Room 213
2006-07
This weighted course is designed for students who have
demonstrated ability and interest in English and plan to take the Advanced
Placement Literature and Composition test, which is a requirement of the
course. Specified summer reading is
required.
The cultural development of British literature and
literature of other cultures is the primary content of the course. Students will engage in the careful reading
and analysis of literature and will focus on major literary forms, themes, and
styles. They will closely observe textual detail, will establish connections
among such observations and then draw inferences from those connections about
the work’s meaning and value. Writing, a key component of the course, will be
expository, analytical, argumentative and technical. Students will be coached to refine their
writing styles, a key element of success on the AP English Literature exam
given in May. Comprehensive oral presentations and research projects will
reflect organizational skills, audience awareness, and appropriate vocabulary
and grammar.
“Education is not
filling a bucket but lighting a fire.”
W. B. Yeats
Primary Texts
Prentice
Hall: The English Tradition
Warriner’s
English Grammar and Composition Complete Course
Selected
novels
The class
will study English and world literature in the order listed. Changes may be made at the discretion of the
teacher.
First Semester
Summer Reading: Crime and Punishment, Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Beloved,
Frankenstein
Short stories
Timed writing, formal and informal
writing
Written compilation of research and analysis (focus on analysis,
organization, citations,
and style)
The Heroic Tradition – Beowulf and the Anglo-Saxon Period
The Medieval Period – The Canterbury Tales and medieval drama
The English Renaissance
The Lyric and the Sonnet
Shakespearean Comedy
Personal Experience Essay, VITA
Written poetry response,
presentations
Vocabulary (focus on literary terms)
Outside
Practice AP Tests and Strategies
Second Semester
British literature: Shakespearean tragedy, Seventeenth Century through
Contemporary Period (focus on poetry)
Written poetry response, presentations
Vocabulary (focus on literary terms)
Outside
Practice AP Tests and Strategies
Timed writing, formal and informal writing
AP Exam: May 10th
Project and presentations: Universal themes
CLASS
PROCEDURES
1.
Bring loose leaf paper, a pen, English
notebook, and your book daily.
2.
Be prepared.
3.
Respect others in the room.
4.
Make up your assigned work in the
designated time after being absent. After having your absence excused, schedule
make up tests and quizzes.
5.
If work is assigned prior to your
absence, the work is due the day you return to class.
6.
Turn in work at the beginning of class,
in ink and on loose-leaf paper, unless word-processed or otherwise specified.
(Points will be deducted for pencil.)
7.
Late written work is accepted but not expected. Points will be deducted.
8.
Participate in class.
9.
Please cover both anthologies.
GRADING
PROCEDURES
Mastery of
skills will be determined by the point system.
Each assignment, quiz, test, or project will be assigned a certain number
of points. The number of points a
student earns on each evaluation will be recorded in my grade book. For instance, a student may earn a 33 on a
test worth 40 points (This translates to an 83 on a 100-point scale). Most tests will be worth 35-50 points. Homework is usually 5 points; quizzes, 10-15;
major writing assignments,30-40; projects 15-40.
The course is
writing intensive, so at least 50-60 percent of the grade will be writing. The remainder of the grade will be a
combination of tests and quizzes, homework, classwork and other projects. Some tests and quizzes will evaluate both
your knowledge of the topic as well as writing skills. You will write as much as possible.
Grades will be averaged on an
on-going basis. Interims/computerized
grade sheets are sent home on the designated dates. Keep track of your grades on a daily basis
and aim for excellence!
Required Materials:
One
three-ring binder (2-3 inches is preferable) with loose-leaf paper and pockets,
a folder with pockets (for poetry responses)
Divide your
notebook into the following sections: writer’s reference, journal writing, key
terms, class notes and assignments. You
may also want to have a section for tests and quizzes.
Exemption
from your second semester final exam is possible by meeting the YCSD
requirements listed in the York County Schools handbook.
Ms. Flaherty-Nobile
Have a great
senior year, Class of 2007!
Rubric for AP Writing
When you take
the AP exam on May 10th, you will write three essays—one based on a
prose passage, a second on a poem and a third based on a piece of literature of
your choosing. Each of these essays will
be scored on a scale of 1-9. As you
learn to analyze and appreciate the manner in which writers compose literature,
you will become aware of your own skill as a writer, and your writing and
analysis will improve with awareness and practice. The following scale, therefore, is based on
the expectation that you will gain confidence and skill as the year progresses. It is subject to change at the discretion of
the teacher.
|
1st
Quarter |
2nd
Quarter |
3rd and 4th
Quarters |
|
9 = 100 |
9 = 100 |
9 = 100 |
|
8 = 100 |
8 = 95 |
8 = 95 |
|
7 =95 |
7 =90 |
7 =85 |
|
6 = 90 |
6 =85 |
6 = 80 |
|
5 = 80 |
5 = 75 |
5 = 75 |
|
4 = 70 |
4 = 65 |
4 = 60 |
|
3 = 60 |
3 = 55 |
3 = 50 |
|
2 = 50 |
2 = 45 |
2 = 40 |
|
1 = 40 |
1 = 35 |
1 = 30 |