AP English Syllabus

Course: Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition Instructor: Amy Metcalf, NBCT Contact: [email protected]

Course description: Overview and Philosophy “Successful papers are not written; they are rewritten.” --Elaine Maimon et al., Writing in the Arts and Sciences Please look at the title of this course. Most students know we will read a wide assortment of literature from multiple genres, periods, and cultures. But somehow it’s frequently a surprise that we will also WRITE extensively and that my job is to help you become the cleanest, clearest, most persuasive and most elegant writer you can be. If you suffer from Vermilionatramentumphobia, (figure it out), you’ll need to get over it. As a student in an AP English Literature and Composition course, it is expected that you already possess a good command of Standard Written English. However, college level writing is demanding; throughout the year you will have lessons on documentation, introducing quotations, stance and style, common problems in grammar, punctuation and usage, as well as lessons on the elements of fiction, the art of the essay, the conventions of drama, and the explication of poetry. I spend lots of time giving feedback in the form of copious commentary in margins along with the usual circles, arrows and proofreading marks (all in red, red, red), so please read what I’ve written there thoughtfully. (I get truly miffed if you don’t). In each rewrite I point out felicitous phrasing and apt word choices along with errors such as lapses in logic or faulty organization and I expect you to act upon the suggestions given. Finally, as you learn to read closely, writing critical analysis will no longer be a mystery because you’ll notice not just what authors say, but how and with what rhetorical strategies they use language to accomplish their purposes. What makes this a Really Neat Thing is that your enjoyment of literature grows as your appreciation of the artistry involved deepens. This syllabus is arranged thematically, not by weeks or dates, and is designed to comply with the curricular requirements described in the AP English Course Description. More foundation and British works are included than American, since junior year English is a survey of American Literature and Brit Lit would be your senior course of study if you were not taking AP. As we progress I will give you actual due dates, specific rubrics and time guidelines, but I find that these change from year to year. The supplemental list is inclusive of all works that may be taught during the year, so please note what we may read together and do not choose your out-of-class reading novels from any that appear here. I do not always follow the same sequence and I select works from this list depending on the needs of the individual class. All donations are gratefully accepted of the following: Kleenex, hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, Amazon gift cards, flowers, yachts, and small Caribbean islands.

Textbooks: Perrine’s LiteratureStructure, Sound and Sense – 8th edition, Arp & Johnson, Eds. Heinle & Heinle, 2002. ISBN: 0-15-507494-6 Shostak, J. Vocabulary Workshop, level H, Sadlier-Oxford, 1994. ISBN: 0- 87105-178-8 Preliminary list of novels, drama, and supplemental materials. All selections are available for check out from the bookstore. However, if you like to write in  The Awakening - Chopin  Lord of the Flies - Golding  The Bible – King James Version  “A Modest Proposal” - Swift  Bartleby - Melville  Macbeth – Shakespeare  Beowulf - Raffel trans.  Paradise Lost - Milton  The Canterbury Tales - Chaucer  Pride and Prejudice - Austen  The Diary of Adam and Eve –  Pygmalion - Shaw Twain  Ethan Frome - Wharton  Franny and Zooey – Salinger  Grendel - Gardner  Hamlet - Shakespeare  The Handmaid’s Tale -Atwood  The Importance of Being Earnest – Wilde your books, you may choose to purchase your own copy (new or used) quite cheaply online. CAUTION - I choose among these works for those that best suit each year’s students. Check with me BEFORE buying a book to make sure we’re going to read it this year. Suggested Materials Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style (or another collegiate style manual) Shertzer’s The Elements of Grammar (or another collegiate grammar guide) Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor A jump drive

Course Outcomes:  The learner will critically study a wide range of representative English literature and foundation works.  The learner will study conventions and archetypes, motifs, plot patterns, universal themes, Biblical and mythological allusions, and symbols commonly found in literature.  The learner will study narrative elements, rhetorical devices/strategies, and theories of literary criticism.  The learner will study the historical and social context of a given work and the changes undergone by the English language over time.  The learner will study a few works extremely well, to understand the work’s complexity, to absorb its richness of meaning, and to analyze how that meaning is embodied in literary form.  The learner will develop, through revision and instructor feedback, improved skill in sentence fluency, logical organization, effective use of rhetoric, and a pleasing balance between generalization and illustrative detail.  The learner will write and rewrite both formal, extended analyses and timed, in class responses.  The learner will write for the purpose of understanding, for the purpose of explaining, and for the purpose of evaluation  The learner will study and use a more extensive vocabulary.  The learner will prepare oral and written book analyses.  The learner will practice delivering oral commentary with poise, confidence and precision and will practice effective presentation skills.  The learner will function as a contributing member in cooperative learning groups.  The learner will evaluate purpose, organization, diction and syntax in professional and student writing.  The learner will work toward mastery of Advanced Placement practice tests.  The learner will prepare a fine arts event report each semester.  The learner will conduct him/herself with honor and integrity in all academic pursuits.

Ongoing (Whole Year) Units:  Vocabulary ownership. Quizzes require students to spell, define and use vocabulary in original sentences. Assessments are both formative (weekly) and cumulative.  Monthly out-of-class reading from approved book list with written or oral analyses (alternating) featuring one selected element of narrative in detail.  Monthly one-on-one diagnostic writing conferences. Student brings last graded piece and current work in progress for feedback and individualized instruction/direction.  Writing practice. Composition assignments are frequent, based on both poetry and prose and include formal, extended analyses, interpretations, and timed, in-class responses based on previous AP® essay prompts. Students are always at some point in the writing process. Rough drafts are frequently required to be brought to class for instructor and peer feedback. Revision after instruction is expected. Other writing assignments may be less formal, such as annotations, reading journals, or response/reaction papers and questions. I use Perrine’s to provide a framework of writing instruction, sometimes using the Suggestions for Writing provided after each chapter and sometimes my own assignments.  Grammar, Punctuation, Usage, Organization and Sentence fluency mini-lessons. Student examples (names removed) provide ample fodder for discussion of recurring errors as well as featuring shining examples of parallel structure or other schemes and tropes.  Tests and quizzes. As needed to promote retention and prevent senioritis. Formative Units: Unit 1/Topic 1: “In the Beginning”: The Bible and its influence on literature. Students are frequently unable to recognize or understand the significance of the names, stories or phrases from the Bible. In a crash course we attempt to remedy the situation by becoming familiar with the stories and diction of Genesis, Exodus, Job, assorted Psalms, Mathew, Mark, Luke, John, and Revelations (King James version). We will avoid discussing the merits or truth of the readings, but concentrate on learning the stories for the purposes of recognizing Biblical allusions in poetry and prose. Students in cooperative learning teams illustrate to the class in the medium of their choice 20 selected items from the “Biblical Biggies” list (available under “summer work” on school website). Much of the reading is done during the summer, but an allusion test follows the presentations and class Q and A. Unit 2/Topics 2&3: How to write about Literature: 2.Perrine’s. Initial instruction is provided about how to write about literature, including expected audience, choosing a topic, proving your point, the nitty-gritty of introducing quotations properly (an ongoing and error prone topic continuing throughout the year), and textual and parenthetical documentation review. All right/wrong and good/better examples are reviewed and explained and students “bookmark” them with post-it notes to facilitate their use as reference. 3. Grammar, punctuation and usage are addressed in readings from Truss’s Eats, Shoots and Leaves. This unit is revisited as needed throughout the year. Unit 3/Topics 4&5: “Art is a lie that leads to truth” (Picasso). How to read literary fiction; Plot and Structure. Perrine’s chap. 1 and 2; Suggestion for Writing discussion. Unit 4/Topics 6,7 &8 : Symbolism, Theme and Characterization in Golding’s Lord of the Flies. Symbolism becomes clear in characterization as well as objects, and the developing nature of a symbol throughout a book is traced. Direct and indirect presentations, flat, round, dynamic, static and stock characters are discussed. Further discussion of multiple layers of reading, including Biblical allegory. Read Perrine’s chapters 3, 4, and 6. Unit 5/Topic 9: Style IS Meaning. Groups of students learn by investigative techniques to notice how style and meaning are intertwined in good writing. Groups are presented with passages from Frederick Douglass, Winston Churchill, and Nora Ephron and then asked to annotate anything they notice- any rhetorical techniques, resources of language, stylistic devices, verb choices, selection of details, tone, agenda, etc. and then explain their finding to rest of the class. Continued instruction in how to close read and what questions to ask oneself while reading. Emphasis on “why?” and “what is gained. The interpretation should consider the structure, style, theme(s), social and historical values reflected, figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. After feedback, students write a timed practice. Unit 6/Topics 10-23: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Poetry, but were Afraid to Ask. Perrine’s The Elements of Poetry, chapters 1-14. Topics include reading poetry aloud, review of metrics, imagery, denotation and connotation, figurative language, paradox, irony, apostrophe, metonymy, symbol, allegory, allusion, meaning, tone, devices of sound, sound and sense, pattern, and how to connect all these to meaning and purpose. Students write informal reactions to assorted poems found in Perrine’s (writing to understand) and a timed practice using the AP® Keats/Frost “Star” prompt. Unit 7/Topic 24: “The best words in the best order” (Coleridge): Evaluating poetry. Perrine’s chapters 15 and 16 cover the flaws of sentimental, rhetorical, and didactic verse. Discussion centers around the beginning reader versus the discriminating one, and how to recognize poetic excellence. Comparison exercises feature poems of like subject but differing degrees of superiority (writing to explain). Unit 8/Topics 25-27: The Epic Poem, Mythology and POV. Students read Beowulf (25), excerpts from Gardner’s Grendel, and selections from Paradise Lost(26). Characteristics of epics are discussed. Joseph Campbell’s heroic cycle is explained in reference to mythic figures. Beowulf is heard in part in Anglo Saxon, leading to instruction about the history of the English language and when and how it changed from Old English, to Middle English, to Modern English. Review of Norse Mythology (27). Review of different POV’s in Perrine’s chap. 5, and the advantages of each in Grendel vs.Beowulf are explored. Discussing Milton as a Puritan and a Roundhead aids in understanding his handling of Satan, God, and Abdiel. Unit 9/Topics 28-30: The Art of Satire and Humor. Students comprehend the different types and purposes of satire (Horation v. Juvenalian) by reading excerpts from Twain’s “Diary of Adam and Eve” (28) and Swift’s “A Modest Proposal.” (29) Instruction on the types of irony and the nature of humor. What causes something to be funny? Students read the “Prologue” and many of The Canterbury Tales, (30) annotating the choice of details as signals of Chaucer’s approval or disapproval of a character. A timed writing using the AP prompt from Kiss and Tell (Botton) is followed by a discussion of essays’ opening lines and effective theses and subsequent revision. Unit 10/Topic 31: “If it’s square, it must be a sonnet” (Foster): Further reading and writing about poetry and how to explicate a poem leads to group and individual practice using past AP® poetry prompts, both timed and untimed. Interpretations should consider the structure, style, theme(s), social and historical values reflected, figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. Unit 11/Topic 32-33: TRAGEDY! Students first read Macbeth and follow with a close and in-depth reading of Hamlet(33). Students read aloud on their feet and must consider the implications of staging (intonation, movement, and timing) as part of their effort to interpret Hamlet’s complexity and Shakespeare’s artistry. The Renaissance view of man is explored, along with the nature of ghosts and other scientific, religious, and cultural beliefs. What is Hamlet’s essential question? Unit 12/Topics 34&35: A Walk on the Wilde side. After reading The Importance of Being Earnest, students are presented with 6 topics on which to choose to write. Unit 13/Topics 36-39 : Social Criticism and Allegory. A variety of approaches to critiquing one’s society are looked at, from the isolated, gentle irony of Austen in Pride and Prejudice(36) to the allegory of Melville’s Bartelby. Students look at the uses of allusion, description, and symbolism. They then enjoy dissecting the masterful comic characterizations, virtuoso invective, and playful tone of Shaw’s Pygmalion(39). Unit 14/Topics 40-42: Characters in search of themselves and the techniques that help us appreciate them.In Chopin’s The Awakening (40), we look at the uses of local color; in Ethan Frome (42) we admire Wharton’s use of imagery, her spare style and her precision of vocabulary, and in Salinger’s Franny and Zooey, we study both style, symbolism, and the survival of the existential crisis. Students then write about one of the main characters’ dilemmas while using the techniques illustrated in each novel (writing to understand).

The Seven Deadly Sins: If you do not understand this list, see me for immediate clarification and help. These errors are usually due to lack of care/effort and cannot be excused at this stage of your academic career. Their use in a final draft is an abomination and will subject you to secret shame as they are displayed on the SmartBoard in the next writing mini lesson so the rest of us may titter. 1. Improperly using apostrophes (e.g., not using apostrophes where they are needed in possessives, not distinguishing between it’s {it is, a contraction} or its {possessive}, your/you’re etc., or using apostrophes in plurals). Incorrect examples: “The cat played with it’s tail” (read as “the cat played with it is tail”) or “The dog’s ran around the park” or “Your invited.” 2. Not including citations for your textual evidence (full MLA citation in text or Work Cited, then page #’s or act/scene/line #’s as appropriate). 3. Improperly labeling or omitting the type of text you are writing about. If it’s a play, you must call it a play. A play is not a book. An essay, novel, or poem should be labeled as such. 4. Improperly writing the title of a text. Major works (novels, plays, and epic poems) are underlined or italicized. Essays and most poems use quotation marks. Never use both. Do not underline and italicize either. 5. Improperly identifying the author of a text, misspelling his/her name, or using the incorrect gender pronoun to identify the author. 6. Improperly identifying, spelling, or capitalizing character’s names. Titles of rank, honor, respect, or education preceding a name are capitalized (President Bush, Professor Smith, Aunt Amy). Capitalize all names for the Bible or parts of it, all other sacred books, and all names for the Deity. 7. Using the pronoun “I” in scholarly writing. No first person point of view should be used in literary analysis.

Course Expectations: You are expected to complete all assignments on time and prove competency in all areas of the curriculum covered for successful completion of this course. You are expected to be in class and to participate in all class activities, since the class experience/discussions cannot be recreated by makeup work. Frequent absences are the primary reason for poor student academic performance. If you are absent, you must make up any missed work within 2 days. If you were not absent, do not turn in work after its due date. I do not give credit for late work unless there is a truly extraordinary situation. If you are absent the day a long- term project or major paper is due, you must make arrangements to get the paper or project to school even if you won’t be there. If you are absent the day you are scheduled to take part in a presentation, the rest of the group will perform without you and you will need to do an additional assignment for the grade upon your return. You should keep this in mind and consider reliability when choosing partners and groups. Computer/printer problems are not an acceptable excuse for a late assignment. If your printer is out of ink, email the assignment to a friend and have him or her print it out for you, email it to yourself at school or put it on a jump drive and print it out BEFORE you come to class. “My computer is out of ink” is a modern version of “The dog ate my homework.” Using such an excuse undermines your credibility or suggests you do not do sufficient advance planning. This is a college level course and will be conducted as such. Only work performed in class may be handwritten; all other work is to be word-processed . Any student enrolling during the first week of school should complete all summer work within 2 weeks.

Academic Integrity: I will not condone any academic dishonesty. This includes but is not limited to plagiarism, copying of homework or other assignments, talking during a test, “wandering eyes” where you share a table, nearly identical assignments in any work not specifically designated as group work, or acquisition of any teacher materials. Your name on a paper signals that you alone completed the assignment. Be aware that you will submit out of class assignments to Turnitin.com, a plagiarism search engine that detects and identifies the source of any matches to all work available in print or online. Any academic dishonesty results in a grade of zero on that assignment. A further incident may result in loss of course credit.

Classroom Rules: All school rules and policies are followed in my classroom, plus a few of my own. Water bottles are always fine. Starbucks drinks must be accompanied by one for me as well (café latte venti, please). A small snack in the morning, neatly disposed of, is not a problem, but please do not pull out an entire Subway sandwich, complete with condiments and proceed to munch away. Do not put your head down during class; if you are ill, I will request the school’s nurse to evaluate you. Otherwise, that behavior is rude. Clean up after yourself. Come prepared to class with the proper materials to work: books, pens, paper, and white-out (be aware I will not accept any work completed in pencil). Be kind and respectful to each other and to me. Take care of school property and my personal property. You are young adults and are expected to use good manners at all times.

It’s going to be a great year, my dumplings! I love teaching this class – it gives me renewed hope that the Philistines will not win after all. I hope you learn and enjoy in equal measure.