AP Literature & Composition: Read, Write, + Analyze Imaginative Lit (Semester 1)
In this comprehensive, 12th grade, college-freshman-composition-equivalent 16-week course, students will learn how to analyze literature, write analytical essays, and be prepared to take the USA-based AP Literature Exam in May.
Victoria Atkinson, M.A.
Average rating:
4.9
Number of reviews:(123)
What's included
32 live meetings
26 hrs 40 mins in-class hoursHomework
2-4 hours per week. Students will be expected to read each week and will typically have multiple choice practice at least once a week. Since this is an introductory, freshman-level course, students can expect upwards of 30-50 pages of reading a week, especially with the longer works, although this will not always be the case. Lastly, students will complete 4 majors essays/projects in this course, so students will have homework assignments related to completing said essays/projects.Assessment
To help students see their progress and growth through the course, I will give point-based grades (see breakdown of grade above) Additionally, I will assign one major essay/project per unit.Grading
includedClass Experience
US Grade 12
COURSE DESCRIPTION This course "focuses on reading, analyzing, and writing about imaginative literature (fiction, poetry, drama) from various periods. Students engage in close reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature to deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure. As they read, students consider a work’s structure, style, and themes, as well as its use of figurative language, imagery, and symbolism. Writing assignments include expository, analytical, and argumentative essays that require students to analyze and interpret literary works" (AP Literature and Composition Course and Exam Description). Additionally, "students devote themselves to the study of literary works written in—or translated into—English. Careful reading and critical analysis of such works of fiction, drama, and poetry, selected locally by responsible educators, provide rich opportunities for students to develop an appreciation of ways literature reflects and comments on a range of experiences, institutions, and social structures. Students will examine the choices literary writers make and the techniques they utilize to achieve purposes and generate meanings" (AP Literature and Composition Course and Exam Description). COURSE OUTLINE Based on my College Board-approved AP Lit syllabus, we will cover the following topics/stories/poems/longer-works over the course of the semester: WEEK 1 - SHORT FICTION 1 Intro to the Course + How to Read Literature Like a Professor Discussion & Notes (students should read assigned chapters by the first class session, if possible) Finish How to Read Literature Like a Professor Discussion & Notes WEEK 2 - SHORT FICTION 1 Explain College Admissions Essay + Critical Reading Skills & Literary Lenses Lesson Multiple Choice Practice How-To + In-Class Practice Together WEEK 3 - SHORT FICTION 1 Defining the Short Story Lesson + “Hills Like White Elephants” Writing Claims w/ “Hills Like White Elephants” + Lesson on Plot WEEK 4 - SHORT FICTION 1 “A Rose for Emily” Discussion Writing Claims w/ “A Rose for Emily” + Lesson on Characters & Narrator WEEK 5 - SHORT FICTION 2 “The Cask of Amontillado” Discussion + Explain Literary Device Project - Short Fiction Writing a Paragraph w/ “The Cask of Amontillado” + Lesson on Setting WEEK 6 - SHORT FICTION 2 “The Yellow Wallpaper” Discussion Writing a Paragraph w/ “The Yellow Wallpaper” WEEK 7 - SHORT FICTION 2 Writing an Essay: Prose Passage Practice Prose Passage In-Class Essay WEEK 8 - SHORT FICTION 2 + LONGER FICTION 1 Review the Prose Passage Essay + Introduce Oedipus Rex Oedipus Rex lines 1-562 Discussion + Explain Literary Analysis Essay ***NO CLASS MEETINGS BETWEEN WEEKS 8 & 9 FOR FALL BREAK*** WEEK 9 - LONGER FICTION 1 Oedipus Rex lines 563-1124 Discussion + Open-Response Essay How-To Oedipus Rex lines 1124-1684 Discussion + Open-Response Essay How-To WEEK 10 - LONGER FICTION 1 Timed Write #1 - Oedipus Rex Go over Timed Write #1 + Introduce Heart of Darkness WEEK 11 - LONGER FICTION 1 Heart of Darkness Part 1 Discussion Heart of Darkness Part 2 Discussion WEEK 12 - LONGER FICTION 1 Heart of Darkness Part 3 Discussion Timed Write #2 - Heart of Darkness WEEK 13 - POETRY 1 Literary Device Project - Poetry + Introduce Poetry: Poetry Blind Date Activity First Poetry Analysis: "How to Read a Poem: A Beginner's Manual" WEEK 14 - POETRY 1 TP-CASTT + "The World is Too Much With Us" Discussion Warm-up: "Ballad of Birmingham" + Analyze w/ TP-CASTT: "We Wear the Mask" WEEK 15 - POETRY 1 Warm-up: “Fire and Ice” + Analyze w/ TP-CASTT: “Crossing the Swamp” Writing an Essay: Poetry WEEK 16 - POETRY 1 Timed Write #3: "A Story" Review essential knowledge from the semester *All readings will be provided via PDF so no books will need to be purchased SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT In order to prepare for the level of analytical skills needed for this course, I recommend that students read How to Read Literature Like a Professor, 2nd edition by Thomas Foster. This is a "summer reading" assignment of sorts. I know that not all students will be able to read it depending on their sign-up time, but I highly recommend that they read it if possible. I will provide a PDF copy of this in my welcome post, and I will tell students which chapters they need to read (I won't have them read the whole book). WHAT TO EXPECT IN CLASS During our live meetings each week, we will cover the topics listed above. Most days, we will discuss the short stories, poems, and longer works of fiction as a class or in groups so that we can share our thoughts and analyses in a respectful manner. It is important to note that we all come from a variety of backgrounds and have a variety of life experiences, so respect for our peers is of the utmost importance, and disrespect of one's ideas will not be tolerated and can result in removal from the Zoom live discussion or the class as a whole. However, we can use our differences to create a rich, multifaceted discussion each week. We will also go over the previous week's multiple choice practice (homework) during that time as well (minus weeks 1 & 2). HOMEWORK Outside of our meetings each week, students will complete homework that works on developing AP Lit's "big ideas." These "big ideas" are characters, setting, structure, narration, figurative language, and literary argumentation. These weekly homework assignments will consist of multiple-choice practice (based on released questions from previous exams to prepare for the multiple-choice section of the exam) and reading assignments. Each week's homework assignments will be due by the beginning of our next live class meeting. I will have the previous week's assignments graded by the next live meeting as well. PREREQUISITES There are no prerequisites for this class, however, students should be mature and willing to put in the effort expected of an introductory college-level class. Also, students should have a basic understanding of literary devices and elements. EXAM INFO Please note: The USA-based 2024 AP English Literature and Composition exam will take place on May 8, 2022 at 8am local time. Parents will have to coordinate with a local school to sign their students up for the exam (students will have to take the exam at a local school). Unfortunately, this is not something I can do for you. However, I will provide resources and links if needed that explain how to go about doing this. Additionally, I cannot guarantee that your student will receive at least a 3 on the exam, but I will do everything I can to help prepare them for success on the exam through our class discussions and feedback on multiple-choice practice and timed writings. With that being said, my students typically average a 4 on the exam due in part to my above plans and curriculum. GRADING I have two grading categories: Minor Grades = 45% and Major Grades = 55% of students' grades. Minor grades are things like classwork, homework, and multiple choice practice. Major grades are things like timed writes, essays, and projects AP GPA weighting is a whole point higher than that of a standard class (5.0 vs. 4.0). This means that a B in an AP class will still give a student a 4.0 for that class. I will also provide my College Board-approved syllabus upon class sign-up as well. DAYS OFF We will not meet on, - Labor Day (US) - The week between Weeks 8 & 9 for Fall Break - Thanksgiving Day (US) - The last two weeks of December for Winter/Christmas Break - New Year's Day *For those who choose to pay weekly, you will be refunded for weeks when we only meet once since we normally meet twice a week.
Learning Goals
Students will learn how to become stronger critical thinkers and analytical writers, while also being prepared to take the USA-based AP Literature and Composition exam in May.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
Since all the texts read in this course are those read in an introductory, freshman-level college course, they will at times include dark and/or disturbing images. They all have an important effect on the overall themes of the works though.
We will be using Google Classroom as an easy way for me to post assignments and for students to submit assignments in return. Students will need an email account to join this classroom. Additionally, a code to join this classroom will be posted in the Outschool classroom for students to join beforehand.
Supply List
Students will need notebook paper and a black ink pen to complete timed writings.
1 file available upon enrollment
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined April, 2020
4.9
123reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
South Carolina Teaching Certificate in Social Studies/History
Here is a note that I have in my College Board-approved syllabus for AP Lit:
A NOTE ON SELECTED LITERATURE. PLEASE READ. THIS IS DIRECTLY FROM AP.
In an ongoing effort to recognize the widening cultural horizons of literary works written in English, the AP English Literature Development Committee will include diverse authors in the representative reading lists. Issues that might, from a specific cultural viewpoint, be considered controversial, including references to real-world cultural issues, ethnicities, nationalities, religions, races, dialects, gender or class, adult situations, are often represented artistically in works of literature. The Development Committee is committed to careful review of such potentially controversial material. Still, recognizing the universal value of literary art that probes difficult and harsh life experiences and so deepens understanding, the committee emphasizes that fair representation of issues and peoples may occasionally include controversial material.
Since AP students have chosen a program that directly involves them in college-level work, the AP English Literature and Composition Exam depends on a level of maturity consistent with the age of 12th-grade students (and beyond) who have engaged in thoughtful analysis of difficult literary texts. The best response to a controversial detail or idea in a literary work might well be a question about the larger meaning, purpose, or overall effect of the detail or idea in context. AP students should have the maturity, the skill, and the will to seek the larger meaning through thoughtful consideration of many different viewpoints. Such thoughtfulness is both fair and owed to the art and to the author.
You are never asked to adopt a specific viewpoint as your own, but only to consider the author’s viewpoint from a literary and historical perspective, and to consider the larger cultural reasons the author may have included such material in his/her work. Each selection was carefully made because it has appeared or is likely to appear on the AP Literature and Composition examination. Controversial selections have been included not to shock or offend the reader, but because such works have traditionally been viewed as having substantial literary merit.Reviews
Live Group Class
$36
weekly or $575 for 32 classes2x per week, 16 weeks
50 min
Completed by 7 learners
Live video meetings
Ages: 16-18
2-8 learners per class
