Download Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition Syllabus

Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition Syllabus
for 2016-2017
Teacher: Robert Vickery
Course: AP English Lit/1001430
Email: [email protected]
Room: 4-207
Website: http://www.uhstitans.com/vickery-iii-robert
Course Overview
The 2016-2017 year represents a new year for students who are
entering AP English Literature and Composition and continuing to receive
educational instruction at University High School. Before moving up to
this level of English, it is presumed that incoming seniors for the current
academic year for which this syllabus covers began their preparations
during their freshmen and sophomore years and furthered that
concentration in AP Language and Composition during their junior year,
which occurred during the 2015-2016 academic year.
Skills that have been acquired through advanced reading and
writing from previous AP course work will be enlarged and sharpened in
AP English Literature and Composition. All students will face challenges
through assigned reading projects, and they will expand their writing
abilities to include textual support gleaned from past and present readings.
The intention of this course is to continue teaching students to employ
correct grammar and varied sentence construction as well as implementing
newly studied and rich vocabulary to produce quality writing and increase
writing scores by College Board or Advance Placement standards. This
level of AP English will expect all AP students to engage the reading
material in all facets and work to master the skills necessary to do well on
the AP exam. The goals of this course are to read time tested material,
discuss it, and write about it with a focused purpose to unlock meaning
from the text. It is hoped—even with the rigors of this course firmly in
place—that senior AP students will have fun in the course and find it
rewarding to examine literature at a depth that they may have never before
experienced.
Finally, to keep the momentum of previously learned skills in
motion—and move students toward acquiring new ones—it is “strongly
suggested” that incoming senior AP students complete the “suggested”
Summer Reading Assignment by the English Department staff at
University High School during the summer break or at the end of the
2015-2016 school year. The literary works, All Quiet on the Western
Front by Erich Maria Remarque and Catch-22 by Joseph Heller will be
examined after the first three weeks of the 2016-2017 academic year have
been completed; these texts will be used as a springboard to review prior
knowledge and move toward acquiring new knowledge. These texts will
be seized upon to begin the process of reviewing literary devices; to learn
about time tested methods of literary analysis; to become aware of literary
periods; and, to extract relevant textual support to substantiate assertions
about the texts and meanings.
General Expectations and Objectives:
High school AP students will read challenging, college level texts
in an assortment of genres (short story, novel, plays, poetry, and essays).
The principal objectives for the AP students are: to develop skills in
recognizing writers’ use of literary devices (character, imagery, point-ofview, setting, symbolism, etc.), to understand the diversity of syntax
(diversity of sentence structures to include an awareness of coordinate,
correlative, and subordinate clauses, parallel structure, rhetorical devices,
etc.), and to develop organization skills when writing (emphasis,
repetition, support, and transition), which are steps aimed at acquiring
insight into the establishment of tone and how it contributes to a given
work’s thematic intention (what is a literary work’s overall meaning).
These points of instruction are meant to form a scaffold in which the AP
student will move upward, toward a greater awareness of a writer’s style
of writing and develop their own writing style.
By engaging in methodical reading and writing exercises and
actively participating in teacher and student constructed discussions, AP
students will expand their opportunities to use language effectively and
learn new writing techniques and use them to supplement their own
writing. It is hoped that their writing will begin to reflect collegiate
sophistication.
Another purpose of AP English Literature and Composition is to
enable AP students to recognize what has made the published writings of
authors and writers distinct and worthy of publication. This is also
purposed so AP students will commence understanding why such writings
have stood the test of time and how such writings can instruct AP students
to replicate this level of writing in their own writing productions by
employing the same effective techniques. This will require AP students to
learn or reacquaint themselves with various modes of writing—expository,
persuasive, and analytical writing—and understand these modes are at
work by published writers whom these students class will study. Students
will be writing in these modes to become prepared for the AP exam and
become effective writers in their future careers.
I, the teacher, will provide myriad opportunities—through in class
and out-of-class timed writings, through journal writings, and through
formal, extended essays to be written at home—to improve their own
writing. The teacher will hold regular, one-on-one meetings with students
to discuss their writings, so they can and will use what is discussed in
rewriting activities and future writing activities. By the end of 2016-2017
school year, students will have written and received feedback on thirty
(possibly more) in-class and out-of-class timed writings and several take
home extended essays (approximately one a week for the entire year).
These practice writes will be filed in student writing folders and
maintained for them to re-examine as a type of study guide for the essay
portion of the AP exam. The purpose is to make this a tool for review, so
AP students can see what they did and did not do to receive the scores that
they will receive. Finally, students will complete independent extended
research papers—at least one per semester (two in total). The activities
delineated in the following pages of this syllabus will afford numerous
opportunities for teacher instruction, pre-writing, writing, editing, revision,
and teacher feedback for each of these writing opportunities.
Specific Course Objectives: This course will follow the strategies set
forth and stressed by College Board. By the end of this course, students
will have gained the knowledge to be able to perform these important
skills:
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To study multi-layered and resonant texts from a wide variety of
genres and time periods.
To enlarge knowledge of language’s nuances so that literature can
be analyzed, interpreted, evaluated, and appreciated on multiple
levels.
To take possession of any literary work presented and execute a
systematic, close reading through highlighting and annotating them
to penetrate the multiple layers of meaning to facilitate
comprehension of literature and language.
To learn the modes of analysis in order to engage in and maintain
healthy and perceptive discussions of literature with respect to
stylistic and thematic elements within texts, with emphasis placed
on autobiographical, historical, and social relevance being treated
by a given text.
To foster a stylistic maturity by writing in various modes and to
enhance both verbal skills and command of language to such a
degree that writing will reflect an understanding of grammar and
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language to produce on command thoughtful and meaningful
essays.
To learn, to use, and to identify the three basic elements of writing
(Logos, Pathos, and Ethos) from which traditional writings—
arguments and essays stem.
To compose literary assessments of authors’ works through the use
of distinguished and well-chosen textual substantiation to produce
enlightened, investigative observations that will transcend the
general and move upward toward a specific, analytical claim about
an author’s literary piece.
To progress towards a stylistic maturity by writing in various
modes through the employment and integration of effective writing
strategies, which will be gleaned from the published works of time
tested authors and writers.
To compose literary assessments of authors’ works through the use
of distinguished and well-chosen textual substantiation to produce
enlightened, investigative observations that will transcend the
general and move upward toward a specific, analytical claim about
an author’s literary piece.
To be acquainted with literary backgrounds and theories such as
the Hero’s/Heroine’s Journey, the Anti-hero, etc.
To develop a strong sense or command of articulation and creation
of a vocabulary to become comfortable with and referencing of
literary terminology in class discussions and in writing
assessments.
To encourage and engender scholarly confidence and individual
poise in the creation of free thinking and responsible writing.
Literary Criticism Part I:
The core component of literary analysis rests in the application of the
standard theories for analysis of a text. Over the years, hypotheses about a
text’s meaning and the number of theories have enlarged and enabled
readers of literature and writing to sift through the intricacies of the
printed word and guide them through the complexities found in the larger
works of words. The theories available for literary studies have evolved
into a means to conduct readers through both the reading and analysis
process. They also help readers to comprehend such issues as the author’s
intent, the motivations of the characters, of the narrators, and, yes, even
that of the authors; even issues of setting and plot construction are not
immune to the application of the varied critical approaches when analysis
of literature begins. What is purposed for readers—in this case students of
AP English Literature and Composition—is to learn what defines these
critical approaches and determine for themselves which is the more valid
to use for analysis of a text. Therefore, it will be paramount that students
fully and completely involve themselves at this stage of their education
and learn the key tenets that comprise these critical approaches as well as
understand that the application of “one” critical theory to a text can be
viewed and is often viewed as incomplete. Students—as a group
project—will be required to research and present to the class a brief
exposition and outline of the following critical approaches:
Reader Response
New Historicism
Post-Colonial
Contextual
Psychological
Structuralism
Post-Modern
Receptive
Naturalism/Realism
Post-Structuralism
New Criticism
Archetypal/Mythical
Feminist
Formalist
Pluralist
Marxist
Literary Criticism Part II:
Although the above list of critical approaches is a worthy and sufficient
list of analytical hardware for students to become familiar with and
employ to examine literature, there is one distinct apparatus in the literary
analysis process of which AP students must become familiar:
intertextuality. It is this tool—for the lack of a better term—that stresses
the need for AP students to read the wide and varying range of literature to
be found in this syllabus. Students will need a working knowledge of all
literary devices employed by essayists, writers, playwrights, and poets,
which will be covered in this course. In making use of this other tool is
to bring students to an understanding that this critical piece is a means
whereby a text becomes multi-layered and a means in which an
experienced writer wraps layer around layer of meaning within a text. AP
students will learn what Roger Webster states in his book Studying
Literary Theory : An Introduction, which is “If anything the writer is not
thought of as the great originator, the creative genius, but rather a
synthesizer [my italics]: someone who draws together and orchestrates
linguistic raw materials” (99).
Continuing Coaching Activities and Commentary Procedures
involving Writing
Listed below are various activities I will implement at myriad stages
throughout the school year in order to supply ample instruction,
opportunities for writing and rewriting, and commentary on students'
practice writings. These activities and adaptations of them shall be
repeated throughout the year when necessary to meet the needs of the
students. (This is by no means meant to suggest that these embody every
strategy that shall be used; they are but only indiscriminate varieties
tendered for the syllabus requirements.)
Instruction will emphasize close reading and how to execute
annotating both short and long prose, poetry, and drama.
For short and long prose pieces, I will make use of the overhead projector
or data projector as a means to transmit graphic organizers and other
literary analysis tools onto the movie screen for students to participate in
the process of deconstructing the text in question. Short fiction will be the
starting point for this type of activity and will continue on into longer
works of fiction. Students will receive hard copies of a wide range of
graphic organizers that are designed to target specific literary elements
such as character, plot, setting, symbol, etc. In the beginning, this will be
a teacher guided activity, requiring students to supply the information
while the teacher fills in the document to generate class discussion. After
the modeling process is concluded and students learn the procedure for
this activity, students will receive different graphic organizers and be
placed into small groups to cover the same short story to complete a full
array of analysis of the given text that is under examination as well as for
subsequent short and long fiction. This process will be repeated for future
short and long pieces of literature, but the graphic organizers will be
rotated within the groups to maximize exposure to this form analytical
study. A computer, document scanner, and flash drive will be made
available in the classroom for students to scan their final products, and the
groups will be required to pull together an agreed upon group product to
present to the class.
For poetry, a similar process will be used for its examination. In the
beginning, the teacher will use graphic organizers that target poetic
elements such as onomatopoeia, hyperbole, simile, metaphor, syntax,
irony, etc., to develop a general framework for students to discover for
themselves the poem’s meaning. This will be executed to draw out the
basics of a given poem. This process will mutate into placing a copy of
the poem onto an over head projector or through the data projector where
a line by line annotation and highlighting of the work will occur. This will
be purposed to locate the voice of the poem; to learn what the tone is; to
learn what the poet’s purpose is; and, why is the form of poetry used as
opposed to using a short story or longer work of fiction or even another
poetic form. In the end, deriving some type of meaning or interpretation
with respect to the critical approaches will be one of the more significant
goals.
Strategies for strengthening writing to improve the AP level essay
AP students will receive basic grammar and composition instruction.
Greater emphasis will be placed on grammar that has greater influence on
the composition component. The intent is not to expect students to learn
how to identify parts of speech when asked; however, they will receive
instruction on grammar involving the identification of sentence structures
and lengths to employ in their own writing in addition to types of
sentences, verb expansion beyond the commonly used or pat ones, and the
most commonly used forms of punctuation to improve writing. There will
be a hefty dose of examination of punctuation, especially the commonly
used ones. It is planned that grammar and composition analysis and study
will begin immediately and wane as the students move through the school
year and progress in the practice writing phases. The grammar work will
be graded and go into the grade book in the category of writing because it
relates to the area.
Procedures to make simple responses to both expository and
analytical writing prompts
Students will receive copies of several of the previous year’s AP essay
prompts and will be asked to demonstrate how to make the prompt more
accessible (this will be an ongoing activity throughout the school year).
The teacher will first model the activity by rewriting or rewording the
previously used AP essay questions, changing the language with more
familiar or comfortable synonyms/antonyms and/or changing the sentence
construction, while avoiding changing the intent of the prompt. Next, the
teacher will make a list of plausible questions with regards to what the AP
essay question is asking the writer to do. Once modeled, students will
perform the same tasks individually and in small group discussions. This
activity will require students to annotate and highlight the original prompts
for clarification. Once the activity has been completed, results will be
shared in both Socratic Seminar format to produce the most effect in the
short term. Next, the class will move into a large group discussion to
maximize the long term effect of the lesson. For homework and in class
work, the assignment will be protracted to a practice essay; however,
students will select the best of the “modified” or reworded versions of the
prompt, while using the annotated and highlighted original as source
material, to execute their own practice writing of the prompt. Students
will receive group feedback during the initial stage of the activity. Once
the practice writing has been completed, students will receive one-on-one
individual feedback on the final product. Of course, the College Board
grading scale (0-9) will be used and then converted into a numeric grade
for the grade book.
Peer group comparison, discussion, and evaluation of sample essays
generated by current students and from previously taken and graded
essays for the above assignment
Before students can participate in the peer edit process or take part in
small and large group discussions about the writing process at the AP level
or actively evaluate other students’ writing, they will receive several days
of instruction on the AP essay exam using previously released essay exam
writings, provided as samples for instruction. Students will learn what a
quality AP essay is or looks like; they will examine what AP trained
graders of students’ work are looking for at AP level writing; and, they
will review what the AP rubrics stress about how the AP essay exams will
be graded to gain insight into how to write quality essays to earn top
and/or passing scores. After these initial steps are covered in class,
students will read several sample essays from previously released AP
essay exam writings for student practice and grade them based on the
instruction and guidance they will receive from me in the afore-mentioned
areas. Next, students will evaluate their peers’ essays written from the
revised or rewritten prompts in the lesson mentioned in the above outline.
Students will be required to provide written feedback to their peers,
explaining why the practice essay that is under review for grading
received the AP score from their peer.
The feedback process will not stop at the peer edit phase. The teacher will
conduct a final review of all peer edited, practice essays and provide a
one-on-one, individual meeting with students discuss their writing. I will
continuously review and provide lessons when necessary on standard
grammar and composition strategies (weak verb use, diction, poor or
incorrect use of punctuation, lack of or inadequate supporting details,
failure to address the prompt, problems with evenness or fluidity, etc.) for
students to implement in future practice writing assignments and rewrites.
At several writing junctures throughout the year, students will be required
to execute rewrites on practice essays. These rewrites will be subjected to
peer edit review and then teacher review. Students who achieve a solid 8
or higher or 7/8 range (using the AP scale, 0-9, for all assessing) on the
first attempt will be exempt from rewrites and grade book grades will be
assessed or adjusted accordingly. The goal is to motivate students to take
the practice write sessions seriously and reward them when the
production, on a first attempt, is of high quality. The plan is to assign
between twenty (five per nine weeks and such as the types on the AP
English Literature exam) practice writes throughout the school year to
prepare for the actual exam. There will be additional fifteen shorter
writing assessments (Claim/Data/Warrant writing assignments and others
of various lengths) throughout the school year.
Once students have completed several practice writes, peer edits, and
grading, they will extend their practice and training to learn more about
structuring an essay and providing detailed support. How? Students will
take the several practice essays that they will have written by a certain
point in the school year and compare their scored practice essays with
those sample exam essay responses that will be used as teaching tools.
The purpose is for AP students to take a meaningful look into their own
writing and physically make a comparison between their essays and the
sample exam essay responses to determine how the approaches and final
products of the two are similar or different. My students will be
questioned as to how their approaches to the prompt are similar or
different than the student who supplied the sample exam response.
Differences, similarities, writing style, syntax, diction, evidence of
detailed support, tone, etc. will be many of elements that students will
look for and compare between the two sets of writings to further their
understanding of how to approach the essay prompts and how to produce a
quality end product for AP essay graders.
Instruction on how to interpret College Board’s rubrics and use it as a
form of instruction for essay exams and feedback for practice essay
exams
This particular topic has been alluded to and briefly mentioned in previous
outlines in this syllabus; however, it is important to reiterate and elaborate
on it. The primary rubric that will be used to generate scores for my
students practice writings and essays will reflect College Board’s rubric
(0-9). This is the method of scoring actual AP essay exams, and it will be
the method used throughout the year in my class on practice writes and
formal, extended essays. Students will learn how their writing will be
judged through the degree process to which this grading system
corresponds. More importantly, students will become familiar with what
justifies the appending a score to a piece of writing. Immediately, students
will be exposed to the grading scale and how it functions—the first week
of class. Moreover, all essays and practice writings in class, no matter the
breadth and length of an assigned practice write, will use the rubric guide
and score range when assigning a score to the essay—in both peer edit
practice sessions and in allocations of scores by me.
Student consultations, technological tools and writing folders that will
be used for improving writing.
I will hold periodic consultations with students regarding their essays and
writing as much as time permits. During each nine weeks, the plan is to
hold at least three official, class long meetings (six per semester) to
discuss “individual” issues at the point of writing. The frequency of the
meetings will lessen or increase, depending on student success during the
practice write phases. Again, the primary target areas that the teacher and
students (during peer edit sessions) will focus on will be: answering the
writing prompts and not straying from them in responses; detailed
textual/inter-textual support; demonstrating command of literary devices
as they pertain to meaning of text as well as addressing the writing
prompts; adequate or sufficient command of English language skills to
produce fluid writing that also reflects sound grammar skills. Rewriting
exercises will occur to further help students see where they made their
mistakes and make corrections on previous writings.
Additionally, teacher and students will make use of technology to hold
meetings—when it cannot occur in the classroom setting—to discuss their
writings. Students will be required to open a free on-line, Internet account
through a service called https://www.remind.com as well as use of the
teacher’s personal page (http://www.uhstitans.com/vickery-iii-robert)
that is provided through University High School’s webpage for students to
access and communicate with the teacher. These services will allow me to
post assignments for students to get quickly and without delay from home
once posted. They will also allow students to communicate with me via a
built in e-mail/blog service instead of going through traditional e-mail
services or having to wait to communicate during class time. Students
will use these systems to submit scanned copies of their rewrites only in
order for me to provide feedback. These methods, involving technology,
will be used to give specific individual instruction and feedback while also
facilitating revisions to be executed in future writing assignments.
Students who do not have Internet access at homes can submit hard copies
for re-examination and feedback will be given in class.
Lastly, students will maintain a writing folder to keep track of “all”
writing samples produced during the school year. The purpose for this is
for students to use this as a method to review successfully completed
writing assignments to prepare for the final AP exam that is to come.
Periodic checks—for a grade—will be made of writing folders to ensure
that students are keeping track of “all” writing assignments, especially
successfully completed ones for review up to the time of the AP exam.
Extended, Formal Research Paper and Annotated Bibliography
AP students will write (type) two extended “literary” research papers (3-5
pages maximum)—one per semester and submit an Annotated
Bibliography. The research based literary paper has a three-fold purpose
for students: to demonstrate that they can do research on a literary based
topic; they can further their ability to locate and make use of supporting
details in the final draft of the research paper and to document all research;
and, they can use standard MLA protocols. The final purpose is for
students to learn or to exhibit the necessary writing skills when giving
“attribution” to the writers they research via Parenthetical Notation and the
Works Cited Page as well as how to use the correct the standard writing
format for this type of assignment. Students will be required to submit
hard copies of all research along with the final draft of the assignment.
Students will be given a list of literary based topics to minimize the hazard
of plagiarizing this assignment. The topics will be custom designed and
there will be myriad types to keep students away from the notion of
submitting another’s work as their own. Furthermore, students will be
required to submit their final drafts to services such as Turnitin.com or
others to verify authenticity and originality of the completed assignment.
Finally, students will write one annotated bibliography involving all
genres studied. This will be submitted to the teacher at the end of the
school year. AP students will select two works from each area of study
(novel, short story, poetry, essays, and drama) and write an annotated
bibliography of the works that impacted them as readers and what others
can expect to learn from the works they selected. The final product must
contain standard MLA protocols for writing this assignment.
Recap of Major Areas and Other Continuing Pursuits:
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Students will write a minimum of twenty timed essays (such as the
types on the AP English Literature exam). Three weeks before the
actual exam, students will write three essay exams in succession to
mimic the actual essay portion of the test to prepare them for the
rigors of “time” that will
be demonstrated a concrete version
of the true test.
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Students will take several AP multiple choice tests to simulate the
actual testing environment and to become familiar with this section
of the exam. Many of the multiple choice tests will cover all
genres as well as literary devices and vocabulary studied
throughout the year. Special attention and emphasis will be given
to the novel and poetry genres. Why? It seems that this portion of
the AP exam gives the appearance of targeting these areas more
frequently than the others. All areas will be covered, but the two
aforementioned areas will be tagged more often during the practice
tests sessions.
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Students will keep a writing journal for making Reader Response
entries to all literary pieces read throughout the school year.
Specific emphasis will be placed on select pieces for which
students must comment on in their writing journals. The College
Board grading system will be applied to each entry; then, an
overall average will be taken of all graded responses to generate a
grade for the writing journal. Students must write no less than least
one full page for entry to qualify as a full and complete entry.
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For creative writing practice and to write in a different mode,
students will write an original poem and compose it with no less
than fourteen lines of whatever length they see fit to make it
complete for presenting. Students will write their poems in
whatever format that best works for them. They will write one
original poem per nine weeks (four in total for the year) and
present each for a class reading and discussion. Students must
employ at least five distinct poetic devices in their original
productions. In the remaining poems that they will have to write,
they must avoid using the “same” poetic devices employed in the
previous poem and branch out and “try” to employ more
infrequently used ones as best as possible. Students will not be
penalized if they are unable to use other poetic devices in
subsequent productions, but extra points will be awarded for
attempts to employ new poetic devices never used before in
previous productions. Then, students will select at least two
students’ poems from the group of poems presented and write
Reader Response journal entries to the two they select, giving their
interpretations of the selected poems with emphasis on the poetic
devices as they pertain to the meaning of the poems.
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Students will be required to create two non-print products—one
per semester—that are meant to reflect their engagement of
whatever literary work they choose. The purpose of this activity is
for students to develop a non-print project as an alternative method
of presenting interpretations of a literary piece. Students can use
collages, constructed models, masks of characters, etc., to give a
visual form of interpretation of the piece literature. Specific days
during the first and second semester will be set aside for presenting
the projects. Again, students a will be required to prepare a journal
entry for which ever product they believe provides the best non
print, visual interpretation of the selected piece of literature they
have chosen.
Discussion:
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Literature in all its varied forms is and remains a product best
utilized for discussion. This is ground-zero for learning.
Therefore, students will be required to speak up in class. There
will be no waiting to get to know one another and feel comfortable
with each other. It is best to jump in the cold water and awaken to
this reality early on in the class. A speech component will be
worked into the AP English Literature and Composition class,
designed to draw students out into the open and create the learning
and meaning of what is being learned. The goal is for the students
to engage their peers and their teacher in classroom discussions as
proof that they have engaged the reading material. Students will
be graded in a variety of manners in this regard. The grade for
class discussion will be calculated into the final average for each
quarter average and will represent a weighted portion of the final
grade. The determination of the grade point value for this category
will be reflected in the amount of discussion that occurs as well as
the quality of student responses. The latter will rank much higher on the
scale in terms of a numeric grade.
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In truth, there really is a set amount of scenarios that constitute
classroom discussions for any course. They are: the whole class
discussion of a text to occur in association with the teacher; the
whole class circle discussion of a text involves students
constructing, facilitating, and guiding the discussion while the
teacher remains in the role of monitor; medium group circle
discussions arranged, in which each half of the class (about 10-12
people in each circle) discuss a text, again with students
constructing, facilitating, and guiding the discussion while the
teacher remains as the monitor of the discussion; and, finally, the
Socratic Seminar, in which 4-5 students in each group work to
produce a presentation on their assigned novel and generate
discussions to draw in other students. In the last three types of
discussion, the teacher only intervenes if students need redirection
or have missed an important point or concept. Students are
expected to be prepared for discussions by reading and annotating
the texts, using the various investigative tools learned early on in
the course and by preparing higher order questions (using Bloom’s
taxonomy for analysis, synthesis, and evaluation) for discussion.
Evaluation:
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Grades will be based on the 100 point scale system per
assignment—major or minor. Some assignments will carry more
weight or higher point value than others due to the level of
complexity or difficulty to be found in a given assignment.
Grading of some assignments will be based on the AP grading
scale but will be converted to a percentage by dividing the earned
points by the total possible points (100), then recalculated. This
course will use the state’s grading system for assigning letter
grades to numerical percentages as follows.
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A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C = 70-79
D = 60-69
F = below 60
Categories of weight values are given in percentages in the following
way.
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Writing Assignments—Summative
Major Projects—Summative
Tests—Summative
Quizzes and minor projects—Formative
Class work and homework—Formative
= 60%
= 60%
= 60%
= 40%
= 40%
Notice: The categories of weight value for assignments are not subject
to change.
Important: Override Grading Policy-I reserve the right to override
the computer or mathematical grade in the event that it becomes
necessary.
General outline of the arrangement of units:
This course is arranged to maximize the study of literary genres and period
genres in order to expose students to a wide, varying range of literature. It
is purposed for developing students’ skills in analysis, interpretation, and
critical evaluation—with emphasis on improving their writing and
developing their own writing styles—of autobiographical, historical,
psychoanalytical, feminist, and other relevant issues to be found in
fictional and non-fictional texts. However, it is the intent of this particular
course that these literary genres will not be examined separately,
whenever and wherever possible. They will be arranged or meshed
together thematically, as best as possible. This objective is to maximize
and vary students contact with different forms of writing while also
surrounding those types of writing with or placing them near to related
topics (themes) authors are touching upon in their writing. The hope is to
create a circular pattern of examination of the literary genres and do so in
and around a core thesis or set of theses. In short, this course will search
for species of subjects or topics and surround them with those short
stories, novels, poems, dramas, and essays in a rotational manner for
examination.
To begin the process, students will begin with paired readings and critical
analysis of short stories and poems, which will build upwards and move in
the direction of incorporating larger and/or more complex literary works—
the novel, the play, and the essay. This will be the format for the class and
will be employed as best as possible throughout the school year. This
method of studying literature will foster opportunities for students to
execute practice writes in such a way for them to draw upon multiple texts
when citing specific information from the texts as support for their claims.
Before launching into any literary piece, students will begin by reviewing
the primary or basic literary terminology that surrounds a given genre that
is under examination. Then, students will broaden their awareness of these
tools writers are employing by concentrating on specific literary devices
that may not have been examined in previous course work. To begin,
students will start with basic prose and fictional (short and long)
terminology and engage it via the Summer Assignment texts (All Quiet on
the Western Front and Catch-22 to demonstrate what they do and do not
know in the area of literary terminology. Next, the class as a whole will
make it a priority to become familiar—through class discussion and
exercises—to apply all short and long prose terminology that is newly
learned to these texts. Again, this process will be used when beginning all
genres.
Whenever possible, AP students will use other media (audio and video
recordings) to enhance their understanding and knowledge of a literary
piece that is under examination and use it to provide insightful analysis
when called upon to do so. Drama and plays are a critical part of the
course. Reading such works is crucial to knowing what is transpiring in
the piece as well as being able to draw upon specifics for textual support
during practice writes. Moreover, it becomes paramount to employ—as
time permits—other media to enhance literary studies. In particular, plays
and drama are meant to be viewed. Students will gain valuable insight
into a play’s meaning through the nuances of actors’ tone and voice, body
language, and other visual cues that reading will deny them. Therefore, it
will become necessary to employ other media to enhance the curriculum.
Likewise, it will become necessary to make use of newspaper and
magazines and filmed commercials when studying satire and propaganda.
In short, students will need exposure to visual language that other media
provides to be better prepared to respond to the printed text that will be
under examination at the moment these other aides will be used in the
class.
Explicit outline of the arrangement of units:
First Quarter—Literary Criticism, Archetypes, the Hero’s/Heroine’s
Journey, the Short Story, and the Novel
Students will begin learning the critical approaches that are universally
applied to literature for analysis. I will divide students into small groups
and assign each group a critical approach to research. Each small group
will present their findings which should include the key precepts that
comprise each critical method and report them to the class. Students
should emphasize how to identify each method, and what each method
aspires to do in the analysis process. To begin, each group will be
assigned the very short story The Pedestrian by Ray Bradbury as a frame
of reference to use for the application of all critical methods and as a
means to explain each method and learn what each method’s goal is.
Students will use PowerPoint to present their findings to the class as a
visual aid to their presentation, and “each” member of the small group
format will be required to make a contribution during each presentation.
Lastly, students will write a 250 word essay, explaining which method
they believe is best suited for the analysis process.
Through the use of the texts assigned for the summer reading assignment,
students will learn and/or review the fundamental literary devices
employed in the short story and novel genres. Students will be given
several graphic organizers to complete, using the summer assignment
novels as tools to examine all literary devices in these areas and have a
dialogue about them in the discussion process.
Additionally, students will begin their reading in the area of creation
stories and myth to learn that modern story telling would not exist without
these areas. This starting point may constitute a review, which is why the
class will not remain in this area for very long. Next, students will segue
from myth and begin to analyze and/or review literary archetypes; how to
identify them in early literature; and, to learn how they have progressed
into modern literature. Students will read The Epic of Gilgamesh,
Beowulf, and The Labors and Deaths of Heracles. Students will then learn
how archetypes move towards the development of the Hero’s/Heroine’s
Journey motif in earlier literature and that they are still active in
contemporary literature to continue the Hero’s/Heroine’s Journey motif.
Students will revisit the short story The Pedestrian and explain, in a timed
writing, and identify the archetype that best fits the main character and if
the main character represents a hero on a journey.
The short story unit (see the Reading List for short stories at the end of
this syllabus) will begin this quarter, with reference back to the Bradbury
short story. The novel unit will also commence at this point. Novels will
be divided among the various groups who will be required to give a
presentation on each novel with emphasis on the historical and
autobiographical aspects surrounding the novel’s creation. All students
will be required to read each novel that has been selected from the novel
list, but the small groups that have been assigned specific novels will
complete Major Works Data Sheets for all texts in this category and
present their findings to the remainder of the class.
Second Quarter—Literary Periods
Students will be assigned the literary periods that span human literary
history and present their findings to the class. Students will be placed in
small group settings to decide how they plan to divide the research; how it
will be prepared; and, how “each” member will present the group’s
research to the class in whole group discussions. Students can use
whatever source (excepting Wikipedia) material they so choose, but they
will be required to submit a complete Annotated Bibliography page
showing all sources consulted. The students should locate the principle
features or identifying marks of each literary movement (Medieval,
Romanticism, Victorian, Modern, etc.) and note major works and major
literary figures and major literary characters that fall into each category.
Moreover, students will report on the historical, social, philosophical, and
political aspects that played a role in the development of each literary
movement. Each group will be required to develop their presentations by
using PowerPoint. Students will continue to read in the short story and
novel genres and start the process of classifying or categorizing the
literature they are reading in the course. Students will begin to move into
the areas of poetry and the essay to learn these characteristics that define
these two areas.
Third Quarter—Poetry and Essays
Students will learn the deeper purpose of poetry by learning the basic
terminology (hyperbole, meter, metonym, onomatopoeia, rhyme, rhythm,
scansion, voice, etc.) that contributes to poetry’s production and
contributes to its meaning. They will also learn the various modes of
structured and unstructured poems (blank verse, free verse, rhyme royal,
stanza, sonnet, etc.) that poets employ to generate the poem and develop
the beauty of the art as a means to convey meaning. Various poems have
been selected (see Reading List) to align with other genres to balance out
the investigation process; however, they will be incorporated sparingly
while examining the other genres continues in earlier quarters before
concentrating the study in pure poetry for this quarter. Students will
examine the poetic terminology through the reading and experiencing of
the poetry as opposed to learning lengthy lists of terminology then reading
the poetry. Having a working knowledge of poetic terminology is worthy
to have and will be sought in the course, but recognizing its effect and
impact on the meaning of the poem is the primary focus of the course.
Establishing students’ abilities to converse about poetry on practice essay
exams while utilizing those poetic devices that the student believes has
value is one of the central goals of poetry reading and analysis.
To enhance the learning and reading of other areas already in process and
learning to identify categories of essays (expository, narrative, persuasive,
etc), students will explore the widely ignored area of the essay. The intent
of exploring this genre will not occur by setting it off to the side and
engage it independently. This unique genre carries a powerful import in
literary studies—to strengthen published authors’ as well as students’
writings. For example, before launching whole-heartedly into poetry,
students will read Poe’s The Poetic Principle and The Rationale of Verse
to explore their natures as essays, but they will use them to gain insight
into the study of poetry. This same method will be used to boost other
pieces of literature while expanding the examination of the essay. The
Reading List at the end of the syllabus has several essays slated for
reading and will be tied to other specific fictional pieces listed in this
syllabus. The primary source from which essays will be taken for study
will come from The Oxford Book of Essays edited by John Gross.
Fourth Quarter—Drama
Firstly, students will begin the drama sequence by returning to the Greeks
to learn the genesis of the structure and the early elements that brought
drama into being. It is necessary that students learn the basics of the
structure to understand how it has evolved through time and progressed up
to its most prominent period—Shakespeare—and how it has advanced up
to modern times. Moreover, becoming familiar with early Greek drama
will provide students with a basis to make comparisons with subsequent
forms and styles as well as broaden their range of interpretive tools to
extend their analytical skills. Students will learn the structure of the Greek
stage and amphitheater, the time of year in which Greek plays were
performed, to which festivals they were dedicated, and to become familiar
with the playwrights and their motives for their productions. They will
also examine these patterns to learn if and how such patterns apply to
Shakespearian and modern plays. Students will begin by reading Oedipus
the King, Antigone, Hamlet, and Medea. Motion picture versions of all
plays exist and will be viewed. The same process will be applied to the
study of Shakespeare’s plays as well as other plays and playwrights listed
on the reading list.
First through Fourth Quarters—Film
AP English IV students will receive instruction in film analysis throughout
the school year. Film is an enormous body that contains a wealth of
material useful in discussing important themes associated with human
behavior and conduct within the complexity of varying societies. Students
will learn the myriad “non-verbal languages” at work in film (backdrops,
camera angles and camera shots, props, music and sound, etc.), which are
the tools that directors use, so audiences will have the means to perform
the analysis process. The purpose is to expose students to yet another type
of language in order to deepen their abilities to critically interpret and
further their ability to make connections between genres. This area of
study will be helpful when the filmed versions of plays are presented to
the students.
A short list of films has been provided on the Reading List in this syllabus.
However, this list should not be viewed as complete or final. School
policy regarding the viewing of film and the class needs and direction
based on what is studied in the literature may require alterations of the
presented choices.
Policies and Procedures
Course Preface
The following principles will ensure—if heeded by all students—that the
AP English Literature and Composition class will operate as effectively
and smoothly as possible to maximize students’ opportunities for success
in the course and on the AP exam. Moreover, this course approaches
students as if they are already in college while still located at the high
school level. It is my intent to treat students as college freshmen.
Universal Expectations
This course is designed to be demanding and as thorough as possible to
prepare AP students for the rigors of the course work and AP exam.
Students will be reading advanced and mature work throughout the
entirety of the course, so they should approach it and engage it with the
same level of maturity in which it was developed. Also, due to the amount
of material to be covered and the need to delve as deep into it as possible,
class will begin the moment the final bell begins each class period. It is
important that students to be ready to begin when class commences.
Students should have all necessary materials out and ready to use. More
importantly, it will be expected that students treat each other with respect
and courtesy throughout the year, especially during class discussions. All
opinions are welcome and should be given respect. Mature attitudes and
behaviors will be insisted upon throughout the year.
Obligations and Tasks: Overdue and Make-up Work Policies
 There will be no surprises regarding in class work and homework.
Advance notice and due dates for all assignments (especially major
assignments) will be issued to students to avoid misunderstandings
that could lead to problems of completion.
It is highly
recommended that students keep a planner to ensure that all due
dates are clearly visible and understood. Reading—the major task
and obligation for this level—will be the primary area that students
need to focus their efforts and set aside time to complete
throughout the year. I will make efforts to coordinate with AP
teachers of other AP courses to avoid conflicts between their major
assignments and the major assignments for this course; however,
there are no guarantees that this can be accommodated all the time.
Students should be prepared in advance and make plans to
overcome these possible conflicts.
 The school’s policy for acquiring missed work due to absence and
for getting credit for this work will be strictly enforced. It is the
student’s responsibility to follow the school’s policy to obtain any
and all work missed due to having been absent. A note from the
parent/guardian, with a signature, will be required upon return to
class before the student will receive missing assignments or before
any such work will be graded for credit.
 If any student knows in advance that he or she will be absent from
class for an extended period of time due to illness, family
emergency, or other district or school approved reason, please
contact me ahead of time to obtain the work to avoid any
unnecessary delays. I require 24 hours notification to collect the
work for those students who plan to be out of class for an extended
period of time.
 Students who fail to turn in major assignments or to be in
attendance to complete their parts for major presentations with
other team members in the small group settings, should expect a
parent phone call or some kind of contact (e-mail) to verify the
reasons for a student having failed to complete said assignment or
failing to having been present during group presentations. I
reserve the right—to be availed in conjunction with school and
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district policies—to refuse late work or give time to complete
presentations without a legitimate and valid reason. If no valid
reason exists, missed work will receive the grade of zero.
VCS has authorized the administrative staff at University High
School to adopt a new method of receiving, grading, and counting
late or make-up work as well as missed assessments (tests). There
are various scenarios in which a missed or late assignment and
missed or late completion of a final assessment, if one or the other
is being submitted or completed late, can be turned in for credit in
addition to the maximum amount or minimum amount of points
that it may receive. In some cases the rigor of the assignment or
test can be changed due to it being submitted or completed late. In
some cases, due to the amount of time that has elapsed since the
assignment was assigned and requested for grading or when an
assessment was given, the assignment or test may not be accepted
or given at all and can be marked with a zero (no credit) in
Pinnacle for any and all students who put themselves in the
situation of not completing an assignment or the taking of a test in
a timely manner.
I will post the document that addresses late and/or missing work in
addition to tests and final assessments on my personal web page
within University High School’s web page for students to read and
to be familiar with for this school year. This document, as it
pertains to the rules that govern late and missed worked and tests,
has been generated by the administrative team at University High
School. This document contains various conditions under which a
student who has failed to submit an assignment or complete a test
on time shall be permitted to submit the work or complete the test
for credit; and, it also provides scenarios in which a student who
has failed to submit an assignment or complete a test and shall be
permitted to do so to receive credit. I will rigorously follow all
those that apply to the utmost extremity of the letter and spirit of
these new rules with respect to the accepting of make-up work and
late work and the completion of tests far passed the date given.
Students should be aware that any assignment that is deemed late
because of poor choices on the part of the student, causing said
assignment(s) to be submitted late; or the student refuses to
complete any in-class assignment on the day assigned but attempts
to turn it in at later date; or, the student missed any assignment or
test through skipping can expect, under all these possible
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scenarios, the rigor of that assignment or test to be changed to the
maximum that I am permitted to do so. Moreover, if these given
scenarios or conditions become manifest in the student with
respect to late work, missed work, or missed tests results in the
choice being left to me to accept or not accept the work, then the
student should anticipate and expect the latter of these two choices
to be executed by me.
Students will be required to go to my personal web page embedded
within UHS’s webpage on the VCS home page to acquire make-up
work. My web page is: http://www.uhstitans.com/vickery-iiirobert. I will also require students to open a free online account
from https://www.remind.com. This is a free online service that I
will also be using to distribute make-up work or assignments that
were covered in class on the days that students may have been
absent. Once students have opened an account, I encourage them to
go to this website and locate the assignments that they will need to
complete, if and when they are absent. This is one of the best ways
for students to keep track of missing work due to having been
absent.
It is imperative that you read the separate post presented by
the UHS Administrative staff and be familiar with it and how
it will affect your submission of late and/or missing work.
Attendance
Students at this level should appreciate the fact that this course is a college
level class, presented at the high school level. In short, the level is the
same, only the location is different. Students cannot receive instruction if
they are not present and engaging the material. Students who have be
found to have missed class deliberately (skipped class) will have to follow
the school’s policies regarding the submission of worked missed through
skipping class. Parent notification will be made once it has been
discovered to be the case.
Tutoring
Time will be set aside and made available to students to see me if they
find that they need additional help in whatever area that is presenting
difficulty. Students should not wait until the danger of failing an
assignment, a test, or a grading period to seek help. They should see me
before one of these scenarios occurs. The plan is to have one day a week
for which I will remain on campus (from 3-4 P.M.) and meet with any
student who is having problems with the work. A designated place will be
posted later in the school year for me to meet with students.
Additional Tutoring/Remediation/Extra Help Hours/Make-Up:
I will be in my room (4-207) for the first half of lunch from 11:02 A.M.11:32 A.M. on Monday -Thursday (10:30 A.M.-10:57 A.M. on
Wednesdays, which are early release days). Those needing extra help or
those who have work to make up must come during this time. I hold
additional tutoring times on Saturdays, from 8:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M.
beginning in February and will continue to the final weekend before the
AP Exam is issued to AP students.
Consultation Obligation
Each student will undergo individual conferences throughout the school
year with special regards to writing and essay development. I will work
with students to devise a schedule to meet with each one, individually—at
least two times per nine weeks, regardless of current grade—to discuss
any issue in class that is of concern or how to improve if necessary. These
moments can be viewed and should be viewed as tutoring sessions or
moments to clear up any issue regarding the course.
AP Review and Exam Preparation Conferences
All AP English Literature and Composition students are required to attend
at least four after school and/or weekend exam preparation conferences
prior to the exam, with mandatory study sessions during the months of
March, April, and May. Additional information regarding this plan will be
forthcoming as the year progresses, so look for an announcement later in
the year. There will be several multiple-choice and essay practice exams
administered during the exam preparation conferences. Each multiplechoice and essay practice exam will be graded on the 100 point scale.
Practice essays will be graded, using the AP/Collegeboard grading scale
(0-9) then converted to the 100 point scale.
Overdue Work Policy
It is of the utmost importance that students turn in all assigned work—on
time. Nonetheless, any missed work will be entered in the grade book as a
Z (0) until submitted for a grade. Additionally, I will be accepting late
work (late work from within the term in which the work is late), as
well as issuing credit for any and all late work received! However, every
student should consider the far reaching ramifications of being allowed to
submit late work and receiving credit for it. University High School’s
policy allows the teacher to adjust or increase the rigor of work that the
student may submit late. Assuredly, I will be adjusting the rigor of all
assignments that any student plans to submit late. For example, if I assign
a three page typed writing assessment and a student fails to submit the
writing assignment on the required due date, I will increase the paper
length to four typed pages, with additional supporting information to
accompany its submission. Again, the scenario that I present is a possible
change in the rigor. Such a change could go higher or lower depending on
the assignment that is in a position to be submitted late. Changing the
rigor on any and all assignments is a guarantee from me that it will occur
if and when a student fails to turn in class work or homework on time.
Acceptance of Late Work from Previous Marking Periods:
Unless there is/are some major, overriding issue(s) (death of an immediate
family member, grave major medical issue involving the student and/or an
immediate family member—father, mother, brother or sister—or a serious
issue requiring the student or immediate family member to leave to live in
another area outside the school district for an extended period of time,
causing the failure of the assignment to be submitted during the following
grading period), I will not accept “any” assignment from any student that
was issued during the previous grading period to help a student improve a
final grade point average or to help ensure a passing grade for the
semester. There may be extenuating circumstances under which I may
accept the work from a previous marking period; however, it will be
determined on a case by case basis, and it will be thoroughly vetted
through administration before the work is accepted and graded.
Acceptance of Late Work from Students who Skip Class:
Students who are on the UHS campus but choose to skip class (skip class
while on campus or off campus) or who fail to properly follow the checkout procedures at UHS when it becomes necessary for said student to
leave campus will be held to the school’s policies to receive credit for any
work missed through skipping class. I will be checking all access points
where you are required to properly check out to leave UHs, if you leave
campus; I will be checking to know that you have proper permission from
all parties (parents, administrators, or any other person who has the
authority to authorize you to leave a class or campus) to legally check out
of UHS and checking all these scenarios through the school’s/county’s
policies before accepting any class work or late work. In short, if a
student skips class without the proper permission or did not follow the
proper steps through the check-out system, and the school’s or county’s
policies permit, I will refuse to accept any class work from you.
Skipping Class to Attend Another Class:
First, I do not allow students from other classes (students who are not on
my rosters) to attend my classes for any reason. I do not allow students
(students who are on my roster) to miss my classes to attend other
teachers’ classes without good reason. What is a good reason? If my
classes are not engaged in an all-important, must see, lesson or activity
and one of my students needs to attend another of his or her classes to
make up a major assignment (test, speech, etc.) I require advanced notice
(the day before) to determine if it is feasible to allow the student in need to
miss my class. I will also require an e-mail (not a hand written note) from
the teacher, explaining why you need to attend his or her class.
Make-up Work Policy:
Students should refer to University High School’s Policies and Procedures
handbook regarding absences and make-up work. There will be strict
adherence to these policies and procedures! Students will receive one day
for every day absent to complete and to receive credit for all make-up
work for when the student was absent. If a student is out of school for one
day then the student will receive one day to complete and turn in the
make-up work. If make-up work becomes late make-up work, then I will
follow the school’s or county’s policies regarding accepting and rejecting
late work. If additional clarification is required, I urge the student and the
parent or guardian to consult the county’s or school’s manual for
additional information about the make-up work policies or contact me via
a phone call or an e-mail and I shall clarify these policies. Students should
refer to my web page to acquire the assignment on the day that he or she
will be absent. My web page is: http://www.uhstitans.com/vickery-iiirobert.
Reading Quizzes and Exams
There will be a reading check quiz or short answer response reading check
on every reading assignment that is to be assigned in this course! The
exams will be in the AP-format—multiple-choice, matching, short answer,
and extended essays. Exams will demand that students employ higherorder thinking skills, make connections between literary works, use
critical approaches to ground answers, and generate innovative theories
about the meaning of literary works.
Formal, Typed Documents
Students will follow all standard MLA protocols for formal documents.
They are:
 #12 and Times New Roman font (No Alternates).
 Margins: 1 inch Top, Bottom, Left, and Right.
 Double space entire document except verbatim citations.
 Verbatim citations of four lines or more are single spaced and
margins are set at 2 inches at left and right justification.
 Parenthetical Notation is required for all citations presented for
textual support.
 Works Cited page, listing all sources alphabetically by author’s last
name.
 In right-justified header, write your last name and page number (in
numeric format).
 In left-justified header, write your full name, instructor’s name,
course name, date (day, month, and year).
 Title all papers. Title is centered on the next line below and in
between the date and the text of the paper.
 No cover pages.
 For all submissions, staple paper in the upper, left corner and
refrain from submitting it in any type or kind of folder.
 Before submitting the final draft, put the paper through a thorough
proofread and editing procedure.
Supplies
 One copy of Cliff’s AP English Literature and Composition
workbook—3rd or latest edition.
 One composition notebook to serve as journal
 Three-ring binder with dividers for class notes, graded writings,
and home work
 One manila folder to serve as a the AP Practice Writes writing
folder—this is a must have
 An adequate supply of loose leaf (non-spiral bound) paper for class
work, essays, and quizzes
 Post-it notes for marking up passages in text books
 3 x 5 index cards
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Black or blue ink pens and red or other dark colored ink pens and
#2 pencils
Colored highlighters (at least four different colors)
A flash drive is recommended for acquiring material that will be
posted on my personal web page via the UHS website.
Writing Organizer
Students will maintain a chronological record of all writing assessments
and maintain them in a folder. This folder will only contain writing
assignments, extended essays and formal writing assignments. No other
completed work should be placed in this folder. The graded writing
assignments are to serve as a tool for review and to settle disputes about
assignments, if an error should occur in registering the graded work in the
teacher’s grade book. All other completed work should be placed in the
three ring notebook binder or other folder of the student’s choice. Keep
all work until the end of the quarter, the semester, or the year.
Electronic Devices and Texting in class
Cell phones, I-phones, I-pods, or any other electronic device that sounds
and can cause students to stray their attention through texting or listening
to while class is in session will not be tolerated in the AP class setting.
They must remain out of sight at all times while students are in class. I
will “aggressively” and “rigorously” follow the school’s and district’s
policy regarding any and all misuse of electronic device being used or
displayed while class in session.
Ethical Conduct
No form of academic dishonesty (cheating) is acceptable, will be
permitted, or will be tolerated at this level of English IV. If it is learned
that an individual student or a group of students, working collaboratively,
other than on assignments that have been designated as “group”
assignments where students can share answers, have engaged in academic
dishonesty of any kind or type [on major or minor assignments, projects,
quizzes, tests, or writing assignments (research papers)] to complete and
submit said work, all assignments that have been completed through
academic dishonesty will receive an automatic zero. The student or
students who have been proved to have engaged in academic dishonesty
will not receive any opportunity to retake or resubmit any and all
assignments that have been produced and/or completed through academic
dishonesty.
More importantly, plagiarism is another unfortunate and more frequently
used form of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism is defined as follows:
When students submit work purporting to be their own, but, in any
degree, has borrowed ideas, organization, wording or anything else
from another source without appropriate acknowledgment of the fact,
then the student’s work is considered plagiarized and cannot be given
a grade (http://www.chem.uky.edu/ courses/ common/plagiarism
.html).
Plagiarism is and continues to be a serious and wide spread form of
academic dishonesty. Oftentimes, plagiarism occurs when assigned
research papers or lengthy writing projects omit—intentional or not—
attribution and documentation within the body of the essay and on the
Works Cited page. In other words, when students fail, for whatever
reason, to complete the assignment on their own and in their own words
and take another’s written work, in parts or in whole, and submit it as their
own and fail to give proper and sufficient credit to all writers from whom
they have taken sections of information, regardless of length to complete
their own work, then the submitted work is considered plagiarized. This
explanation of how and why it occurs should not be considered complete
and exhaustive. There are several ways to plagiarize formal writing
assignments and research papers. Students will be informed, through class
discussion, on how a writer can avoid plagiarizing formal writing
assignments, even accidentally. To reiterate, no degree or form of
plagiarism is acceptable, and any work found to have been plagiarized will
receive a grade of zero. Students will not be granted an opportunity to
resubmit any plagiarized work, especially formal writing or research paper
assignments once it has been determined that the submitted work was
completed and/or produced through plagiarism.
Classroom Rules:
1. Follow all classroom rules and directions.
2. Raise a hand to get teacher’s attention and wait to be recognized
before speaking.
3. Do not wander or walk about the classroom.
4. Do not sleep in class
5. Do not horse-play, have other discussions, or talk during teacher
guided instructional time, or while another student is participating in
the class discussion.
6. Students must bring their own pens, pencils, and paper to class. I, the
teacher, will not supply these materials. When assigned and issued,
students must bring their books to class, everyday, unless otherwise
informed.
7. Students must keep their hands off others’ persons as well as those
persons’ belongings.
8. Students will not be allowed to eat “ANY” type of food while in the
classroom. There will be absolutely no tolerance for the consumption
of food of any kind in the classroom.
9. Profanity, abusive language, inappropriate conversation, and
disrespect to me and to others are unwelcome actions in the classroom.
Verbally assaulting the teacher or any other student with any form of
profanity for the purposes of antagonizing, humiliating, or insulting
will receive an automatic referral and expulsion from the classroom.
10. Students are allowed three hall passes each nine weeks. I will strictly
enforce this policy. After a student has used his or her three hall
passes for the nine weeks, I will not issue any pass for any reason
until I receive information in a note from a parent or guardian
and/or medical doctor. If a student has a medical condition that
requires him or her to go to the bathroom more frequently than is
otherwise normal, then please send a doctor’s note indicating that this
is a legitimate medical condition.
11. The “tardy” policy will be enforced with the profoundest measure of
strictness. Penalties for incurring a third tardy will begin at this
occurrence. Additional penalties will be issued on all subsequent days
of arriving to class tardy.
12. Volusia County Schools (University High School) has a policy
involving all electronic devices (cell phones, I-pods, I-phones, MP3
players, or any other portable electronic device. I WILL FOLLOW
THE UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL’S POLICY TO THE
LETTER. They are not to be visible or out and in use or audible
during instructional time under any circumstance or for any reason.
This includes calling parents or parents calling their child via cell
phones to speak with said child during instructional time. Parents
should call the main office number (386) 968-0013 and direct
communication with the child through the main office, if contact with
the child is necessary. All electronic devices are to be turned off and
out of sight “before” entering the classroom. I will aggressively
attack this problem everyday of the school year for the entire
school year. NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES VISIBLE AND IN
USE WHILE IN CLASS!!!
13. MANDATORY—Students will place all cell-phones and other
electronic devices in their book bags and/or their purses. Book bags
will be placed on the student counter beneath the cupboards. All
purses will be placed “inside” the cupboards and the cupboard doors
will be closed to ensure—as much as possible—that each student’s
property is not molested in any way whatsoever.
14. Skipping class is a violation of the county’s and of the school’s policy.
Referrals will be issued to any and all students who are caught
skipping; or, if it is been learned that a student has skipped class. No
exceptions! There are no alternate penalties issued for this offense.
Referrals will be issued the moment it has been learned that a student
has skipped class.
15. All forms of academic dishonesty will result in an automatic zero for
any assignment that was found to have been completed in said manner.
Students will not receive an opportunity to resubmit an assignment that
they originally completed through cheating. In some cases, a referral
may be issued to the student or students who engage in academic
dishonesty.
Consequences for Breach of the Rules:
1. Public Apology—“formally” delivered to me and the entire class on
the very day of the offense.
2. Essay—250 words, typed essay, using standard MLA format on a
topic related to the offense. Parent phone call.
3. In-class detention to be served for the entire lunch and tutoring period
on the date of the offense or on the following day. I will not negotiate
schedules of when it is the best time or more suitable for you to
serve the in-class detention.
4. If the three consequences listed above fail to motivate the student to
refrain from breaking the rules listed or the student refuses
administration of any of the three interventions, I will begin issuing
referrals to correct the unwanted behavior listed in the rules section of
this document.
A Final Thought
There is a tremendous amount of work, which, on the surface, appears
overwhelming for this course. And, if one looks deeper into it, it will be
realized that it is even more disheartening because it is true—there is a
great amount of material. However, a sincere and honest attitude, a strong
work ethic, and a plan of attack are ways to get through this work load.
Moreover, there is a plan and a hope to make this an enjoyable and fun
class. I look forward to being your teacher and getting to know you.
Resources:
Primary Texts for Students
Roberts, Edgar V., Robert Zweig, and Darlene Stock Stotler, eds. Literature: An Introduction to
Reading and Writing, 2nd, AP Edition. Glenview, IL: Pearson, 2010
Jago, Carol, et al. Literature & Composition: Reading, Writing, and Thinking. Boston:
Bedford/St Martin’s, 2011
Casson, Allan and Jean Eggenschwiler, eds. Cliff’s AP English Literature and Composition, 3rd
Edition. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2006.
Teacher Resources
AP English, English Literature and Composition, The College Board, May 2007, 2008.
Booth, Wayne C. The Rhetoric of Fiction, 2nd Edition. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1983.
Dean, Nancy. Voice Lessons. Gainesville, FL: Maupin House Publishing, 2000.
Epps, Preston H. Thoughts From The Greeks. Columbia, Missouri: Univ. of Missouri Press,
1969.
Gross, John, ed. The Oxford Book of Essays. Oxford, Great Britain: Oxford University Press,
2002.
Guerin, Wilfred L., et al. A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature, 3rd Edition. Oxford,
Great Britain: Oxford University Press, 1992.
Kinzie, Mary. A Poet’s Guide To Poetry. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, 1999.
Roberts, Edgar V. Writing About Literature. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall,
1999.
Rosenberg, Donna, ed. World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics.
Lincolnwood, IL: NTC Publishing Group, 1990.
Webster, Roger. Studying Literary Theory: An Introduction, 2nd Edition. New York: Hodder
Headline Group, 1996.
Reading List
The texts that have been placed in these “pools” of material have been selected for
study in this AP English IV course. With the exception of the novels—which all
will be covered and read by “all” students—some of the material placed in the
categories may not be covered due to time constraints and unforeseeable
complications that could arise over the course of the class. However, it should be
understood that an attempt will be made to cover the “greater” amount that appears in
this syllabus. These are the various genres (plays, short stories, and poetry) in the
Pearson and Bedford’s texts, students will also read from these titles:
Short Stories
Title
Author, Director, Playwright, & Poet
Myth
Gilgamesh
Unknown
Beowulf
Unknown
Short Stories
Benito Cereno
Herman Melville
The Minister’s Black Veil
Nathaniel Hawthorne
A Study in Scarlet
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Pedestrian
Ray Bradbury
Greasy Lake
T. Coraghesson
A&P
John Updike
The Yellow Wallpaper
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Revelation
Flannery O’Connor
The Parable of the Prodigal Son
Luke
The Jilting of Granny Weatherall
Katherine Anne Porter
First Confession
Frank O’Connor
Miss Brill
Katherine Mansfield
A Rose for Emily
William Faulkner
Barn Burning
William Faulkner
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been
Joyce Carol Oates
The Rocking Horse Winner
D.H. Lawerence
Cathedral
Raymond Carver
The Purloined Letter
The Chrysanthemums
The Guest
A Jury of Her Peers
A Study in Scarlet
The Lottery
Harrison Bergeron
The Old Chief Mshlanga
The Dead
Edgar Allan Poe
John Steinbeck
Albert Camus
Susan Glaspell
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Shirley Jackson
Kurt Vonnegut
Doris Lessing
James Joyce
Novels
All Quiet on the Western Front
A Passage to India
Frankenstein
The Awakening
The Dwarf
Moll Flanders
Heart of Darkness
Ragtime
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Plague
The Magus
The Trial
Absalom, Absalom
All The King’s Men
An American Tragedy
Hunger
The Stone Angel
The Demolished Man
1984
Brave New World
The Loved One
*The Running Man
The Sun Also Rises
Crime and Punishment
Catch-22
The Remains of the Day
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
The Forever War
Erich Maria Remarque
E.M. Forster
Mary Shelley
Kate Chopin
Pär Lagerkvist
Daniel Defoe
Joseph Conrad
E.L. Doctorow
Margaret Atwood
Albert Camus
John Fowles
Franz Kafka
William Faulkner
Robert Penn Warren
Theodore Dreiser
Knut Hamsun
Margaret Laurence
Alfred Bester
George Orwell
Aldous Huxley
Evelyn Waugh
Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
Ernest Hemingway
Fydor Dostoevski
Joseph Heller
Kazuo Ishiguro
James Joyce
Joe Hadelman—ISBN-10: 0060510862
ISBN-13: 978-0060510862
Drama
Hamlet
Merchant of Venice
The Tempest
Much Ado About Nothing
Dr. Faustus
Medea
The Lion in Winter
Oedipus the King
Antigone
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
Waiting for Godot
The Glass Menagerie
A Street Car Named Desire
Trifles
Poetry
The Canterbury Tales (excerpts)
The Raven
Annabel Lee
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Kubla Khan
Hope
Alive Together
Sir Patrick Spens
Because I Could Not Stop For Death
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
The Man He Killed
The Lamb
The Tyger
Daffodils (I Wandered Lonely a Cloud)
Lines Composed a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey
Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard
Year’s End
A Noiseless Patient Spider
Bright Star
La Belle Dame Sans Merci: A Ballad
Ode to a Grecian Urn
A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning
To His Coy Mistress
Tears
Leda and the Swan
Icarus
To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph
Penelope’s Song
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
Christopher Marlowe
Euripides
James Goldman
Sophocles
Sophocles
Tom Stoppard
Samuel Beckett
Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Susan Glaspell
Geoffrey Chaucer
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Lisel Mueller
Lisel Mueller
Anonymous
Emily Dickinson
Robert Frost
Thomas Hardy
William Blake
William Blake
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
Thomas Gray
Richard Wilbur
Walt Whitman
John Keats
John Keats
John Keats
John Donne
Andrew Marvell
Josephine Jacobsen
William Butler Yeats
Edward Field
Anne Sexton
Louise Glück
Odysseus
The Suitor
Ozymandias
Reapers
The Road Not Taken
Theme for English B
Let America Be America Again
W.S. Merwin
Linda Pastan
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Jean Toomer
Robert Frost
Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes
Essays
The Rationale of Verse
The Poetic Principle
Funeral March
Of Anger
A Chamber Maid
Revenge
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
H.L. Mencken
Thomas Fuller
Sir Thomas Overbury
Sir Thomas Bacon
Film
Citizen Kane
The Searchers
High Noon
Ghandhi
2001: A Space Odyssey
Casa Blanca
A Man for All Seasons
Orson Welles
John Ford
Fred Zinnemann
Richard Attenborough
Stanley Kubrick
Michael Curtiz
Fred Zinnemann