Cathy Milinovich
Advanced Placement English 11
Syllabus
2014-2015
Instructor Information:
Teacher:
Cathy Milinovich
Room:
Belle Vernon Area High School, Room 209
Contact:
Phone:
Email:
Website:
http://www.bellevernonarea.net/bvahs
Required Text:
Elements of Literature; The Scarlet Letter; The Great Gatsby;
Death of a Salesman; The Crucible; Ethan Frome; The Tragedy of
Macbeth; The Glass Menagerie, Summer Reading, Vocabulary
Workshop Level H
Additional Resources:
MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers; Documentaries;
Films; Online research sites; Advanced Placement
Literature/Language Composition Exam Sample Tests; TeacherGenerated handouts; rubrics
724-808-2500; ext. 2209
cathy.milinovich@bellevernonarea.net
IPad Mini: AP 1-to-1 Initiative
As an AP student, you have been issued an iPad mini for class use, which is a privilege and a
responsibility.
Bring your device fully charged daily. Loss of class points and possible disciplinary referral will result
from failure to bring your device to class or inappropriate use of it (games , social media, etc).
Remember, your iPad is your responsibility; however, it is the property of the BVA School District, and its
content may be viewed by administration at any time.
Also, be advised that you are financially responsible for loss or damage to the device.
Course Description:
The Advanced Placement Honors English 11 Course is an introductory college-level class entailing
analysis and response to a broad range of both fiction and non-fiction. Originally based on A Senior High
School Curriculum in English For Able College-Bound Students and developed by “The Staff of the
Curriculum Study Center in English” at Carnegie-Mellon University, the course was renamed and
updated to comply with both the English Language and Composition and the English Literature and
Composition requirements in the AP English Course Description. In collaboration with the Advanced
Placement Honors English 12 course, with its emphasis on British Literature, the Advanced Placement
Honors English 11 course prepares students for both the AP English Literature and Composition Exam
and the AP English Language and Composition Exam through reading and critical analysis of primarily
American Literature with the inclusion of one British unit composed of a Shakespearean selection and
selected poetry. Based on their individual investigation of preferred colleges and those colleges’ AP
specifications, students choose which AP exam(s) they will take in May.
***All students that want to enroll in an Honors or AP course in his/her Junior(11th) year need to
have successfully completed the Accelerated course that is the pre-requisite to the Honors/AP
level course during his/her Sophomore(10th) year***
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, the successful student will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Read, interpret, and respond insightfully to various literary genres.
Compose a well-structured, grammatically sound essay.
Recognize and remedy composition errors by prescription.
Develop vocabulary skills both in reading and writing.
Improve speaking and listening skills.
6. Develop skills necessary for taking the AP. English Literature and Composition
Exam.
7. Think critically, interpret at the highest levels of thinking and evaluating, and
communicate using organized, well-written responses at the college level.
8. Use technology (via IPad Mini and computer) to explore, report, create, and
display learning.
9. Demonstrate learning (based on Common Core standards) through tests, quizzes,
projects, discussion, and scores on the A.P. exam.
10. Develop a professional learning portfolio and identify areas of strength and
weakness in personal learning style.
11. Compare and contrast authors’ styles, themes, time periods, and structures.
Academic Honesty:
Any work submitted by the student shall be his/her own. Work taken from others shall be
deemed as unacceptable. Any doubts will initiate the completion of an alternative assignment
or a zero on the required effort, depending on the severity of the infraction.
Class Policies and Expectations:
A. Be prompt and ready to begin class when the bell rings.
B. Complete the "pre-class" assignment immediately and complete at home if
necessary.
C. Check the "Advanced Organizer" each day. Refer to Edline for the week's
Agenda and homework assignments.
D. As a rule, behavior problems seldom surface. Do not become the exception.
E. Absenteeism: Students are encouraged to make up assignments and tests the
day of return to school. However, the school handbook policy will be honored
if warranted. Arrangements should be made to make up tests before or after
school by making prior arrangements with me. Essays should be emailed to me
(if absent) in order to ensure the timeliness of the assignment since a 1O%
deduction is in place for each day late.
F. Requirements: I require a 3-ring binder (2 in.) for keeping notes in order to
prepare students for effective note taking and organization.
G. Class participation is required. Since this is a college-level course, all
students are expected to contribute to the higher-level discussions and
debates as part of the coursework.
H. All reading is done outside of class. Students are expected to complete all
reading as indicated on SchoolWires. Assignments and daily
discussions/questions/essays are based on the assumption that the reading
has been completed BEFORE class. Students are expected to keep up with
all reading whether present in class or not.
Special Needs:
If you have special needs that require accommodations, you need to notify the teacher no later
than the 2’nd week of class.
Course Grading Criteria:
90% of a student’s grade is based on formal assessments (quizzes, tests, projects,
performance-based rubrics, etc.) and the other 10% is based on informal assessments
(homework, participation, etc.). The grading scale is as follows:
A
B
C
D
F
-
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
0-59
(5 quality points)***
(4 quality points)
(3 quality points)
(1 quality point)
(0 quality points)
***Extra Quality Points can only be attained during the student’s Junior (11th) and Senior (12th)
year***
***Any student that enrolls in an AP course will be encouraged to take the AP Exam in the
Spring. The Belle Vernon Area School District will reimburse the cost of the exam ($81 per
exam) for those students that show proficiency and earn a score of a 3, 4, or 5 on the AP Exam.
Fee reduction is available to those who qualify to help offset this cost***
***All students that want to enroll in an Honors or AP course in his/her Junior(11th) year need to
have successfully completed the Accelerated course that is the pre-requisite to the Honors/AP
level course during his/her Sophomore(10th) year***
Assignments per Quarter:
Formal Assessments will account for a majority of the grade
 Vocabulary quizzes and cumulative exams
 Reading checks and chapter quizzes
 Short story quizzes
 Novel exams
 Timed, in-class essays
 Take-home prompts and essays
 Quarterly exams
 Cumulative final exam
Each quarter at least one project will be required and will also contribute significantly to
the grade
 Research paper
 Macbeth creative project/speech
 The Crucible project
 The Great Gatsby project

And others
Other assignments include:
 Homework/Literary Banks
 Bell Ringers
 A.P. Practice tests
 Binder
 Vocabulary Workbooks
 Self-Assessment Portfolio
 Summer Reading assignment (reading and reading log)
*Assignments or assessments may vary due to pace of class and individualized
instruction.
TOTAL POINTS =
This will vary by quarter
*Assignments or assessments may vary due to pace of class and individualized
instruction.
Study Island:
Students will be expected to take advantage of the Study Island Preparation Software aligned to
the Keystone Exam Standards, AP Course Competencies, and SAT/ACT Preparation. The
students that invest their time utilizing this program have overwhelming performed better than
those that do not. If you are unable to have access to a computer or internet for this
requirement, there are ample opportunities during the school day to utilize laptops or the
computers in the Library.
Academic Standards:
Students will be reacquainted with the Pennsylvania Academic Standards that have been
adopted by the Department of Education, along with the Common Core Standards that are in
the process of being implemented nationwide. Students will be made aware of the importance
of the standards and the efforts to meet them.
At the conclusion of this course, students are encouraged to take either the A.P. Literature and
Composition Exam or the A.P. Language and Composition Exam.
Edline:
If
Grades will be updated every Friday on Edline. If you lost or cannot remember log in
information, please contact our Child Accounting Department at 724-808-2500 ext. 1108.
Schoolwires (Website):
My website will be updated every Friday. Course Topics, Assignments, and Quizzes and Tests
are also posted weekly.
The following signatures state that all parties are aware of the preceding syllabus.
Student Signature____________________Date_______________
Parent Signature_____________________Date_______________
Teacher Signature____________________Date_______________
Course Outline:
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
I.
I.
I.
I.
Vocabulary Units 1-4
Vocabulary Units 5-8
Vocabulary Units 912
Vocabulary
Units 13-15
II.
Summer Reading:
test/journal/discuss
/writing
II.
II.
II.
The Research Process
and paper
Unit 6
Unit 8: The Jazz
Age
Desire vs.
1. Selection of
obligation: Sin and
subject
Expiation
2. Process: working
bib, annotated bib,
1. The Scarlet
note taking,
Letter
thesis, outline,
2. Bio of
rough draft, works
Hawthorne
cited, manuscript
format
3. Final paper and
defense
III.
Unit 1: Rhetorical
Awareness; literature
As a reflection of the
Historical time
periods
1.
2.
3.
4.
Bio. of Miller
The Crucible
McCarthy Era
Salem Witch
Hunts
Literary Banks: begin
to prepare for
A.P. exams in May.
The Booth: selfAssessment portfolio.
III.
Unit 4: Psychological
Isolation: Essays and
Novel
1. Emerson and
Thoreau
2. Orwell
3. Ethan Frome
III.
Unit 7:
Consequences of
Blind Ambition
1. Elizabethan
Era
2. Macbeth
1. Bio of
Fitzgerald
2. The Great
Gatsby
The Glass
Menagerie
III.
Unit 9: Lit.
Forms: The
American Short
Story
IV.
Unit 2:
1. Death of a
Salesman
2. Time period
3. Capitalism
4. American
dream
Essay: Tragedy and
the Common
Man/panel
IV.
IV.
IV.
Unit 5: Poetry:
1. Selected poems
2. Poetry terms
3. Analysis format
4. interpretation
Memorization
recitations and
project for Macbeth
Unit 10:
American Poets
continued.
Final project
A.P Practice
exam
Sample A.P. Exam
Sample A.P. exam
Sample A.P. Exam