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AP English Literature and CompositionCourse Syllabus 2016-17

Instructor: Ashley [email protected] 360-538-7983 Remind: Text 81010 Msg: @ahsaplit11

Course Overview: This course will follow the curricular requirements outlined by the College Board in the AP English Literature and Composition Course Description which focuses on building skills necessary for college-level reading and writing. The texts include works from a variety of time periods and genres, and the writing assignments including in-class essays as well as formal process essays with several opportunities for revision. This is a rigorous course, in which you will be asked to read and analyze challenging, provocative, dense, and sometimes controversial material. You also will be expected to come to class prepared to challenge yourself and others with interesting discussion points.

The course design is based on the premise that the AP English Literature exam measures those skills that students need in order to be successful in college. Students will work together and explore a variety of reading and writing strategies proven effective in preparing for success on the Advanced Placement English Literature exam. The course will focus on improving skill sets related to confidence and facility with language; skills in critical reading, writing and thinking; and success in academic endeavors.

All students are expected to take the AP Literature & Composition exam on Wednesday, May 3, 2017.

This course includes using approaches that develop skills to study and write about poetry, drama, nonfiction & fiction. This course will build on the vocabulary of rhetorical techniques you have acquired so far, as well as introduce additional terms of literary analysis for poetry and fiction. We will concern ourselves with the construction of style analysis covered in the AP English Literature Examination, and with several other modes of writing. Discussion of the AP examination will include test materials and student exemplars from previous examinations. We will explore the multiple-choice section to develop close reading skills and literary terms and techniques. We will also look specifically at strategies to identify tone, and how to apply critical theory to the texts we study. That said, it should be little surprise that in the AP Literature class we’ll spend most of our time reading, talking, and writing about works of literature. Because many of you have most likely never engaged in this sort of rigorous literary criticism you should expect to overcome a bit of a learning curve at the start of the year. That’s normal and nothing to worry about. Just two important reminders: Keep up with your reading and read carefully (think about what you’ve read!). Do those two things and most everything else will fall into place.

Course Objectives: To develop accurate, perceptive reading through close study of major texts representing

various literary genres To deepen understanding and appreciation of literature To understand and analyze the techniques of poetry as they affect and enhance the meaning

in a poem To generate independent, thoughtful and analytical discourse during class discussions To deliver oral reports and lead class discussions with poise and clarity To develop college-level writing abilities To analyze and discuss works for their literary merit To analyze and discuss works through varied critical lenses

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mailto:[email protected]



Student Expectations: To come to class prepared, to complete all assignments to the best of your ability, and to

complete them by the specified date To actively participate in class discussions and group activities To engage in close reading and studying of works other than class assignments To accept other’s ideas, criticisms, points of view with maturity & thoughtfulness To be open-minded and willing to explore new ideas in pursuit of advanced literary and

writing skills To read texts thoroughly, annotate, read more than once (when possible), and look up all

unfamiliar words in the dictionary To be able to work on more than one assignment at a time because you will have long-range

assignments as well as daily work

Course Activities: Formal and informal journal entries and essays (Poetry Responses) Plan to read approximately 20-35 pages per class night Annotations, dialectic journals, and study guide questions will be assigned regularly Poetry Discovery: teacher and student led. (aka in-depth poetry analysis). Tests for each class novel and quizzes throughout the year Outside reading of short stories, poetry, novels and plays with corresponding projects

(Major Works Data Sheets) Participate in class discussion every day as well as lead class discussion often Keep all work organized in a binder for reference throughout the year Timed writings & practice multiple choice every few weeks to practice for AP Exam Prepare for and take the AP Exam in May.

AP Exam: All students enrolled in this course are expected to take the AP English Literature and Composition Exam. This year, the exam will be held on Wednesday, May 3rd at 8:00 a.m. If you plan to opt out of the exam, you must notify the teacher and your counselor BEFORE Winter Break. The exam, which is three hours in length, consists of two sections: multiple choice & 3 essays. The AP exam grade is broken down below: Many colleges and universities offer some credit for AP scores of 3, 4 or 5. Some will even exempt you from introductory composition and literature courses. 5 Extremely well qualified

4 Well qualified 3 Qualified 2 Possibly qualified 1 No recommendation

Major Course Texts: MyPerspectives: American Literature Pearson Copyright 2017 (both hardcopy and online) MyPerspectives: British & World Literature Pearson Copyright 2017 (both hardcopy and

online) The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing by Michael Meyer

Copyright 2013 (I will be piloting this text in class).

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Major Works: Novels & Plays The Crucible by Arthur Miller The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain The Awakening by Kate Chopin The Jungle by Upton Sinclair Macbeth by William Shakespeare The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston Various poems, short stories, news articles, essays and other media.

Required Materials: Your school-issued laptop Binder with at least five sections strictly for AP Lit (you will receive MANY handouts) Pocket folder (something in which to keep graded work) Pens and pencils At least 3 different colors of highlighters Loose leaf paper Post-It notes of different sizes & colors A flash drive (to save and transport work; this is critical! Saving to email does not suffice) A 2015-16 calendar/planner

Attendance/Tardiness: As in all classes, attendance is critical to student success. In a college-level course, your presence is paramount to earning a good grade and passing the AP English Literature Exam. That said, excessive absences/tardiness will absolutely affect the student grade. In the event you are absent for a legitimate reason (family emergency, illness), it is imperative that you check the class website for missed work. Absences do not buy time to submit work. Assignments are to be submitted on the due date regardless of absence. Do so electronically at [email protected]. Communicating with me IN ADVANCE is crucial for keeping up with your classwork. I will be following the AHS Attendance Policy. If you are absent for 10 or more days (non-school related) you will be subject to loss of credit in the course.

Major Assignments:

Weekly Poetry Responses: Each 6 weeks you’ll be getting a packet of miscellaneous poems from different time periods, different authors and with distinctly different styles. The intention here is that you are first and foremost exposed to LOTS of different types of poetry. Secondly, you’ll pick one poem each week to personally respond to. There will be no weekly prompt. You will respond in a way that makes sense to you. Some options might be: connect it to your own experience, critique it, analyze it, or compare/contrast it to a work we are studying in class. Poetry Responses will be due every Friday. Requirements: 1 page, typed, MLA format. Further directions and samples will be given early in the semester.

Major Works Data Sheet: For each major work (novel or play) that we study you will be assigned a Major Works Data Sheet. You will work in groups of 2 or 3 to complete this project. You will dissect a text and analyze the following: plot, theme, important quotations, tone, style, historical

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significance, character motives, author biography, and significance of the piece to its assigned genre. You will work on this for the entirety of our time with the piece. Specific directions and completed samples will be provided for your reference when necessary.

Writing Projects: A part from regularly completing in-class, timed essays, you will complete the entire writing process several times throughout out the course. It is here where you will have the time and assistance (both from peers and the instructor) to show what you have learned and mastered. During the entirety of the process, the instructor will be available for one-on-one help in the form of conferences and whole-class help sessions. We will also include 1-2 days of peer review sessions. It is with these writing projects that you will get the opportunity to show and use a wide range of vocabulary, a variety of sentence structures, organization and analysis… all skills that are critical to your success on the AP exam.

Grading Breakdown:

Tests & Quizzes = 35%Tests and quizzes will cover all relevant materials assigned and/or covered in class. Tests will measure comprehension, application and critical thinking. Mini practice AP multiple choice exams will be given throughout the year (a minimum of 8 per semester). We will be completing several in-class timed writes utilizing AP Literature Exam prompts. (At least one every other week).Having a cell phone out/on during a test/quiz will result in a zero. No exceptions.

Process Papers & Projects (Major Works Data Sheets) = 25%The rubric for each major paper/project will be given at the time the paper/project is assigned. We will be doing a MLA style research paper, expository, persuasive and compare/contrast writing. No late papers will be accepted regardless of reason (i.e. computer or internet difficulties). For each major literary work we read, you will complete a Major Works Data Sheet.

Daily Work = 15%Points will be assigned according to length and importance. Areas of emphasis: the writing process, reading practice, literary analysis, various assignments, notes, etc.

Poetry Responses = 15%Poetry Responses are 1 page, MLA formatted personal responses to a poem. Student will be given ample poems to pick from each semester. Poetry Responses are due in hard copy format at the beginning of each Friday class period.

Participation = 10%A participation grade will be entered at the end of each 6 week grading period. Participation means that you are in class consistently, that you come prepared, that you are actively participating in class discussions, group discussions, and focused on classroom content at all times. It also means that you are not hindering the learning of anyone around you.

Important Note: Due to the large number of AP students and the extensive number of class essays, commentary and correction to papers will be given verbally via writing conference. I will be grading all essays using the AP exam style rubric (the 1-9 scale).That means you should expect to see only a number, letter or completion grade on your papers absent of any written feedback. Every effort will be made to conduct conferences for one-on-one feedback during class hours; however, it

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may become necessary due to time constraints that we meet outside of class, either before school, or during my planning period. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that a one-on-one conference is scheduled following the return of a graded essay. At that time, I will review your paper and verbally suggest corrections as the student takes note. Please remember that there will be plenty of opportunity for peer review during the writing process.

Paper Corrections Most things in life are a work in progress. For most major writing assignments, you may turn in a revision of the final graded assignment to potentially bring up your grade. You must turn in the revision within one school day of receiving the graded copy, and the original graded version must be attached. There is a grade cap of 88 for revised papers. This is to avoid creating an incentive to turn in very poor work simply to get an extension through the revision process. If I suggest you are abusing this, I will not accept your revision.

Plagiarism/Fabrication Policy: There is no tolerance for cheating and plagiarism in the AP English classroom. Plagiarism includes using any part of someone else’s written thoughts and not giving him or her credit. Cheating includes using Cliff Notes or Spark Notes and not reading the actual text; copying and pasting from the Internet, copying someone else’s annotations, journal entries, vocabulary, or any other type of assignment; and every other “typical” type of cheating. I encourage you to develop ideas together through discussion, but you should make sure that submitted assignments do not look similar in any way. If they do, I will assume you have cheated off one another. All students are required to use Turnitin.com for specified writing assignments through the year.

Students who are caught submitting plagiarized or fabricated work will receive a zero on the assignment, a referral for academic dishonesty, and a required conference with a parent and assistant principal. A second offense at any further time during the school year will result in immediate loss of credit in the course and removal from AP Literature.

THINK FOR YOURSELF. DO YOUR OWN WORK & CITE WHEN YOU USE OTHER’S WORDS.

Late Work:As this is a college course, and assignments are posted on the class website in advance, late work will not be accepted. In the event of illness, family emergencies, etc., you are expected to submit the assignment electronically to [email protected]. Small assignments and daily work can be submitted up to 24 hours after the original due date for ½ credit. If this becomes a habitual problem for you, you will have a conference with me, your counselor and a parent. Major projects, writing assignments and long-term assignments will NOT be accepted late. Again, communication here is key. Talking to me in advance about any conflicts, problems or questions will serve you much better than procrastination.

Submitting Writing Assignments:Written assignments must be word-processed in MLA format and submitted as both an electronic version and a printed copy. All major writing assignments must be submitted to www.turnitin.com to receive credit. Please have your printed copy ready to be turned in at the beginning of class. We will be doing a lot of peer review sessions, so hard copies are essential.

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http://www.turnitin.com/



Behavior Expectations: Our classroom environment is one where everyone should feel comfortable to explore ideas and learn. Interaction is expected to be respectful to others in the classroom community. Students are expected to come to class prepared to participate actively and appropriately. Use of cell phones, unless instructed as part of the lesson, is strictly prohibited. Keep them out of sight and off. You have a school issued laptop that we will use daily. It must be brought to class charged.

First Electronics Offense: Teacher takes device and holds it for the day.Second Electronics Offense: Teacher takes device, calls home & detention.Third Electronics Offense: Device & student sent to office with referral for INSUBORDINATION. Phone must be picked up by a parent.

Language should remain academic and productive in nature. On that note, this is an advanced class and as such presupposes students are mature and careful readers. Some texts for this class may raise potentially controversial topics or employ mature language. Please contact me if you have concerns about your reading. I expect you to behave as an adult when interacting with these texts.

Personal Conferences: I will be available to meet with you as needed, before school, during my planning or after school. I am not available during Advisory, nor am I available during our scheduled class to privately discuss a paper or grade. I expect that you will advocate for yourself and be proactive. If you are struggling, you must come see me for help. During these conferences we can discuss questions or problems from prior papers, or I can help you with any problems on papers you are currently working on (such as sentence structure, logical organization, balancing generalizations with specifics, tone, voice, diction, etc.). Have an idea of what you want to work on before coming in to a conference.

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Parents & Guardians,

After reading the course syllabus and discussing it with your student, please sign the last page of the document and return it to Ms. Kohlmeier by Friday, September 9th. I, __________________________________________ (Parent Name), understand the components and expectations of this class and expect my student, ____________________________ (Student Name), to adhere to the class rules and requirements. I will support their academic achievement in Advanced Placement Literature and Composition. Furthermore, I understand that my student is expected to take the AP Literature and Composition exam in May 2017, and if my student chooses to opt out of the exam, it is the student’s responsibility to communicate that information to Ms. Kohlmeier and Ms. Turner (11th grade counselor) before Winter Break. Parent Signature: ______________________________________________________________ Date: ________________Parent preferred contact method: ________________________________________________________________________

Student Signature: _____________________________________________________________ Date: ________________

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Documents

Web viewThe course design is based on the premise that the AP ... and a required conference with a p. ... Written assignments must be word-processed in MLA format