Welcome to English IV AP: British Literature!
** The AP English Literature and Composition course is designed with the goal of enhancing students’ abilities to explore, comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate complex literary texts. Upon completion of this course a student should be proficient in discussing literature of varied themes, historical contexts, and genres whether it be in an on-demand, timed writing prompt, an in-depth, scrutinized, and revised essay, or an in class discussion.
** Students entering this course must have the initial expectation that they will read, contemplate, and write about literature extensively. We will write an essay every couple of weeks (in analytical, argumentative, and expositional forms) and will read every day (novels, creative non-fiction, short stories, and poems). Students must be willing to challenge and justify their understandings, attempt to see other perspectives, and discuss in a mature and lively manner.
** As this course also has the goal of preparing all students to pass the AP English Literature and Composition Exam, it operates in accordance with the information contained in the latest AP English Literature Course Description. The course features practice for both free response and multiple choice portions of the test. We attempt to scaffold students’ on demand close reading and writing abilities by repeated practice, group scoring, feedback, and reflection on a variety of sample AP-styled questions and prompts.
Writing Expectations
- Students are expected to write many essays through the course of the year. All of the outside of class long term essays are expected to be revised and polished works. To this end some class time will be devoted to student-teacher and student-student conferences. Feedback also comes from written response to rough and final drafts turned into the instructor, evaluated annotated, and returned to students. Out of class conferences are scheduled once a month with students to devote a more in-depth look at their writing development and to answer questions.
- For all essay assignments students will receive a rubric (typically this rubric will be 6 points). This rubric will express the central guidelines/goals of the activity. Students should use it as a guide to focus the majority of their energy. All rubrics will include elements about the strength of writing, and for this reason students should constantly seek to identify and improve personal, structural, and grammatical weaknesses.
- Essays that students receive back after grading will have notations made on them to help guide the students toward fixing problem areas and all students are encouraged to revise and resubmit essays. As an absolute minimum, students are expected to review these comments and use them as an additional strategy to improve language, structuring, and rhetorical skills. As the tasks become more complex and the expectations more demanding as the year progresses students who fail to self-reflect during the course suffer academically.
Ongoing Activities:
The following items are done as mini-lessons in the course of our major units. These tasks never receive single large unit credit, but are seen instead as being support for the skills of vocabulary enhancement, close reading and analysis, and on-demand writing and so are done as supplementary activities. Please note that the following activities take place throughout the entirety of the year and are not further discussed in this syllabus. As often as possible the multiple choice or free response questions are aligned with the subjects, forms, or thematic contents identified in the long term projects. The journals and vocabulary are always aligned with the units.
The following items are done as mini-lessons in the course of our major units. These tasks never receive single large unit credit, but are seen instead as being support for the skills of vocabulary enhancement, close reading and analysis, and on-demand writing and so are done as supplementary activities. Please note that the following activities take place throughout the entirety of the year and are not further discussed in this syllabus. As often as possible the multiple choice or free response questions are aligned with the subjects, forms, or thematic contents identified in the long term projects. The journals and vocabulary are always aligned with the units.
- Journal activities: Students keep a journal as part of their notebook. In it they are asked to reflect upon difficulties and strengths in their own education, respond to free writing activities, and generally explore ideas that we are entertaining as a class. Some specific reference is made to journal prompts to provide a taste of the style and range of activities. All lessons contain these sorts of journal projects even when descriptions are not specifically provided in this curriculum. Please keep in mind that this course is college level and I will not always remind you of these expectations. That is why these expectations are listed here (for continued reference), given to you in hardcopy (for you to keep up with), and shared with adults in your home (for further "back-up" memory). Also, please note that I expect studying for this course EVERY NIGHT (except Friday and Saturday). I define studying in this manner: (1) find a quiet place, (2) have all your materials ready, (3) set the timer on your phone for 15 minutes, (4) work through the material (i.e. reading, reviewing, writing, etc) until the timer sounds, (5) keep up and move around for five (5) minutes), (6) return to your place and reset the timer for another 15 minutes, and (7) when the timer sounds, you are completed with the studying time for this course for this night.
- Multiple choice questions: Every once in a while we read and answer a sample multiple choice section. We discuss what types of information you need to focus on in the close reading of the prompt to fully understand the test and its implications as well as strategies to use while answering the questions.
- Vocabulary: As vocabulary is essential for the ability to understand and discuss literature, we work with literary terminology as well as vocabulary gathered during reading. During each lesson/unit, the class identifies unknown vocabulary being used in the textbook, in sample AP Test materials, and in Novels. We define, study, review, and test on this vocabulary in 10 minute class starters as well as seeing it used in context. Though this is not described unit by unit (because it would be redundant to do so) students use this vocabulary in their writing and expand vocabulary knowledge through in-context recognition.
- Free response prompts: Every two weeks we will view a sample AP free response prompt. We either discuss the prompt as a class to identify what it is requesting and possible directions to go in the response, or else the class answers it as a practice timed task.
In general, this course will address the following literary periods of British Literature:
We read a variety of texts (short and long, fiction and creative nonfiction, poetry, and drama) that focus on many different universal themes, social commentaries, etc. These texts include time periods from the 1600s forward and represent many cultures (including British and American).
Booth, Alison and Kelly J. Mays, eds. The Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed.
New York: Norton, 2010. Print. (resource)
Perrine, Laurence, ed. Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry. 11th ed.(resource)
Course Description:
This AP course is designed to challenge students and prepare them for a postsecondary experience. This fourth English course concentrates on developing reading, writing, and critical thinking skills through an intensive study of selected British literature via appropriate oral and written responses. The course provides a review of grammar, mechanics, vocabulary, and usage as needed. Students should expect homework assignments and/or compositions that reinforce classroom instruction.
- Old English (e.g. "Caedmon's Hymn," Beiowulf, "The Dream of the Rood," and some post-modern iterations such as John Gardner's Grendel.)
- Middle English (e.g. roughly 1100 to 1500)
- Early Modern English (e.g. Shakespeare and other Renaissance writers)
- Romanticism (e.g. roughly from 1790 to 1850)
- Victorian (e.g. roughly from 1850 to 1900)
- Modernism (e.g. roughly from 1900 to 1953)
- Post-modernism (from around 1953 until today)
We read a variety of texts (short and long, fiction and creative nonfiction, poetry, and drama) that focus on many different universal themes, social commentaries, etc. These texts include time periods from the 1600s forward and represent many cultures (including British and American).
Booth, Alison and Kelly J. Mays, eds. The Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed.
New York: Norton, 2010. Print. (resource)
Perrine, Laurence, ed. Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry. 11th ed.(resource)
- Though the textbooks contain a multitude of poetry, I also draw from a personal collection of poems by favorite authors, such as Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Tennyson, the Brownings, Eliot, Auden, Pound, Creeley, Shelley, Keats, and Hughes.
- All students read the following novels (or plays) in addition to the shorter works in the Norton: Heart of Darkness, Frankenstein, Wuthering Heights, The Turn of the Screw, Waiting for Godot, King Lear, and 1984 (an alternative text could be Brave New World).
- Students also draw from an extensive class library for independent or open-choice reading…highlighted texts include: Brave New World, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Emma, Lord of the Flies, and The Wide Sargossa Sea.
Course Description:
This AP course is designed to challenge students and prepare them for a postsecondary experience. This fourth English course concentrates on developing reading, writing, and critical thinking skills through an intensive study of selected British literature via appropriate oral and written responses. The course provides a review of grammar, mechanics, vocabulary, and usage as needed. Students should expect homework assignments and/or compositions that reinforce classroom instruction.
Course Objectives:
- Use evidence from texts to support claim(s)
- Read and analyze texts
- Demonstrate knowledge of Renaissance, nineteenth- and twentieth century foundational works of British literature, including how two or more texts from the same period or different period treat similar themes or topics.
Grade Determination:
Your grade will be earned based on the following calculations:
Here are some of the materials you will use in this course:
Classroom Rules:
Your grade will be earned based on the following calculations:
- Participation in class and homework--35% (this includes showing active learning, in-class activities, in-class works sheets or practice tests)
- Quizzes--30% (this includes take home as well as certain other papers I may assign in class)
- Projects--35% (this includes longer term--perhaps to a week--tasks I ask you to do)
- Final exam 20%
Here are some of the materials you will use in this course:
- A folder in which you can keep reading material I give you
- Notebook paper for the writing your will do in class (I will have UNLINED paper, so this recommendation is based on your preference)
- Blue or black ink pens (please be sure to bring a writing implement for EVERY CLASS)
- a planner/calendar of some sort (to record assignments and important school dates on)
- a USB drive (some method of storing information from the computer since students cannot store information on the school’s hard drives)
- a case for storing pens/pencils/disks or USB drives ( a good notebook pencil case will do)
Classroom Rules:
- First, and foremost, show the highest level of respect for each other, as well as the teachers and staff of TMSA; if someone else is speaking, we are all expected to give our full and undivided attention. Also, you should expect and receive the same attentiveness when you are speaking. Respect is mutual and when it is shared, lots can be accomplished!
- Be prepared and working when the tardy bell sounds!
- Dr. Branson (or his designee) directs the class; please plan to attend to his requests.
- Academic work comes first; however, this work emerges from our working together and asking questions of one another. Thus, students are expected to put forth their best effort! This helps the entire classroom environment be a place of great, positive academic energy! And to punctuate the point about asking questions: If you ever have any questions--particularly questions about "why" we are doing something--do not hesitate to ask any questions. To illustrate this point, consider this little video above where I, too, am encouraging you to find your voice and find your place "Somewhere in America."
- Possible Consequences for Insubordination:
- Verbal Warning
- Student-Teacher Conference
- Silent Lunch/Recess
- Parent-Teacher Phone Call/Conference
- Refocus form
- Office Referral
Classroom Expectations and Procedures:- Beginning and End of Class Period – Students must be in their assigned seat when the tardy bell rings; three tardies equal a detention. Students must have all materials ready (e.g paper and something to write with every day) and should start on their warm-up assignment quietly and immediately. Students will pack up and clean up when the teacher gives them permission. Students will leave when the teacher directs them to do so.
- Leaving Room – Students will ask permission to go to the restroom by raising their hand and waiting to be called upon. Students will be permitted to leave the room only when they have an emergency. However, now the TMSA is on a block schedule, I anticipate certain breaks during our time together each--which means simply standing, stretching and re-focusing.
- Work Ethic – The mission of public education in NC is to assure students are "ready for post secondary education and work, prepared to be a globally engaged and productive citizen" (http://www.ncpublicschools.org/organization/mission/). Students are expected to demonstrate a strong work ethic for their particular grade level at all times to indicate their level of commitment to this vision. They will work diligently on assignments either individually, in pairs, or with a group depending on the assignment. Students will not move around the room without permission for any reason. Students who need assistance should raise their hands and wait quietly to be acknowledged. Students are expected to work from bell to bell each and every day. This ethic is critical to what ever students plan upon their matriculation from TMSA.
- Communicating & Collecting Assignments – Students will find their upcoming assignments and test/quiz dates on the board and will write them down. We will discuss each assignment as a class to avoid confusion and misunderstanding. If a student has a question about an assignment, the student should ask for an explanation before the due date. Each student is expected to maintain an organized planner in order be prepared when the class begins. Homework that is not turned in when I ask for it is considered late and will NOT be accepted. TMSA policy is there is "zero-tolerance" for late work,
- Make-Up Work – Students along with their parents/guardians must check with the teacher beforehand about missing a day unless it’s an emergency and for the assignments before they leave. If students have an unplanned absence, students must check TMSA Connect for daily assignments and homework. Students must turn in all assignments and homework the day that they return. Unplanned absences will receive an extension on assignments depending on the number of days missed. Students must complete tests and/or quizzes ASAP. Parents may call the school the morning of an absence and request books and assignments to be sent to the office.
- Completion of Work – Students will submit all workto the instructor. The assignment must have the student's first and last name, date, class, and assignment title written legibly. When students finish early they may work on homework or read.
- Using Classroom Materials – Students will raise their hand to use classroom materials unless directed otherwise by the teacher.
- Student Active Learning—Students will have multiple opportunities in each class to demonstrate they are engaged in the class. However, “active learning” also means that students are adhering to classroom rules and are focused and attentive during the lesson and when working on assignments. Nonactive learning looks like this: having head on desk, talking, laughing, not focusing on assignment, refusing to work on assignment, and other non-compliant activity.
- Compliance – Students must follow and obey all rules and procedures in the TMSA Student Handbook with all faculty, staff, teachers, and substitutes.
Student/Parent-Guardian Contract of Syllabus
I hereby acknowledge that I have seen and read over the Language Arts syllabus. I will do my best this year to help my teacher, myself, and my family for a successful academic year. I am aware of the TMSA policies and will agree to abide by each of the policies, procedures, and expectations.
Student Signature______________________________________Date__________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature _______________________________Date__________________________
Please cut and retain the following information for your records:
*Tutoring Hours*
Monday 3:10-4:05
Thursday 3:10-4:05
I hereby acknowledge that I have seen and read over the Language Arts syllabus. I will do my best this year to help my teacher, myself, and my family for a successful academic year. I am aware of the TMSA policies and will agree to abide by each of the policies, procedures, and expectations.
Student Signature______________________________________Date__________________________
Parent/Guardian Signature _______________________________Date__________________________
- Are you able to access the internet from your home? YES NO
- Can you check TMSA Connect daily? YES NO
- Parent/Guardian E-mail Address: ______________________________________________________
- Parent/Guardian Phone Number: ______________________________________________________
- Parent/Guardian Work Number: ______________________________________________________
Please cut and retain the following information for your records:
- Dr. Mark Branson
- High School English, Rm. S102
- mbranson@tmsacharter.org
- 336-621-0061
- Website: http://bransontmsa.weebly.com
*Tutoring Hours*
Monday 3:10-4:05
Thursday 3:10-4:05