Welcome to the 2012-2013 school year. I'm looking forward to meeting you and having you in my classes!

This Advanced Placement course will engage students in close and critical analysis of imaginative literature. The course contains work from the English 12 curriculum and suggested activities and intensive study from The College Board AP Program. This includes pieces representative of various genres and periods, concentrating on works of recognized literary merit.

The course demands that students develop the analytic and creative skills associated with interpretation and evaluation of poetry, prose, and drama drawn from multiple genres, periods, and cultures. Students will be provided with the opportunity to subjectively respond to the literature, understand multiple meanings through analysis of literary works, and evaluate and consider the quality, artistic achievement, and social and cultural value of literary selections. Students will employ a variety of writing modes, appropriate to different assignments, as required by both lengthier outside-of-class pieces and in-class prompts. Students will be expected to routinely deliver articulate responses to literary selections in both written and oral form. Student responses to literary works should reflect critical thinking—sound logic and meaningful reflection.

The course requires a great deal of outside reading. Students will be required to speak well in front of a group and be willing to converse with others about a text in a sophisticated manner. This is an exciting opportunity for students to develop expertise and explore challenging college-caliber experiences through the AP 12 curriculum. This should provide you with a challenge that rewards you with improved skills for analyzing and understanding literature and texts you read, and a deeper appreciation for the English language and literature.

Drop Box Instructions

1.      Open the folder where your saved document is located

2.      Make sure your file is saved with your last name in it. For example as:

Smith Allusion.ppt or Jones Lit Term.ppt

3.      Copy the file using Ctrl C or by clicking on the file, Right clicking the file, and then selecting “Copy” or selecting “Copy” from the edit menu

4.      Go to the “S” or Student Drive

5.      Click on the “Drop Only” folder

6.      Find and open the “Nunn” Folder

7.      Open the folder for your hour and assignment

8.      Hit Ctrl V or select “Paste”  and you are done

The goals for this course are to improve basic grammar, vocabulary, listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills. These skills will be built through the study of various types of literature including non-fiction (articles, essays, speeches, autobiography and biography), fiction (short stories and novels), poetry, drama, media (print, internet, and broadcast), and research and composition. The course will cover the entire year in three trimesters. This course is requisite to graduate from Woodbury High School. Therefore, you need to come to class prepared on a daily basis.

This course introduces some of the most important works from British literature which culminate in the language we predominantly use today. This should provide you with a challenge that rewards you with improved skills for understanding and analysis of texts and literature you read and an appreciation for the language giving you confidence as you step out into the world. In addition the course has a composition component requiring a persuasive research essay. As this course is a requisite for graduation from Woodbury High School, students need to come to class prepared on a daily basis.

These links will lead you to useful resources for wrting papers, study, vocabulary and other interest

Easy Bib - Use this if you are unsure of how to create a citation for a Works Cited page Citation and Reference Style Guide

Can I Use Wikipedia?

The 2013 Literature and Composition Exam is Thursday, May 9

AP Central Past AP Lit and Comp Exam Prompts

Diane Rehm Show

Meriam-Webster Dictionary Oxford Dictionaries - Username: whsroyals; Password whsroyals

POETRY OUT LOUD

Woodbury High School

The Owl - Online Writing Lab

The Guardian

The New York Times

Glossaries of literary terms: "Virtual Salt: A Glossary of Literary Terms," by Robert Harris.

"Virtual Salt: A Glossary of Rhetorical Devices," by Robert Harris.

T Nellen's List (Especially look at other links here)

CUNY-Brookly English Dept. List Online Grammar Resources: CCC Site Ask Grammar; University of Northern Iowa Dr. Grammar

Bartleby.com - Hosts a great number of classical novels and other works online free for you to read.

Also a great source for English usage, style, and composition as well as quotations from literary sources Portals for Literary Research (Note passwords before you click to go to sites) WHS Gale Literary Databases (Password = wood39234rpa). Portal to HCL Databases --> JSTOR (use this number: 21972069409410 ).

The Structure of the May A.P. Exam (this year Thursday, May 9) in Literature & Composition Part I - Multiple-Choice Questions - (60 min.) 55 questions based on five poetry and prose selections - 17th to 21st century (60 min.). Part II - Free-response Essays (120 min.) Question #1 - Written response to a single poetry selection (40 min.). Question #2 - Written response to a single prose selection (40 min.). Question #3 - Written response to a prompt on a broad literary topic - e.g., character foils, setting, plot structure, symbolism, irony, alienation - relying on one novel or play that you already know well as your primary example (40 min.). We'll hold exam rehearsals from time to time during the school year; however, students should also practice at home. We obviously cannot rehearse for a 3-hour exam within a 55-minute class period! Test yourself on questions from past exams on AP Central (answer key provided). Also, we encourage you to buy and use published practice booklets.

Woodbury High School
Mr. Nunn