AP ENGLISH 12
Woodland Hills High School
Mr. Clawson Rm. 110
clawja@whsd.net
Student Syllabus
Course Description
Students in this course are engaged in the careful reading and critical analysis of
imaginative literature. Through close reading of selected literary works, they will
develop critical standards for interpreting the effects writers create by means of the
artful manipulation of language. To achieve these goals, students study individual
works and their characters, action, structure, and language. They consider largescale literary elements such as form and theme, and smaller-scale elements such as
figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. The writing assignments focus
on the critical analysis of literature and include expository, analytical, and
argumentative essays. If a student performed at the basic or below basic level on the
reading or writing PSSA exam during 11th grade, this course is not recommended.
This course prepares students to take the AP examination in Literature and
Composition in May of the senior year.
Course Goals and Student Expectations
AP English students are expected to contribute to class everyday and be
independent learners. A climate of learning is only made possible with cooperation
and class participation. The class will be conducted as a seminar/meeting. AP
English students should be prepared to read, write, and discuss literature every day.
AP English students are capable and motivated students who want to learn.
Students will:
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Attend class daily and participate in class discussions.
Study materials presented in class and in the readings.
Complete daily homework assignments requiring 40 - 60 minutes.
Pass quizzes and tests on content studied at a minimum of 75% mastery.
Complete one writing project on an outside reading each marking period.
Complete the Advanced Placement examination.
Research, write, and present the Senior Project (graduation requirement).
Use language and organize ideas in a clear, coherent, and persuasive manner.
Develop critical standards for the independent appreciation of prose and poetry in
regard to meaning, structure, value, time period, and relationship to student
experiences.
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Explain ideas and themes presented in selected literature through discussion and
writing.
Apply critical analyses through writing and speaking.
Write and revise critical and expository essays which discuss literature and
poetry.
Write and revise compositions in response to interpretive exercises, activities, and
class discussions to explain literary selections.
Participate in the Great Books Shared Inquiry oral discussions and written
responses to interpretative questions.
Course Content by Unit
UNIT 1: THE SHORT STORY: SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL VALUES
TEXT: Dubliners, by James Joyce
Warriner’s Handbook: Holt 6th Course
AP English Literature and Composition Released Exam
OBJECTIVES:
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Identify and characterize the narrator through an analysis of voice.
Draw inferences in the analysis of character by analyzing the language and tone
of the narration.
Articulate how imagery, tone, and narrative technique can be used to reveal
theme from reading and responding to Dubliners in writing.
Recognize in fictional prose the three elements of style: grammar, rhythm &
sound, and diction and practice in sentence writing using a variety of sentence
structures and styles referenced in Warriner’s Handbook: Holt 6th Course.
Interpret textual evidence and formulate a well-argued thesis based on close
textual analyses of Dubliner’s structure, style (figurative language, imagery,
symbolism, and tone), and social/historical values of early 20 th century life.
ASSESSMENTS:
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Write a timed in-class essay on style and imagery (sample AP exam prompt from
AP English Literature and Composition Released Exam).
Peer assessment of timed essay response, as well as revision according to
teacher feedback during student-teacher conferences, as well as large group
instruction, for the 5-paragraph essay.
Write a 5-paragraph essay on a student selected story from Dubliners, which
explicitly interprets the collection’s structure, style (figurative language, imagery,
symbolism, and tone), and social/historical values of early 20 th century life.
UNIT 2: SOCIAL AND CULTURAL VALUES PRESENTED THROUGH SATIRE
TEXTS: A Modest Proposal, by Jonathan Swift;
“No Exit”, by Jean Paul Sartre.
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The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer
Warriner’s Handbook: Holt 6th Course
AP English Literature and Composition Released Exam
OBJECTIVES:
 Identify and define the techniques employed by Swift, Sartre, or Chaucer for the
use of satiric language in regards to the social/historical values of each literary era
in this unit.
 Analyze the universality of satirical themes presented in each unit text through the
use of figurative language, humor, and irony to convey the social/historical values
of the literary period represented by Swift, Sartre, and Chaucer.
 Compare & contrast satirical themes in the literary works with modern rhetorical
strategies in writing before and after student-teacher conferencing, large group
teacher instruction, and peer revision of written compositions.
 Argue for or against the relevance of the satirical piece through the analyses of
the social/historical mores through timed in-class writing (sample AP prompt from
AP English Literature and Composition Released Exam).
 Analyze and use textual support to judge the satirical work’s artistry and quality.
 Edit and revise timed in-class writing through peer editing and instructor feedback
for the purpose of writing a well argued thesis.
ASSESSMENTS:
 Develop a thesis that judges the satirical work’s artistry and quality.
 Write a timed in-class essay that explains and judges the artistry and quality of
the satirical piece, and argue its relevance to modern rhetorical devices (sample
AP prompt from AP English Literature and Composition Released Exam).
 Peer edit and revise sample AP essay according to student-teacher conferencing,
large group teacher instruction, and teacher written suggestions from drafts.
 Revise and edit the in-class essay into a formal extended 5-paragraph analytical
essay that evaluates the techniques employed in the use of satiric language.
 Orally present and retell a student-selected passage from one of the unit’s satires
that employs satiric language in the context of a modern setting.
UNIT 3: TRAGEDY
TEXTS: Beowulf, Anonymous;
Hamlet, by William Shakespeare
Warriner’s Handbook: Holt 6th Course
AP English Literature and Composition Released Exam
OBJECTIVES:
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Identify and define new vocabulary through the Shakespearian Insults activity.
Practice writing these insults using Shakespearian vocabulary in various sentence
structures.
Match Shakespearian vocabulary with modern vocabulary.
Develop knowledge of subordinate and coordinate clauses through teacher
instruction, written practice, and group discussion.
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Discuss teacher feedback and instruction and revise these insults utilizing a
variety of sentence structures, including the use of subordination and
coordination.
Perform Shakespearian insults by writing Shakespearian soliloquies.
Complete a character analysis by examining the actions and words of the
characters.
Graph the complication and explication of the plots and subplots.
Articulate universal themes that are common to great tragedy.
Evaluate plot, character, theme, and language as elements of tragedy.
Rewrite one section of Beowulf and Hamlet into modern English.
ASSESSMENTS:
 Perform Shakespearian soliloquies using newly learned vocabulary, sentence
variety, and subordination and coordination.
 Complete unit vocabulary test.
 Complete grammar exam on complex sentences: subordination and coordination.
 Create and write a modern prose soliloquy that is evaluated for the use of unit
vocabulary, a variety of sentence structures, and subordination/coordination.
 Re-write one section of Beowulf into a modern epic poem.
 Complete an analytical reading log, which addresses the social and historical
values of the time period,
 Compare/contrast Beowulf to a modern hero of their choice and write an
analytical response that evaluates your choice utilizing peer revision of first drafts.
 Orally present and retell a student-selected passage from one of the unit’s satires
that employs satiric language in the context of a modern setting.
 Write a character analysis and memorize one soliloquy spoken in any act.
UNIT 4: MODERN DRAMA
TEXTS: The Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen
Fences, by August Wilson
Warriner’s Handbook: Holt 6th Course
AP English Literature and Composition Released Exam
OBJECTIVES:
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Complete a character analysis by examining the words, thoughts, and actions of
the characters.
Define and argue, for or against, illusion vs. reality in the plays through an
examination of the subtleties of language.
Identify and discuss the author’s use of motif, symbolism, tone, imagery, and
irony.
Classify the components and break down the logical organization of the multiparagraph essay (Warriner’s Handbook: Holt 6th Course).
Discuss the importance of essay introductions and the significance of thesis
statements through teacher’s large group instruction and samples from student
writing.
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Revise introductions according to peer editing, student-teacher conferences, and
written teacher comments from drafts utilizing the PA Writing Assessment
Standards Rubric.
Develop an awareness of introductory sentences – the hook.
Explain the importance of logical body paragraph organization in the essay
through teacher instruction and peer revision before writing the final copy of the
multi-paragraph essay (Warriner’s Handbook: Holt 6th Course).
Apply knowledge of topic sentences, paragraph organization, and transition
sentences by writing and revising body paragraphs before writing the final copy of
the multi-paragraph essay.
Emphasize the significance of the conclusion – the clincher – by developing an
awareness of coherence, transition, and emphasis/focus including rephrasing the
thesis statement, summarizing main points, and ending strongly in an essay.
Practice the process of writing and revising the drafts of the multi-paragraph
essay (at least 3 drafts) utilizing teacher instruction and comments, as well as
peer revision and editing.
Apply teacher and peer comments from revision and write the final copy of the
multi-paragraph essay.
Evaluate final copy of the essay, address any questions or problems regarding
logical organization of the essay, the thesis statement, and whether or not
revision strategies/comments improved the final copy.
ASSESSMENTS:
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Complete a peer revision worksheet – attached to each draft of the multiparagraph essay that focuses on content, logical organization of ideas, style
(subordination and coordination), and grammar mechanics appropriately, as well
as unit vocabulary.
Complete a written annotated reading log that focuses on the author’s use of
motif, symbolism, tone, imagery, and irony in modern drama.
Compose several drafts and revise the multi-paragraph essay according to
teacher instruction/feedback and peer revision; evaluate or argue for either
theme: illusion vs. reality from either The Doll’s House or Fences, utilizing a
critical essays on the play for illustrative, specific support of the thesis statement.
UNIT 5: THE NOVEL
TEXT: The Stranger, by Albert Camus
Myth of Sisyphus, by Albert Camus
Native Son, by Richard Wright
Warriner’s Handbook: Holt 6th Course
AP English Literature and Composition Released Exam
OBJECTIVES:
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Explore the modern philosophies of Existentialism and Absurdiism in the novels
paying attention to how the author uses a balance of generalization and specific,
illustrative detail to illustrate these philosophies.
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Articulate the various themes of the novels.
Define unit vocabulary and write compositions utilizing the unit vocabulary with a
variety of sentence structures (including subordination and coordination) to
increase vocabulary and grammar skills (Warriner’s Handbook: Holt 6th Course).
Identify, define, and explicate examples of the following rhetorical devices: simile,
metaphor, personification, apostrophe, metonymy, allegory, symbol, paradox,
hyperbole, understatement, irony, and illusion.
Discuss how people generalize one another according to stereotypes and how
the unit’s authors may or may not stereotype these characters accordingly.
Develop an awareness of how authors balance generalization and specific details
in writing through literary analyses and classroom discussion.
Apply a balance of generalization and specific details in writing through teacher
instruction/feedback from multiple drafts of the analytical essay on existentialism
vs. absurdism.
ASSESSMENTS:
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Unit exam on new vocabulary and grammar skills.
Develop a thesis that evaluates the novel’s artistry and quality.
Write a timed in-class essay that explains and evaluates the artistry and quality of
the novel, and argues its relevance towards modern 21st century issues (sample
AP prompt from AP English Literature and Composition Released Exam).
Written revision of the sample AP essay according to teacher instruction,
comments and peer revision.
Revise and edit the in-class essay into a formal extended multi-paragraph
analytical essay that evaluates and discusses how people stereotype one another
and how the unit’s authors stereotype these fiction characters accordingly.
Write and revise an outside-of-class essay illustrating how the themes of the
novel are examples of existentialism or absurdism using a balance of
generalization and specific, illustrative detail from Native Son and The Stranger as
support (at least 3 drafts that utilize teacher comments and peer revision
comments).
UNIT 6: POETRY
TEXT: Norton Literature: 8th ed. (various poems)
Sound and Sense: Perrine Publishing
Warriner’s Handbook: Holt 6th Course
AP English Literature and Composition Released Exam
OBJECTIVES:
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List the unique features of poetic language.
Identify the speaker, audience, setting in time and place, and the central purpose
of the poem.
Choose words for their connotations as well as denotations.
Analyze the effectiveness of poetry that conveys experience through the use of
sensory imagery.
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Distinguish between "total meaning" and "prose meaning" in poetry.
Apply logical organization enhanced by techniques to increase coherence such
as repetition, transition, and emphasis in poetry.
Identify, define, and evaluate the effectiveness of alliteration, assonance,
consonance, rhyme, and refrain (Sound and Sense: Perrine Publishing).
Scan lines of poetry to determine poetic foot and type of line (Norton Literature:
8th ed).
Define and recognize blank verse.
Evaluate pairs of poems by arguing how sound devices relate to the central
purpose.
Define and identify examples of standard form, continuous form, fixed form, and
sonnet.
Evaluate pairs of poems based on language, purpose, and relationship of sound
to sense.
Discuss the effective use of rhetoric, controlling tone, establishing and maintaining
voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure
in large group teacher led instruction.
Apply tone in student-generated poems after teacher instruction and small-group
student led discussion activity.
Compose in writing and perform selected poems orally for the purpose of
establishing and maintaining voice in poetry.
Practice diction and sentence structure through revision of in-class writing
(sample AP prompt from AP English Literature and Composition Released
Exam).
ASSESSMENTS:
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Teach a poetry lesson to the class that clearly displays the effective use of
rhetoric, controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving
appropriate emphasis through poetic devices (symbolism, metaphor, simile,
rhyme, and rhythm) including diction and verse/sentence structure.
Using a sample poem from the AP exam, write an in-class timed analysis arguing
how the poem’s organization and poetic techniques of repetition, transition, and
emphasis are essential to interpreting the poem’s imagery (sample AP prompt
from 2004 AP English Literature and Composition Released Exam).
Revise second draft according to written teacher instruction/feedback on student
drafts and peer revision comments done in small groups or pairs.
Compose final draft utilizing teacher feedback and peer revision comments.
UNIT 7: RESEARCH WRITING UNIT – SENIOR PROJECT
TEXT: MLA Handbook For Research Writers
Warriner’s Handbook: Holt 6th Course
Student Research sources
OBJECTIVES:
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Research, write, and present the Senior Project (graduation requirement).
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Identify a topic of interest to research.
Develop a thesis statement that can be researched, analyzed, argued, and
supported by expert critical sources for the purpose of writing a 5-8 page research
paper.
Use language and organize ideas in a clear, coherent, and persuasive manner.
Discuss and explain the effective use of rhetoric, controlling tone, establishing and
maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and
sentence structure before and after teacher instruction by writing note cards.
Develop logical organization skills utilizing MLA Format in a Sentence Outline to
increase student awareness of the topic’s coherence, repetition, transitions, and
emphasis of ideas and research details.
Apply a balance of generalization and specific, illustrative details using MLA
format to cite research through several written drafts before and after teacher
instruction and peer revision of writing.
Present and provide a 20 minute timed presentation with the option of several
visual aids.
ASSESSMENTS (PA Writing Assessment Rubric):
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Preliminary written topic proposal and thesis statement followed by teacher
feedback and comments.
Write specific, illustrative details from research sources using a minimum of 20
Note cards following MLA Guidelines (MLA Handbook For Research Writers).
Develop research into a formal sentence outline following MLA Format (MLA
Handbook For Research Writers).
Compose several drafts of 5-8 page research paper utilizing peer revision and
teacher feedback and instruction on MLA formatting guidelines before and after
each draft.
Revise drafts to achieve the perfect final copy of the 5-8 page research paper.
Demonstrates effective use of rhetoric, tone, voice, diction, and sentence
structure appropriate for a formal research paper.
Develop and write an outline for a speech that persuades, explains, and argues
the Sr. Project focus/thesis during a timed 20 minute student presentation.
The Senior Project is a graduation requirement. It is based on a self-selected
topic; however, all projects must be academically challenging and intellectually
rigorous. The project requires a written and detailed proposal. Parents/guardians
must approve the project. Once the proposal is granted, the research process
begins. The end product must meet the academic standards for Language Arts and
the requirements of this project.
The Senior Project will be an ongoing assignment throughout the year.
Students are required to conduct independent research and write the drafts of this
project outside of class. Students will hand in components of the project at various
stages throughout the school year. The Senior Project will be a major part of each
six-week grading period. It will also make up the mid-term and final grade for
this course (see the Senior Project Unit Plan for details and due dates).
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Plagiarism Policy
Students, who plagiarize the Senior Project, or any other assignment, will
automatically receive a zero. A discipline report will also be issued for any incident of
plagiarism. Remember that guidance counselors write recommendations for college
admissions and scholarship awards. Parents/guardians will be notified immediately.
Student Evaluation/Assessment
Students will earn their grades based on the following methods of assessment:
 Reading selection quizzes and tests
 Written assignments/special projects
 Essays written in response to sample AP examination questions
 Oral Presentations
 Class Participation
 Large and small group discussion
 Senior Project
A straight point system will be used. Students must maintain a minimum of 75% to
remain in AP English. Student scores are calculated by the following formula:
[Student’s number of points / the total number of points assigned = % grade]
The Woodland Hills School District grading system is:
90-100% = A
80-89% = B
70-79% = C
60-60% = D
AP courses are weighted courses. Students receive weighted credit only if the grade
is an “A” or a “B”. If an “A” normally yields four points in a non-AP course, an “A” in
an AP course yields five points. This ultimately affects the student QPA calculation.
Homework & Classroom Policies
Student learning is directly correlated to the amount of time spent on learning. AP
English students are very busy students. A short writing assignment or quiz will be
given without notice to check for understanding of the readings and to initiate
discussion of the literature. AP English students are often excused from class to
attend college visitations, field trips, and GATE programs. The following procedures
for absences are in effect:
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If you are absent due to illness, you have one day from your return to class to
make up the assignment for full credit.
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If you are present on the day of a test or a timed writing, you are expected to take
the test or to write the essay on the assigned day, regardless of an absence
(excused or otherwise) during the interim.
If you are excused from class for a college visitation, GATE program, or a special
field trip, you are expected to inform me of the absence two days in advance of
the absence. You are expected to have your assignments completed and
submitted on the due date if you are present in school. Assignments can be
submitted in the morning before homeroom period. If you are absent on the due
date of an assignment, you must submit that assignment on the day that you
return to school.
If you are absent on the day in which a test is given, you must arrange to make up
the test within a week of your return to class. If the test has not been made-up
within the week, you will receive no credit for the test.
Due dates/Deadlines
AP English students are expected to complete all assignment on the due date.
College does not allow students extensions on assignments. In order to receive full
credit for an assignment, students must turn the assignment in on the date it is due.
Students loose 10%/day on late assignments. The deadline is the last day an
assignment can be submitted for partial credit. Assignments will not be accepted
after the deadline. No credit will be given for incomplete assignments. Students will
always know the due date and the deadline for an assignment.
Oral Presentations must be presented on time. We cannot hold the whole
class up because a student is not prepared to give an oral presentation. All oral
presentations are scored. Students, who are not prepared to present, will receive no
credit for the assignment. If a student is absent for an oral presentation, a make up
date will be arranged.
Primary Course Materials
Students will be developing a study guide as we participate in the course. The study
guide will be a three-ring notebook/binder. All students are required to obtain a
three-ring binder. The contents will include, but are not limited to the following:
 Class notes
 Glossary of literary terms
 Reviews of basic rules for writing conventions, grammar, and punctuation
 Sample AP examination questions and responses
 AP examination and diagnostic tests
 A list of favorite literary quotes and responses to those quotes
 Reading logs
 Creative writing – poems, personal essays, and narratives
 Evaluation rubrics
Students are responsible for bringing the following materials to class every day:
 Pen/Pencil
 Textbook
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3-Ring Binder
Primary Literature Selections
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Beowulf (Signet Classics) by Anonymous and Burton Raffel (Paperback - Sep
1, 1999)
The Stranger by Albert Camus and Matthew Ward (Paperback - Mar 13, 1989)
Dubliners (Penguin Modern Classics) by James Joyce and Terence Brown
(Paperback - Feb 3, 2000)
Hamlet (Folger Shakespeare Library) by William Shakespeare (Mass Market
Paperback - Jul 1, 2003)
Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry by Laurence Perrine and Thomas
R. Arp (Paperback - Sep 1991)
No Exit and Three Other Plays by Jean-Paul Sartre (Paperback - Oct 23,
1989)
Native Son (Perennial Classics) by Richard A. Wright (Paperback - Aug 2, )
The Dolls' House by Rumer Godden (Paperback - Nov 3, 2006)
Fences by August Wilson (Paperback - Jun 1, 1986)
The Canterbury Tales (Penguin Classics) by Geoffrey Chaucer and Nevill
Coghill (Paperback - Feb 4, 2003)
1984 (Signet Classics) by George Orwell and Erich Fromm (Mass Market
Paperback - Jul 1, 1997)
Pride and Prejudice (Bantam Classics) by Jane Austen (Mass Market
Paperback - Dec 1, 1983)
The Norton Anthology of English Literature (Single-Volume 8th Edition) by
Stephen Greenblatt (Paperback - Mar 15, 2006)
Supplemental Materials and Suggested Reading List
Required Outside Readings
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Students are required to independently read one assigned thematic outside
reading per unit of study.
Some essay questions are selected from Advanced Placement exams given in
previous years.
Students will read and write annotated reading logs of analytical essays
written to critique the selected novel.
Students must support written responses with quotes from critical essays with
references back to the novel.
Student essays must be structured with an introduction, supporting details,
and conclusion.
Students must include a thesis statement in the introduction; the conclusion
contains evidence addressed specifically to the thesis statement.
Suggested College-Bound Reading List:
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A Clockwork Orange, A. Burgess
As I Lay Dying, W. Faulkner
The Piano Lesson, A. Wilson
Brave New World, A. Huxley
Their Eyes Were Watching God, Z. Hurston
Othello, W. Shakespeare
The Twelfth Night by W. Shakespeare
Wuthering Heights, E. Bronte
A Lesson Before Dying, E. Gaines
The Awakening, K. Chopin
A Tale of Two Cites, C. Dickens
Free choice [students must submit the book for approval]
Acknowledgement
The classroom instructor reserves the right to modify/change the content of this
syllabus to meet classroom and student needs. Keep this syllabus in your binder. I
will ask for it!
Please write your signature below to indicate that you have read and understood the
student expectations, the class procedures, and the course requirements.
Student signature: ______________________________ Date: _______
Parent/Guardian signature: ______________________________
Date: ________
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