Course Outline/Syllabus

Mrs. Jennifer Nielsen

Phone - 385-6664

Voice Mail - 379-4500 ext. 6664

jnielsen@ptsd#50.org

pogoseb@earthlink.net

Brief Course Description:

We will be reading and analyzing literature from the point of view of the writer as well as the reader to determine how the literature affects its readers and in what ways.  We will measure literature against history of philosophy to understand how it fits into its own time as well as in all time.  We will try to determine the qualities of great literature.  In addition, our literary analysis will look at style, structure and a writer’s diction, imagery, use of detail, language and syntax and to what effect.  Vocabulary study will be consistent and continuous.  Writing well about literature is a key component of the class.  Students will keep a writing log over the course of the year to document their improvement and to engage themselves in thinking about writing.  They will keep a reader’s journal as well to document personal response to the literature.

Course Outcomes:

• To give students knowledge and skills they need to score a 3 or higher on the AP English Literature and Composition exam.  It is the expectation of the class that all students will take the AP exam in May.
• To promote students’ imaginative abilities in reaction to literature.
• To help students find and explain, through discussion and writing, what is of value in literature.
• To understand the nature of literature in an artistic sense and in its historical & universal sense.
• To study vocabulary in the context of the literature and with college level word lists; to help students advance in vocabulary skills to cope with unfamiliar language.

Methods of Instruction:

Discussion is the primary way in which students come to understand a particular work of fiction or poetry.  Discussion is both large group and small group.  Discussions are sometimes student led. Writing groups will be used to allow a time and place for feedback on rough drafts of essays.  Teacher response to essays will provide further feedback.  Cooperative learning groups are also used in this class for various purposes.  Some projects are individual as well.

Writing Expectations:

A primary focus of this course is improving student writing through a wide-variety of writing experiences and assignments including informal, exploratory journal writing, research, and extended compositions which give students an opportunity to develop an argument and present an analysis of the literature.  Writing instruction will also include strategies for writing under a time-constraint since the AP Exam is a timed- writing situation. 

No matter what kind of writing you are doing, the expectation remains the same:  you practice your best composition skills.  Direct writing instruction through mini-lessons will address, but not be limited to, the following aspects:

• Using a variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination.
• Using logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis.
• Using a balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail.
• Effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence structure. 

Students will work through the writing process within the classroom with specific guidance from the teacher.  Multiple opportunities for conferences before, during and after writing will provide support for students to improve their writing skills.  All students are encouraged to rewrite final papers for improved credit.  Only by addressing and correcting our errors can we truly become confident writers. 

Attendance:

Consistent attendance is extremely important in AP English 11/12 because much of the class grade is based upon participation in class discussions and activities. The students’ grades may be affected pursuant to the guidelines outlined in the PTHS attendance policy. (See below)

Attendance and Participation for Credit Policy

Regular and daily participation are requirements for this class. In order for you to make the most of your experience in AP English Literature and Composition, the expectation is that you will be here each day with a willingness to take part in classroom activities and to learn.

In this class, the Port Townsend High School Attendance Policy will be adhered to. Students who have accumulated 12 absences (for non school-related activities) during this/either semester will not earn credit for course completion. Parent notification will occur when a student has reached their 6th and 10th absence.

When a student accumulates their 12th absence in this class, they and their parent /guardian will be notified that there has been a loss of credit. The student will have the right to appeal their loss of credit. This appeal must be scheduled with the Attendance Appeals Committee within two school days. Students will be required to account for their absences to a committee comprised of their teacher, a guidance counselor and an administrator. The Attendance Appeals Committee will inform the student and their parent/guardian of their decision within two school days.

Regular attendance and participation in this class is your responsibility!

AP Credit:  In order to receive the AP designation on your transcript you must take the AP Exam in May. If you choose to take the class but not take the exam, your transcript will have either “Advanced” or “Honors” English instead. 

Reading Material:

Oedipus Rex,  Sophocles

Antigone,  Sophocles

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

Canterbury Tales, (selected tales) Chaucer

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Frankenstein,  Shelley

The Metamorphosis,  Kafka

Heart of Darkness, Conrad

1984, Orwell

Hamlet, Shakespeare

Selected Sonnets, Shakespeare

Death of a Salesman, Miller

Prentice Hall World Literature, selected stories and poems.

England in Literature/America Reads, (7th Edition), selected stories and poems.

Two Independent Reading Selections

Various web resources

Writing:  Write Source for College, Writer’s Inc., The Lively Art of Writing

Assessment:

Assessment is done primarily through essays.  Some quizzes are given, such as weekly vocabulary quizzes.  Students are expected to be active participants in discussions.  An exam is given at the end of first semester.  Students who take to AP test in May are not required to take the second semester exam.  The writing and reading logs will be evaluated in teacher/student conferences at the end of each semester.

Grading:

A standard A-F grading scale will be used calculated using a point value system.  AP and 6 trait rubrics will be used for scoring essays.  All essays can be revised for  improved credit.

Semester One

(18 weeks)

Novel:  To Be Determined - Summer Reading Assignment) 3weeks

~Collect Summer Journals

~Objective Test

~Analytical Focus: Suspense, foreshadowing, symbolism

~Thematic Focus:  The many facets of human nature, colonialism and its effects.

~Essay #1:  Analytical – Compare and contrast two critical essays

Reading and Writing Overview (In conjunction with Essay #1) 2 weeks

~Active reading strategies

~Introduce vocabulary study

~Introduce literary terms study

~Review writing about literature (Types of essays:  Expository, Analytical, Argumentative)

            -Paragraph Unity

            -Claim/Support/Explanation

            -Six Trait Rubric Review:  Content/Ideas, Conventions, Voice, Sentence Fluency, Organization, Word Choice.

            -Answering the “so what” question

~Establishing the writer’s notebook and reader response journals

~Establish writing groups (peer review)

Essay #2:  Senior Research Paper/ Juniors- Senior Project Proposal

            ~Research and writing guidance intensive before, during and after writing. Emphasis will be on developing and organizing ideas in clear, coherent, persuasive language.

Essay #3:  Personal Essay for College Scholarship (2 weeks)

The personal essay may take one of the three forms: personal essay, personal reminiscence and essay of experience.  

-Students will explore ideas about themselves through class discussion and individual teacher conferences to determine topics for writing.

            -Students will explore colleges of interest and their entrance essay topics.

-Through direct instruction the students will work with personal writing strategies including anecdote, dialogue, details, language, syntax and varied structures. 

-Students will work with conventions, voice, and developing an appropriate tone through peer editing, revising and blind readings of example essays. 

Independent Novel Project – First Semester (Due January 10, 2012)

~Analytical focus:  genre, diction, style, author background and influences

~Thematic focus:  Value of art/literature, what it means to be human, ethics of science and technology, etc (depending upon the book chosen)

~Essay #4 Expository: Author research considering the social and cultural values represented in the work. 

-For this project you will purchase your own copy of the novel so you can underline key passages; make notes in the margins or on PostIts.  A minimum of 20 PostIts containing meaningful observations on theme, character style, connections to other literature, etc. (i.e. not on plot) are required.  These notes should be spread evenly throughout the book.  For a high grade, they must be substantive. 

-You are also required to prepare a presentation for the class; the specific guidelines for this will be given in class.

-Includes a complete and accurate Works Cited following MLA guidelines.

Tragedy Unit

Oedipus Rex and Antigone (3 weeks)

~Analytical focus:  Irony, classical tragedy, Greek drama, influence on later literature.

~Thematic focus:  self-knowledge, pride, arrogance (In-class focus write)

~Project:  Film Prospectus – Modern adaptation of one of the plays above. (This project includes writing to evaluate; making and explaining judgments about the artistic value and exploring the underlying social and cultural values and meaning.)

            -Paper - Rationale

            -Visual – Production Notebook

-Presentation – Selling your idea to producers…the class and teacher. 

Death of a Salesman (2 weeks)

~Analytical focus:  Modern tragedy, plot structure, character development

~Thematic focus:  Free will vs. fate

Hamlet (4 weeks)

~Analytical focus:  Tragedy, Shakespearean plot structure, language

~Thematic focus: Revenge, decisions, and deceit (Focus write)

~Passage Analysis Assignment

~Compare/Contrast Film versions: “To Be or Not To Be Speech”

            -Varying interpretations. 

            -Applying new-world values to old-world story.

~Essay #5:  Persuasive Essay – Developing an argument and presenting an analysis.  (Variety of topic choices given in class.)

• -Direct instruction in persuasive writing techniques and strategies including but not limited to:  claim, testimonials, logos, ethos, pathos, kairos, research and statistics. 
• -Review of all composition aspects as needed.  These will probably include grammar, spelling, capitalization, usage, diction, sentence structure and variety and transitions.

Humor Unit (2 weeks)

~Introduction to humor in literature…what makes us laugh and how writers do it.

~Pre-reading group lesson:  What makes you laugh?  What is humorous to people in 2007? 

The Importance of Being Earnest (2 weeks)

~Analytical focus: Victorian humor and language

~Thematic focus:  Honesty, love and honor

Canterbury Tales (2 weeks)

~ Study selected tales

~ Background information on Chaucer and his times

~ Memorize and recite the first 18 lines of the GP in Middle English

~ Students read an additional tale and complete a short assignment:  Mark the text for humor, irony and details. 

-Focus-write:  Literary analysis…figurative language and its effects.

~ Analytical focus: Structure, diction, symbolism, imagery

~ Thematic focus:  Chivalric values, love, human idealism (Examine social and cultural values and meaning)

~ Essay #6:  Analytical:  How do authors create humor? 

Semester One Exam:  Practice in-class essay from previous exam. 

~Tips and strategies for timed writes. 

Semester 2

(18 weeks)

Independent Novel – Second Semester (Due May 20, 2012)

~Analytical Focus:  Style elements of choice.  Whatever relates to the chosen novel best.

~ Thematic Focus:  Again, dependent upon the novel chosen.  Mayor and minor themes examined.

~ Essay #7:  Analytical, creative and evaluative options available but all topics include:  Evidence of close reading, personal observations while reading, connections between observations and inferences leading to an interpretation related to the meaning and value of the literature. 

Romantic Literature

Frankenstein (4 weeks)

- Companion texts:  “Rhime of the Ancient Mariner” and Ode on a Grecian Urn”

~Analytical focus:  mood, atmosphere, tone, structure

~ Thematic focus:  Choices/consequences and human drive for glory

~ Essay #8:  Analytical - Creating mood and atmosphere

Absurdist LiteratureMetamorphosis (2 weeks)

            -Companion Text:  The Sandbox by Edward Albee

~Analytical focus:  Point of view, imagery, diction, symbolism

~Thematic focus:  Existentialism, value of the individual in society

~ Focus Write:  Imagery, symbolism, tone

Feminist Literature The Awakening (3 weeks)

~Analytical focus:  Character, irony,  point of view

~Thematic focus:  women's rights, women's role in society, choices

~Essay #9:  Persuasive – Topic choices related to themes. 

Poetry of the World

World Literature Anthology (2 weeks)

~Analytical focus:  Form, diction, sound devices, character, theme

~Thematic focus:  Poetry as a reflection of culture

~ Essay #10:  Poem explication

* Poetry evaluation and analysis will be ongoing throughout the year as

paired texts to other works.

Dystopian Literature 1984 (4 weeks)

~Analytical focus:  Point of view, diction, tone, imagery, syntax

~Thematic focus:  Dissolution of language, innate vs. learned behavior,

objective reality, the rights of man. 

~Essay #12:  AP practice essay #2 - Critical Analysis of Literary Elements

AP Exam Preparation (3 weeks)

~Practice objective tests

~Review answering strategies

~Essay #13:  AP practice essay– Open-ended topic

AP English Literature and Composition Exam

(First part of May)

Final Project  (After the test through the end of the year)

**Suggested Titles for Independent Novel Projects:

African Queen by C.S. Forester

(The) Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone

Anna Karenina or War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Bridge Of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk

Candide by Voltaire

Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood

(The) Chosen or My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok

Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

David Copperfield or Great Expectations by Charles Dickenson

Don Quixote by Michael Cervantes

Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

Dubliners or Ulysses by James Joyce

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

(The) Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Heart of Darkness by Robert Conrad

House of Spirits or of Love and Shadows by Isabel Allende

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Jude the Obscure or Tess of the D-Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

Kidnapped by Robert L. Stevenson

(The) Kingdom of this World by Alejo Carpentier

Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl

Le Morte D’arthur (The Death of Arthur) by Sir Thomas Malory

Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

Madam Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Middelmarch by George Eliot

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Obasan by Joy Kogawa

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Garcia Marquez

Of Human Bondage by W. Sommerset Maugham

On the Beach by Nevil Shute

Passage to India  by E.M. Forester

(The) Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

(The ) Portrait of a Lady or (The) Turn of the Screw by Henry James

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson

Sons and Lovers or Women in Love by D.H. Lawrence

(The) Stranger by Albert Camus

Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Thread That Runs So True by Jesse Stuart

(The) Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

You Can't Go Home Again by Thomas Wolfe