Mrs. Karen McConnell

UPDATE: About The Teacher \| Syllabus-English 4 AP Lit & Comp-- \| Letters of Recommendation \| Links for Eng 4 AP Lit & Comp \| What should I bring to class? \| Handouts for Students \| Cornell Notes Template \| Teacher's Schedule \| MLA formatting \| AP Calendar \| Grammar Quizzes \| College Writing (Eng 101) Calendar \| Power Point MLA Formatting \| Kite Runner Schema PPT. \| UpdateIndex \| Help

VIEW: Mrs. McConnell's Webpage \| About The Teacher \| Syllabus-English 4 AP Lit & Comp-- \| Letters of Recommendation \| Links for Eng 4 AP Lit & Comp \| What should I bring to class? \| Handouts for Students \| Cornell Notes Template \| Teacher's Schedule \| MLA formatting \| AP Calendar \| Grammar Quizzes \| College Writing (Eng 101) Calendar \| Power Point MLA Formatting \| Kite Runner Schema PPT.

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Thanks again, The folks at TeacherWeb Visit the TeacherWeb® videos to learn about the features, modifications, and customizations available on your website. Click here to learn more. Syllabus-English 4 AP Lit & Comp-- small medium large AP English Literature & Composition Syllabus “Power doesn't have to show off. Power is confident, self-assuring, self- starting and self-stopping, self-warming and self-justifying. When you have it, you know it.” Ralph Ellison Course Overview Focusing on close reading and analysis of fiction, drama, and poetry, this year-long course provides students with college-level work in literature and composition. The class provides intensive reading, discussions and seminars, and frequent writing assignments. The learning experiences in this class will encourage understanding, analysis, and critical thinking as well as challenging students to develop their abilities to the highest possible level. This includes the open discussion of ideas and extends to the writing process where students will be encouraged to become thoughtful, literate writers with unique voices. They will be encouraged to see relationships between what they are learning and what they have already learned. These learning experiences will take into consideration the need of students to function as individuals as well as members of a group. In addition, students will be nurtured to love ideas, read widely, and become confident, life-long learners. This course is designed to comply with the curricular requirements in the AP English Course Description. Our Discussions This course will emphasize the lively exchange of ideas, and to that end our discussions will require students to be avid readers and competent writers. Students will be expected to be fully prepared for each discussion or seminar. This requires the participant to have either Cornell notes on the reading or often a short paper of analysis on a significant point to share with the class. Students should be courageous enough to share their ideas and opinions as well as their writings with their classmates. The class is expected to respond in a way that fosters both intellectual exploration and safety for the writer. As the year progresses, the technical aspects of the works under consideration will be a major focus of our discussions. We’ll be analyzing not only the meaning of what we read, but also how this meaning is created by the masters of our language. Thematic Arrangement The course is arranged thematically around the idea of “The Quest.” Our major theme is “The Quest for Knowledge” and entails a lively year-long discussion of exactly what “knowledge” is, what we should know, and when we should know it. We may decide that the discovery or quest for this knowledge is as important (or more important) than the knowledge itself. First semester we’ll begin questing with “The Quest for Self Knowledge” hoping that we can embark upon such a journey by reading how others have struggled with self-discovery. To this end, we will read the following works: • Frankenstein * The Metamorphosis / A Hunger Artist—Franz Kafka * Invisible Man • Hamlet—Shakespeare • Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead—Tom Stoppard * How to Read Literature Like a Professor- Foster • Poetry and Prose choices to accompany this theme from Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama—DiYanni The course will continue with the quest idea, but the second semester will turn to the knowledge gained by other kinds of searches. The class will explore the consequences of the search for knowledge as it applies to the individual as well as society. We will read: * Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead • The Awakening * The Kite Runner • A Doll House * How to Read Literature Like a Professor * Poetry and Prose choices to accompany this theme from Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama- DiYanni Writing in this Class Writing is an integral part of almost all activities in this class— from discussion preparation to tests and quizzes to formal papers to timed writings in class. Since writing is thinking, most of the writing assignments in this course will help students to explain more clearly what they understand about what they are reading. Students can be expected to write, in addition to formal papers, a number of shorter papers, such as explications of text and responses to their readings. Almost without exception, tests and quizzes will be writing experiences. Often on quizzes and tests, students will respond in writing to passages from a literary work we are studying explaining how that passage is significant and illuminates the work as a whole. From the beginning of the course to its conclusion, students will be instructed and required to write about how writers create meaning. This seems simple on the surface, but requires students to understand important textual elements such as the work’s structure, tone, symbolism, figurative language, imagery, diction, and syntax. Not only must students recognize the existence of these elements, but they must be able to explain how writers use these elements to create meaning and speculate about the meaning created. Students will be expected to consistently incorporate correct conventions of writing. These include essay form, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and the style and documentation procedures of the Modern Language Association (MLA). In essay assignments, both in class and outside, students will be expected to display a logical organizational pattern including generalizations, specific support, and explanation of that support. They will use appropriate transitions to show clear, logical relationships among their ideas. As an important part of these conventions of writing, students will be expected to use a wide range of vocabulary and develop as the year goes on a mature writing style which reflects their unique voice. They will begin to produce writing that is insightful, convincing, varied in strategy, and supported by the most compelling evidence. In short, their papers will become a pleasure to read. Since such writing is never easy, students will be expected reflect upon what they have written and dialogue with the instructor and fellow students about their work. This may take the form of peer workshops where students examine each others’ drafts or timed writings or writing conferences with the instructor. Certainly it is the aim of this course to give feedback to the writer on one piece of writing before another writing assignment is made. Students can expect revision to be an ongoing process throughout the year as they work on their writing and thinking skills. Preparation for the AP Test Although the major work of this course is the study of literature and composition, we will also do work to prepare for the AP Test. This work will include, but not necessarily be limited to, practice with released AP exams and other multiple-choice questions created to make students familiar and comfortable with the test-taking skills they will need to be successful on the AP Test in Literature and Composition. Much of our writing as well, will be in response to prompts from released AP tests. Both our writing and revising activities will also be focused on the released scoring guides used by AP readers. These rubrics will be a part of the writing process early in the year, and then become a part of the evaluation and revising process. Expectations and Grades The assignments and schedule of activities (and other information) for this class are available on the website set up for these classes. Students and their parents may access this website at anytime to learn about what assignments are due and what is going on in each class session. Students and their parents should understand that the expectations for this class are rigorous and that the reading and writing commitment is significant. Occasionally students tell me that they have completed every reading assignment but still cannot pass a quiz or recall sufficient detail to discuss the material in depth for the class session. My response is that reading is a skill, and as a skill needs diligent practice. The kind of reading required for this class will almost certainly include some kind of note taking. I recommend, and often in this class require, the use of Cornell notes to aid students in their mastery of the material. This practice forces students to slow down and thinking deeply about what they are reading. Most of our discussions will include not only the author’s meaning but also how that meaning is created. Expectations for this class also include diligent preparation for class discussion. This means not only the careful reading and note taking already mentioned, but also a kind of diligent attention to class discussions and seminars. No student is going to excel in this class if he or she is not paying attention, but more important is the desire to participate and share specific observations and questions that occurred during the preparation of the reading assignment. Occasionally, I will give advance notice regarding the specific topics for discussion, but students should be prepared for whatever discussion arises concerning their reading of the night before. This might mean students should do a bit of research on the work under consideration, and I often include links on the class website to lead students to a deeper understanding of their reading. Finally, a word about grades. Academic success is most often measured by the grade received at the end of the semester. But can students honestly say that a semester has been a success if they have not learned something new or had some pleasure along the way? Although a student may achieve an A in a class, if he or she learned nothing new or had no sense of achievement or pleasure, has it been a success? I always advise my students to read with comprehension but also to seek pleasure in the process. Students stimulated by the texts are almost always able to achieve the best grades. Be assured there will be plenty of opportunity for students to achieve letter grades that will please them and their parents. To do this, though, students may have to work beyond their current inclination or their supposed capability. I tell my students that if they only engage in activities in which they know they can succeed, they are not likely to break through to any new success. If literary analysis is not their strong suit, this class may be just the incentive to self- improvement. I expect my students to improve as readers, writers, and thinkers. Course Supplements DiYanna, Robert, ed. Literature: Approaches to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Boston: McGraw-Hill. 2004. Hacker, Diana. A Pocket Style Manual. Boston: St. Martin’s, 2004. Teacher Resources Cole, Donald B. and Robert H. Cornell, eds. Respecting the Pupil: Essays On Teaching Able Students. Exeter, NH: The Phillips Exeter Academy Press, 2001. College Board. AP English Course Description. New York: The College Board, 2005. Electronic Discussion Group (EDG) of the College Board. http://lyris.collegeboard.com Finkel, Donald L. Teaching With Your Mouth Shut. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton Cook Publishers, 2000. Automatically clean input to optimize for the web. Or, would you like to view and optionally restore one of these previous versions? Password: Forgot your password?

Mrs. Karen McConnell

Syllabus-English 4 AP Lit & Comp--

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