rinehart and Winston: 2005
Poetry Reading Assignments: from LITERATURE
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Out, Out” by Robert Frost, pg. 710
“My Last Duchess” by Robert
Browning, pg. 712
“The Author to Her Book” by Anne
Bradstreet, pg. 719
“My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore
Roethke, pg. 718
“White Lies” by Natasha Trethewey,
pg. 724
“I Wondered Lonely as a Cloud” by
William Wordsworth, pg. 727
“The Red Wheelbarrow” by William
Carlos Williams, pg. 731
“The Unknown Citizen” by WH
Auden, pg. 733
“The Workbox” by Thomas Hardy,
pg. 738
“The Chimney Sweeper” by William
Blake, pg. 739
“This Is Just to Say” by William
Carlos Williams, pg. 750
“The Names” by Billy Collins, pg.
768
“Scottsboro” by Anonymous, pg.
771
“Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll, pg.
771
“Disillusionment of Ten O’Clock” by
Wallace Stevens, pg. 780
“The Independent Man” by
Gwendolyn Brooks, pg. 781
“Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost, pg.
784
“Root Cellar” by Theodore Roethke,
pg. 792
“The Victory” by Anne Stevenson,
pg. 795
“Not Waving but Drowning” by
Stevie Smith, pg. 806
“The Eagle” by Alfred, Lord
Tennyson, pg. 815
“Shall I Compare Thee to a
Summer’s Day” by William
Shakespeare, pg. 815
“Shall I Compare Thee to a
Summer’s Day” by Howard Moss,
pg. 816
“Metaphors” by Sylvia Plath, pg. 820
“Simile” by N. Scott Momaday, pg.
820
“Hands” by Robinson Jeffers, pg.
833
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“Bonny Barbara Allan” by
Anonymous, pg. 844
“Funeral Blues” by WH Auden, pg.
850
“The Times They Are a-Changin” by
Bob Dylan, pg. 854
“Desert Places” by Robert Frost, pg.
876
“Virginia” by TS Eliot, pg. 880
“We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn
Brooks, pg. 889
“Beat! Beat! Drums!” by Walt
Whitman, pg. 903
“Let Me Not to the Marriage of True
Minds” by William Shakespeare, pg.
917
“Acquainted with the Night” by
Robert Frost, pg. 919
“Do Not Go Gentle into That Good
Night” by Dylan Thomas, pg. 927
“Easter Wings” by George Herbert,
pg. 945
“The Road Not Taken” by Robert
Frost, pg. 962
“Uphill” by Christina Rosetti, pg. 963
“An Evening Walk” by Jon
Stallworthy, pg. 969
“Nothing Gold Can Stay” by Robert
Frost, pg. 976
“Helen” by H.D., pg. 979
“The Second Coming” by William
Butler Yeats, pg. 982
“Cinderella” by Anne Sexton, pg.
990
“Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath, pg.
1003
“America” by Claude McKay, pg.
1007
“Men at Forty” by Donald Justice,
pg. 1015
“Women” by Adrienne Rich, pg.
1016
“A Dying Tiger – Moaned for a
Drink” by Emily Dickinson, pg. 1069
“One Art” by Elizabeth Bishop, pg.
1080
“September 1, 1939” by WH Auden,
pg. 1081
“O Captain! My Captain!” by Walt
Whitman, pg. 1084
“Fog” by Carl Sandburg, pg. 1086
“Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe,
pg. 1088
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Casebook poetry by Emily
Dickinson, pg. 1098
Casebook poetry by Langston
Hughes, pg. 1116
“Lord Randal” by Anonymous, pg.
1138
“The Sick Rose” by William Blake,
pg. 1150
“The Mother” by Gwendolyn Brooks,
pg. 1152
“How Do I Love Thee? Let Me
Count the Ways” by Elizabeth
Barrett Browning, pg. 1154
“Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor
Coleridge, pg. 1158
“Death Be Not Proud” by John
Donne, pg. 1162
“The Love Song of J. Alfred
Prufrock” by TS Eliot, pg. 1169
“Mending Wall” by Robert Frost, pg.
1176
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy
Evening” by Robert Frost, pg. 1177
“The Convergence of the Twain” by
Thomas Hardy, pg. 1182
“To an Athlete Dying Young” by AE
Housman, pg. 1194
“Living in Sin” by Adrienne Rich, pg.
1230
“Not Marble Nor the Gilded
Monuments” by William
Shakespeare, pg. 1237
“A Noiseless Patient Spider” by Walt
Whitman, pg. 1258
“The Writer” by Richard Wilbur, pg.
1260
“When You Are Old” by William
Butler Yeats, pg. 1268