Introductory Materials
Creating the AP Lit Atmosphere:
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Check out this quote about Google's hiring practices:
Sergey Brin and Larry Page, both brilliant computer scientists, founded their company on the conviction that only technologists can understand technology. Google originally set its hiring algorithms to sort for computer science students with top grades from elite science universities.
In 2013, Google decided to test its hiring hypothesis by crunching every bit and byte of hiring, firing, and promotion data accumulated since the company’s incorporation in 1998. Project Oxygen shocked everyone by concluding that, among the eight most important qualities of Google’s top employees, STEM expertise comes in dead last. The seven top characteristics of success at Google are all soft skills: being a good coach; communicating and listening well; possessing insights into others (including others different values and points of view); having empathy toward and being supportive of one’s colleagues; being a good critical thinker and problem solver; and being able to make connections across complex ideas. Those traits sound more like what one gains as an English or theater major than as a programmer. Could it be that top Google employees were succeeding despite their technical training, not because of it? After bringing in anthropologists and ethnographers to dive even deeper into the data, the company enlarged its previous hiring practices to include humanities majors, artists, and even the MBAs that, initially, Brin and Page viewed with disdain. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Scholarship/College Letters
Missed School Days
Sources
Cheating
Assignment due dates
Google Docs
- I will write a recommendation letter for you under most circumstances. Here are some exceptions:
- If I've ever given you a 0 for cheating or letting someone cheat on an assignment
- If I've written a discipline referral for you
- If I've known you less than 2 months
- Important directions to follow:
- Give me at least 2-3 days to write it
- Send me an email with information about the scholarship or college
- In that same email, send me a list of things I could talk about (jobs, grades, awards, etc.--an NHS application is perfect)
- Tell me how you need the letter to be delivered (PDF or printed, hand-signed, etc.)
Missed School Days
- Here's your procedure for missing a school day:
- First, check the Agendas tab on the Weebly to see what you missed that day or what you will miss (if it's a future absence).
- Second, check Google Classroom to see if any assignment drop boxes were created, either for in-class work or homework.
- Third, ask a friend if you have any questions.
- Fourth, if you still have questions. email or ask me in person.
Sources
- Very few assignments in this course will allow you to utilize outside sources besides a dictionary or basic Wikipedia search to gather information about literary allusions or the background of a story or poem.
- If you are interpreting a piece of literature, you should never access any website that can help you do so--Schmoop, Sparknotes, teachers' Weebly pages, student blogs, etc.
- If you utilize any information from one of these websites it will be considered cheating. See below.
Cheating
- I cannot catch every person who chooses to cheat on an assignment, nor do I pretend that I can. But if I see you have cheated, you will receive a zero on the assignment or test, no questions asked. You will not be able to make the assignment up under any circumstance.
- If you let anyone copy your assignment, you will also receive a zero. This is still cheating.
- If you cheat more than one time, I will refer you to the office, call your parents, and give you another zero.
Assignment due dates
- In-class work and homework are due on the assigned date unless a student is absent. If a student has an excused absence, s/he has one extra class period to turn it in.
- However, if we are working on a long-term assignment such as a literary data sheet, essay, or poem journal, the original due date is set in stone regardless if a student misses class--as long as they were in class at any point to hear about the assignment. In other words, if you were absent on the data a literary data sheet was due, you must turn in the assignment on time anyway.
- The late penalty is 10% per day up to 50% off.
- I may not take excessively late work, especially at the end of a semester
Google Docs
- I expect you to use Google Docs for every major assignment in class, no exceptions.
- Do not start an assignment on Microsoft Word and paste the text into Google Docs, either. You must edit every assignment on Google Docs every time.
- If you do not have internet access, follow the instructions on this link to enable offline editing: support.google.com/chromebook/answer/2809731?hl=en
Syllabus
Course Description
Advanced Placement Literature/Composition is a college-level course that emphasizes critical reading and analytical thinking and writing. By enrolling in this course, students have committed themselves to a program of reading and writing on a level above that of the advanced high school senior. By EVSC policy, students must take the AP Literature exam in the spring.
The course examines works from British, American, and international authors. Students will read widely from multiple genres: poetry, short stories, drama, novels, and essays. Selections range from the 16th century through contemporary times.
Students will write and rewrite frequently in this course. Bellringer units on sentence combination, tone, rhetoric, and style will facilitate improvement in students’ timed writings, literary response journals, and essays as the year progresses. The instructor will provide specific feedback both before and after writings are due.
Summer Assignment
Full details for this assignment can be found on the proper tab of my Weebly site.
Text and Content
The required texts for this class are:
The course approaches literature by genre: short story, poetry, novel, and drama. Because thoughtful, informed discussion of literature forms the basis of our class, being prepared for each class is ESSENTIAL. If you have not read and reflected upon the piece of literature under discussion, you will not be able to contribute effectively to the discussion, nor will the contributions of others be very relevant to you. Informed discussion is the best way to understand and analyze each piece we read.
Assessment
In-class timed writings (monthly), out-of-class essays (quarterly), cold readings (monthly), and tests (each unit) make up the bulk of the course assessments. Detailed schedules outlining all reading assignments, assessments, and due dates will be posted on the Weebly site each week.
Graded work is evaluated using points and weighted grading categories. The grading periods in a semester are cumulative. Due to EVSC policy, an AP practice exam will serve as the first semester final exam, and the actual AP exam takes the place of the second semester final exam. The AP exam is mandatory. If you do not take the exam, you will be subject to a $60 returned test fee, a full second semester final exam (ungraded), and retroactive loss of GPA weighting.
All assignments are submitted, evaluated, and returned through Google Classroom.
Grading Categories
Chromebooks and Electronic Devices
Because we strive to be a "paperless" course, your Chromebook is a vital educational tool. However, when used for social media, gaming, or unrelated Internet surfing, netbooks can be a distraction and can negatively impact your performance in class. You are expected to make responsible choices regarding netbook use in this class.
In consideration of myself and your classmates, please keep your cell phone and other electronic devices out of sight during class.
Plagiarism
Any evidence of plagiarism, presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own (yes, this includes AI), results in failure for the specific assignment and an office referral. If the plagiarism involves a student presenting as his or her own the work of another student, both students will receive a 0 for the assignment and a referral. You must do your own work.
Late Assignments, Make-up Work, and Retakes
I expect assignments to be submitted by the date and time indicated on the Weebly. Our school's updated late work policy creates equity for students, but it is not a rationalization for you to turn in work late with no valid reason. Please turn in work on time unless extenuating circumstances arise. All make-up work is due at the end of each unit.
I expect you to initiate your own make-up work. Any time you miss part or all of a class for any reason, you should check the Weebly site and check with classmates. See or email me only if you have taken these steps first. Work missed due to truancy may not be made up. If you are absent on the day of a test or in-class writing, you may have an alternative make-up assessment.
Please see me if you wish to retake a test. You will always be given alternate prompts and questions.
High School Attendance Policy - as posted on EVSC website
A student is expected to attend school regularly to derive maximum benefits from the instructional program.
Contact Me
Email me at [email protected] with your questions or concerns.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Tentative Course Outline
Semester One
Weeks One through Two - Short Fiction
Weeks Three Through Four - Poetry
Weeks Five Through Nine - The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
Weeks Ten Through Thirteen - Short Fiction II
Weeks Fourteen Through Seventeen - Poetry II
Weeks Seventeen Through Eighteen - Review and Final Exam
Semester Two
Weeks One Through Five - The Stranger (Albert Camus)
Weeks Six Through Eight - Fences (August Wilson) & Short Fiction III
Weeks Nine Through Eleven - Poetry III
Weeks Twelve Through Fifteen - Macbeth (Shakespeare)
Weeks Sixteen Through Eighteen - AP Exam Review, AP Exam, and Reflection Journal
Advanced Placement Literature/Composition is a college-level course that emphasizes critical reading and analytical thinking and writing. By enrolling in this course, students have committed themselves to a program of reading and writing on a level above that of the advanced high school senior. By EVSC policy, students must take the AP Literature exam in the spring.
The course examines works from British, American, and international authors. Students will read widely from multiple genres: poetry, short stories, drama, novels, and essays. Selections range from the 16th century through contemporary times.
Students will write and rewrite frequently in this course. Bellringer units on sentence combination, tone, rhetoric, and style will facilitate improvement in students’ timed writings, literary response journals, and essays as the year progresses. The instructor will provide specific feedback both before and after writings are due.
Summer Assignment
Full details for this assignment can be found on the proper tab of my Weebly site.
Text and Content
The required texts for this class are:
- The Bedford Introduction to Literature, Tenth Edition
- Novels and plays checked out from the teacher
The course approaches literature by genre: short story, poetry, novel, and drama. Because thoughtful, informed discussion of literature forms the basis of our class, being prepared for each class is ESSENTIAL. If you have not read and reflected upon the piece of literature under discussion, you will not be able to contribute effectively to the discussion, nor will the contributions of others be very relevant to you. Informed discussion is the best way to understand and analyze each piece we read.
Assessment
In-class timed writings (monthly), out-of-class essays (quarterly), cold readings (monthly), and tests (each unit) make up the bulk of the course assessments. Detailed schedules outlining all reading assignments, assessments, and due dates will be posted on the Weebly site each week.
Graded work is evaluated using points and weighted grading categories. The grading periods in a semester are cumulative. Due to EVSC policy, an AP practice exam will serve as the first semester final exam, and the actual AP exam takes the place of the second semester final exam. The AP exam is mandatory. If you do not take the exam, you will be subject to a $60 returned test fee, a full second semester final exam (ungraded), and retroactive loss of GPA weighting.
All assignments are submitted, evaluated, and returned through Google Classroom.
Grading Categories
- Formative Assessments (30%)
- Summative Assessments (70%)
Chromebooks and Electronic Devices
Because we strive to be a "paperless" course, your Chromebook is a vital educational tool. However, when used for social media, gaming, or unrelated Internet surfing, netbooks can be a distraction and can negatively impact your performance in class. You are expected to make responsible choices regarding netbook use in this class.
In consideration of myself and your classmates, please keep your cell phone and other electronic devices out of sight during class.
Plagiarism
Any evidence of plagiarism, presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own (yes, this includes AI), results in failure for the specific assignment and an office referral. If the plagiarism involves a student presenting as his or her own the work of another student, both students will receive a 0 for the assignment and a referral. You must do your own work.
Late Assignments, Make-up Work, and Retakes
I expect assignments to be submitted by the date and time indicated on the Weebly. Our school's updated late work policy creates equity for students, but it is not a rationalization for you to turn in work late with no valid reason. Please turn in work on time unless extenuating circumstances arise. All make-up work is due at the end of each unit.
I expect you to initiate your own make-up work. Any time you miss part or all of a class for any reason, you should check the Weebly site and check with classmates. See or email me only if you have taken these steps first. Work missed due to truancy may not be made up. If you are absent on the day of a test or in-class writing, you may have an alternative make-up assessment.
Please see me if you wish to retake a test. You will always be given alternate prompts and questions.
High School Attendance Policy - as posted on EVSC website
A student is expected to attend school regularly to derive maximum benefits from the instructional program.
Contact Me
Email me at [email protected] with your questions or concerns.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Tentative Course Outline
Semester One
Weeks One through Two - Short Fiction
- Introduction to literary elements and their functions (Unit 1)
- Introduction to the elements of fiction and their functions
- Short stories with discussion and activities focused on AP-specified skills (on poster in the classroom)
- Free response introduction (Prose) - write a defensible thesis with a line of reasoning, support it with text evidence, and provide relevant, effective commentary on how the evidence supports the thesis (Contemporary)
- AP-created multiple choice formative
Weeks Three Through Four - Poetry
- Introduction to the elements of poetry and their functions (Unit 2)
- Poetry with discussion and activities focused on AP-specified skills (on poster in the classroom)
- Free Response further development (Poetry) - write a defensible thesis with a line of reasoning, support it with text evidence, and provide relevant, effective commentary on how the evidence supports the thesis (20th Century/Contemporary)
- AP-created multiple choice formative
Weeks Five Through Nine - The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
- Introduction to skilled utilized with longer works (Unit 3)
- Close readings, journals, activities, and discussion focused on AP-specified skills (on poster in the classroom)
- Free Response further development (Prose) - From a passage within Handmaid's Tale, write a defensible thesis with a line of reasoning, support it with text evidence, and provide relevant, effective commentary on how the evidence supports the thesis (20th Century/Contemporary)
- Literary Argument introduction - write a full literary argument from a past AP exam based on The Handmaid's Tale
- AP-created multiple choice formative
Weeks Ten Through Thirteen - Short Fiction II
- Further development of the elements of fiction and their functions (Unit 4)
- Short stories with discussion and activities focused on AP-specified skills (on poster in the classroom)
- Free response development (Prose) - write a full free-response essay from a previous AP exam (20th Century/Contemporary)
- AP-created multiple choice formative
Weeks Fourteen Through Seventeen - Poetry II
- Further development of the elements of poetry and their functions (Unit 5)
- Poetry with discussion and activities focused on AP-specified skills (on poster in the classroom)
- Free Response further development (Poetry) - write a full free-response essay from a previous AP exam (Pre-20th Century)
- AP-created multiple choice formative
Weeks Seventeen Through Eighteen - Review and Final Exam
- Practice all essential skills throughout the semester to support performance on the final exam
- Final exam (part of a previous AP exam)
Semester Two
Weeks One Through Five - The Stranger (Albert Camus)
- Further development of skills utilized with longer works (Unit 6)
- Close readings, journals, activities, and discussion focused on AP-specified skills (on poster in the classroom)
- Free Response further development (Prose) - From a passage within The Stranger, write a full free-response prose essay (Pre-20th Century)
- Literary Argument introduction - write a full literary argument from a past AP exam based on The Stranger
- AP-created multiple choice formative
Weeks Six Through Eight - Fences (August Wilson) & Short Fiction III
- Further development of the elements of fiction and their functions (Unit 7)
- Synthesize a longer work with shorter works through analysis of contrasts in character, theme, etc.
- Play and short stories with discussion and activities focused on AP-specified skills (on poster in the classroom)
- Free response development (Prose) - write a full free-response essay from a previous AP exam (Contemporary)
- Literary Argument development - write a full literary argument from a past AP exam based on Fences
- AP-created multiple choice formative
Weeks Nine Through Eleven - Poetry III
- Further development of the elements of poetry and their functions (Unit 8)
- Poetry with discussion and activities focused on AP-specified skills (on poster in the classroom)
- Free Response further development (Poetry) - write a full free-response essay from a previous AP exam (Metaphysical)
- AP-created multiple choice formative
Weeks Twelve Through Fifteen - Macbeth (Shakespeare)
- Further development of skills utilized with longer works and their functions (Unit 9)
- Play with discussion and activities focused on AP-specified skills (on poster in the classroom)
- Free response development (Prose) - write a full free-response essay from a previous AP exam (Pre-20th Century)
- Literary Argument development - write a full literary argument from a past AP exam based on Tartuffe
- AP-created multiple choice formative
Weeks Sixteen Through Eighteen - AP Exam Review, AP Exam, and Reflection Journal
- Practice all essential skills throughout the year to support performance on the AP exam
- AP exam
- Reflective Journal