AP Lit & Comp 8/25 – 8/26 ‘16 1. Finish prepping your chapter details to share

2. Syllabus – highlights, key items to know

3. Groups share out findings from BNW chapters

1-3

4. For next class…

Themes we’ll focus on...

1. Dystopian Truths in Modern Times/Society vs. the

Individual

2. Appearance vs. Reality

3. Sacrifice and Unrequited Love

4. Marriage and Family: The Bonds that Bind

5. Alienation and Resiliency

6. Loss of Innocence / Impact of Loneliness &

Solitude

Each thematic unit will... Have an anchor text, which will be the novel we focus on in the unit.

Additionally, each unit will also contain multiple context and texture

texts.

I will provide you with copies (either paper or online) of these

secondary texts, which will primarily be poetry and short stories.

The AP Lit exam requires that we prepare by reading constantly.

To do this most successfully, I like to ensure you’re reading both

deep and wide –this is why I layer the texts.

•Each thematic unit has its own essential questions which we

will attempt to answer and will use to guide our discussions

and explorations.

•We will spend a significant amount of time looking at

authors’ deliberate stylistic choices, use of figurative language

techniques, and structural organization.

•In other words, WHY do authors make the choices they

do?

•AND…how do these stylistic choices lead to some

realization of the human condition?

We will continually question: What is the writer

trying to do? What means does he/she utilize to

accomplish this? Why is this a “great” piece of

literature?

The answers to these questions, and the reasons to

support those answers, will be the primary focus of

your writing for this course. .

This class is largely about author’s craft.

MATURITY

▹This is a college-level course. The readings we cover are mature in

content and theme, and it is essential that you respond in a mature

manner.

▹Understand that a major component of being a college student --and

a well-rounded and informed reader-- is being exposed to a variety of

different texts and philosophies.

▹You are not expected to like, believe in, endorse, or agree with

everything we read.

▹Part of becoming a mature, discerning adult is determining how

others’ beliefs and viewpoints compare to your own truth.

▹BTW: this is also a crucial survival skill you’ll need in college.

You must be engaged… ▹Most class sessions will focus in part on either small or large-group

discussion. This means you are REQUIRED to speak in class. To

do this, you must keep up with and think critically about all readings.

You must respect the opinions and reactions of others. And you

must be able to interact with a variety of your classmates. This type

of collaborative learning environment is what you’ll be exposed to

both in college and your future professional life. It’s what college-

level learning is all about. Learn how to flourish in it now.

▹We will be learning together, creating independent and collective

“truths,” and challenging one another to dig deeper into texts and our

own psyches.

▹It’s my hope that in this process you will have so much to say that

we will run out of time in class discussions. (This has actually been

the case the past several years –we always run out of time to discuss

all that we’d like to.)

Here’s what to expect

▹In AP Lit, you will always be reading something, and you will always

have some assignment on the horizon. You must be prepared to read

all texts closely and analytically and to fulfill corresponding

assignments that are of different lengths and levels of difficulty.

▹The readings will be layered thematically which means as we are

reading a novel, we will also be reading short stories, poetry, or drama

that corresponds to the theme of study. Thus, there will be a great

deal of reading, but it will be divided up into manageable chunks.

▹I typically assign novel reading in chunks, meaning you will have a

large amount of time (week or two) to read a section of the novel we’re

studying. In the meantime, we will read poems and short stories,

which won’t be as time consuming for you outside of class.

Here’s what to expect

▹At the end of each school year, after the AP exam, I survey my AP Lit

students about a number of things. Specifically, I ask them about the work

load. Was it manageable? Enough? Too much? About right?

▹The response I’ve gotten, unanimously, every year is “the work load was

manageable, and it was what I needed to be ready for the exam.”

▹It’s critical that you’re willing to devote the time necessary both inside and

outside of class in order to get the required reading and other work done, the

majority of which will be reading. This amount will never surpass 3 hours of

outside reading/work/study time between 90 minute classes. Most days, it

will be significantly less.

▹For the most part, you will simply need to manage your time well and keep

upcoming due dates / obligations on your radar, which again, is a critical skill

for college.

Be here! ▹Attendance - Class discussions, activities, and lectures will be

VITAL to your learning and will be nearly impossible to replicate –

so don’t be absent. You need to be here to be successful in the class.

FACT: Students who frequently miss class do not score as highly on

the AP exam, despite their ability level.

▹Course website: I will update the course website after each class

meets with what we did that day.

▹It is your responsibility to review the website. It’s also your

responsibility to take note of the assigned reading and complete it in

its entirety before the next class (unless you truly are too ill to do so).

This will help ensure that you don’t fall behind.

Grades Here is the grade breakdown. I have designed it to closely mimic a

freshmen Intro to Lit/Comp college course this class is replacing.

Timed Writings and Process Essays - 40%

RLJ (Reader Literary Journal) and Dialectical Journals /

Independent Reading Books - 20%

Reader Responses, Vocabulary Work, Practice M/C- 5%

Quizzes (including vocabulary quizzes) - 10%

Socratic Seminars / Discussions / Participation -25%

Late Work This is a college-level course. At the college level, late work is not tolerated, and it is

important that this course prepare you for that environment.

Understand NOW that I will NOT accept late work, even for reduced credit because

your college professors will never allow this.

I will give you amnesty on ONE major work each semester. To receive this, you’ll

need to contact me at least 24 hours in advance to let me know you’re using your

exemption for that particular assignment. I will give you a two week extension – with

no point deduction.

If you don’t use your extension, I will award you 20 extra credit points at the end of

that semester.

Know that technological difficulties are not a valid excused for missing class deadlines.

You are responsible for backing up all your coursework. Give yourself adequate time

to finish assignments early to avoid potentially troublesome technology.

Remember that if you’re having difficulty with an assignment PLEASE contact me and

ask for help before the assignment is due.

Cell phones

We have an enormous amount of material to cover and learn in

order to adequately prepare you to take the AP Lit exam in

May. I want you to earn as much college credit as possible.

Cell phones are terribly tempting distracters.

Simply stated, we do not have time for cell phones in class.

SO…

Please ensure that your phone is OFF or on silent when you get

to class. If you must have it out, it needs to be upside down on

your desk. Make a genuine effort to only check it a few times

during class when we have a natural break.

▹Do take me up on offers to help you with your writing or

understanding of the literature we are reading. Do ask

questions when they arise.

▹Don’t feel like you’re bothering me if you come in outside of

class to ask questions. Please understand that I’m here as a

resource to help you succeed. I actually love to help students!

▹I am happy to help you and guide you, but I will not do your

job for you.

▹Although it will be challenging, I promise this will be a fun

and enriching year!

A few last thoughts for today

Richard Brautigan ▹Richard Brautigan (1935-1984) was an American poet

and novelist, primarily associated with the counterculture

in San Francisco in the 1960s.

▹His style was absurdist, satirical, and surreal.

▹cybernetics - the study of human control

functions and of mechanical and electronic systems

designed to replace them

For next class… ▹Make sure you’ve read through chapter 6 of Brave New

World. Please be annotating in your book. Use color.

Pencil annotations smudge, and they are very challenging

to find later.

▹Additionally, you might consider using mini sticky notes

or tabs to flag pages of particular importance. Ask me

for some if you need them.