AP ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION SYLLABUS

2015-2016
Course Introduction
Welcome to AP English Literature and Composition. I am happy that you
have chosen to take this course. The purpose and focus of this class is to
provide a college-level learning experience that will prepare you for the AP
Literature exam as well as prepare you for college. This class will also
enhance your critical thinking and reading skills, as well as analytical writing
skills. Throughout the year, we will examine a variety of British, North
American, and World Literature that will expand your knowledge of history,
philosophy, cultural traditions, and much more. You will read. You will
analyze. You will write!
Instructional Goals and Priorities:
1.) I want you to feel prepared and confident going into the AP exam in the
spring.
2.) I want you to grow accustomed to (used to) dealing with a college-level
workload.
3.) I want you to build confidence in your writing, especially for timedwritings, through practice, practice, and more practice.
4.) I want you to feel confident upon entering college that you have read the
right books and done the hard work in high school so that you feel
prepared and equal to your fellow first-year classmates.
In order to reach these goals, we will be adhering to the curricular
requirements described in the AP English Course Description. We will be
reading a variety of works-prose, fiction, drama and poetry- from the 16th
through the 21st centuries. While our selection of texts will be wide, we will
often go deep into analysis of a particular selection, poem, excerpt, etc. This
course includes an intensive study of representative works of recognized
literary merit including, but not limited to, those listed in the course
description. As we read, we will consider many elements of the works
structure, style, syntax, themes, as well as other elements such as figurative
language, symbolism, imagery, and tone. You will have opportunity to
express your opinions on the text through a variety of writing activities,
including journaling, annotating, free writing, creative responses, Socratic
seminars, and formal essays. You will also have the opportunity and be
encouraged to participate in class discussions, pair share partner work, and
smaller group discussions. Discussion and participation in class, will, in fact,
be an important part of your grade. In addition to participation, you will be
required to revise and re-work selected essays or other writing assignments
to improve precision and clarity of your writing.

Through reading you will be:

Developing annotating skills, close-reading skills, and other meta-cognitive
strategies to enhance comprehension.
Building vocabulary from reading selections as well and practice A.P.
multiple choice and essay exams. You will keep an updated log of all new
vocabulary learned and the context in which it was found.
Questioning as a form of discovering answers, connecting, interpreting,
and evaluating texts.
Recognizing literary and rhetorical devices as critical components of
reading and writing.
Appreciating the interplay of culture and history in developing textual
interpretation.
Reading independently, monitoring their own reading comprehension, and
discussing their findings in groups.
Through writing you will be:
Practicing frequent, authentic writing responses,
Responding to on demand essay prompts.
Revising and reworking your writing in order to improve elements of voice,
clarity, persuasion, and overall effectiveness.
Honing your grammatical and syntactical skills.
Focusing on word choice, syntax, and concision.
Developing strong claims that are supported by evidence and
commentary.
Using rubrics for both peer and self-editing.
Responding creatively to a text or theme.

Writing Requirements for this Course

1. You will be required to complete bi-weekly (once every two weeks) poetry
reflections (see handout on poetry reflections).
2. You will be required to keep an A.P. Log, which will include reflections,
journal entries, annotations (notes), short responses, creative writing,
vocabulary, commentary, and judgments. You will be informed as to what
will be written in your log. (See handout on log)
3. In addition to writing in your log and your poetry reflections, you will be
required to write many essays and complete other writing assignments
throughout the year, not limited to but including the following:
a. Introductory Letter to Teacher (in response to teachers letter to
students)
b. College Essay
c. Timed Writes (One done for every major work plus shorter works-

about
twice a month)
d. Revised Timed Writes (monthly, more if time allows)
e. Analytical essays in which you write about a whole text, and examine
and draw a conclusion about theme or motif in the novel. These essays
will be assigned outside of class, however, you may come to tutoring to
receive help and feedback.
f. Further Revisions of Timed Writes (done with papers that have gone
through the revision process)
g. Creative writing assignments
h. Two Writing Portfolios (at the semester and before end of the year)
that will include revised and polished essays as well as your own
reflection on your writing and progress you have made throughout the
year.

Reading Requirements for the Course

In choosing the texts for this course, I tried to strike a strong balance of
contemporary books vs. older books from the literary canon while also
looking to offer a sampling of literary works designed to cross cultures, social
class, and themes. Listed below are the directions for our year; please
realize this syllabus represents many more choices that we may be able to
utilize. We will adjust course content together as we see what your specific
needs are and how much time we have.
Major Texts:
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (excerpts)
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garca Mrquez (excerpts)
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Student Choice: Atonement by Ian McEwen or Kite Runner by Khaled
Hosseini
Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (excerpts)
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (excerpts)
Student choice of the following: Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston,
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, or Black Boy by Richard Wright.
Additional texts to be determined by student and/or teacher
Short prose:
A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift

A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid (excerpts)

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
How it Feels to Be Colored Me by Zora Neale Hurston
A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery OConnor
Additional Texts
Poetry Unit
A poetry unit utilizing Francis Mayes The Discovery of Poetry: A Field Guide
to Reading and Writing Poems, as well as poetry by Emily Dickinson, Seamus
Heaney, Robert Frost, John Donne, Jay Wright, Shakespeare, Rosanna Warren,
Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, William Shakespeare, Pablo Neruda,
e.e. cummings, Sylvia Plath, T.S. Eliot, John Keats, William Carlos Williams,
Elizabeth Bishop, Theodore Roethke, Jimmy Baca Santiago, D.H. Lawrence,
William Wordsworth, Sandra Cisneros, Adrienne Rich, and Ntozake Shange,
among others.
**Required texts are subject to change at any point throughout the year,
depending on different factors, such as students needs and interests.

A.P. Exam
The AP exam will be on May 6, 2015. It is a three-hour test consisting of 46
multiple-choice questions (one hour) and three timed-writings (two hours).
Whether you took an AP exam last year or not, whether you were happy with
your AP exam score or not, this AP English exam will be challenging. I want
you to do well on this exam. More importantly, I want you to want to do well
on this exam. Even more importantly, I want you to feel confident going into
the exam.
We are going to work hard and practice often in this course.

Essays
Expect our first practice timed-writing during your first or second week of
school; we will continue to do one timed-writing every 2 weeks from that
point on. These timed-writes will be both analytical and interpretive in
nature, depending on the prompt. You will have an opportunity to revise
some of your timed-writes and turn them in a second or third time to be
assessed by the teacher. You will receive a rubric for every essay that you
write. These rubrics are taken from past A.P. tests and adapted to our essay
assignments. The basic rubric will stay the same throughout the year. The
scale is from zero to nine. The scale will be adapted and curved accordingly
to where we are at during the year. For example, a score of a five might be
an A in the beginning of the year, but by the end of the year, it might be
considered a C.

You will also write an essay as the final assessment for each major text we
read. These essays will ask you to break down an idea from the entire text
into an argument that is coherent and insightful. Paper topics will require you
to analyze and reflect on the social and historical values present in our works
of literature as well as make astute observation of textual details. You will be
asked to think beyond the events in the plot and to assess larger cultural
issues present, as well as, how the authors writing style and use of literary
devices aid his/her point.
In summary, in this course you will be asked to write informally in an
exploratory sense, interpretively, in a way that seeks to explain (expository),
and argumentative/evaluative. In each of these instances you will receive
written feedback from me in the form of rubrics and comments, and, in some
instances, peer reviews in the form of writing circles. Feedback from me will
include grammatical instruction, organizational support, attention to detail
vs. generalization, and development of tone, voice, and syntax (sentence
structure). Every time you receive a grade on a piece of written work, you
will know exactly why you got what you got. In fact, based on our
established rubrics, you will often score your own piece of written work first
before receiving any results from me. This will help you to better understand
and internalize the grading process. The majority of first drafts (of your
essays) will be written in class.
NOTE: Academic dishonesty will not be accepted in this class. Plagiarism
(claiming someone elses work as your own i.e. copying a paper from the
Internet) and cheating will result in strict consequences as deemed
appropriate by the teacher and the school administration.

Tests/Quizzes
You will also have vocabulary tests, literary term tests, reading checks, and
other assignments just like you have had in English classes in the past; these
components of the course will be explained as they arise.

Homework
You need to get used to the idea of having reading homework every night.
Expect that it will be between one and three hours. The majority of your
homework will be reading-based and then writing, both formally and
informally, about what we have read. Because this is an accelerated class
and also due to the fact that you will receive a grade bump, you must
make sure to reach the standards set for this class.

Participation
Much of class time will be spent on discussions, whether its in pairs, small
groups, or in large Socratic Seminars. If you are not used to speaking up in
class, then it is important to push yourself next year to do so. You will be
pushed to think deeply about your reading and to articulate your thoughts

clearly. A significant portion of your grade will be based on your

participation in class. See the handout on your participation grade for more
details.

Grading System
You will be graded according to the following system of points:
A= 89.5-100% of total points
B= 79.5-89% of total points
C= 69.5-79% of total points
D= 59.5-69% of total points
F= 0-59% of total points
*Your overall grade is not comprised of categories or percentages; it is simply
the total points earned divided by the total points possible.
*Examples of point allowances: Usually, a timed in class essay write is worth
50 points. A polished and revised essay (that includes 2 or more revisions) is
usually worth 100 points. Your participation grade is worth approximately
100 points per semester. Quizzes may be worth 10 or more points.

Office Hours
I am available for extra help, tutoring or to answer any questions you have.
General Tutoring: I am available before or at lunch on most days. I am
also available for meetings after some school days. Please make an
appointment with me in advance to make sure that I am there.
Intervention: You will be required to attend intervention if your course
grade falls below a C. This intervention tutoring will be held on Tuesdays
after school from 3:15-4:30p.m. Student athletes/club participants may
request a lunch time session.
STUDY SESSIONS: As we get closer to the A.P. test in May, you will be
required to come to study sessions during lunch or after school. During the
2nd quarter you will be required to come once a week for a half hour. During
the second semester and before the A.P. exam, you will be required to come
for a half hour a week or one hour a week, depending on how I feel the class
is doing as a whole, and how much extra help is needed

Tardy, Absence and Late Work Policies

Please do not be tardy! When you are tardy, you must sign in at the door.
The consequences for tardiness are:

1st Tardy (in a quarter): WARNING

2nd: PHONE CALL HOME
3rd: INTERVENTION (during lunch on Tuesday) WITH TEACHER
4th: AFTER SCHOOL DETENTION with school administrators
5 or more tardies: Appropriate action will be taken by administrators.
If you are absent, you must find out what you have missed by contacting
your study buddy. If he/she is unable to help you, you can contact me.
You will not be able to make up small quizzes or other class activities, not
even with a valid excuse. You can only make up major tests (including essay
tests) if your absence has been excused and you make it up promptly. You
must see me immediately to determine when you can make up a test. If you
are chronically
absent, you may not be able to make up the test.
In short, DO NOT BE ABSENT UNLESS IT IS TRULY NECESSARY.
All late-work will be accepted for half-credit. Re-writes of late assignments
may receive full credit. However, there is a large amount of work assigned in
this class so you will not have very much time to devote to past-due
assignments.

Materials Needed for this Class

For this class, you will need a specific binder DEVOTED SOLELY TO THIS
CLASS. I will show you a sample of how you will be expected to organize
your binder. You will be expected to have this binder with you everyday. You
will keep all of your work, assignments and essays, and other handouts in
your binder. Throughout the semester I will be conducting binder checks to
make sure you are keeping and maintaining your binder for the class. You
may or may not be warned of these checks, and they will affect your
grade. In addition to your binder, you must always have a pencil, paper,
highlighter, post-its, and the text that we are currently reading. Please do
not ask me to borrow a pencil!

Launch/Warm-Up
Each day that you walk into class, there will be a Launch or warm-up
assignment that will be on the board. You must start working on this
immediately. Most often, it will be a question or short assignment for you to
complete in your log.

Paper Heading and Additional Policies

Please place the title of your papers in the TOP LEFT corner of your paper.
Include this in formation in the following order:

Name
Subject/Teachers name
Class Period
Date
The assignment title should be centered at the top of the paper.
All major papers must be typed in order to receive credit. I recommend that
you type all drafts of major papers (after writing the first draft in class) since
it will make editing and revising easier. If you do not have a computer at
home, you will need to use the library or computer lab at school. Papers
should be in Times New Roman 12pt font, double-spaced with 1 margins.
This is standard MLA format.

General Classroom Rules

1. Respect yourself and others; no put-downs.
2. One mic: Listen while others are talking and let everyone have their turn
to talk.
3. Be on time.
4. Participate!
5. No cell phones, IPODS or other electronic devices.

Course Outline
FALL SEMESTER
Weeks 1-3 Course Introduction, Writing Effective Essays, and
Introduction to Poetry Analysis
Course overview, expectations and procedures.
Get acquainted with each other-various activities
1st Timed write focusing on poetry; 1st Multiple Choice practice test
focusing on poetry.
Summer reading sharing and discussing. Analysis of essay written over
the summer. Students will have read two texts chosen out of four options:
The Bean Trees, Native Son, Sula, and How the Garcia Girls Lost Their
Accents. For one text, they answer Probst reading questions throughout the
text. For the other text, they completed a final essay assignment.
Self-analysis of claim, evidence, and commentary on summer essay and
first timed write.
Review of analytical essay structure, format and components, such as
thesis statement, tone and purpose.
Students will write an essay analyzing and making an argument that the
characters in their novels either create reader sympathy, or further
stereotypes for the culture that they represent. For example, a student may
argue that in writing Biggers character Wright creates sympathy for the
oppression of African Americans in the 1930s OR that Biggers character
furthers the status quo at the time.
Additional timed-writes with one or more revisions.

 Introduction to Poetry analysis: focusing on important literary terms such

as tone, diction, syntax, figurative language, theme, detail, and imagery.
Employ TP-CASTT (Title, paraphrase, connotation, attitude, shifts, theme
and title) as a means of becoming acquainted with a poem.
Texts include (and not limited to): Francis Mayes The Discovery of
Poetry,The Norton Introduction to Literature,Voice Lessons by Nancy Dean ,A
Barred Owl by Richard Wilbur, History Teacher by Billy Collins, Sestina
by Elizabeth Bishop, The Voice You Hear When You Read Silently by
Thomas Lux, Exam Readers Advice on Writing from A.P. Central
Weeks 4-8: Finding Love and Independence
Students will read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Students will write an essay based on AP open response 2002 prompt
question on morally ambiguous characters: Morally ambiguous
characters -- morally ambiguous characters are characters in literature
whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or
purely good. Morally ambiguous characters are at the heart of many works
of literature. Choose a morally ambiguous character from Pride and
Prejudice. Then write an essay in which you explain how that character can
be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is
significant to the work as a whole. Minimum of two quote citations from the
text supporting your claims are required. Once again, avoid mere plot
summary.
Students will also:
Dialectical journals and quote analysis of novel
Dialect translation, using Shakespeares Sonnet CXXX
1st in-class timed write based on the novel
Continuation of poetry analysis through poetry reflections
Texts include (and not limited to):
Shakespeares Sonnet CXXX
Weeks 9-11: Being the Outsider
Students will read The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Students will read excerpts from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Students will participate in Socratic Seminars
Compare Kafkas life to Gregor Samsa by looking at supplemental reading
on Franz Kafkas life.
What is a Gregor Samsa?
Continuation of poetry analysis through reflection and discussion
Additional timed write focusing on The Metamorphosis, with revisions.
A lesson in predication: writing about students hometown without using
the verb to be.

 Students will read excerpts from Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and
connect themes to Metamorphosis and/or Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
Texts include (and not limited to): The Metamorphosis, The Invisible Man
(excerpts)
Additional poems
Students will write an argumentative essay based on The Metamorphosis,
the essay should serve to prove with textual evidence if Gregor Samsa
literally turned into a bug, or if the bug was metaphorical for his isolation.
Weeks 11-16 Finding Purpose in Existence
Students will be reading Hamlet
Analyze specific literary elements in plays, including asides, soliloquy,
monologue, stage directions, etc.
Introduction to Elizabethan culture and important terms and references.
Exploring the elements of tragedy (including dramatic irony and tragic
hero)
Introduction to analyzing short prose.
Learning how to handle quotations in essay.
First timed write focusing on excerpt from Fasting Feasting by Anita Desai
(previous AP exam question)
Analysis of excerpt from Henry the IV and practice multiple-choice test
Focus lessons on diction and syntax.
Independent Reading Project: Students choose one book from the
following three: Black Boy by Richard Wright, Woman Warrior by Maxine
Hong Kingston, The Joy-Luck Club by Amy Tan. Students will answer reading
questions as they go and complete one essay at the end.
Group presentation of specific scene in Hamlet.
Students will view various film clips from a variety of films based on the
story of Hamlet and write responses to them.
Focus on characterization methods used in the play, specific activities
include a group project that focuses on a character other than Hamlet in Act
4 and follows that characters actions and motivations throughout the Act.
Individual presentation on most significant quote in play (students will
memorize 5 or more lines of play and present them to the class and explain
why they chose those lines as significant).
1st Writing Porfolio due.
Texts include (and not limited to):
Black Boy by Richard Wright
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
Hamlet by Shakespeare
Voice Lessons by Nancy Dean
Additional poems for continuation of poetry analysis

Weeks 17-19 Greek Tragedy

Students will read Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
Students will compare and contrast Hamlet to the Oedipus Trilogy,
specifically focusing on characterization, elements of tragedies, themes,
pathos, hubris, and the role of gender.
Students will complete a multiple choice A.P. test with a passage from a
similar text.
Students will complete a timed essay write using a previous A.P. prompt.
Students will analyze features of Greek tragedy and compare them to
Shakespearean tragedy.
Students will participate in Socratic and small group seminars.
Students will write an essay exploring the motif of blindness in The
Oedipus. The essay should include the students assessment of the meaning
and importance of the motif.
Continuation of poetry analysis and reflections with a variety of poems.
Texts include (and not limited to):
Oedipus Rex
Hamlet
Additional poems for continuation of poetry analysis
SPRING SEMESTER
Weeks 1-3 Comedy and Satire
Students will read Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, A Modest
Proposal by Jonathan Swift, and excerpts from A Small Place by Jamaica
Kincaid.
Students will examine the features and literary devices employed in
comedy, such as satire, parody, hyperbole, farce, oxymoron, tone, and irony.
Students will be given a historical context to the novel and essay.
Students will Track comedic techniques on a chart while reading the texts.
Students will read past A.P. test excerpts (both essay and multiple choice)
that are comedic and analyze the stylistic devices used.
Students will complete an in-class essay test using a past A.P. essay test
prompt that focuses on Candide.
Students will produce their own satirical piece of writing commenting on a
current social issue.
Texts include (and not limited to):
Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift
A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid
Youre Ugly Too by Lorie Moore
Barbie Doll by Marge Piercy
Additional poems for poetry analysis
Weeks 4-5 Magical Realism and Latin American Writers

 Students will read excerpts from One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Elements of magical realism and other key literary techniques will be
analyzed and discussed.
Additional texts, such as excerpts from The House of Spirits by Isabelle
Allende will be examined.
Texts include (and not limited to):
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (excerpts)
Additional short stories
Weeks 6-9 Womens Independence
Students will read The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Students will keep dialectical journals throughout novel, and respond in
writing to text using other response techniques such as Probst questions.
Continue to employ new literary terms in writing and oral response, such
as plot structure, characterization, and point of view.
In-class timed write based on the novel, with revisions.
Viewing of feminist film such as Thelma and Louise or The Hours, with
critical oral and written analysis that compares and contrasts film with The
Awakening.
Continuation of poetry analysis through poetry reflections, specifically
examining feminist poetry.
Students will write an essay that includes a close reading of one of the
poems read in class. The essay should include how the structure and poetic
devices aid to the understanding of the meaning of the poem as a whole.
Students will also read two short stories: The Yellow Wallpaper and A Good
Man is Hard to Find. Students will analyze the predominant literary elements
of these stories as well as their connection to feminism and The Awakening.
Students will participate in Socratic Seminars and small group discussions.
Texts include (and not limited to):
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
The Yellow Wallpaper by Kate Chopin
A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery OConner
Weeks 10-13 Breaking Free of Conformity
Students will read The Catcher in the Rye
Students will compare and contrast themes and poetic devices used in
The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock and The Dangling Conversation.
Students will analyze and discuss selected passages in the texts, using
Socratic seminars and other discussion forums.
Students will complete an end-of-unit essay test, using a past AP prompt.
Students will write an essay in which they write an analytical essay
tracking the use of symbolism throughout The Catcher in the Rye.
Texts include (and not limited to):
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

T.S. Eliots The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock

Simon and Garfunkels The Dangling Conversation
Weeks 13-16: Review for A.P. Test
Students will create review sheets for four major texts that they have
read. Review sheets will include characters, conflicts, themes, plot
summaries, symbolism, literary devices, historical elements, etc.
Students will create a list of important vocabulary terms based on
previous tests and texts. The list will include references to vocabulary in
context, and students own connections to various texts.
Students will take practice A.P. tests, both multiple-choice and essay.
Students will participate in additional study sessions outside of class in
preparation for the exam.
Students will continue self-analysis of writing and complete multiple
revisions of a chosen essay.
A.P. TEST WILL TAKE PLACE
Weeks 16-20 Science Fiction
Students Choice of text from the following: Handmaids Tale by Margaret
Atwood or 1984 by George Orwell.
Students will complete an independent reading assignment that will
include group projects and collaboration, as well as a culminating event at
the end of the year.
Students will turn in a final Writing Portfolio that will include a selfevaluation of growth and progress throughout the year.
Texts include (and not limited to):
The Handmaids Tale or 1984
Poems to be chosen by teacher and/or students
Teacher Resources (a sampling)
Abrams, M.H. Glossary of Literary Terms. San Francisco: Holt, Rinehart and
Wilson, 1988.
Blau, Sheridan. The Literature Workshop. Heinemann, Portsmouth, New
Hampshire, 2003.
Burke, Jim. The English Teachers Companion. Heinemann, Portsmouth, New
Hampshire,
1999.
Dean, Shirley. Voice Lessons. High School Ed. Gainsville: Maupin House,
2000.

Mayes, Francis. The Discovery of Poetry. New York: Harcourt Brace

Jovanovich, 1987.
Meyer, Michael. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature: Reading,
Thinking, and
Writing. Bedford/St. Martins; 8th Edition, 2008.
Web sites:
www.apcentral.collegeboard.com
www.newyorker.com
www.newyorktimes.com

AP English Literature and Composition Contract

2013-2014
I, ______________________________, promise to put forth
100% of my effort into AP English Literature class. I
understand and agree to the following:
1. I know that this is a college level course with college
level assignments. I understand that the focus of this
course is analytical reading of and writing about
literature.
2. I will be conscious of the fact that research shows that
there is a direct correlation between lack of attendance
and tardiness and low grades. I will not miss school on a
regular basis. I will not go on extensive trips during the
school year. In addition, because of the importance of
the A.P. test in May, I will schedule no absences between
spring vacation and the test date.
3. I agree to take the Advanced Placement Test in May
2014. (All students that are enrolled in the course MUST
commit to taking the test in May. Arrangements will be
made by the school if I cannot afford the fee for the test).
4. I understand that a major requirement of the course is
that I will volunteer in discussions on a daily basis; I know
that the quality of my contributions to discussion will
have a major direct effect on my grade. I also pledge to
not try to dominate discussion but be conscious of the
need for all to participate.
5. I understand that this class requires a great deal of
reading, most of which is done outside the classroom. On
average, I know that this class requires committing to an
average of 1--3 hours worth of reading each night.

6. I understand that I will be required to write essays and

most of the first drafts of these essays will be written in
class. I will be given timed-writes (essay tests) on a
regular basis.
7. I understand that activities outside the class such as
attending plays and readings are designed to expand my
understanding of specific authors and literary techniques.
I will attend as many as possible. I will attend any extra
class
meetings that are scheduled.
8. I understand that I will receive an F for the semester
and be removed from the course for cheating or
plagiarism.
9. I understand that any late work will be given half
credit.
10. I understand that it is my responsibility to make up
work that I miss. I will have a study buddy in the class
who can inform me of the work that I miss. It is also my
responsibility to schedule a time to meet with the teacher
outside of class time to discuss my grade.
I have read through this syllabus and fully understand
what will be expected of me during my junior/senior year
in English class. By signing this contract, I plan to fulfill
my part by completing all the necessary work to be
successful in this class.

Student Name: ________________________________

Student Signature: _____________________________

Parent/Guardian Name: _______________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature: _____________________________

ATTACHMENT #1 :
RE-WRITE CONFERENCE PREPARATION
FOR AP LIT
A one-on-one conference between a writer and a mentor is the most
effective and efficient practice for growth and mastery of building
writing skills. Therefore, I ask that you meet with me personally so
we can go over your essay together and build your skills. Before we
meet, I ask that you be fully prepared for our conference, so we can
use our time effectively. If you are not fully prepared, I will ask that
we meet at a different time after you fully finish your preperation.
PREPARATION STEPS - CHECKLIST
1.______Re-read your essay OUTLOUD to yourself.
2. ______With highlighter pens:
1. highlight your thesis in YELLOW.
2. highlight your concrete evidence in PINK
3. highlight your analysis in BLUE
3. ______Now, on a seperate sheet of paper write down any responses you
have on what you can do to improve this essay? Was your thesis
clear? Did you use strung along sentences? Did you check your
spelling and grammar? Did you use too many words? Were you clear
in making your point, or was it confusing and somewhat convoluted?
Did you use too much plot and not enough analysis? Did you find
awkward phrasing, while you were reading it out loud, that needs to be
changed. Were your arguments solid and have good supporting
evidence? Did you analyze your arguments?
4. _____When we meet I will ask you to argue why your thesis is strong
and valid and why your arguments and evidence support your analysis.
I will ask you to tell me how you think you can make your essay
stronger. Be prepared to answer these questions.

5. ______Bring your page of responses on how you can improve your

essay and your original highlighted essay to our conference.
This checklist must be completed before we meet! Thank you. :)