Welcome to AP Lit. This course will challenge you to the breaking point, but you will emerge a stronger, more confident, and college ready reader and writer. The road will not be easy, but the destination will be worth it. We will emerse ourselves in novels, dramas, short fiction, and poetry - some you may have read before, but none as deep as we will explore it.
Completion of the College Board AP Literature and Composition test will potentially earn you college credit. You will be ready for it! The course itself is weighted for your GPA. The first semester will be Honors weight and the second semester will be AP Weight.
Novels and Dramas
- Wuthering Heights
- Macbeth
- The Picture of Dorian Gray - or - Jane Eyre - or - 1984 - or - Dracula - or - Frankenstein - or - Their Eyes Were Watching God - or - The Kite Runner - or - Pride and Prejudice
- The Lord of the Flies
- Brave New World
You will need procure copies of these books. I do have some copies of some of the titles available in class to borrow, but not nearly enough for a class set. Many are in the public domain, so there will be some available for free online. If you would like to donate your copy to the class when you are finished with it for the good of the cause, I am sure we can come to an arrangement that will make us both pleased.
For the titles that say "- or -", you will pick one or the other.
Short Fiction & Poetry
Grammar
We will got through Elements of Style to gain more insight on writing not just grammatically, but also with better style. Every two weeks we will have a usuage quiz on the chapters you were assigned to learn. If purchasing this book, make sure to get the one with both Strunk and White listed as authors (fourth edition is the preferred). You can get all you need here.
Vocabulary & Literary Terms
Quizlet on our list
Blooket on our list
Allusions (1st Quarter)
Allusions (2nd Quarter)
Allusions (3rd Quarter)
Allusions (4th Quarter)
Test Tips
- The Thesis Statement
- FRQ #1 - Poetry
- FRQ #2 - Prose
- FRQ #3 - Literary Analysis
IPRs
(Individual Poetry Readings)
These will be completed on your own time or during class free time. Sheet must be signed and returned before the final due date. Signature sheets can be printed or picked up from Mr. Alford in class. Go here for complete list of readings.
DDJ
(Deep Dive Journal)
For the FRQ3, you will need to pick a work of "literary merit" to use to answer the question. We are going to make sure you have at least 4 works of literary merit that you have done deep dives on. Before the test, you will be able to read through this journal to get yourself ready. This is a major assignment for each four quarters. You will need a composition notebook (usually marbled covered, but yours does not have to be).
- Instructions (should be taped to inside cover of your DDJ)
- Perdue OWL Literary Criticisms
Supplies
You will need:
- pencils
- black or dark blue pens (get ones you are comfortable with)
- at least one green pen
- at least one purple pen
- a composition notebook (the kind that usually come marbled and pages are sewn in)
- all those books to the left
- college-ruled notebook paper (and a notebook to put it in)
- Strunk and White's Elements of Style (also available online - if purchasing, get the one with both authors, 4th edition)
You may want:
- Scotch tape
- highlighters
- Post It notes
Amazon Wish List - add to this wish list any of the above books. I'm trying to build a classroom library.
S
Other Links
- Class Syllabus
- Class Shirt
- College Board
- Varsity Tutor's Question of the Day
- Writing the College Application Essay
Today's Challenge
Book Ranker - The Greates Books of all Time
Thinking of being a future AP Lit student? Here's the information you need!
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