Advanced Placement Literature and Composition

Advanced Placement (AP) English is a college-level course designed for seniors who have demonstrated
outstanding skills in literary analysis and writing.  The class will focus on the careful reading and critical
analysis of drama, poetry, and novels.  Most writing assignments will focus on the analysis of literature with
emphasis on improving the organization and style of your writing.

COURSE GOALS:
     1.   To develop critical standards for interpreting literature.
     2.   To analyze literary elements and other aspects of literature in order to derive meaning from the
     reading of literature.
     3.   To increase abilities to explain thought writing the interpretations of a piece of literature.
     4.   To develop and organize idea in clear, coherent, and persuasive language.
     5.   To develop stylistic maturity through a wide-ranging vocabulary, variety in sentence structure,
     logical organization, and rhetorical devices.

TEXTBOOKS:
     1.   You will have a variety of textbooks, including an anthology or two, throughout the course of the
     year.
     2.   Textbooks will be distributed and recollected as we come to them.
     3.   Most of the textbooks are paperbacks, but are still in good condition.  Please be kind to them.
     4.   I will try to let you know what textbooks to bring on a daily basis.

READING ASSIGNMENTS:
     1.   You will be given a schedule of reading at the start of each unit or piece of literature.  These
     schedules may be demanding, but the will never be unreasonable.
     2.   I expect you to read what I assign...period.  No excuses.  You may read ahead if you would like,
     especially if you foresee time constraints in your schedule.  You are old enough to know how to
     budget your time by now!
     3.   Certain pieces of literature may be more difficult to read and understand than others.  I will take this
     into consideration when making the assignments.  Nevertheless, you may want to read certain
     sections more than once.  With much of our literature, you cannot hope to have a thorough
     understanding with just one reading.

JOURNALS:
     1.   Throughout the year, I will be assigning you to write what I call “Response Journals.”  These
     journals are a place for you to record your thoughts, perceptions, and interpretations of the
     literature.  The format to follow in writing journal entries will be: PMI.  You will get a handout on
     this form soon.
     2.   These journals need to be at least 3/4 of a page, single spaced, long, if not longer.
     3.   We will be sharing these entries on a regular basis to start our discussions the next day.  You may
     reserve the right not to share what you’ve written, but I am encouraging everyone to participate!

WRITING:
     1.   All of the writing for this class will focus on the interpretation of literature and its elements.  This is
     the type of writing you will be asked to do on the exam.  We will waste no time on any other type of
     writing.
     2.   By now, I hope you have enough familiarity with the mechanics and conventions of the English
     language, so I am not going to be focusing a lot on grammar and conventions, but rather on your
     clarity of expression and style of writing.  We want to develop your skills at discovering and
     expressing the ideas in the literature.  (That doesn’t mean I won’t be watching and correcting those
     little errors, though!)
     3.   All writing will be in MLA.
     4.   Writing assignments will include both in-class and out-of-class.  You may get some class time for
     out-of-class essays.  I am always willing to read a rough draft of any paper before it comes due.

QUIZZES AND TESTS:
     1.   You will have some kind of test at the end of every unit/novel/play.  Tests will be announced at least
     2 class periods in advance.
     2.   Quizzes will usually be announced, but not always.
     3.   Since success of the exam depends on your ability to remember and write about literature, you will
     usually have essay questions.  Multiple Choice Questions are also used on the exam, so some tests
     may be multiple choice.

NOTEBOOKS:
     1.   GET A THREE-RING NOTEBOOK!!!  You will accumulate LOTS of handouts, notes, papers,
     etc., very quickly. I recommend at least a 2" binder with 10 dividers.  We will talk more about
     notebooks and their organization soon.
     2.   In any college class, it is in your best interest to take notes, so I am REQUIRING you to do so.  Get
     used to it!  I will often use an outline powerpoints so that you can follow easier.

PRACTICE TESTS:
     1.   Very soon we will be doing both kinds of practice tests: multiple choice and essay.  I will assign
     passages of practice tests at varying times.
     2.   The more effort you put into these tests, the better off you will be on the real test in May.
     3.   You will also be working in groups on these practice tests.

THE EXAM IN MAY:
     1.   Don’t worry about it now.  I’ll give you plenty of handouts and practice once we get closer.
     2.   You have already paid the fee for this test as part of your registration fees.
     3.   The set national date for our particular AP Test falls on May __________.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED OVER THE YEARS:
     1.   You will get out of this class only what you put into it.  If you decide to just skim a reading
     assignment, not do a practice test, or skip taking notes, you are only doing yourself a disservice.
     Actually, you are also hurting the class and its potential to do well on the test.
     2.   You must change your thinking about certain writing techniques.  Introductory and conclusion
     paragraphs with comprehensive previews and reviews are not necessary.  You very well may have to
     abandon the standard 5 paragraph essay method of organization.  We are looking for clear, creative,
     and concise writing.  Let the ideas you want to convey govern your organization.
     3.   The sooner we get started talking about understanding and analyzing poetry, the better.  Poetry is
     often the hardest part of literature for many English students.
     4.   You need to tell me EARLY if you are a person who brainstorms and writes at a slow pace.  The
     test demands that you write three essays in a two hour period.  If this sounds completely unrealistic
     for you, I need to know!
     5.   We have lots of literature and many activities I would like to get done throughout this course.  When
     you are in AP, you are expected to focus on ENGLISH!  My time with you is MY TIME!  You all
     should know by now how much I hate wasting class time! ☺