AP English Literature and Composition Syllabus 2015 ­ 2016 Ms. Marian Berger
mberger@corbett.k12.or.us
tinyurl.com/MsBergerAPEnglish
(503) 261­4230
Mr. Bryan Estes bestes@corbett.k12.or.us bryanestes.com/english (503) 261­4256 Course Philosophy and Structure As described in the ​
AP English Course Description​
, this course will require students to read a variety of works including poetry, short fiction, novels, and dramas. Students will write frequently both inside and outside of class to explore and analyze these texts. Informal assignments may ask for their initial response to a work. More formal essays will require them to analyze the details of a text in order to explain their interpretation of a work or evaluate its literary merit. The class will function as a community of learners. Students will learn from each other, read their writing aloud, work collaboratively on revisions, and share their thoughts, ideas, and observations with one another during class discussions. The course is divided into trimesters, and most of the longer works are grouped according to theme. While students will engage in close textual analyses of these works, discussions and writing assignments will require them to compare works and think thematically. The variety of texts in each trimester will also require students to contrast these works and consider their disparate styles, genres, and social and historical contexts. The course also includes several weeks of intensive poetry study. In these units, students will learn and apply their knowledge of literary elements such as figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. Grading and Expectations 25% Engagement, daily preparation, in­class work and participation 25% Homework 50% Essays, tests and quizzes Students may access assignments and daily information through our pages on the school website. There, students will find the course calendar as well as other useful information and links. Grades will be updated on Synergy approximately​
every two weeks. We expect students to consult these resources following absences in order to catch up on any missed in­class or homework assignments. While there are no automatic grade deductions for late work, students should be aware of the natural consequences of handing work in late; once the class moves on to another topic, students who fall behind will find it hard to catch up, and work handed in late is generally of a lower quality than work handed in on time. Near the end of each trimester, we will set a final deadline for all late work, no later than one week before the end of the term. We strongly encourage you to visit The College Board website for more information regarding testing and the course: https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/apcourse/ap­english­literature­and­composition We will use ​
Perrine’s Literature:​
​
Structure, Sound, and Sense ​
as the skeleton for the course. The syllabus below provides a rough outline of the course’s scope and sequence. ​
While we will read all of the major works listed here, other details — such as the order of assignments and selection of short stories and poems — are subject to change. First Trimester: September 1st ­ November 19th Introduction to Literature and Analysis Study of composition will include discussion of appropriate style and stance. Students will use ​
Perrine’s ​
to study the following concepts: ● Choosing a topic, making a claim, using evidence ● Introducing quotations ● Revising for common problems in grammar, punctuation, and usage ● Documenting and citing sources Assessment of the above concepts throughout the year will be varied and frequent. By the end of the year, students will be able to do the following: ● Write to analyze a text and address a prompt with appropriate style and stance ● Work independently and with peers to revise various essays and assignments for content and organization ● Use correct MLA format in formal research essays Before reading the novels in this unit, students will study elements of short fiction in ​
Perrine’s​
. This study may include the following short stories, among others: ● Evaluating Fiction: “Hills Like White Elephants” ­ Ernest Hemingway “Bullet in the Brain” ­ Tobias Wolff ● Plot and Structure: “Interpreter of Maladies” ­ Jhumpa Lahiri ● Characterization: “Miss Brill” ­ Katherine Mansfield “Hunters in the Snow” ­ Tobias Wolff ● Theme: “A Worn Path” ­ Eudora Welty “The Lesson” ­ Toni Cade Bambara ● Point of View: “Where is the Voice Coming From?” ­ Eudora Welty ● Symbol, Allegory, and Fantasy: “Once Upon a Time” ­ Nadine Gordimer Again, assessment will be frequent and varied. It will include a variety of independent and collaborative writing assignments. Writing assignments will ask students to recognize, apply, interpret and evaluate the concepts they have studied. Furthermore, students will work on developing their use of vocabulary, varying their sentence structure, using appropriate subordination and coordination, enhancing cohesion, using illustrative detail, using effective rhetoric, and controlling tone and voice. The Congo to West Egg: Inventing Identity and Otherness Heart of Darkness ​
­ ​
Joseph Conrad The Great Gatsby ​
­ ​
F. Scott Fitzgerald The above novels will allow students to delve into the concept of “otherness.” The study of these novels will include frequent classroom discussion and close reading. We will begin to examine how the concept of otherness shapes personal, racial, social, and national identity. Our study of these novels will include reading from various supplementary texts to address the historical contexts and social implications of these novels. Major assignments: Heart of Darkness​
:​
Students will complete an ongoing reading journal to assess the effect of the novel’s strategies, characterization, motifs, symbols, and style. The Great Gatsby:​
Small group projects will culminate in class presentations on the novel’s symbolism, plot, point of view, and social, literary, and historical contexts. Final, timed in­class essays will assess students’ ability to articulate and support conclusions about each novel’s themes. Second Trimester: November 23 – March 3 Love and Tragedy Their Eyes Were Watching God ­ ​
Zora Neale Hurston Students will read this novel outside of class. Discussions will begin after Winter Break. Activities in class and assignments out of class will provide students an opportunity to apply what they have learned about plot, characterization, and style. A final in­class essay will require students to assert and support their understanding of the novel’s themes. Poetry Break #1 The first intensive poetry unit will include the following areas of study. The examples of works provided here are subject to change and are not exhaustive. ● Denotation and Connotation “Pathedy of Manners” ­ Ellen Kay “The world is too much with us” ­ William Wordsworth ● Imagery “Meeting at Night” ­ Robert Browning “The Convergence of the Twain” ­ Thomas Hardy “After Apple­Picking” ­ Robert Frost ● Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Apostrophe, Metonymy “The Guitarist Tunes Up” ­ Frances Cornford “Bright Star” ­ John Keats “Metaphors” ­ Sylvia Plath ● Symbol and Allegory “The Sick Rose” ­ William Blake “I started Early — Took my Dog” ­ Emily Dickinson ● Paradox, Overstatement, Understatement, Irony “Barbie Doll” ­ Marge Piercy “The Unknown Citizen” ­ W.H. Auden Three Tragedies: ​
An introduction to this unit will include excerpts from Aristotle’s ​
Poetics​
. Students will learn the elements of tragedy including the three unities, hamartia, catharsis, and the characteristics of the tragic hero. Oedipus Rex​
­ ​
Sophocles ● Students will read and perform excerpts in class and discuss the role of the Chorus. ● Class discussions and brief, in­class assignments will ask students to analyze the structure of the plot and apply their knowledge of tragedy to the play. ● Final in­class writing assignment will require students to discuss Oedipus as a tragic hero. Hamlet ​
­​
William Shakespeare ● As students read the play, journaling assignments will ask them to respond informally to the text and to keep track of characters and plot development. We will review characterization and plot structure (exposition, rising action, turning point, falling action, climax, and resolution). ● Short, in­class writing assignments will ask students to analyze passages for symbolism, imagery, and figurative language. ● Students will view excerpts of different film versions of the play to analyze the effectiveness of each interpretation. ● Students will compare and contrast elements of classical Greek and Elizabethan tragedy using specific evidence from ​
Oedipus Rex​
and ​
Hamlet​
. ● A final in­class timed essay will require students to address a theme of ​
Hamlet​
and support their conclusions with evidence from the play. Death of a Salesman​
­ Arthur Miller ● Students will analyze Miller’s play as an example of modern tragedy. Poetry Break #2 ● Allusion “in Just­” ­ e.e. cummings “Out, Out — ” ­ Robert Frost ● Tone “anyone lived in a pretty how town” ­ e.e. cummings “The Flea” ­ John Donne ● Musical Devices: Alliteration, Assonance, Consonance, Rhyme “The Turtle” ­ Ogden Nash “We Real Cool” ­ Gwendolyn Brooks “Traveling through the Dark” ­ William Stafford ● Rhythm and Meter: “Virtue” ­ George Herbert “Constantly risking absurdity” ­ Lawrence Ferlinghetti “Because I could not stop for Death” ­ Emily Dickinson ● Sound and Meaning: onomatopoeia, phonetic intensives, cacophony, euphony “Eight O’Clock” ­ A.E. Housman “Sound and Sense” ­ Alexander Pope “I heard a Fly buzz — when I died” ­ Emily Dickinson “The Dance” ­ William Carlos Williams Third Trimester: March 7 – June 3 More Poetry | AP Test prep | Independent Study Independent Projects This is a MAJOR component for this term. Students will complete an independent study of a novel of their choosing (subject to approval). They will begin by briefly exploring three possible works of literary merit before making their final selection. Students will receive a more detailed description of the assignment in the spring. Poetry Break #3 This is an abbreviated poetry break. We’ll review the following concepts with ​
Perrine’s​
: ● Pattern “That time of year” ­ William Shakespeare “On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer” ­ John Keats “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” ­ Dylan Thomas AP Exam Study and Practice Review of skills and concepts will occur throughout the year but will become more intense in the weeks leading up to the exam. Students will take multiple­choice practice tests, review literary terms, and respond to past AP essay prompts. ​
The AP exam is scheduled for the morning of Wednesday, May 4, 2016.