AP Literature and Composition/IB Language A1 2014/2015 Course Outline
John F. Kennedy High School
Ms. Weir
Reading Sequence:
1. Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (summer reading)
2. Macbeth, William Shakespeare (work for IB internal assessment, Arden version
recommended)
3. Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad (work for IB internal assessment)
4. Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
5. “Samsa in Love,” Haruki Murakami (short story, available online)
6. The Stranger, Albert Camus
7. Waiting For Godot, Samuel Beckett
8. Zoo Story, Edward Albee
9. Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison
10. The Road, Cormac McCarthy (end of first semester)
11. The Sound and the Fury, William Faulkner (work for IB external assessment, Norton
Critical Edition recommended)
12. Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys (work for IB external assessment, Norton Critical Edition
recommended)
13. The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje (work for IB external assessment)
14. Disgrace, J.M. Coetzee (work for IB external assessment)
15. The Reader, Bernhard Schlink
Text selections are based on the College Board’s AP Literature and Composition Recommended
Authors, past AP exams, and the International Baccalaureate’s Prescribed Book List.
Note: In addition to these major works to be studied, poetry and short stories will be read and
analyzed from supplementary texts.
Course Objectives:
The course emphasizes student growth in the following areas:
1. Understanding of literary terms, contemporary literary criticism, and developing skills in
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
applying the vocabulary of literary criticism.
Determining thematic elements in literature and creating universal applications.
Appreciation of texts from a variety of genres, periods, and countries.
Increasing personal vocabulary.
Enhancing oral communication through formal and informal class discussions and
presentations.
Developing of a mature writing style and familiarization of AP/IB evaluation standards.
Writing assignments will include timed in-class writings and extended essays.
Evaluation:
Grades will be based on essays, tests, quizzes, poetry journals, annotated glossaries, projects,
and class participation. Class participation activities, such as discussion or informal group work,
cannot be made up; therefore, attendance is crucial. Grades are based on total points earned.
Grading Scale:
90-100% = A; 89-80% = B; 79-70% = C; 69-60% = D; 59% or below = F
Grades will not be rounded up.
Policies:
Students must submit all annotated glossaries, poetry journals, rewrites, and process pieces
to www.turnitin.com by 8:00 a.m. on the day the assignment is due. Plagiarism will not
be tolerated. The Anaheim Union High School District’s Cheating Policy will be strictly
enforced. A student who must rely on classmates or secondary sources, such as SparkNotes
or other such internet sites, to complete the coursework is not ready for a college-level
course and should consider enrolling in English IV to further hone his/her skills.
As students are given assignments well in advance, no late work will be accepted. If a
student is excused from school on an assignment due date, the assignment must be in my
mailbox by the start of the school day. If a student is on campus for any portion of the
school day and does not turn in an assignment, his/her work will be considered late and not
accepted. Zero and seventh periods are considered part of the school day. If a student is
absent on the day of an in-class essay, he/she will be required to make up the essay within
one week of the absence. If a student is absent on a day of an oral presentation, he/she
surrenders the oral participation component of the grade.
For any questions regarding policies or curriculum, please contact Kimberly Weir at 220-4101.
The best time to reach me is between 7:20-7:50 a.m. and after 2:37 p.m. You may also email me
at weir_k@auhsd.us.
Please keep one copy of the outline in your notebook and return a signed copy to Ms. Weir.
Thank you.
I have read the AP/IB Course Outline, understand the course requirements, and give permission
for my son/daughter to participate in this course.
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Parent/Guardian Signature
Student Signature