Advanced Placement Literature and Composition Syllabus 2015-1016
Instructor: Ms. Faulkner
Office Hours: 3:30- 4:00, during 1st lunch, or by appointment
Course website: Edmodo, Haiku
· Teacher Information available at http://www.gcs.k12.nc.us//Domain/1748
· Remind101 will be used to notify students of important class information.
Course Introduction
Why study literature? Literature is the written history of the human experience; it is the connecting link between humans across time and from all walks of life. At times, we read for enjoyment; at other times we read for understanding; most often, however, we read for connection. Literature is more than just entertainment; literature can be philosophical, leading us to rich understandings about ourselves and the world around us. Literature can also teach us to look within ourselves and question the world around us. It is my goal that through the close, deliberate study of literature in this course, that you will study who you are, determine how you’ve arrived at this point in your life, and determine where you go from here. By becoming critical, analytical, and discerning readers, you will begin to better understand the human condition and how your life fits into it. We will be reading and studying literature in thematic units this semester. Each theme has been chosen with specific philosophical implications. Each thematic unit contains specific essential guiding questions, which we will attempt to answer and connect back to the human condition. The ultimate goal is that by the end of this course you will have become an excellent, close reader of literature with refined analytical capabilities that you can successfully demonstrate through polished, insightful, and concise writing. To reach this goal, we will read constantly, write frequently and think relentlessly about the deeper meanings of life and the human experience.
Course Description:
Designed to be a college level introductory course in literature and writing, AP English Literature and Composition is a rigorous course that will challenge, inspire, and enrich the eager literature student. This course prepares students for the AP Literature and Composition exam and follows the curricular requirements described in the AP English Course Description. This course will engage students in careful and critical reading of literary works of merit ranging from the sixteenth through twenty- first century.
Such study will sharpen student awareness of language as well as understanding of writer’s craft. Analytical reading and writing skills are stressed. Frequent writing assignments include formal essays as well as in-class timed writing. Formal writing assignments include writing to explain, writing to understand, and writing to evaluate. Essay assignments include an essay of extended definition, several comparison/contrast essays, a senior research project, and numerous essays of literary analysis and criticism. Students will develop critical standards for independent appreciation and understanding of any literary work, in order to conceptualize what literature can mean in the larger context of their lives.
While performance on the AP exam is a primary goal for the course, the goals and objectives for the course go beyond test performance and focus instead upon building the skills necessary for college-level reading and writing. Students, therefore, should expect a rigorous experience with intellectual challenges and a considerable workload that culminates with the AP Literature and Composition Exam in May. All students are encouraged to take the AP Literature exam.
Along with classroom reading assignments, students will also read novels independently and prepare an in-class timed writing based on a writing prompt taken from previous AP exams. The various prompts chosen ask students to analyze characterization, and textual details dealing with structure, style, and themes.
Students keep a reading journal in their Learning Logs for reaction and response to in-class readings and independent reading. These responses allow students opportunities to interpret literature.
Summer reading and writing are required for this course.
Course Philosophy: This course is designed to inspire and maintain students’ love for literature and composition. We will spend a significant amount of time looking at authors’ deliberate stylistic choices, use of figurative language techniques, and structural organization. We will continually question: What is the writer trying to do? What means does he/she utilize to accomplish this? Why is this a “great” piece of literature? The answers to these questions, and the reasons to support those answers, will be the primary focus of students’ analytical writing for this course. This is a college-level course. The readings we cover are mature in content and theme and it is essential that you respond in a mature manner. Understand that an integral component of being a college student and well rounded and informed reader is being exposed to variety of different texts and philosophies. You are not expected to like, believe in, endorse, or agree with everything we read. Part of becoming a mature, discerning adult is determining how others’ beliefs and viewpoints compare to your own truth. Most class sessions will focus in part on either small or large-group discussion, meaning that you are REQUIRED to speak in class. To successfully participate, you must keep up with and think critically about all readings. You must respect the opinions and reactions of others. We will be learning together, creating independent and collective “truths”, and challenging one another to dig deeper into texts and our own psyches. It is my hope that in this process you will have so much to say that we will run out of time in class Socratic Seminars. This semester, we will read both traditional and contemporary prose, drama, and poetry. Take charge of your learning, read actively and closely, and attend class each session ready to discuss your insights and revelations. If you engage deeply in your learning and fulfill your responsibilities in the class, the grade you deserve will follow.
Course Objectives:
Make warranted and reasonable assertions about an author’s arguments.
Recognize and use literary terms.
Apply literary terminology to fiction, drama, and poetry.
Annotate a literary text to enhance analytical skills and vocabulary.
Analyze different genres of literature, particularly novels, drama, and poetry.
Read literary texts closely.
Read, understand, and answer timed analytical literary essays.
Recognize and assess the elements of different literary genres.
Read, draft, edit, and format analytic and research essays.
Answer multiple-choice questions similar to those on the Literature and Composition exam.
Evaluation Criteria:
100-90 | A |
89-80 | B |
79-70 | C |
69-60 | D |
0-59 | F |
Reading Expectations: The reading load in AP Literature and Composition is at a rigorous level. Numerous literary works from different genres and time periods will be used in the course. The reading done in this course builds upon the reading done in previous English courses. Thorough reading of the text is expected. Annotation and close reading of all texts is required, and attention to both textual detail and historical context will help bolster your understanding and interpretation of the given text. As noted in the AP course description guide, close reading involves “the experience of literature, the interpretation of literature, and the evaluation of literature.” All three of these components will be part of our daily reading. Poetry will be taught throughout each unit and woven in to each of the literary works we examine. Likewise, there will be a separate poetry unit as well.
The following major literary works may be used within the course of study:
Prose
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy,
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller,
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Supplemental Texts
Hamlet by William Shakespeare,
various Dystopian novels
Booth, Alison and Kelly J. Mays, eds. The Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed.
New York: Norton, 2010. Print.
New York: Norton, 2010. Print.
Various other material will be utilized throughout the semester
Writing Expectations: Writing assignments include formal essays (extended definition, comparison/contrast, persuasive research, literary analysis and criticism) as well as frequent timed writings of literary analysis associated with the literature studied in depth in class and the required independent reading. These timed writings are based on past AP prompts. Evaluation of these essays includes a rubric designed to assess how well students perform close textual analysis of structure and style (including analysis of such literary elements as figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone). A reading journal is also used throughout the term for reaction and response to the different structure, style, and themes presented in the literary selections as well as reaction to the social and historical values reflected in the assigned literature.These journals will be kept in student Learning Logs and will also be useful for the Writer’s Response to anchor texts (WR).
Writer’s Response to anchor texts.
The Writer’s Response (WR) is mandatory for each reading assignment associated with an anchor text. The assignment will vary but will most likely be a reader-response, a dialectical journal, creation of literary discussion materials, including those for Socratic circles; or a response to an interpretive or evaluative question. Make the WR assignment a productive part of your homework routine. Get into the habit of having the text and your WR on your desk when class begins. From time to time, I may let you use your WR on a quiz or it may count as a quiz grade. All Writers’ Responses should help you to review for tests and will help you contribute meaningfully to class discussions.
Creative/Imitative Responses.
You will create these pieces to better understand the complexity of writer’s craft and voice. Such pieces may include: the creation of an alternate ending, rewriting a scene or dialogue with the inclusion or exclusion of a primary character, creating original poetry, writing a parody, or creating a new scene or dialogue, etc.
Thematic Essays / Process Papers.
You will write an argumentative/literary analysis essay for each thematic unit. This will require you to develop an interpretive writing based on the text of a single work or numerous related works, possibly considering social and historical contexts, theme, figurative language, and other literary elements. You will choose the form, topic, and text from the current unit that you wish to address in each essay. Two of the process papers this semester will require additional outside research and the application of a critical lens, which we will learn about. A significant portion of the essay grade will consist of prewriting, editing, and revision activities. A strong emphasis is placed on the writing process, not only the final outcome. At the completion of each writing process, before submitting the final draft, you will write a reflective response in which you reflect upon what you have learned in the process, along with your perceived areas of strength and weakness. You will receive peer and/or teacher feedback before, during, and after these writing processes. Once final essays are polished and turned in, you are encouraged to revise any essay you would like to improve for a higher grade. (Any revisions are due no later than one week after the graded essay is returned.)
In class timed essays.
To adequately prepare for the AP Lit exam in May, you will write a variety of AP style essays over the course of the year, most timed and in class. These essays will be scored holistically using the AP 1-9 rubric. These essays will receive teacher feedback and extensive class discussion to aid you in improving your future timed essay-writing abilities. On average, you will write a timed essay every three weeks; however, as we move into March and April, we will write more frequent timed essays.
Performance Review.
Students will be required to write a 1.5-2 page performance review of one of the novels read in class. The instructor will show video clips of works, writers, and other related material during the course of the unit. This is an opportunity for a student to critically evaluate an interpretation of works used in class.
Evaluation of Writing:
AP English IV is a college level literature and composition class. The following guidelines are used in evaluating all writing assignments for AP English IV.
1) All writing assignments are evaluated for mastery of composition skills using the 6 Traits of Writing which emphasizes ideas and content, sentence fluency, paragraph structure, word choice, organization, and grammar, usage, and mechanics.
2) All assignments for formal papers include a specific rubric for evaluation. These rubrics are used throughout the writing process as students self-revise and peer revise in writing circles. They are also an integral part of the individual conference held with each student prior to submission of a formal writing assignment.
3) Timed writing is scored using a scoring guide similar to that used in the scoring of the AP Literature and Composition essay questions.
Grammar Instruction.
Grammar instruction will focus on varied sentence structure, semi-colon and colon use, integration of quotes in formal writing, and techniques for varying sentences to affect mood and tone. Grammar will be taught in context, reviewed in written assignments, and addressed in mini lessons. We will also focus specifically on pronoun/antecedent agreement and how writers strategically use punctuation stylistically and to convey meaning.
Methods of Evaluation:
· Timed in-class writings with AP style prompts
· Socratic Seminar participation
· Writing Circles participation
· Literature Circles participation and projects
· Research essays
· Literary analysis essays
· Reading comprehension quizzes
· Writing and reaction journals (electronic and in Learning Logs)
· Individual student conferencing
· Formal Examinations
Skills Development: Throughout the course, students will continue to develop reading and writing skills. The following methods will be used to enhance the development of such skills:
Vocabulary tied to course literature
Word Master passages
Analogy practice
Reading Strategies: TPCASTT, Close Reading
Major Works Data Sheet
Collaborative Learning Teams. Students will work in Writing Circles to provide support to one another throughout the writing process. Because these
groups ask students to be vulnerable as they share their writing, these are self-selected groups that students will remain in for the entirety of the semester. In these circles, students will work together in class and online to read each other’s drafts and provide feedback. Students will also work in Literature Circles to read a variety of self-selected literature aligned with course themes. These groups will be fluid and will potentially change with each reading selection.
Course of Study:
The class will be structured into eight units arranged thematically and by genre and will contain the following types of texts and writings:
Anchor texts (primarily novels)
You will read and analyze these texts through writing assignments that include but are not limited to various forms of annotation, dialectical journals, reader-responses, blogs, quick- writes, etc. The goal is to engage in a “dialogue” with the text. You will write about what is striking, illuminating, confusing, important, etc. Each anchor text will be followed by an AP-style exam. Various reading quizzes may be given during the course of reading. Students will also write a process paper for each anchor text and possibly a creative/imitative piece to better understand author’s craft.
Context Texts (videos, short fiction, poetry, film excerpts, non-fiction, etc.)
These texts create prior knowledge that gives context to the complexity of further reading. You will respond to these texts as we begin each unit.
Texture texts (plays, essays, short stories, poetry)
These texts will be read in accompaniment with our anchor texts. You will make various connections between our anchor and texture texts as we delve into each thematic unit.
Other Assignments for the Course:
Author Study: As we begin each unit, it is important to know and understand the authors of the novels we read. In partners, students will create a 3-5 minute video presentation for an author being studied. The video should incorporate the following: pertinent information about the author’s life and works and pictures of the author. Students may be creative. We will have a sign-up at the beginning of the semester. Video presentations are due to the instructor at least three days before the beginning of the unit of study.
Weekly Vocabulary: In preparation for the AP Exam and college, we will be studying words that are commonly used in these arenas. Expect a vocabulary quiz every week and test every two weeks.
Learning Logs: A journal is an invaluable tool that will help you develop your ideas for future reading and writing. You will need to have a composition notebook that can be used as a medium for you to respond to questions that I pose about given reading assignments as well as your own thoughts on reading and writing assignments and as a place to annotate texts, reflect on readings and writings, etc.
Course Policies:
Academic Integrity: Please refer to the student handbook for the complete statement on academic integrity. In this classroom, as in college, there is no acceptance for cheating or plagiarizing. Any student caught cheating or plagiarizing will receive a zero (0) for that assignment, and depending on how severe the case, the student may fail the course. That work will not be able to be made up and no extra credit assignment will be given in order to replace the zero.
Absent Assignments: When you are absent it is your responsibility to come and talk to me about what has been missed. If you know you are going to be gone from school in advance, then the assignment may be due before you leave. If you are ill, the assignment is due within two days. Class time will not be used to make up tests or quizzes missed by the student. These must be made up before or after school, or on your lunch.
Late Assignments: All assignments must be turned in on time. Any assignment not turned in on time will automatically receive 10 points deducted for each late day. After two (2) days, the assignment will be considered incomplete and will receive a zero (0). For example, if an essay is due Thursday and you did not submit it, the work would be emailed to me by Saturday the latest. Do not take the weekend as a “free ride.” Also note I will not accept broken/dead computers or empty printer cartridges as excuses when work is due. It is your job to hand the assignment in on time. Failure to do so will result in the aforementioned penalty. Those excuses are not accepted in college and since this is a class where you can receive college credit, those excuses are unacceptable here.
Required Materials and Expectations:You must bring pens (blue and black ink only), pencils, highlighters, post-its, index cards, appropriate course books, a notebook/binder, laptop, your Learning Log, and any other required readings to class each time we meet. You must always be prepared when you enter this classroom. Assignments must be completed. I will not excuse you to retrieve materials you forgot to bring along to class.
The Role of the AP Teacher: Simply put, the role of the Advanced Placement teacher is to help foster academic growth within each student in the classroom. My most important function is to provide instruction and feedback on your writing assignments both before and after you revise your work to help in the following areas:
Vocabulary enhancement
Variation of sentence structures
Logical organization with specific emphasis on coherence
Incorporation of generalized, specific, and illustrated detail
Use of rhetoric such as tone and voice appropriate to your audience
I will make myself as available as possible to you. Please feel free to come in and speak with me before or after school, during my lunch, or planning period. If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, do not hesitate to get in contact with me through Edmodo or in class. I am a resource for you in your journey to AP success!
The Course:
Unit 1 –Seeing/ “Ways” to “See” Literature and Short Fiction Genre Focus (2 weeks)
Essential Questions. What are the various critical lenses available to see into literature? How can these lenses be applied to different works of literature? How do writers craft their art and play with language to shape meaning? What questions do writers and readers struggle to answer?
Unit Objectives:
· Identify the defining characteristics of various critical approaches to literary analysis
· Apply close reading strategies such as annotation
· Apply critical approaches to various works of literature
· Review and apply the writing process
· Write effective thesis statements
· Analyze how writers employ literary tools to shape meaning
Anchor texts-- novels from summer reading, including The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Diaz), Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain), The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath), Affliction(Russell Banks), Never Let Me Go(Kazuo Ishiguro), Turn of the Screw(Henry James), Northanger Abbey (Jane Austen), Othello (William Shakespeare), Cane (John Toomer), Sophie’s Choice (William Styron), House on Mango Street (Sandra Cisneros), The Importance of Being Earnest (Oscar Wilde), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest(Ken Kesey), “The Yellow Wallpaper”
Context texts—“Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper,” essays on literary criticisms from the Norton Introduction to Literature, How to Read Literature Like a Professor (summer reading)
Texture texts—selected poetry, selected short stories (“The Yellow Wallpaper,” “The Lottery,” “The Crysanthemums,” “A&P”, “A Rose for Emily,” “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall,” selected excerpts of other works, critical analyses of short fiction
Required Writing: Using the short fiction selections and their summer reading books, students will learn to analyze fiction for meaning and style. Students will practice writing effective thesis statements in response to literature as well as completing a timed essay, the Short Story critical lens analysis project, and short learning log writings/reflections. Writer’s Responses (WR) and Creative Responses (CR) will also be required. Students will participate in a Socratic Seminar augmented by an online discussion board.
Unit 2: Thematic Focus One--Dystopian Truths in Modern Times/Society vs. the Individual (3 weeks)
Essential Questions: What is a dystopia? Who and what give us our identity?
How and in what ways does society try to control the individual?
In what ways does society expect us to conform?
What is the individual’s obligation to society?
What happens when an individual and the society in which he/she live in collide? How do authors create identity in texts? What are the defining characteristics of Dystopian Literature? What elements of Dystopian Literature extend across genre? How do themes, characters and images reflect the questions and assumptions of an era? How do these works compare to our contemporary vision of the world? How do we provoke critical analysis through posing and responding to questions in discussion?Unit Objectives:
· Identify the defining characteristics of Dystopian Literature
· Determine how themes, characters and images in literature reflect the questions and assumptions of an era by applying various critical lenses to a work (historical, biographical, feminist, philosophical/moral, etc.
· Evaluate how Orwell, Huxley, and other Dystopian authors’ visions compare to our contemporary vision of the world.
· Analyze how different authors approach dystopian themes.
The focus will be on understanding the social and historical context of the works, as well as reading for major literary elements.
Anchor Texts – selections from literature circles, including Brave New World (Aldous Huxley), Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card), Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury), The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood), The Road (Cormac McCarthy), Anthem (Ayn Rand), Alas, Babylon (Pat Frank), A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess), 1984(George Orwell).
Context Texts—Dystopian handouts, film excerpts
Texture Texts- “All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace” –Richard Brodigan “Smart Appliances” –Dave Barry
“Harrison Bergeron” –Kurt Vonnegut
“There Will Come Soft Rains” –Sara Teasdale
“There Will Come Soft Rains” –Ray Bradbury
“Ode to Science” –Edgar Allan Poe
“The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” –Ursula Se Grim, “Gulliver’s Travels”—Jonathon Swift, various poetry and non-fiction
Required Writing: In literature circles, students will read their chosen dystopian novels, keep an independent reading journal of at least four entries, write a group report reflecting on collaboration and roles, write individual analyses of the books, prepare a group presentation, and respond to a variety of short writing prompts, including those on the discussion board in preparation for Socratic Seminars. Writer’s Responses (WR) and Creative Responses (CR) will also be required.
Unit 3: A Look Ahead (2-3 Days)
Essential Questions: What are the components and characteristics of an effective résumé? What are the expectations and requirements of various colleges and universities? What is a personal statement? How do you write an effective personal statement? How do you write an effective college application essay?
Unit Objectives:
· Build a résumé based on school, work, and other relevant activities.
· Enhance writing style to personalize the college application essay.
· Critically research colleges in order to understand expectations and requirements.
Required Reading:
Tips for Completing the College Application handout, various handouts
Required Writing: Students will create a résumé, college application essay, letter of recommendation, and
college application letter. You may also opt to complete this by selecting a character you have studied and creating a résumé, Facebook page (on paper not online), and composing a college application letter in their voice.
Unit 4: Life During Wartime (3 Weeks)
Essential Questions: What is the relationship between literature and the history of wars? What is bias? How can we evaluate bias in writing about wars and conflict? How does genre altar the message of a literary work? How do we interpret war poetry? How do authors develop character? How is a 20th century novel relevant today? What effect(s) do(es) sensory details have on audience? Theme? Characterization? Tone? Mood?
Unit Objectives:
· Recognize the relationship between literature and the history of wars.
· Evaluate bias in writing about wars and conflict.
· Analyze the use of different literary genres dealing with similar subject matter.
· Interpret poetry that specifically deals with war.
· Evaluate the actions and statements of characters in the novel.
· Apply the ideas of a novel to contexts outside Catch-22.
· Analyze sensory details used by authors.
· Rate the effectiveness of duality within the literary experience.
Anchor Text:
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Context Texts: Discovery Educationvideo clips, pictures, and more on World War II (http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/catch-22.cfm )
Texture Texts: Selections from The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien; “The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner” by Randall Jarrell, “Sadiq” by Brian Turner, Brian Turner interview; Selected War Poetry
Required Writing:
· Students will write an interpretation of several war poems. They will pay particular attention to figurative language as well as the artistry and quality established throughout.
· Students will prepare an in-class timed response to an AP style question that deals with Heller’s novel.
· For a research activity related to Catch-22, students will focus on Joseph Heller’s remark that
“the only freedom we really have is the freedom to say no.” While Catch-22 dramatizes a fictional instance of “saying no” to authority, the principle of resistance exists in the real world too, of course. Build on Heller’s statement by quoting literary critic Robert Brustein, who once said that the character Yossarian in Catch-22 “encouraged the rest of us [those outside the novel] to say no.” In this activity, students will research a historical or contemporary figure who said no to an oppressive system. Individuals include but are not limited to Nelson Mandela, Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass, Cesar Chavez, Mahatma Gandhi, a conscientious objector during the war in Vietnam, and those who participated in race-related sit-downs in the 1960s (occurred nearby in Durham, Greensboro, etc.), among others. Students will present their research using technology (glogster, Prezi, iMovie, Photo Story, etc.). MLA citations are required.
· Writer’s Responses (WR) and Creative Responses (CR) will also be required.
· Students will participate in a Socratic Seminar augmented by an online discussion board.
Unit 5: Suffering and Evil (3 Weeks)
Essential Questions: How is writing in the 21st century alike and different from writing from other eras? How do past authors/literary works influence contemporary writers? What are the social, historical, and cultural values of the Southwest, and how do those values shape No Country for Old Men? How does the context in which a work is written influence that work? What special considerations must be made when adapting a novel into a film? How do these genres (film and novel) work similarly and differently?
Unit Objectives:
· Develop an understanding of contemporary writing.
· Evaluate the influence of past writers on contemporary authors.
· Consider the social, historical, and cultural values of individuals in the Southwest.
· Examine the text against the film adaptation.
Anchor Text: No Country for Old Men (Cormac McCarthy)
Context Text: clips from No Country for Old Men (2007)
Texture Texts:
Sailing to Byzantium by William Butler Yeats
No Country for Old Men adapted screenplay by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
· Required Writing:
Students will complete a timed in-class analysis that asks them to interpret the text of McCarthy based on gender, ethics, and morality. Writer’s Responses (WR) and Creative Responses (CR) will also be required. Students will participate in a Socratic Seminar augmented by an online discussion board.
Unit 6: Research Writing (3 Weeks)
Essential Questions: What are the social, historical, and cultural values of All the Pretty Horses? How do these values shape this work? What effect does McCarthy achieve by employing imagery and symbolism
in All the Pretty Horses? What is McCarthy’s style of writing? What elements distinguish McCarthy’s voice as a writer? What is the tone of this piece? What is the research writing process? How does one choose a topic? How does one locate sources? How does one critically evaluate sources? How does one prepare an outline? How does one use an outline to write a research paper? How does a writer effectively use MLA in the research writing process? What are my (the student’s) strengths and weaknesses as a writer?
Unit Objectives:
· Explore information sources.
· Determine credibility of sources.
· Create valid thesis.
· Analyze and synthesize research material to create unique perspective.
· Utilize correct documentation form.
· Analyze McCarthy’s novel for style, details, imagery, symbolism, and tone to help critically
evaluate writer’s own areas of strength and weakness.
Anchor Text:
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy
Context Text: selected clips from All the Pretty Horses (2000) film adaptation
Texture Text: Purdue OWL Research writing resources, including MLA citation information; various research writing handouts and student samples
· Required Writing: Students will submit a 7-9 page persuasive research paper with MLA documentation. The
process of creating this paper will involve the teacher giving formative feedback to the
student as they progress through the unit. Students will complete a timed, in-class writing paying close attention to the social, historical,
and cultural values of Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses. Students will participate in a Socratic Seminar augmented by an online discussion board.
Unit 7: A Taste of Shakespeare (2 Weeks)
Essential Questions: How does Elizabethan theater differ from Greek theater? How is Elizabethan theater like Greek theater? How do the structures of Greek and Shakespearean plays differ? How are the structures of Greek and Shakespearean plays alike? How do authors employ literary techniques such as puns, double entendres, soliloquies, asides, and allusions in dramas and to what effect(s)?
Unit Objectives:
· Compare Elizabethan theater to Greek theater.
· Compare and contrast the structures of Greek and Shakespearean plays.
· Explore the literary techniques of puns, double entendre, soliloquy, asides, and allusion.
· Explore the life and times of Shakespeare.
· Analyze Elizabethan poetry and Shakespearean sonnets for poetic devices.
· Appreciate and understand Shakespeare’s language by paraphrasing selections.
Anchor Text:
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Context Text: selected readings on Shakespeare and drama from the Norton Anthology
Texture Texts: selected Elizabethan poetry
Required Writing:
· Students will write a formal analysis of appearance versus reality in Hamlet.
· Students will rewrite passages from Hamlet, paraphrasing them and translating them
into modern English.
· Writer’s Responses (WR) and Creative Responses (CR) will also be required.
· Students will participate in a Socratic Seminar augmented by an online discussion board.
Unit 8: Poetry! (2 Weeks)
Unit Objectives:
· Develop an understanding of the following terms associated with poetry: tone, speaker,
language, imagery, symbolism, style, rhythm, sound, sonnet, epigram, ode, elegy, allusion, theme, structure, irony, mood, metaphor, simile, personification, connotation, denotation, rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, assonance, couplet, ballad, free verse, foot, stanza, situation.
· Analyze poetry for artistic quality.
· Utilize close reading techniques for poetry to prepare for AP examination.
· Analyze poetry using the TPCASTT model.
· Write original poetry.
Required Reading from the following:
Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold, The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden, London by William Blake, Homage to My Hips by Lucille Clifton, The Blues by Billy Collins, Heritage by Countee Cullen, somewhere I have never travelled, gladly beyond by E.E. Cummings, Identity Card by Mahmoud Darvish, Indian Movie, New Jersey by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Short Story on a Painting of Gustav Klimt by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Is About by Allen Ginsberg, Digging by Seamus Heaney, Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes, Facing It by Yusef Komunyakaa, Immigrants by Pat Mora, My ugly love by Pablo Neruda, Booker T. and W.E.B. by Dudley Randall, My Papa’s Waltz by Theodore Roethke, Chicago by Carl Sandburg, Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas, A Bedtime Story by Mitsuye Yamada
Required Writing: Students will complete several AP style poetry writing prompts throughout the unit in addition to writing several poems. Students will complete My Favorite Poem project. Students will participate in a Socratic Seminar augmented by an online discussion board.
