AP English Literature and Composition Renner 2012-2013 Syllabus I have been a stranger in a strange land -Exodus 2:22 This

too is true: Stories can save us - Tim OBrien

What You Need to Know

Course Description
From the College Board: An AP English Literature and Composition course engages students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students consider a works structure, style and themes, as well as such smaller-scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism and tone.

Core Texts
Subject to change some core texts will be provided by the school; others you will need to obtain independently. Beowulf (excerpts) author unknown date unknown The Canterbury Tales (excerpts) Geoffrey Chaucer 14th century The Things They Carried Tim OBrien 1990 Beloved Toni Morison 1987 Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad 1902 Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus Mary Shelley 1818 The Tempest William Shakespeare 1623 The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver 1998 The Importance of Being Earnest Oscar Wilde 1895 The Bedford Introduction to Literature (textbook class set) Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry (textbook class set)

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Class Themes: Exile & Human Identity

Below you will find the prompt for the essay you will write at the end of the year. These ideas will inform our discussion of every text that we read this year, forming a common thread across all of our texts. At the end of the day, we are trying to make the strange familiar and the familiar strange what better way than to journey to as many places as we can? End-of-Year Essay: Palestinian-American literary theorist and cultural critic Edward Said has written that Exile is strangely compelling to think about but terrible to experience. It is the unhealable rift forced between a human being and a native place between the self and its true home: its essential sadness can never be surmounted. Yet Said has also said that exile can become a potent, even enriching experience. Select a novel, play, or epic in which a character experiences such a rift and becomes cut off from home, whether that home is the characters birthplace, family, homeland, or other special place. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the characters experience with exile is both alienating and enriching, and how this experience illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole.

Sub-Themes
Human identity in the face of technology & science: Frankenstein, Microserfs It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity. -Albert Einstein What separates us from machines? How is life created? What is human consciousness? Can it be replicated in machines? What is the relationship between soul and body?

Human identity in the midst of cultural clash & subjugation Heart of Darkness, The Things They Carried, Beloved, The Tempest Light is meaningful only in relation to darkness, and truth presupposes error. It is these mingled opposites which people our life, which make it pungent, intoxicating. We only exist in terms of this conflict, in the zone where black and white clash. -Louis Aragon How much of human identity is culturally specific? How do we remain human while killing or subjugating other humans? How is being human connected to being civilized? What happens when we encounter very different definitions for civilization and society?

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Human identity in the presence of God or not: The Poisonwood Bible, The Firebirds Nest, poetry Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother. -Khalil Gibran Is human identity centered around a higher spiritual power? What happens to our identity when we doubt? What about different gods?

Human identity within families & cultural expectations: The Importance of Being Earnest, The Tempest, The Poisonwood Bible, Beloved My family was my guide to my reality. -Haywood Nelson How do we interact with the burden of familial and societal expectations? What happens when we go against those expectations and norms? How do we develop a personal identity when we are so shaped by family & society?

Film Nights (Optional)

Film, just like novels, short stories, and poems, is an important literary genre. However, we will rarely, if ever, have time to study films during class. To afford us all the opportunity to enjoy ourselves and expand our analytical skills, I will host quarterly film nights. Bring snacks, bring friends, have fun; we will watch each film then hold a brief discussion of its connections to our class themes and texts.

Supplies Needed
1 three-ring binder, at least 2 inches, for storing and organizing all materials and written work 1 pack of tabbed binder dividers 3 x 5 index cards LOTS. I recommend the kind that are lined on one side and blank on the other. Spiral bound packs are particularly useful. 1 flash drive (at least 1 GB). We will do a LOT of digital projects in this class, and a flash drive is absolutely essential for storing, sharing, and transporting your work since the school netbooks will NOT save your work from session to session. You can get these for as low as $6 - $7 these days, and I will provide secure (locked) storage in the classroom if you do not want to carry it around all the time and risk losing or damaging it. lined notebook paper, pencils, pens 1 small notebook (spiral-bound or composition) to use as a reading journal Recommended: 1 sturdy folder to take materials home to complete homework You may store most of your materials in the classroom. The 3-ring binder IS mandatory for the organization of your materials, but you do not have to carry it to and from class every day. You will want to take it home before major tests, etc. Renner AP Lit 3

What You Can Expect

Summer Reading
On our first full day, I will collect your summer reading assignments. Each assignment will be taken as a separate grade:

Two-column Journal Classwork Grade Novel Notecards Classwork Grade Application Essay Essay Grade

Your essay will be graded gently, considering that this was done without any support or revision. However, it is NOT a completion grade. I will consider effort, insight, and writing skill. I will grade your essays using the 9-point AP rubric; see below.

Grading Policy
Because this is a college-level class, grades are heavily weighted toward essays, projects, quizzes, and tests. Quarterly grades are determined by these percentages: Essays & Projects: 40% Test & Quizzes: 40% Homework & Classwork: 20%

In accordance with MNPS policy, 5 points will be added to your average each 9 weeks to recognize the added rigor of taking an AP class. These points will be added immediately before report card processing.

Essays
This category includes in-class timed writings and papers that you will write outside of class. Timed writings are always in response to AP exam-style prompts (usually taken from past years actual tests) and will help prepare you for the three essays on the AP exam. Other papers may include informal miniessays and formal research papers. All in-class essays are graded on the 9-point AP scale. You will be provided a copy of the general AP scoring guidelines as well as scoring guidelines and anchor papers for specific essay prompts. The grade value of these scores will change over the course of the year to reflect your growing skills and experience.
Beginning of year scale: 9 = 100 8 = 97 7 = 93 6 = 88 5 = 85 4 = 80 3 = 75 2 = 70 1 = 60 End of year scale: 9 = 100 8 = 93 7 = 85 6 = 80 5 = 70 4 = 65 3 = 60 2 = 50 1 = 40

The grading scale will change slightly each quarter until reaching the end of year scale at the beginning of 4th quarter. The final scale reflects the fact that 5 is the minimum passing score for an essay on the AP exam. Out-of-class papers will be graded on separate rubrics, provided when the paper is assigned.
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Projects
Projects will vary according to the needs and interests of the class. Most of my projects use technology to respond creatively and analytically to the literature we read. Expect any combination of the following: Individual projects Pair/group projects In-class workshop projects Independent projects (you do the work outside of class) Presentations

Tests & Quizzes

Tests and quizzes are used to assess vocabulary knowledge, reading comprehension, knowledge of significant historical and contextual information for the literature we study, literary terms and devices, etc. Expect any of the following formats: DYRT quizzes Did You Read This? Identification tests identify the given object, event, character, etc. and explain its significance Practice AP multiple-choice sections Short-answer literary analysis tests Vocabulary tests fill-in-the-blank or use it in a sentence Literary language quizzes define and identify literary devices, terms, etc.

Turning Work In
Usually if I assign homework, it will be used in class on the day it is due. For that reason, late work is a problem. We have a lot to get done in a short, fast-paced year, so if you begin to fall behind, you will find it difficult to catch up. In general, my policy is not to accept late work. However, I would rather you do the work late than not at all, so late work MAY be accepted AT MY DISCRETION with a penalty to your grade. For major assignments, no extensions will be granted without prior approval. If you are struggling to complete a major essay or project on time, let me know, and I will work with you. Please let me know earlier than the night before it is due. If you turn it in late without prior approval, you will be docked 10% per day late. Extremely late work (more than a week) will never receive more than 50% credit. If you miss a test or quiz, you must make it up within a week of your return to school. If not completed by the next progress report or report card deadline, it will be entered as a 0 If absent (excused), it is your responsibility to obtain make up work from classmates, from me, or from the class website. You must turn in make-up work within 1 week from your return to school.

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What I Expect From You

Tis the good reader that makes the good book; in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakably meant for his ear; the profit of books is according to the sensibility of the reader; the profoundest thought or passion sleeps as in a mine, until it is discovered by an equal mind and heart. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson; from Success

This class is like a good bookyou will get out of it what you are willing to put in. This includes time, thoughtfulness, effort, and the right mindset. You may have many different reasons for taking this class and ideas for what you would like to get out of it. If you are taking this class solely because you need an AP to get an honors diploma, or because youve heard that Hereford and Lyons make you write really long papers, or because you hope to scrape up a 3 on the exam and get out of Freshman English in college, you may find that you are missing out on something. My HOPE is that you are taking this class because you want to have a meaningful intellectual experience, which can be hard to come by in a high school class. Even if this is not your goal on Day 1, I hope to convert you at some point in the year. Here is my promise to you: I will challenge you, I will welcome you, I will support your intellectual growth, I will get you ready for college, and above all, I will VALUE you as a member of this classroom community. Here is what I ask of you: do your part to MAKE this a classroom community, not just a room full of people on their separate paths. Participate. Dont just put your head down and get the work done. Raise your head, look around, make eye contact with your fellow minds, talk, listen, consider different perspectives, challenge and value the people around you, and allow yourself to be challenged and valued. Give each text that comes before you a legitimate chanceyou have to put yourself into it before you can get anything out of it. You can decide that you hate a bookAFTER you read it and try your hardest to understand and value it. NOT before. You are some of the smartest kids at this school, which means you have often been able to get away with not working hard. That will not fly in this classits time to put those smarts to good use. Here are my classroom expectations: Come in the room with clean feet. Leave your other concerns at the door and come in ready to focus on the work and your interaction with the class. For 85 minutes every other day, you should be fully presentphysically and mentallyin room 305. I know that this is not possible every day at every moment, but I ask that you try. I dont anticipate behavior issues in a class at this level; be respectful, reasonable, and thoughtful in your actions, and we will be fine. Consider above all else your attitude: cynicism and closed-mindedness do only harm, to yourself and to others. The greatest key to respect is to LISTENdont just wait for your turn to speak, but actually try to process what the other person is saying. That includes me and your classmates. Oh, and try to have paper, some writing utensils, and whatever book we are reading at the time in class with you. That helps a lot. And put your phone away when we are talking. Thats just rude, and it prevents you from being fully present. If problems arise, we will have a discussion. If they continue, the usual consequences will be followed.
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Intellectual Honesty
Cheating and plagiarism are the greatest possible violations of the principles I have outlined above. The real crime of cheating and plagiarism is that you fail to get anything valuable out of the experience; no learning takes place, and therefore you are wasting your time and mine and disrespecting me, your classmates who have worked hard to complete their work honestly, and your own mind. I put a great deal of time and thought into assigning work that is meaningful and designed to help you learn. Cheating on that work is a big slap in the face to me and to your learning process. If I determine that work is plagiarized or otherwise come by dishonestly, you will receive a zero for that work and we will have a conference. If the problem continues, disciplinary action will be taken. Some Things that Count as Plagiarism: Using SparkNotes, Monkey Notes, eNotes, or any other alternative to actually reading the book, especially if you then copy from those sources. I KNOW what they sound like. I WILL google your answers when they sound suspiciously Spark Note-y. Turning in work that is mysteriously identical to someone elses work. With the exception of vocabulary or the occasional multiple choice practice, there should never be a time in this class when you have the exact same answers as somebody else. Thats not how literary study works. Yes, you may discuss and collaborate with your classmates, but you need to generate your own independent responses to any questions or writing prompts. Quoting or paraphrasing ANY secondary source without citing properly. We will go over proper citation at the very beginning of the year, so there will be no excuse. Getting someone else to do the work for you. Enough said.

A Word About the AP Exam

It is my expectation that all of you will take the AP Exam at the end of this year. It is also the policy of East Nashville Magnet School that all students enrolled in an AP course will take the corresponding exam. I will provide much more detailed information about the exam later, but in the meantime please consider the following points: A passing score on the exam can earn you 3-6 credit hours in college A passing score may also exempt you from freshman writing/English class requirements, freeing up your time to take more interesting classes AP Exam = $53 - $87 3 6 credit hours at Vanderbilt = $5,040 - $10,080. At UT Knox = $978 - $1,956. Students who take the AP exam perform better in college classes in that subject than students who dont, even if they dont pass the exam. Unlike most standardized tests offered to high school students, the AP English Literature and Composition exam is a valuable, high-quality assessment of the skills you will learn in this class. A good score on the AP exam means something.

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Policy Bullet Points

Work Guidelines Grades: 80% Major Assignments / 20% Homework & Classwork. Late Homework & Classwork: Decided on a case-by-case basis. Major Assignments: No extensions granted without prior approval. Major Assignments: Deduction of 10 points per day late. Major Assignments: More than 1 week late = no higher than 50% Missed Quizzes & Tests: Must be made up within a week. Make-Up Work: Your responsibility. Due within 1 week of your return.

Essay Scale:
Beginning of year scale: 9 = 100 8 = 97 7 = 93 6 = 88 5 = 85 4 = 80 3 = 75 2 = 70 1 = 60 End of year scale: 9 = 100 8 = 93 7 = 85 6 = 80 5 = 70 4 = 65 3 = 60 2 = 50 1 = 40

Classroom guidelines Be respectful, be present, be thoughtful Keep your materials organized and have them available at the appropriate time Follow the guidelines for intellectual honesty Intellectual dishonesty will result in zeros and the possibility of disciplinary consequences Try your hand at the AP Exam you can only benefit.

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GENERIC AP SCORING RUBRIC General Directions: This scoring guide will be useful for most essays, but final judgment rests upon both the evaluators understanding of the subject and professional expertise. Poorly written essays should never be scored in the upper half, and those with serious literacy problems should not receive a score higher than a 3.

Top scores 9-8: These are well-written papers which respond fully to the question asked. The best papers are confident and persuasive, showing a thorough understanding of the issue (text) and supporting their points with well-selected quotations, details, and/or arguments. Writers of these essays demonstrate stylistic maturity by an effective command of sentence structure, diction, and organization. The writing need not be without flaws, but it should reveal the writers ability to choose from and control a wide range of elements of effective writing. These papers are frequently characterized as distinguished/substantial.

Upper scores 7-6: These essays also respond appropriately to the prompt but less fully or effectively than the essays in the top range. Their discussion may be less thorough and less specific. These essays are generally well-written in an appropriate style but may reveal less maturity, less support, or less insight than the top papers. Nevertheless, they do make us of suitable textual support and details to prove their points. Some lapses in diction or syntax appear, but the writing demonstrates sufficient control over the elements of composition to present the writers ideas clearly. These papers are frequently characterized as excellent/solid.

Middle score 5: These essays respond to the question, but the discussion may be simplistic or imprecise; they may be overly generalized, vague, or tend toward the superficial. These essays are adequately written, but may demonstrate the inconsistent control over the elements of composition. Organization is attempted, but it may not be fully realized or particularly effective. The analysis or discussion may be formulaic. These papers are frequently characterized as minimally adequate.

Lower scores 4-3: These essays attempt to deal with the questions, but do so inaccurately, partially, or without adequate supporting evidence. They may show some misunderstanding or omit pertinent analysis. The writing may convey the writers ideas, but it may reveal weak control over diction, syntax, or organization. These essays often contain spelling and grammatical errors. Statements generally lack the support of persuasive and well-chosen evidence. These papers are frequently characterized as deficient.

Lowest score 2-1: These essays compound the problems of the 4-3 essays. They fail to respond adequately to the question. They may reveal misunderstanding or may distort the interpretation. Generally, these essays are unacceptably brief or poorly written on several counts. Although some attempt to answer the question may be indicated, the writers view has little clarity. When present, supporting detail and/or quotations are slight or poorly chosen, or quotations may be used to replace discussion. These papers are frequently characterized as severely deficient.

Class Calendar
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Quarter 1 9 Weeks August 3 to October 4 Labor Day: Monday, September 3 Q1 Goal 1: Deep textual analysis that connects literary elements to theme Q1 Goal 2: Research & cite a variety of sources Day One: Writing & Media Survey, Distribute Supplies List Week One: Introduction to Literary Elements, Theme Texts: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? by Joyce Carol Oates Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway Activities & Assignments: SIFT Annotation, Character T-Chart, Fishbowl, Vocab Vids for lit terms Test Prep: M.C. Practice Poetry (Pattys Charcoal Drive-In) Week Two: History of the English Language & Literature in English Texts: Beowulf (excerpts), The Canterbury Tales (excerpts) A & A: History Quiz, Individual Canterbury Tale Posters & Presentations Extra Credit: Memorize & recite the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Week Three: British Imperialism, Multicultural Encounters, Africa as Other Texts: Heart of Darkness A & A: Making predictions, Identifying themes Test Prep: M.C. Practice: 1999 Prose Passage (The Decay of Lying by Oscar Wilde) Week Four: British Imperialism, Multicultural Encounters, Africa as Other Texts: Heart of Darkness, An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness (Chinua Achebe) A & A: Watch Achebe interview, Debate Achebes article Test Prep: Timed Writing: Open Response question using Heart of Darkness Week Five: American Exceptionalism, Multicultural Encounters Texts: Why Men Love War, The Vietnam in Me, Excerpts from Tim OBrien interviews, clips from Apocalypse Now A & A: OBrien Seminar, Multimodal research on Vietnam War era Topic Lesson: citation Week Six: American Exceptionalism, Multicultural Encounters Text: The Things They Carried A & A: Finish & present multimodal research websites Test Prep: M.C. Practice - Poetry (Facing It by Yusef Komunyakaa) Week Seven: American Exceptionalism, Multicultural Encounters Text: The Things They Carried A & A: Begin hypertext analysis project story & partner selection, DIDLS annotation (Resources: Words to Describe Language and Tone Words handouts), explain goals, look at examples Week Eight: American Exceptionalism, Multicultural Encounters Renner AP Lit 10

Text: The Things They Carried A & A: Continue hypertext analysis project Week Nine: American Exceptionalism, Multicultural Encounters Text: The Things They Carried A & A: Finish hypertext analysis project Teacher Workday: Friday, October 5 Fall Break: October 6 - 14 Quarter 2 9 Weeks October 15 to December 19 Q2 Goal 1: Interpreting challenging and ambiguous language in poetry and in Shakespeare Q2 Goal 2: Using literary criticism and secondary sources in textual analysis Parent Conference Day: Tuesday, November 6 Thanksgiving Holiday: November 21 23 Week One: Intro to Poetry & Performance Poetry A & A: Poetry 4-Corners Discussion My Favorite Poem My Papas Waltz (Theodore Roethke) Discuss My Papas Waltz using word webs (resource: The Arc of Teaching a Poem) Paired Performance Poetry Week Two: Poetry Project A & A: Analysis & Synthesis activity My Favorite Poem Dulce et Decorum Est (Wilfred Owen) 3-Part Explication/Mini-Essay Week Three: Poetry Project A & A: Form & Function Activity Pumped Up Kicks Poetry Seminar Comparing Elegies (refer to My Favorite Poem for pre-seminar on Lycidas) Test Prep: M.C. Practice Poetry (Emily Dickinson: First Robin or Eolian Harp) Week Four: Shakespeare Intro A & A: Inflection & syntax exercises History & Legacy of the Bard Week Five: The Tempest A & A: Stage scenes (informal) Test Prep: M.C. Practice Poetry (Now is the Winter of our Discontent) Week Six (Thanksgiving): Exam Preview A & A: Poetry Annotation, writing Ladder Questions Test Prep: Timed Writing 2011 Poetry Question (A Story) Week Seven: The Tempest Renner AP Lit 11

A & A: Stage scenes (formal, assessed) Topic Lesson: using quotations effectively in papers Week Eight: The Tempest A & A: Short Lit Crit Paper Week Nine: Exam Review & Prep Test Prep: Timed Writing Open Response question using The Tempest Exams: December 14, 17, 18, 19 Quarter 3 10 Weeks January 7 to March 14 Q3 Goal 1: Making thematic connections among multiple complex texts Q3 Goal 2: Reading with lenses (literary theory) MLK Day: Monday, January 21 Teacher Workday: Monday, February 18 Week One: Multiple choice strategies & practice. A & A: M.C. Practice - Prose (#3 Janie Starched and Ironed) Week Two: Intro to Literary Criticism A & A: Multiple Readings activities Week Three: The Feminist Lens Texts: The Poisonwood Bible A & A: The Firebirds Nest seminar. Test Prep: Timed Writing Open Response question using The Firebirds Nest Week Four: Marxism & Postcolonialism Texts: The Poisonwood Bible A & A: Tracking Biblical allusions Week Five: Applying Literary Theory & Criticism Texts: The Poisonwood Bible, misc. critical articles A & A: Putting texts in conversation with one another discussion and group activities Test Prep: Timed writing 1998 Prose Question (Middlemarch) Week Six: Applying Literary Theory & Criticism Texts: The Poisonwood Bible, misc. critical articles A & A: Prcis for literary criticism paper Week Seven: African-American Literature Texts: Beloved A & A: Seminar on Unburdening Down by the Riverside (Beloved essay) A & A: Annotated bibliography & Outline for literary criticism paper Renner AP Lit 12

Week Eight: African-American Literature Texts: Beloved A & A: Workshop literary criticism paper Test Prep: Timed writing 1998 Poetry Question (Its a Womans World) Week Nine: African-American Literature Texts: Beloved A & A: Draft of literary criticism paper Week Ten: Literary Theory Paper Presentations Spring Break: March 15 March 31 Quarter 4 6 + 1 Weeks April 1 to May 17 No Breaks Q4 Goal 1: Expand exposure to different genres Q4 Goal 2: Synthesize Quarters 1, 2, & 3, Multiple Choice & Exam Preparation Week One: Origins of the Scientific Imagination & Visions of Nature Texts: Frankenstein, Romantic poetry A & A: Looking forward, looking back activity. Topic Lesson: frame narrative, epistolary novel Test Prep: M. C. Practice Poetry (Marvell, Dialogue Between Soul and Body) Week Two: Origins of the Scientific Imagination & Visions of Nature Texts: Frankenstein, Romantic poetry A & A: Timed Writing 2007 Poetry Question (A Barred Owl and The History Teacher) Or 2008 Poetry Question (Keats & Longfellow) Week Three: Back to Britain: Short Fiction of Ireland and other outposts Texts: TBD, misc. short stories A & A: TBD based on class needs approaching the AP Exam Test Prep: Timed Writing 1988 Prose Question (Reunion by John Cheever) OR 1995 Prose Question (Eleven by Sandra Cisneros) Week Four: Back to Britain: Drama Texts: The Importance of Being Earnest A & A: TBD based on class needs approaching the AP Exam Test Prep: Timed Writing 2006 Prose Question (Lady Windermeres Fan) Week Five: Back to Britain: Drama Texts: The Importance of Being Earnest A & A: TBD based on class needs approaching the AP Exam Test Prep: M.C. Practice Prose Passage

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Week Six: Review, review, review A & A: Roman Chairs term review, Speed Dating open essay question review, etc. AP Literature & Composition Exam: Thursday, May 9, 8:00 a.m. Senior Exams: May 13, 14, 15, 16 (tentative)

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