Kimberly Hunt Mertz
Purnell Swett High School
English Literature and Composition Course Syllabus
Spring 2015
AP® English Literature and Composition:
Scoring Components:
SC1 The course includes an intensive study of representative works such as those by
authors cited in the AP English Course Description. By the time the student completes
English Literature and Composition, he or she will have studied during high school
literature from both British and American writers, as well as works written in several
genres from the sixteenth century to contemporary times.
SC2 The course teaches students to write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is
based on a careful observation of textual details, considering such elements as the use
of figurative language, imagery, symbolism and tone.
SC3 The course teaches students to write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is
based on a careful observation of textual details, considering the work’s structure, style
and themes.
SC4 The course teaches students to write an interpretation of a piece of literature that is
based on a careful observation of textual details, considering the work’s social, cultural
and/or historical values.
SC5 The course includes frequent opportunities for students to write and rewrite timed,
in-class responses.
SC6 The course includes frequent opportunities for students to write and rewrite formal,
extended analyses outside of class.
SC7 The course requires writing to understand: Informal/exploratory writing activities
that enable students to discover what they think in the process of writing about their
reading (such assignments could include annotation, free writing, keeping a reading
journal, reaction/response papers, and/or dialectical notebooks).
SC8 The course requires writing to explain: Expository, analytical essays in which
students draw upon textual details to develop an extended interpretation of a literary
text.
SC9 The course requires writing to evaluate: Analytical, argumentative essays in which
students draw upon textual details to make and explain judgments about a work’s
artistry and quality.
SC10 The course requires writing to evaluate: Analytical, argumentative essays in
which students draw upon textual details to make and explain judgments about a work’s
social, historical and/or cultural values.
SC11 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing
assignments, both before and after the students revise their work that help the students
develop a wide-ranging vocabulary used
appropriately.
SC12 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing
assignments, both before and after the students revise their work that help the students
develop a variety of sentence structures.
SC13 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing
assignments, both before and after the students revise their work that help the students
develop logical organization, enhanced
by specific techniques to increase coherence. Such techniques may include traditional
rhetorical structures, graphic organizers, and work on repetition, transitions, and
emphasis.
SC14 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing
assignments both before and after they revise their work that help the students develop
a balance of generalization and specific,
illustrative detail.
SC15 The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students’ writing
assignments both before and after they revise their work that help the students establish
an effective use of rhetoric including
controlling tone and a voice appropriate to the writer’s audience.
Understandings: Essential Questions:
What will students understand (about what big ideas) as a result of each unit of study?
Students will understand that:
• Literature provides a mirror to help us understand ourselves and others.
• Writing is a form of communication across the ages.
• Literature reflects the human condition.
• Literature deals with universal themes, i.e., man vs. man, man vs. nature, man vs. self,
man vs. God.
• Literature reflects its time’s social, cultural, and historical values.
What arguable, recurring, and thought provoking questions will guide inquiry and point
toward the big ideas of each unit?
• How does literature help us understand ourselves and others?
• How has writing become a communication tool across the ages?
• How does literature reflect the human condition?
• How does literature express universal themes?
Major Concepts/Content
AP® English Literature and Composition is designed to be a college/university level
course, thus the “AP” designation on a transcript rather than “H” (Honors) or “CP”
(College Prep). This course will provide you with the intellectual challenges and
workload consistent with a typical undergraduate university English
literature/Humanities course. As a culmination of the course, you will take the AP
English Literature and Composition Exam given in May (required). A grade of 4 or 5 on
this exam is considered equivalent to a 3.3–4.0 for comparable courses at the college or
university level. A student who earns a grade of 3 or above on the exam will be granted
college credit at most colleges and universities throughout the United States.
Course Goals
1. To carefully read and critically analyze imaginative literature.
2. To understand the way writers use language to provide meaning and pleasure.
3. To consider a work’s structure, style, and themes as well as such smaller scale
elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone.
4. To study representative works from various genres and periods (from the sixteenth to
the twentieth century) and to know a few works extremely well.
5. To understand a work’s complexity, to absorb richness of meaning, and to analyze
how meaning is embodied in literary form.
6. To consider the social and historical values a work reflects and embodies.
7. To write, focusing on critical analysis of literature including expository, analytical, and
argumentative essays as well as creative writing to sharpen understanding of writers’
accomplishments and deepen appreciation of literary artistry.
8. To become aware of, through speaking, listening, reading, and, chiefly, writing, the
resources of language: connotation, metaphor, irony, syntax, and tone.
Required Texts and Materials
In the AP English Literature course, the student should consider obtaining a personal
copy of the various novels, plays, epics, poems, and short fiction used in the course.
You may purchase copies from a local new or used bookstore, or from an online book
source. If available, you may check out books from your school’s English department.
All titles may also be found in the local library branches. Some of the works used can
also be accessed online.
Preliminary list of novels, dramas, and anthologized material:
 Elements of Literature: Essentials of British and World Literature textbook
 Richard Vogel and Charles Winans: AP English Multiple Choice and Free
Response Questions in Preparation for the AP English Literature and
Composition Exam
 Paul Moliken: Rhetorical Devices: A Handbook and Activities for Student Writers
 Various online resources
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Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
Bram Stoker: Dracula
William Golding: Lord of the Flies
William Shakespeare: The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice
Short fiction: as selected
Poetry: as selected
Modern Novels: as selected
Non-fiction: as selected
Three ring binder
Loose leaf paper
Dividers
Pencils
Blue/black pens
Flash drive
highlighters
Performance Tasks:
• Timed essays based on past AP prompts
• Essay questions as required of college-level writers
• Reading/responding to/analyzing novels, drama, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry
• Imaginative writing including but not limited to: poetry and imitative structures
• Literary analysis papers — expository, persuasive and argumentative
• Personal essay
• Graphic organizers, double-entry journals, paragraph responses, and questions
Writing Expectations
As this is a literature and composition course, you will be expected to use every
assignment that involves writing and rewriting to practice your best composition skills.
Composition assignments will include: statements, paragraphs, timed writes (essay
tests), and formal essays (personal, expository, and argumentative). [SC5 & SC6] No
matter the kind of writing assigned, your best composition skills should be practiced. We
will work with various composition constructions, Standard Written English, sentence
variety, and word choice. [SC11 & SC12] There is also an emphasis on vocabulary
enrichment, with the expectation that students will use terms/concepts presented
in class within their own writing.
1. Many times you will be asked for your opinion or idea about an aspect of a work of
literature. You will post these to a discussion board. Please use complete sentences
with clear support for your ideas.
2. All assignments for formal papers will include a specific grading rubric. We will go
over the rubrics prior to submitting papers and review expectations for the particular
composition or paper. Please consult each rubric carefully before submitting your work.
You will be expected to rewrite larger papers and literary analyses after you receive feedback.
3. Timed writes (essay tests) and feedback. [SC5 & SC6] These will be scoring guides
as used by the AP English Literature and Composition Exam for that specific question.
Essay tests will need to be typed directly into the blank test online. Do not type an essay
onto a word document and then cut and paste it into the answer space. You will be
expected to rewrite larger papers and literary analyses after you receive feedback. [SC11,
SC12, SC13, SC14 & SC15]
4. Grammar and usage: As a senior in an AP English Literature and Composition
course, you should have a good command of Standard Written English. There will
be mini-lessons throughout the course dealing with complex grammar and usage
issues, sentence constructions, and diction. Occasionally you may need some
additional help with this. [SC11 & SC12] There are many good online guides to
grammar. The link below is one such guide.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htm
Please consult this guide or a writing handbook for grammar practice.
This course will pick up where the Honors course stopped. During the Honors course
we studied three time periods in British literature—The Anglo Saxon era, The Medieval
era and the Renaissance. The AP course will begin with a study of the Restoration time
period, then move into the Romantic era followed by the Victorian age and end with the
Modern Period. After this period study is complete the course will then focus on genres,
particularly drama, poetry and non-fiction.
A review of significant historical/cultural aspects of English society from the Anglo
Saxon era to the Middle Ages on into the Renaissance will be highlighted before
important historical/cultural aspects of English society during the restoration are
covered—these features are then stressed in the literature read in class. This process
of exploring each time period and then making connections and synthesizing that
information with literary fiction is used for each unit of study. Students also received
information related to the history of the English language—Old English, Middle English,
Modern English. We will continue our discussion of the growth of the English language
with each time period.
All students and parents need to familiarize themselves with the PSHS Student
Handbook. Please make sure you complete all missed work in a timely manner. Time
management and staying on track are keys to success in this class. Remember, it is
easy to fall behind but much harder to catch up. Please feel free to contact me if you
have any questions or concerns. I have planning from 9:45-10:45 and I typically stay at
school until about 5:00 Tues-Thurs. Also visit my teacher website. I will post homework
and class work assignments, quiz/test dates, projects, valuable materials related to the
literature, grammar, and writing covered in class as well as other information associated
with the course. I will also post information about the grading criteria and grading scale
for this course. Don’t forget about Power school. All teachers at PSHS use this
program and students and parents can access it to view grades, attendance, and other
pertinent information any Purnell Swett student or parent might need to know about.
Unit 1: The Restoration in England
2 weeks
Johnathon Swift: A Modest Proposal/excerpts from Gulliver’s Travels
Voltaire: excerpt from Candide
1. Before reading any author bio or literature, students read and take notes from the
text book about the Restoration in England. The teacher will give additional
information about the era during the course of the unit with the expectation that
students will take notes
2. Students read about Johnathon Swift/take notes; Voltaire/take notes The teacher
will give additional information about authors during the course of the unit with the
expectation that students will take notes
3. Study guide questions/rhetorical devices/graphic organizers for each literary
selection
4. Pre reading activity for each selection
5. Reading aloud/audio of literary selections with completion of study guide/graphic
organizer for each
6. Students respond, in writing, to each selection—written personal
reaction/response
7. Student responses are the springboard for a beginning discussion of each
selection
8. Students participate in textual analysis exercises identifying and analyzing
rhetorical devices and their effects on the reader as well as their contribution to
possible themes for all works read
9. Students participate in vocabulary acquisition activities and apply those terms in
writing and speech
The overall aim in this unit is for students to analyze the characteristics of satire. Also,
is the satire effective –does it relate to the “current events” of Swift’s and Voltaire’s day?
By the end of the unit the student will be able to:
1. Identify contradictions, ambiguities and ironies in a text.
2. Analyze the way authors use verbal irony, diction and connotations to achieve
specific rhetorical purposes.
3. Recognize persuasive techniques: logical, emotional and ethical appeals.
During semester one students read, another satire, Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Prologue to
the Canterbury Tales and excerpts from The Wife of Bath’s Tale and The Pardoner’s
Tale.
Writing assignment: Compare Swift’s satire with that of Chaucer. Discuss the aims,
tone, and methods of both writers, using references to specific passages of their work.
Unit 2: The Romantic Era in England
3-4 weeks
Mary Shelley: Frankenstein
1. Before reading author bio or the novel, students read and take notes about the
Romantic era in England from the text book. The teacher will give additional
information about the time period during the course of the unit with the
expectation that students will take notes.
2. Students read about Mary Shelley/take notes; the teacher will give additional
notes about Shelley during the study of Frankenstein with the expectation that
students will take notes.
3. Study guide questions/rhetorical devices/graphic organizers
4. Pre reading activities
5. Reading aloud/audio/reading at home with completion of study guide/graphic
organizer
6. Students respond, in writing, to specific questions while reading the novel
7. Student responses are the springboard for daily class room discussions
8. Students participate in textual analysis exercises identifying and analyzing
rhetorical devices and their effects on the reader as well as their contribution to
possible themes for the novel
9. Students read/analyze and write about scholarly essays on various topics
presented in the novel (stem cell research, cloning)
10. Students read/analyze and write about other fiction selections that are connected
with the novel in some way (The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, for instance)
11. Students use non print sources, such as film and art, and write about these
mediums to further extend their study of the novel
12. Students participate in vocabulary acquisition activities and apply those terms in
writing and speech
The overall aim of this unit is for students to analyze the characters of Victor
Frankenstein and the creature. Students should also make connections between
historical/cultural information related to the Romantic era and, in particular, Romantic
writers and, the story, Frankenstein.
By the end of the unit the student will be able to:
1. Explain how Frankenstein is a cautionary tale about the possible consequences that
can result when scientific knowledge defies nature.
2. Demonstrate that one theme of the novel is concerned with the folly of judging by
appearance and not by character.
3. Explain the significance of companionship to each of these characters: Captain
Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and Frankenstein’s creation.
4. Sequence the intellectual and emotional development of Frankenstein’s creation
throughout the novel.
5. Determine how the novel’s various settings contribute to its mood of loneliness and
despair.
6. Compare and contrast Victor Frankenstein with his creation, explaining when in the
story they are most different and when they are most alike.
7. Make connections between historical/cultural information related to the Romantic era
and Mary Shelley with the novel.
Writing assignment:  Find a newspaper article, magazine article, news clip, etc. on a current
bioethical issue. Write a personal response from the Creature’s perspective. Include direct
references from the text (proof that indicates why the Creature would think a certain way)
At this point in the semester we will, as a class, write a research paper. Students will select a
controversial topic from a list generated by the teacher. We will go through the research process
and the writing process from beginning to end. This process will probably take about four-five
weeks. After the class research paper is complete, students are expected to choose a topic of
interest and write an argument of policy. During the Honors course (the first semester) students
participated in activities and produced writings associated with both arguments of fact and
arguments of judgment. We used crime scene illustrations and other visual representations to
write both types of arguments. Writing arguments of policy involves some of the same skills
used in composing arguments of fact and judgment.
Unit 3: The Victorian Era in England
3-4 weeks
Bram Stoker: Dracula
1. Before reading author bio or the novel, students read and take notes about the
Victorian era in England from the text book. The teacher will give additional
information about the time period during the course of the unit with the
expectation that students will take notes.
2. Students read about Bram Stoker/take notes; the teacher will give additional
notes about Stoker during the study of Dracula with the expectation that students
will take notes.
3. Study guide questions/rhetorical devices/graphic organizers
4. Pre reading activities
5. Reading aloud/audio/reading at home with completion of study guide/graphic
organizer
6. Students respond, in writing, to specific questions while reading the novel
7. Student responses are the springboard for daily class room discussions
8. Students participate in textual analysis exercises identifying and analyzing
rhetorical devices and their effects on the reader as well as their contribution to
possible themes for the novel
9. Students read/analyze and write about scholarly essays on various topics
presented in the novel (fear of foreigners by the English, prevalence of diseases
of the blood, particularly syphilis, comparing the character of Dracula to a
modern-day terrorist)
10. Students read/analyze and write about other fiction selections that are connected
with the novel in some way (Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot, for instance)
11. Students use non print sources, such as film and art, and write about these
mediums to further extend their study of the novel
12. Students participate in vocabulary acquisition activities and apply those terms in
writing and speech
The overall aim of this unit is for students to understand the role this work of literature
has played in the development of culture, and especially popular culture, as represented
in books, movies and television shows. Students will also make connections between
the historical/cultural information of the Victorian era in England and the novel, Dracula.
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How does Bram Stoker establish the vampire tradition in his novel Dracula, and how
have his ideas and conventions been carried through and/or modified in other forms of
the story?
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What is a vampire, how do we recognize one, and how do we get rid of them once
they’ve entered our lives?
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What is original research, and how might we conduct original research on an author’s
use of words and imagery using an electronic text? Along these lines, how might we
form a thesis based on this research?
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What is an “epistolary novel,” and what conventions are associated with this literary
genre?
By the end of the unit the student will be able to:
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1. Read and discuss a classic, seminal work of literature;
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2. understand the role this work of literature has played in the development of culture,
and especially pop culture, as represented in books, movies, and television shows;
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3. locate and evaluate text in Dracula with the goal of answering specific questions
related to vampires and vampire culture, and to quote and explain this text in the
creation of a “vampire primer”;
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4. locate an electronic version of a text and to download it onto one’s computer
workspace;
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5. conduct original research on this e-text, looking for patterns of language and ideas
that may yield insight into this particular story and/or the nature of the vampire story
genre in general;
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Based on these findings, to create a “working,” and then a final, thesis about Stoker’s
use of language and/or imagery in the novel;
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6. understand the nature of the “epistolary novel” genre of literature and, based on this
understanding, to create a short original piece in the epistolary mode.
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Writing Assignment: Choose either Stoker’s use of language or his use of imagery in
the novel, identify some examples of this device and analyze how the author uses it and
the effect it has on the selection and, you, the reader.
Students also working on argument of policy research papers; Peer editing sessions
during this process
Unit 4: The Modern Era in England
3-4 weeks
William Golding: Lord of the Flies
1. Before reading author bio or the novel, students read and take notes
about the Modern era in England from the text book. The teacher will give
additional information about the time period during the course of the unit
with the expectation that students will take notes.
2. Students read about William Golding/take notes; the teacher will give
additional notes about Golding during the study of Lord of the Flies with
the expectation that students will take notes.
3. Study guide questions/rhetorical devices/graphic organizers
4. .Pre reading activities
5. Reading aloud/audio/reading at home with completion of study
guide/graphic organizer
6. Students respond, in writing, to specific questions while reading the novel
7. Student responses are the springboard for daily class room discussions
8. Students participate in textual analysis exercises identifying and analyzing
rhetorical devices and their effects on the reader as well as their
contribution to possible themes for the novel
9. Students read/analyze and write about scholarly essays on various topics
presented in the novel (modern day gang violence and how it relates to
Golding’s story)
10. Students read/analyze and write about other fiction selections that are
connected with the novel in some way (poetry related to the novel)
11. Students use non print sources, such as film and art, and write about
these mediums to further extend their study of the novel
12. Students participate in vocabulary acquisition activities and apply those
terms in writing and speech
The overall aim of this unit is for students to explore the themes of power, control,
abuse and respect between the characters in the novel Lord of the Flies. The terms
“power” and “control” refer to how power in an intimate relationship or between peers
can be used, either positively or negatively, to control or influence another person.
Students will also explore the idea of violence, in the modern era, and make
connections with the novel.
By the end of the unit the student will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Read comprehensively and apply Critical thinking/Analysis skills
Express themselves (verbal and written)
Identify and analyze Language/literary techniques, terms
Apply learned Research skills
Apply learned Technology skills
apply knowledge of Cultural understanding as it relates to the time period
Writing Assignment: Lord of the Flies has been called "a fable in which the characters are
symbols for abstract ideas." Explain this statement by analyzing each of the major characters
(Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Simon, and Roger) in terms of his distinctive character traits and the human
quality he might symbolize.
After reading Frankenstein, Dracula and Lord of the Flies students will analyze the idea
of survival in each work. This may be a group activity or I may ask students to write
independently.
Students working on argument of policy research papers; peer editing sessions during
this process; first drafts are due week 15 of the semester so that second drafts can be
turned in during week 17
Unit 5: Genre Study
5 Weeks
What does the term genre mean?
Genre: A category of literary work. In critical theory, genre may refer to both the content
of a given work — tragedy, comedy, or pastoral — and to its form, such as poem, novel,
or drama.
This term also refers to types of popular literature, as in the genres of science fiction or
mystery.
What are the different genres of literature?
There are many ways we might answer this question. The basic types or larger
components of literature, however, can be grouped into categories, including novel,
short fiction, poetry, drama, and epic.
How does a writer of poetry and prose craft a work of literary merit?
Contrary to the opinion of many of my former students, works of fabulous imagination
seldom fall from the sky. Writers of great literature are “technicians of their form,” that is,
they use all the tools of literary technique, language, and style to enhance their works.
What sort of writing skill will an AP student need to acquire in order to be successful in
this class and in college?
Your goal will be to emulate the masters of the English language and to become a
“technician,” employing all the tools of literary technique, language, and style.
Unit Expectations:
Students will gain experience with:
• Close reading of drama, short fiction
• Composition instruction (see writing expectations):
• Students will take material from their double-entry journals dealing with central themes
in Othello[SC7] and use the material to develop an interpretive essay based on a central
theme in the novel.
Students may select a theme of their own, granted that it is approved by the instructor,
or they may select one of these two themes: the roles love and jealousy play in our
lives; appearance versus reality
• On-demand writing — experience with timed writing about prose — complex
characterization, figurative language, and resources of language
• Evaluation of on-demand writing — working with a scoring guide
• Paragraph writing, short answers, and graphic organizers
Literary terms and techniques
Short Fiction: 3- 4 short stories TBA
Writing assignment: Students will write their own short stories.