AP English: Literature & Composition

Teacher: Ms. Sarah Taylor

Brief Description of Course:

Advanced Placement English is a college-level course that will engage students in the careful reading and critical analysis novels, plays, poetry, and short passages. Through the close reading of selected texts, students will deepen their understanding of a work’s structure, style, theme, and meaning. We will focus on reading and analyzing the content, language, and rhetoric of varied texts and on advancing student writing skills to the college level for multi-draft essays and timed writings. AP English is a college level course that will challenge students to read, write, think, and speak at advanced levels.

In addition to meeting the requirements of an introductory college English class, AP English will prepare students to take both the AP English: Literature and Composition and the AP English: Language and Composition exams by the end of their senior year. This year’s course will focus on British and World Literature. Writing assignments, focusing on the core literature, will vary between multi-draft essays and in-class, timed writings. During the course of the year, each student will compile a portfolio of his or her best work. In addition, students will prepare a short research paper and formal speech.

Textbooks and other sources: Elements of Literature 6^th Course, Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound and Sense , Pride & Prejudice, A Tale of Two Cities, The Woman Warrior, King Lear, Twelfth Night.

Summer Reading: The Great Gatsby & Oedipus Rex

Grading Procedures

Homework and class assignments 30%*

In-class essays 20%

Formal essays 20%

Tests 15%

Speech/Portfolio/Independent Reading 15%

Because this is a AP level course, students will be graded on a rigorous scale and will be given challenging assignments, but student GPAs will be given an additional grade point for this class. For example a B will count as an A in their GPA.

*percentages are approximate

Independent Reading

Students will be required to read one to three books each quarter. At least one book from each semester (300 page minimum) must be an AP level book (a book of recognized literary merit). Please see Ms. Taylor for a list of acceptable books or borrow a book from the AP shelves next to Ms. Taylor’s desk. The Independent Reading grade will be worth 200 points per quarter. Students will show that they have read and comprehended the book through an oral or multiple choice exam at the end of each quarter.

A+ = 750 pages, A = 700 pages, A- = 650 pages, B+ = 600 pages, B = 550 pages, B- = 500 pages

If students read 12 pages each night or 70 each weekend, they will easily meet the page requirement.

Major Projects/Assignments

Long, multi-draft essays (6)

Timed Writings (15)

Formal Speech

Short Research Paper

Writing Portfolio
Short Story/Creative Writing

Oral Presentations

AP Exam

English-Language Arts Standards

This course will prepare students to meet or to exceed the CA Language Arts Standards. Students will work to improve their vocabulary, reading comprehension, literary analysis skills, writing strategies (in various forms), written and oral language conventions, and listening and speaking strategies. Please refer to the standards for more detail.

Homework Practices

Due dates for major assignments, essays, and tests will be indicated ahead of time. Students should check the web page regularly for due dates and instructions. Daily homework assignments will be assigned and posted on the web page at the beginning of each week. In general, students will have about 45 minutes of homework each night. Students are encouraged to work on major assignments (like essays and Independent Reading) on those days when they finish the assigned work early.

Late Work

Although students will always be given extra time to make up work after absences, late work will not be accepted. Because a 0 will be given for work not handed in, students should be sure to manage their time carefully in order to avoid missing assignments.