AP English Literature and Composition
Course Description
AP Literature and Composition fosters the analytical reading and critical writing of young students. Students
explore texts from multiple genres, time periods, and authors ranging from British, American, and World
literature. Students learn and develop sophisticated strategies for close reading; therefore leading to the
creation of clear, concise, and elevated critical essays. Students may expect to write two to three papers
outside of class, six to eight timed writing assignments, a few higher-level authentic projects, as well as a
variety of quizzes and unit tests per semester.
The course follows the curricular requirements described in the AP English Course Description.
Course Objectives
Students will read, study, and analyze various works of literature from many genres. Study will focus on how
setting, language, point of view, and tone contribute to plot and theme in a work.
Students will appreciate well-written literature and understand the differences between literary and commercial
works. They will also understand the difference between objective analysis and personal response.
Students will consider the importance of historical, cultural, and social influence on the purpose and themes in
literary works.
Students will use close reading skills to understand the author’s purpose, identify theme, and language when
analyzing or evaluating a work.
Students will improve their writing through revision in the particular areas of diction and sentence variety.
Students will demonstrate both deductive and inductive reasoning as methods for structuring writing
assignments.
Students will revise writing for clarity organization, and use of evidence through student-teacher writing
conferences.
Students will choose an appropriate tone and rhetorical approach according to the audience.
Students will use blog entries and annotation to analyze and interpret literature.
Textbooks
Johnson, Greg and Thomas R. Arp. Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. 12th ed. Stamford:
Cengage Learning, 2014. Print.
Additional Sources
Noden, Harry R. Image Grammar: Teaching Grammar as Part of the Writing Process. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann, 2011. Print.
Web sources
APCentral; Chompchomp.com;
Summer Reading
Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature Like a Professor.
Frazier, Charles. Cold Mountain.
McCarthy, Cormac. All the Pretty Horses.
Independent Reading
Bronte, Elizabeth. Wuthering Heights.
Hardy, Thomas. Tess of D’Ubervilles.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House.
Joyce, James. Dubliners.
Llewelyn, Richard. How Green Was My Valley.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet.
Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest.
Reading and Writing Assignments
Reading Assignments
Students will further develop their strategies for close reading. This course requires more reading that most
courses. Students should expect to read all genres, time periods, and authors with extreme care. Reading
closes requires concentration, rereading, and annotation. Students will read a novel independently and prepare
for Socratic circles, written assignments, and discussions of the independent reading. Students will also read
short stories, poems, and dramas from Perrine’s Structure, Sound, and Sense.
Projects
Students will submit a number of creative assignments that correspond to critical writings in each unit. The
assignments include the creation of visual representations, narrative writing, and performance. These
assignments will not be graded on aesthetic values but will be assessed on the student’s application of
appropriate structures and styles. A rubric and examples will be provided ahead of time to help guide student
performance.
Writing Assignments
Students will write several short critical papers, explicating prose, poetry, and drama, and analyzing their
novels. Students will also complete a research-based literary analysis. Each paper will need to present a strong
thesis that is supported by well-chosen textual evidence. Students will use their close reading in order to write
analyses of structure, style (figurative language, imagery, symbolism, motifs, tone), and
social/historical/cultural values. For outside writing, students will submit rough drafts for teacher and peer
review. Students will format their final drafts according to MLA guidelines.
Blog Assignment
Students will complete one blog entry per week responding to a work read in class during the previous week.
Students will either respond through objective analysis or personal response. Students will also post two
comments per week to a classmates blog. Each comment should either further support the argument of the
blog’s author or ask an additional question for the author to think about.
In-Class Writing, Quizzes, and Exams
In-Class writings will primarily be AP-based examinations, though there will also be quick-response writings
used for discussion. Quizzes will always be announced ahead of time and given in accordance with the reading
schedule. Reading quizzes occur at the beginning of class. Unit exams will consist of AP-based questions as
well as content questions.
Course Guide
This guide does not include all assignments but does highlight the major grades and type of essays that
students can expect.
Outline of the Fall Semester
Unit One: Introduction to the Course, Critical Reading Skills, and Evaluating
Short Fiction (8 weeks)
Reading
Review of summer reading
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Selected Short Stories from Perrine’s Literature
Writing and Projects:
Socratic Circle: What is literature? What defines literary vs. commercial literature?-Stuents will
investigate the thoughts behind what makes a work literature as well as what makes some works more
successful than others. Students will prepare a written opinion of their findings prior to class
discussion. Students will create two higher-level questions to pose to their circle.
Begin year-long blog assignment-Students will contribute one entry per week on their blog in
response to a work studied in class. Students are provided a rubric to guide their writing. These short
essays will be used to improve skills for writing about literature and take part in a written critical
discussion. In addition to posting their own blogs, students must comment on the blogs of classmates.
Student comments must be thoughtful and either further support for the blogger’s argument or pose a
new thought that might bring an insightful objection to the blogger’s reasoning. At all times, students
are expected to maintain a culture of encouragement and growth.
Timed Writing-The first timed writing will be based on a prose selection. After the initial timed
writing, we will analyze various examples of writing (1-9), and students will attempt to identify their
own levels of writing. Time writings will increase to at least one/week by the fourth week of class.
Writing about Literature 1-(characterization) Students will write an essay explaining how the direct
and indirect presentation of characters in Joyce’s “Araby” helps convey the theme. Students will
participate in teacher-student conferences about their thesis and rough draft. Students will revise
their essays according to teacher feedback.
Writing about Literature 2-(point of view)-Students will also select a scene from a short story and
rewrite the scene using a different point of view. Then, they will write a paragraph that analyzes the
differences in tone, theme, and/or conflict between the original work and the new scene.
Book Project 1-Character Collage-Students will create artistic representations of one of the main
characters from their chosen summer reading. The representation should reflect the changes and/or
growth experienced by the character over the course of the novel. A paragraph explaining the artist’s
choices will accompany the piece.
Book Project 2-Quilt Project-Students will create an artistic representation of a selected scene from
Their Eyes Were Watching God. Their interpretation of the scene should be symbolic in nature in
interpret the struggle characterized in the scene (either internal or external). An explanation of their
interpretation will accompany their artistic rendering. Using fabric, students will translate their ideas
into a quilt block. The completed quilt will be auctioned off at a fundraising event along with a
booklet that includes the students’ written interpretations.
Unit Two: The Elements of Poetry (10 weeks)
Reading
Wuthering Heights
Selected poems from Perrine’s Structure, Sound, and Sense
Writing and Projects
Socratic Circle: What is poetry? –Students will read four definitions of poetry framed by poets
Coleridge, Emerson, Dickinson, and Frost. Students will select the definition they believe best fits
their own view of poetry. They will write an essay defending their position and use some of the
poems studied in class to support their view. Students will also discuss their thoughts in a class and
pose questions to other classmates that extend their ideas of poetry.
Continue Blog
Timed Writing-Poetry will be addressed in timed writings during this unit. We will work cooperative
to analyze a poem and develop ideas for writing. Then, using a different prompt, students will
complete a timed writing. Timed writings will continue to be 1/week.
Poetry analysis-Students will create charts to record how tow poets address imilar themes. How do
literary elements affect the theme in each poem?
Writing about Poetry-Students will evaluate a poet’s use of figurative language noting how figurative
devices contribute to theme and tone.
Writing about Poetry-Students will write an essay based on a paired poetry prompt. They will meet
with the teacher one time about their thesis/rough draft prior to submitting a final draft.
Writing about Literature-Students will compare the relationship between Catherine and Heathcliff to
the relationship between young Cathy and Hareton, suing text evidence to support their judgments and
ideas.
Book Project-Students will create a map of the setting from Wuthering Heights. They should include
quotes from the novel that reflect the importance of each place and include as many specific places
mentioned in the story as possible. A compass and key should be included as well. Each student will
attach a brief explanation of how the setting builds conflict in the novel.
Creative Writing: Poetry-Students will write four poems based on the styles studied in the unit.
Students will then write a brief analysis of their own poem demonstrating an understanding of the use
of their own figurative language, structure, diction, and tone to convey their ideas.
Outline of the Spring Semester
Unit Three: The Elements of Drama (10 weeks)
Reading
Tess of D’Ubervilles
A Doll’s House
Hamlet
The Importance of Being Earnest.
Writing and Projects
Continue Blog
Timed Writing-Students will respond to prompts about prose selections and/or paired poetry prompts.
Students will then revise their writing according to teacher feedback in order to increase their score.
Students will continue to write 1 timed writing/week.
Debate- Students will respond to the question of whether someone should put duty to oneself above
the duty to another. Students will write either a position paper, rebuttal, or closing argument for the
debate. Students will use text evidence from A Doll’s House or other literature to respond to the
debate.
Writing in Response to Literature-Students will explore an analytical question related to the play.
They will then create a “fever chart” illustrating a character’s point on a continuum. For example, a
student could choose to track Hamlet’s insanity or how a character is close to what he/she appears.
Students will collect textual evidence (50 citations) along the study of the play. They will then present
their research/chart to the class. They will also write an essay supporting their discovered answer
to their “research” question using the text cited in their fever chart.
Book Project- Students will choose one of the characters from Hamlet and artistically represent his or
her “real” side in contrast to his or her false appearance. A one paragraph explanation will
accompany each representation.
Creative Writing-Students will write a dramatic monologue for Tess, Angel, or Alec imitating the
style of Hardy’s poetry, such as setting and dialogue, and aspects of Browning’s dramatic
monologues, such as the use of the listener within the poem or narration by an evil character.
Unit Four: Putting it All Together (10 weeks)
Reading
How Green Was My Valley
Selected poetry, prose, and drama
Writing and Projects
Continue blog
Timed Writing-Students will continue to write in response to past poetry/prose exam questions.
Writing about Literature-Students will outline responses to past AP exam writing prompts based on
novels/plays studied during the year.
Writing a Research Literary Analysis-Students will develop an analytical research question based
on one of the selections studied during the year. Students will then find ten sources from
academic books or journals that they could use as support in a literary analysis. Basically, students
ask, “what do other scholars say about this work?” Students then create an annotated bibliography
using their ten sources for their selection. Students then develop a thesis and meet with the teacher
to discuss their thesis, ideas, and sources for their essay. Students then write a well-developed essay
on their selection using at least five of their ten sources. Students will submit a rough draft for
review. Using teacher feedback, students will submit an edited and revised essay in MLA format.
Creative Writing-Students will select an object from his/her childhood and write in stream of
consciousness about the object as exemplified in How Green Was My Valley.
Grading Guidelines
50% of average consists of all composition and test grades
(at least four assignments per six-week grading period)
Composition grades include all process and timed writings.
Students are given forty minutes on most timed writing assignments and are
expected to write a full essay. The essay is graded as a “rough draft final copy”
using the Advanced Placement 1-9 grading scale.
Major test grades include objective, open-ended response, and essay tests of all major
works and units
40% of average consists of all daily work, quizzes and projects
Quizzes include reading and AP Multiple-Choice practice.
Projects include reading assessment projects and blogs
10% of average made up of participation
Participation grades may include class notes, reading improvement exercises (like
annotation, paraphrasing, or summary), and class discussion grades.