Sessions 1-6 ( Weeks 1-36)

 

Pre-Course Requirements/Assignments
• Actively read one or two of the following works: Death of a Salesman--Arthur Miller, The Poisonwood Bible—Barbara Kingsolver, The Awakening—Kate Chopin, Pride and Prejudice—Jane Austen, Their Eyes Were Watching God—Zora Neale Hurston, Crime and Punishment—Fyodor Dostoevsky, A Streetcar Named Desire—Tennessee Williams
• Complete a Literary Analysis (“Major Works”) data sheet including biographical information about the author, historical information about the period of publication, characteristics of genre, plot elements and literary devices used, significant quotations and analysis
• Literary Terms Assignment: Students will enter the course with a working knowledge of the following AP literary terminology: Metaphorical Device/Imagery (11 terms), Ironic devices (9 terms), rhetorical devices (10 terms), rhythmic devices/structure (15 terms), poetry types and terms (10 terms), narrative terms (15 terms), character terms (11 terms), literary movements (8 movements), literary genres (18 genres), essay terms (15 terms). *Students will be tested on terms during the second week of the course.

Week One: Introduction to AP Literature

What is Advanced Placement Literature? /Introduction to the composition of the course, the AP exam, course expectations, and benefits of AP courses.

Students will read in Understanding Literature—An Introduction to Reading and Writing, Walter Kalaidjian, chapter two “Analyzing and Interpreting Fiction”; discussion on “reading like a student of literature” (meaningful reading versus reading for pleasure).

Students will read selections from How to Read like a College Professor.

Apply the techniques outlined in Understanding Literature selection to several of the following short stories: “A & P”—John Updike, “A Woman on a Roof”—Doris Lessing, “The Lady with the Dog”—Anton Chekhov, “The Man Who Was Almost a Man”—Richard Wright, “Barn Burning”—William Faulkner, This Flower”—Katherine Mansfield, “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World”—Gabriel Garcia Marquez, “Hills Like White Elephants”—Ernest Hemingway, “A Good Man is Hard to Find”—Flannery O’Conner.

Week Two: Introduction to Poetry
*Carry-over from short stories—discussion and analysis

POETRY: Poetry analysis: Teach “SOAPS” or “DIDLS” method of analysis.
• Review poetry specific terms (tone, tonal shifts, speaker, etc) from The Literary Terms Assignment *see Pre-Course Requirements/Assignments

• Tonal Shift lesson—include music and lyrics from Dido’s “All I Want”, comparison of Johnny Cash’s and Nine Inch Nails “Hurt” music video.
• Specialized practice with: “Digging”—Seamus Heaney, “The Mind is an Enchanting Thing”—Marianne Moore, “This Living Hand”—John Keats, “Breaking Tradition”—Janice Mirikitani, “The Fury of Aerial Bombardment”—Richard Eberhart, “The Knight, Death, and the Devil”—Randall Jarrell, “Didactic Piece”—Louise Bogan, all taken from Understanding Literature.
• Partnered Poetry Project: Students will analyze a poem for presentation from a list of poems provided by instructor. Students will be responsible for writing a two to three page paper that includes documentation of critical analysis. The assignment will end with a presentation by students including appropriate coverage of literary terms within poem and a visual aid to enhance the presentation of the information.

Week Three: “The Tragic Hero”—part one
*Test on literary terms—see Pre-Course Requirements/Assignments
*Collect, review, evaluate, and provide feedback to “Major Works Data Sheet”—see Pre-Course Requirements/Assignments

• In-class timed essay on Death of a Salesman taken from previous AP open-ended prompts; objective test on Death of a Salesman
• Close reading analysis of specific passages from Acts I and II of Death of a Salesman.
• Group debate (Socratic Seminar or Philosophical Chairs) on relevant topics from Death of a Salesman
• Tragic hero definitions (Classical versus A. Miller’s)—Tragedy of the Common Man

Week Four—Six: Existentialism/”The Absurd”
• Introduction to existentialist philosophy (Kierkegaard) via handouts, discussion, with relevant author information (Camus, Kafka, Sartre, Dostoevsky)—students do background research on movement, important figures
• Active reading, analysis and knowledge of historical context of at least three of the following works: The Stranger—Albert Camus, No Exit—Jean-Paul Sartre, The Metamorphosis—Franz Kafka, The Plague—Albert Camus, Crime and Punishment—Fyodor Dostoevsky, “A Hunger Artist”—Franz Kafka, “The Guest”—Albert Camus
• Literary Term/Style focus: symbolism, tone, point of view, irony, sentence structure
• Literary Criticism (scholarly published essays)—instructor provided—readings and appropriate discussion regarding existentialist works. Students will also research one piece of literary criticism and both write a personal response as well as present the material orally to the class.
• Students will have two to three essays (a combination of in-class timed papers and formal process papers) relevant to the texts read for this section of the course. The prompts will be adapted from previous AP prompts.
• Students will be given both subjective and objective forms of assessment for this section of the course with multiple choice, short answer, etc.

Week Seven—Nine: Heart of Darkness (Impressionistic Writing)
*Students present partnered poetry projects—written analysis due—see week two

• Introduction to Impressionistic writing genre through analysis of impressionist artists’ works (Monet, Seurat), coupled with discussion about the parallels between writing and painting. (Students come to the understanding of needing to visualize the whole painting—not just a small part—in order to holistically interpret its meaning, i.e. what they need to do for the difficult task of reading Heart of Darkness)
• Handout on characteristics of impressionistic writing
• Discussion: Imperialism—historical context, Africa, map of Africa pre-colonialism, post-colonialism, current.
• Debate: Students will have to prepare for debate regarding themes, issues in Heart of Darkness (personal level, national level, philosophical level).
• Literary Term Focus: A study of the writing style and techniques used by Conrad: frame narrative, synecdoche, metonymy, juxtaposition, extended metaphor, setting, mood/tone, symbolism, oblique approach, theme, simile/metaphor, imagery (color, animal etc.).
• Style Focus: adjective pairing, punctuation (use of dashes, exclamation points, ellipses), sentence/paragraph structure.
• Poetry: “The Tiger”—William Blake, “White Man’s Burden—Rudyard Kipling, “Brown Man’s Burden”—Henry Labouchere, “Hollow Men”—T.S. Eliot—instructor provided. Students will annotate poems and participate in discussion of relevant poetic devices present in the poems, while also making thematic correlations to Heart of Darkness.
• Students will engage in several close reading assignments.
• Students will be required to create pointed questions during their reading of the novella for discussion in class, respond to teacher-generated questions, write process paper to AP English Literature prompt from 1979, using Kurtz as the subject. Group essay project in class timed response. (Students will respond to several prompts as a group by discussing first and then individually writing essays) A variety of objective assessments will be given as well, largely multiple choice in nature.

Week Ten—Eighteen: “The Tragic Hero”: Part Two, Things Fall Apart & Hamlet
Things Fall Apart: (3 weeks)
• Review characteristics of the tragic hero
• Jigsaw background information about Achebe, Nigeria, Ibo people, etc.
• Poetry/Essays/short stories: “The Second Coming”—William Butler Yeats, “The Sacrificial Egg”—Chinua Achebe (Understanding Literature), “An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness.”—Chinua Achebe
• Literary Terms Focus: hubris, characterization, proverb, analogy, simile/metaphor, irony, symbolism, plot elements, theme, use of native language, oral tradition, tragic flaw, tragic hero
• Style Focus: rhetorical devices, sound devices
• Close readings of passages (instructor-selected and student-selected); will examine author’s purpose and appropriate literary devices; written explication of close readings will be completed individually
• AP essay timed in class—adapted from 1995 AP English Literature prompt
• Optional (time-permitting) Group Essay test in class timed response
• Assessments: quizzes including both objective as well as content and style questions
• Comparison of Heart of Darkness and Things Fall Apart

Hamlet: (5 weeks)
• Brief review of Shakespearean language, format of text, The Great Chain of Being—students complete their own model of the Great Chain of Being, and present it with an explication of their choice. Jig-saw background information about Shakespeare, micro/macrocosm, reformation, elements and humors, Elizabeth I, etc.
• Listen to tape of Act I, scene i. Follow-up lesson on foreboding; students look up evidence of dark, mysterious, sense of evil, fear in scene one. (tone/atmosphere)
• Begin study of Hamlet by explicating several close readings of selected soliloquies
• Cover the format for Hamlet’s soliloquies. Discuss patterns that each of Hamlet’s soliloquies follow: 1.”woe is me” 2. summary of events 3. and call for action
• Isolate: Act I, scene I, Horatio’s monologues—one and two
• Read Act I, scenes ii and iii: examine King Claudius’ monologue and Hamlet’s response; analysis of King’s rhetorical strategy
• Literary Term Focus: monologue, soliloquy, aside, dramatic structure, tragic hero, tragic flaw, dramatic irony, verbal irony, imagery, blank verse, rhymed couplet, wordplay (puns), foreshadowing, symbolism
• Close reading and examination of Polonius’ advice to his children
• Students will complete Journal/Log entries for Hamlet, each act and several scenes. The content of log entries varies, but center on literary terms and analysis of specific text from the play.
• Students will complete study questions both individually and as a group
• Close examination of Hamlet’s main soliloquies: “So oft it chances…”, “To be or not to be”, etc.
• Comparison to film versions. Show clips of certain scenes that students then evaluate in a written form based on actors’ portrayal, setting, lighting, costumes etc. (Laurence Olivier, Kenneth Brannagh, Mel Gibson versions)
• Final Exam to include: three-hour AP style exam. Multiple Choice (literary terms and analysis of passages/poetry and at least two essays (prose passage and open-ended response)

Semester Two: *Students will come back to school having read Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, along with one of the following critical essays: On Characterization in Greek Tragedy—P. E. Easterling, On Greek Theater and Religious Ritual—David Wiles, or On Greek Tragedy and Women—Helene P. Foley found in anthology, Understanding Literature…Along with the reading, they will complete a Major Works Data Sheet for the drama.

Week One--Three: Greek Tragedy
Week One: (Oedipus Rex)
• Discussion of Oedipus Rex (Elements of Greek Drama, Sophocles, Tragic Hero, etc.)
• AP essay (2003 free response)—in class, timed
• Discussion of critical essays and relation to Oedipus Rex
Week Two, Three: (Medea)
• Mythology background: “The Quest for the Golden Fleece”, Jason and the Argonauts, etc.
• Structure of Classical Greek tragedy (prologos, parados, episode, stasimon, exodus)
• Close reading analysis of student-selected passages
• Jason vs. Medea debate—students prepare by finding arguments and citing evidence from text
• One of the following AP essays (1982, 1992, 1995)—take home, process paper

Week Four—Eight: Poetry & Comedy

Poetry
• While poetry has been introduced and examined all year, this four weeks gives an intensive focus on types of poetry, time periods, and specific literary devices utilized in poetic forms. Most poetry selections are taken from Understanding Literature—An Introduction to Reading and Writing—Walter Kalaidjian. Instructor will provide copies of other poems not found in classroom text. Students will eventually be able to respond to poems through close analysis. These responses will vary in length and formality; some through annotated copies with verbal discussions, and others through process-type essays as well as on-demand essays in class.

• Introduction: Reading Poetry: Understanding Literature…--Walter Kalaidjian, pages 692-696.
Practice poems (instructor provided)
• Diction, Word Choice, and Tone: “Digging”—Seamus Heaney, “Breaking Tradition”—Janice Mirikatani, “The Knight, Death, and the Devil”—Randall Jarrell, “This Living Hand”—John Keats, “The Mind Is an Enchanting Thing”—Marianne Moore, “The Fury of Aerial Bombardment”—Richard Eberhart
• Poetic Imagery and Theories: “O Taste and See”—Denise Levertov, “Eleven”—Archibalm Macleish, “In a Station of the Metro”—Ezra Pound, “The Great Figure”—William Carlos Williams, “The Dead Butterfly”—Denise Levertov, “Mexican Desert”—Mina Loy, “Preludes”—T.S. Eliot
• Figurative Language: “Metaphors”—Sylvia Plath, “Habitation”—Margaret Atwood, “ I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”—William Wordsworth, “Size and Sheer Will”—Sharon Olds, “A Bird came down the Walk”—Emily Dickinson, “Fern Hill”—Dylan Thomas, “Dover Beach”—Matthew Arnold, “It sifts from Leaden Sieves”—Emily Dickinson,
• Symbolism: “The Lamb”—William Blake, “One Perfect Rose”—Dorothy Parker, “Mending Wall”—Robert Frost, “ The Moon and the Yew Tree”—Sylvia Plath, “The Yachts”—William Carlos Williams
• Poetic Forms (Blank Verse, Sonnets, Couplets, Odes, and Quatrains): “First Snow in Alsace”—Richard Wilbur, “When I Consider How My Light Is Spent”—John Milton, “Sonnet 55”—Shakespeare, “Sonnet 75”—Edmund Spenser, “the rites for Cousin Vit”—Gwendolyn Brooks, “The Waking”—Theodore Roethke
• Modern/Contemporary Poetry: “Elevator Boy”—Langston Hughes, “Johannesburg Mines”—Langston Hughes, “I Want You Women Up North to Know”—Tillie Olsen, “Death Fugue”—Paul Celan, “Lady Lazarus”—Sylvia Plath, “Sources”—Adrienne Rich, “Heritage”—Countee Cullen, “Portrait in Georgia”—Jean Toomer, “To a Dark Girl”—Gwendolyn B. Bennett, “The Harlem Dancer”—Claude McKay, “We Wear the Mask”—Paul Laurence Dunbar, “Dear Frida”—Pat Mora, “Mexicans Begin Jogging”—Gary Soto, “Little Clown, My Heart”—Sandra Cisneros, “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers”—Adrienne Rich, “Daddy”—Sylvia Plath, “Homage to My Hips”—Lucille Clifton, “Story from Bear Country”—Leslie Marmon Silko

Comedy
• Concurrent with the poetry unit, during these five weeks, students will study comedy. Students will read at least two of the following works: The Flying Doctor—Moliere, Endgame—Samuel Beckett, The Importance of Being Ernest—Oscar Wilde, “Cyrano de Bergerac—Edmond Rostand, Pygmalion—George Bernard Shaw, Tartuffe—Moliere, Candide--Voltaire
• Background information about history of comedy (Greek, Middle Ages, Renaissance, modern) Universal characters in comedy (lovers, clown, etc.) Structure of comedy as a form
• Students will complete several close reading assignments, as well as a data sheet for each work
• Satire: Students will read several examples of satirical works in the form of formal writings. Students will be encouraged to find contemporary, “pop-culture” versions of satire from varying media outlets such as: The Daily Show, The Simpsons, The Onion, and Satire Wire.
• Students will “choose” their own AP prompt (taken from former tests) that suits one of the previous comedies well

Weeks Nine--Eleven: Realism (Hedda Gabler and A Doll’s House)

Weeks Nine & Ten: Focus will be on A Doll’s House-- Discussion on realism in drama, women’s roles, feminism, etc.
• Students will actively read A Doll’s House and keep a character journal of changes in characters’ actions, motives, etc.
• Students will write to one of six AP prompts (taken from previous tests) timed in-class
• Students will write a process paper on a character’s development throughout the drama
• Students will create a data sheet assignment for this drama
Week Eleven: Students will come to class having read Hedda Gabler, and having completed a data works paper on the work.
• Students will formulate topics to be discussed regarding Hedda Gabler in comparison to A Doll’s House and create their own “AP style” open ended prompts.

Weeks Twelve—End of semester: Contemporary/Multicultural Fiction Book Clubs & Preparation for the AP Exam

• Students will choose one of the following novels to read and study in a small student group: Their Eyes Were Watching God—Hurston, The Things They Carried—O’Brien, The Joy Luck Club—Tan, Slaughter House Five—Vonnegut, Like Water for Chocolate—Esquivel, Catch-22—Heller, Falling Leaves—Yen Mah, Bless Me, Ultima—Anaya, Brave New World----Huxley, Beloved—Morrison, The Kite Runner—Hosseini
• Students will set their own reading assignments based on an instructor-provided calendar. For each meeting they will have to have read the material for that day, as well as create discussion questions pertaining to that week’s reading, find varying literary devices from each week’s reading and explain significance, chart plot development, thematic elements, and character development.
• Students will create several close reading analyses for their novel or memoir as well as a formal, in-depth study guide researching author, historical significance, etc.
• Students will provide a poem complete with notations and appropriate analysis relevant in theme to their particular novel/memoir.
• Individually students will write an AP style essay using their novel as the source for the open-ended response.

*During the “book club” weeks, the instructor will also provide students with a variety of test preparation including practice multiple choice tests along with discussion of answers, as well as a variety of prose, poetry and open-ended prompts to practice, discuss, notate, etc.
Students will be responsible for completing four in-depth study guides in addition to their book club one to prepare for the exam as well.