Ms. M. Kingsbury
ms.kingsbury@verizon.net
http://www.ohsapenglish.blogspot.com
School Year 2008-2009
Course Syllabus
Course Description:
The Advanced Placement and English Literature and Composition course offers highly motivated students the opportunity to earn college English credits while completing their senior year in high school. This course challenges students to read and analyze a variety of high quality literary works and also to write about literature in a mature and sophisticated style. Students will engage in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature (novels, drama, short stories, and poetry). Through this close reading of selected texts, students will deepen their understanding of the ways in which writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students should consider a work’s structure, style, theme, the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone. While successfully participating in the Advanced Placement testing program is an obvious goal of this course, the curriculum also focuses on helping students develop into effective communicators who think deeply, analyze critically, effectively solve problems, and employ emerging technologies for research and writing as they prepare for college.
Office Hours:
Ms. Kingsbury arrives each day around 7:30 a.m. and leaves after ninth period; child care limitations do not always permit Ms. Kingsbury to stay after school without notice. You can arrange to meet with Ms. Kingsbury after school for help on assignments or consult her via email at ms.kingsbury@verizon.net
Methods of Instruction:
Discussion is the primary way in which students come to understand a particular text. Discussion is both large group and small group. Discussions are sometimes student led. Discussions are sometimes conducted online via our class website. Cooperative learning groups are also used extensively in this class. Projects/assignments will be done individually as well. Some assigned texts are to be read independently, in addition to other course texts.
Communication:
It is required that every student in AP English sign up for an email account as soon as possible. Your account should be through
Writing:
We will write in a variety of ways and for a variety of purposes:
- Reader’s Notebook/Logs
- Expository essays
- Formal literary essays
- Practice AP essays
Note: All written assignments done outside of class must be typed (with the exception of the Reader’s Notebook) using the appropriate format.
Literary Analysis:
Students will be instructed on analysis through the use of literary devices, elements, and criticism. Literary devices and elements to be studied include (but are not limited to): character, setting, point of view, symbolism, theme, style, tone, irony, word choice, word order, syntax, figures of speech, allegory, sounds, patterns of rhythm, and poetic forms. The devices and elements under study will be determined by the literature read in each unit.
Literary criticism approaches to be studied include (but are not limited to): formalist, biographical, psychological, historical, Marxist, new historicist, cultural/post-colonial , feminist, gender criticism, reader-response criticism, and deconstruction. The critical approach under study will be determined by the literature read in each unit.
Primary Text :
The Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading, Thinking, Writing, 7th Edition (Michael Meyer, ed.)
Year-Long Schedule: A Brief Overview:
Please note that students will be given a scheduling handout at the beginning of each unit which will detailed objectives, goals, assignments, and due dates!
September: Why AP? Diagnostic Test. Literary Terms. Literary Criticism. Introduce senior project.
October: The Family Unit. Practice Test. Analysis.
November: The Haunting Unit. Practice Test. Analysis.
December: The Haunting Unit continued. Practice Test. Senior Project.
January: Love Unit. Practice Test. Analysis.
February: Senior Project Due. Travel Unit. Practice Test. Analysis.
March: Travel Unit continued. Practice Test. Analysis.
April: Senior project presentations. Solitude Unit. 2 Practice Tests.
May: AP test. Student Choice.
Unit Reading Lists:
Below is the breakdown of the tentative reading lists for each unit of study.
The Family Unit: A Study in Function and Dysfunction:
Drama: Oedipus Rex and Antigone by Sophocles
Novel: Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Short Stories: “Anthropology” by Andrea Lee, “Who’s Irish” by Gish Jen
Poetry: “Bored” by Margaret Atwood, “Schizophrenia” by Jim Stevens, “The Joy of Cooking” by Elaine Magarrell, “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, “Alzheimer’s” by Kelly Cherry, “I, Too” by Langston Hughes, “Daddy” by Sylvia Plath
The Haunting: A Study of Death and the Afterlife:
Drama: Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Novel: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Short Stories: “Three Girls” by Joyce Carol Oates, “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, “How to Tell a True War Story” by Tim O’Brien
Poetry: “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks, “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen, “Who Will Know Us?” by Gary Soto, “February” by Margaret Atwood, “Execution” by Edward Hirsch, “The Tyger” by William Blake, “Unholy Sonnet” by Mark Jarman, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, “Midterm Break” by Seamus Heaney, “Death Be Not Proud” by John Donne, “I heard a fly buzz - when I died” by Emily Dickinson, “Because I could not stop for Death” by Emily Dickinson
Till Death Do Us Part: A Study in Love:
Novel: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Short Stories: “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, “A Secret Sorrow” by Karen ven der Zee, “Soldier’s Home” by Ernest Hemingway, “Roselily” by Alice Walker
Poetry: “Seniors” by Alberto Rios, “To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time” by Robert Herrick, “Sex Without Love” by Sharon Olds, “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning
We’re on a Road to Nowhere: A Study of Travel:
Novels: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Drama: Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
Short Story: “Shiloh” by Bobbie Ann Mason
Poetry: “London’s Summer Morning” by Mary Robinson, “London” by William Blake, “Traveling Through the Dark” by William Stafford, “First Party at Ken Kesey’s with Hell’s Angels” by Allen Ginsberg, “Water, is taught by thirst” by Emily Dickinson, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost
Going It Alone: A Study of Solitude:
Novel: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, The Stranger by Albert Camus
Short Story: “Bartleby, the Scrivener” by Herman Melville
Poetry: “l(a” by e.e. cummings, “If-” by Rudyard Kipling, “The Panther” by Rainer Maria Rilke, “Richard Cory” by Edwin Arlington Robinson, “Sadie and Maud” by Gwendolyn Brooks, “Sure You Can Ask Me a Personal Question” by Diane Burns, “Loveliest of trees, the cherry now” by A.E. Housman, “The World is Too Much With Us” by William Wordsworth, “Negro” by Langston Hughes, “Cross” by Langston Hughes
Independent Reading:
All students must read at least 4 books from the Independent Reading list (one during each marking period) by early May 2009. Students must read one book and write the required paper each grading period prior to taking the AP test in May. At the beginning of each marking period, you will be given that semester’s Independent Reading list and paper topics. You will then make your reading selections. Each independent reading paper will be due by the end of that semester (tentative due dates: October 31, December 19, February 27, and April 30).
The Senior Project:
All seniors in the state of Pennsylvania are required to complete a multi-disciplinary project in order to graduate from high school. This project contains two parts: a written portfolio which consists of approximately six essays and a 10-page research paper and an oral presentation of your research paper accompanied by a PowerPoint slide show. Details about this project will be forthcoming. The research paper for AP English will be based on one of the following literary movements (student choice): classicism, realism, romanticism, impressionism, expressionism, naturalism, and existentialism.
Materials:
Please have the following materials as soon as possible:
Composition notebook
Binder
Binder paper
Highlighter
Pens, pencils
Good collegiate dictionary
Highly recommended but not required: Personal copy of all books we read so you can annotate them and otherwise mark them up. The first three titles are: Oedipus, Antigone, and Bless Me, Ultima.
Academic Honesty:
Overbrook High School considers cheating or academic dishonesty to be a serious violation of
school rules and has adopted procedures to deal with students who:
1. Receive or provide information during a test.
2. Use unauthorized material on tests.
3. Use ideas or written material from other sources--students, professional writers, internet
notes/study guides --without acknowledging the source in their own writing.
4. Use or copy another student's homework when not authorized by the teacher to do so.
5. Allow other students to use their work on assignments.
Consequences for academic dishonesty include one or more of the following: Student is given a zero on the compromised work. Parent and student sign a contract that notifies a second offense will lead to student failing the marking period in which the violation occurred. Ms. Kingsbury will refuse to write any letters of recommendation and will, if necessary, notify the university if the incident should happen later in the year.
Habits of Mind:
The University of California and California State University released a joint report in 2003 listing those “habits of mind” that lead to university success:
Broad Intellectual Practices:
• Exhibit curiosity
• Experiment with new ideas
• See other points of view
• Challenge one’s own beliefs
• Engage in intellectual discussions
• Ask provocative questions
• Generate hypotheses
• Exhibit respect for other viewpoints
• Read with awareness of self and others
Classroom Behaviors:
• Ask questions
• Be attentive in class
• Complete assignments on time
• Contribute to class discussions
• Attend class regularly and on time
Grading:
• 25%: In-class, timed multiple choice tests and essays (based on AP 1-9 rubric)
• 40%: Essays, projects completed outside of class
• 25%: In-class response writing, reading notes, etc.
• 10%: Participation/Habits of Mind/Attendance
Students concerned about their grades should view Ms. Kingsbury’s electronic grade book as often as needed to monitor their own progress. No student should ever be surprised by their semester grade. Expectations, instructions, and rubrics will be distributed for each assignment.
Missing/Late Assignments:
All missed assignments can be submitted within two days of an excused absence. No missed assignments will be accepted if you are present but have not completed the work. If you have a planned absence, any pending assignments must be submitted before you leave. Should you be absent the day a major assignment is due, you must email the completed assignment to me at ms.kingsbury@verizon.net
Attendance:
Inconsistent attendance invariably leads to increased stress: too much make up work, loss of continuity with class activities, and inability to participate fully in discussions. Senior year is a time when many of you are overwhelmed by the demands of several AP classes and college visits. Also, many of you hold leadership positions in the school or participate in extra-curricular activities. Learning to manage yourself is essential to your success at home, in school, and at work. In addition, you should not assume it is okay to miss class just because a teacher or advisor asks you to. Presenting a note from a teacher or advisor after the fact will not be acceptable behavior. I will count such absences as unexcused; I will not accept late work under such circumstances. Please tell your teacher or advisor that you cannot miss a class unless you have been excused beforehand for an approved school activity (e.g. a tournament, special concert, leadership workshop, etc.). Use good judgment and demonstrate responsible decision-making to ensure your success in this class and your adult life.
Taking the AP Exam:
The AP English Literature and Composition Exam is three hours long and consists of two sections. In Section I, students are given one hour to answer 55 multiple-choice questions; in Section II, they must answer three free-response questions within two hours. The multiple-choice questions test students' ability to read analytically prose and poetry from several periods. The free-response questions require students to write critical essays on literary texts. Over the course of this year, we will take a minimum of 5 practice tests in order to prepare you for the official AP Exam at the beginning of May.
In conclusion, I wish you the best of luck in AP English Literature. Your success in this class and on the AP exam depends upon your commitment to hard work, perseverance, and academic excellence. It’s my personal goal that you will all receive a passing score of 3 or better on the AP exam and an outstanding final grade in this class. I’m looking forward to seeing every student in this class achieve their personal best!
Portions of this syllabus have been created with help from the following syllabi and sites:
- http://www.ibiblio.org/schools/rls/garner/2002_03/syllabus.pdf
- http://www.mshogue.com/AP/ap_syllabus_07.pdf
- http://www.bernardsboe.com/curriculum/guides/pdf/AP%20Eng.%2012%20%20Literature%20&%20Composition.pdf
- http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/english_lit/samp.html?englit
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