English 12 Advanced Placement Literature and Composition
Woodruff, Instructor
“How do I know what I think until I see what I say?”
E.M. Forster
Course Description
English 12Ap is an advanced course both in literature and composition, designed for students who have demonstrated the ability and interest in experiencing college-level study while in high school. This course provides students with experiences in critically analyzing great works of literature and in developing both a mature writing style and an effective oral presentation of ideas in small and large groups. This is a preparatory course for hose electing to take the Advanced Placement Exam in English Literature and Composition.
Course Goals
Required Text
Elements of Literature, Sixth Course, Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Literature for Composition, Seventh Edition, Barnet, Burto, and Cain, eds.
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
A Separate Peace, by John Knowles
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
A play by Shakespeare—King Lear, Macbeth or Hamlet
Handouts and other readings
*For every class meeting, you will need the current book we are reading, highlighters pens/pencils and notebook paper.
Possible Additional Texts
Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlow
Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
A book by Toni Morrisson
Antigone by Sophocles
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Obasan by Joy Kogawa
Class Attendance
First, attending class is probably the number one success indicator for this level of learning. In addition, come to class prepared. That means you’ve done your homework and your thinking and/or writing in relation to the current assignment. Come with working brains. Homework is DUE at the beginning of class only. I do not accept late work. There is no such thing. Late work=no credit.
Absences
If you MUST be absent from class, you must either see me individually in advance or see me individually when you return to get your assignments either before class or after class. The work is then due the next class meeting. You can call me or e-mail me and I’ll respond. This information is private. Please do not share this with just anyone.
Phone:_________________________________________
Email:_________________________________________
Performance and Assessment Tasks
Timed writings for AP test practice
Paragraph responses to readings
Creative and inventive writing
Prompt writings
Diction exercises and vocabulary terms
Quizzes and tests
Reading, responding, analyzing novels, short fiction, non-fiction, ad poems
Notes over text material
Dialectical Journal writing
Notes
Grammar, usage and language exercises
Research, write and present a paper
Expectations for writings
Discussions and Group Literary Analysis
You will develop and practice the skills used in group-inquiry and cooperative learning. Following the Classroom Discussion rules will enable you to achieve success in acquiring the necessary skills both for large and small group work. You will participate in Goup Literary Analysis sessions where we discuss reading in small groups. We will also assemble as a whole class in a Circle-sit session to discuss aspects of a literary work. You must stay on task during both types of group work for optimal learning and understanding of the literary pieces and for full credit for the activity.
Non-compliance and disruptions during the formal discussion sessions will result in your being asked to leave the Circle-sit and work on your own for one grade lower. (sent to outer circle.)
Assigning Grades
100 = A+ 89-87 = B+ 79-77 = C+ 69-67 = D+
97-94 =A 86-83 = B 76-73 = C 66-63 = D
93-90 = A- 82-80 = B- 72-70 = C- 62-60 = D-
Below 60 = F
Other Considerations
Each of you is capable of earning the grade you desire in this class. It’s up to you to perform to the best of your ability. If you do that, you will find success in this course and many rewards as well. I encourage you to call me when you are working on something and need help. Homework is an integral part of this course and I am available by phone. You do not have to do this alone. Call me and ask your questions. Come to class and ask your questions. Talk with each other. Be assertive.
By the end of this course, if you’ve embraced the readings, writings and experiences, you should…
Dialectical Journal Rubric
A
B
C
D or F
Woodruff, Instructor
“How do I know what I think until I see what I say?”
E.M. Forster
Course Description
English 12Ap is an advanced course both in literature and composition, designed for students who have demonstrated the ability and interest in experiencing college-level study while in high school. This course provides students with experiences in critically analyzing great works of literature and in developing both a mature writing style and an effective oral presentation of ideas in small and large groups. This is a preparatory course for hose electing to take the Advanced Placement Exam in English Literature and Composition.
Course Goals
- To carefully read and critically analyze imaginative literature.
- To understand and interpret the way writers use language to provide meaning and pleasure.
- To consider a work’s structure, style and themes and formulate basic interpretive questions.
- To study representative works from various genres and periods and develop tools for literary analysis and close study of texts.
- To understand a work’s complexity, to absorb richness of meaning, and to analyze how meaning is embodied in literary form.
- To write, focusing on critical analysis, interpretation, and invention.
- To practice and develop he skills associated with group-inquiry, collaborative and cooperative learning and presentation of thoughts and ideas.
- To write a research-based paper using several sources and presenting results to the class.
- To understand our own assumptions about culture, morality, truth, humanity, and identity.
- To augment personal, academic, and literary vocabulary.
Required Text
Elements of Literature, Sixth Course, Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Literature for Composition, Seventh Edition, Barnet, Burto, and Cain, eds.
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
A Separate Peace, by John Knowles
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
A play by Shakespeare—King Lear, Macbeth or Hamlet
Handouts and other readings
*For every class meeting, you will need the current book we are reading, highlighters pens/pencils and notebook paper.
Possible Additional Texts
Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlow
Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
A book by Toni Morrisson
Antigone by Sophocles
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Obasan by Joy Kogawa
Class Attendance
First, attending class is probably the number one success indicator for this level of learning. In addition, come to class prepared. That means you’ve done your homework and your thinking and/or writing in relation to the current assignment. Come with working brains. Homework is DUE at the beginning of class only. I do not accept late work. There is no such thing. Late work=no credit.
Absences
If you MUST be absent from class, you must either see me individually in advance or see me individually when you return to get your assignments either before class or after class. The work is then due the next class meeting. You can call me or e-mail me and I’ll respond. This information is private. Please do not share this with just anyone.
Phone:_________________________________________
Email:_________________________________________
Performance and Assessment Tasks
Timed writings for AP test practice
Paragraph responses to readings
Creative and inventive writing
Prompt writings
Diction exercises and vocabulary terms
Quizzes and tests
Reading, responding, analyzing novels, short fiction, non-fiction, ad poems
Notes over text material
Dialectical Journal writing
Notes
Grammar, usage and language exercises
Research, write and present a paper
Expectations for writings
- All formal papers and essays are process-written. That means you have a pre-writing—a list, brainstorm, focused free-writing, idea sketch, etc.—a rough draft with evidence of editing and my initials on one of those before the first copy is typed in MLA style format.
- A final copy that receives a C or lower may resubmit the work after a conference with me to discuss the “problems”. Resubmits must be turned in with the origanl work and rubric within ONE week.. Keep yourself organized because NO LATE WORK.
- Any plagiarism on any work will result in NO GRADE> What constitutes plagiarism? _____________________________________________________
- In-class writing assignments and daily work must be neat, legible, dated, and labeled to receive full credit. Do not scribble or sloppily cross out words. Use a single line to correct your work.
Discussions and Group Literary Analysis
You will develop and practice the skills used in group-inquiry and cooperative learning. Following the Classroom Discussion rules will enable you to achieve success in acquiring the necessary skills both for large and small group work. You will participate in Goup Literary Analysis sessions where we discuss reading in small groups. We will also assemble as a whole class in a Circle-sit session to discuss aspects of a literary work. You must stay on task during both types of group work for optimal learning and understanding of the literary pieces and for full credit for the activity.
Non-compliance and disruptions during the formal discussion sessions will result in your being asked to leave the Circle-sit and work on your own for one grade lower. (sent to outer circle.)
Assigning Grades
100 = A+ 89-87 = B+ 79-77 = C+ 69-67 = D+
97-94 =A 86-83 = B 76-73 = C 66-63 = D
93-90 = A- 82-80 = B- 72-70 = C- 62-60 = D-
Below 60 = F
Other Considerations
Each of you is capable of earning the grade you desire in this class. It’s up to you to perform to the best of your ability. If you do that, you will find success in this course and many rewards as well. I encourage you to call me when you are working on something and need help. Homework is an integral part of this course and I am available by phone. You do not have to do this alone. Call me and ask your questions. Come to class and ask your questions. Talk with each other. Be assertive.
By the end of this course, if you’ve embraced the readings, writings and experiences, you should…
- Realize the importance of literature as mirrors of human experience, reflecting human motives, conflicts and values
- Be able to identify with fictional characters in human situations as a means of relating to others, gain insights from involvement with literature
- Become aware of important writers representing diverse backgrounds and traditions in literature
- Develop effective ways of talking and writing about varied forms of literature
- Experience literature as a way to appreciate the rhythms and beauty of the language
- Develop habits of reading that carry over into your adult life
- Realize the meaning of E.M. Forsters’s quote “How do I know what I think until I see what I say?”
Dialectical Journal Rubric
A
- Detailed, meaningful passages, plot and quote selections
- Thoughtful interpretation and commentary about the text
- Includes comments about literary elements such as diction, imagery, syntax and how these elements contribute to the meaning of text
- Make insightful connections, ask though-provoking questions
- Complete and thorough coverage of the text
- Journal is neat and organized; entries are labeled and dated clearly
B
- Less detailed, but good plot and quote selections
- Some intelligent commentary; addresses some thematic connections
- Includes some literary elements, but less on how they contrivute to the meaning
- Some connections; asks pertinent questions
- Adequately addresses all parts of the reading assignment
- Journal is neat and readable; organized, labeled, dated
- Limited thoughtful approach
C
- Few good details from the text
- Most of the commentary is vague, unsupported, or plot summary only
- Some listing of literary elements; no discussion on meaning to text
- Limited connections; asks few or obvious questions
- Addresses most of the reading assignment, but not very long or thorough
- Sketchy thoughtfulness
- Journal is still relatively neat; some disorganization, dates missing, not labeled
D or F
- Few details from the text
- All notes are plot summary or paraphrase or quote; no thoughtful discussion
- Few or now literary elements; virtually no discussion on meaning
- Limited to no connections, no good questions
- Journal is disorganized, no labeled, not dated