SAMPLE SYLLABUS #1
AP
®
English Literature
and Composition
Curricular Requirements
CR1
CR2
CR3
CR4
CR5
CR6
CR7
CR8
CR9
CR10
The course is structured by unit, theme, genre, or other organizational
approach that provides opportunities to engage with the Big Ideas throughout
the course: Character, Setting, Structure, Narration, Figurative Language,
Literary Argumentation.
See pages:
5, 6
The course includes works of short ction, poetry, and longer ction or drama
from the range of literary periods (pre-20th century and 20th/21st centuries).
See page:
4
The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills in Skill
Category 1: Explain the function of character.
See pages:
3, 8
The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills in Skill
Category 2: Explain the function of setting.
See pages:
3, 6, 11
The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills in Skill
Category 3: Explain the function of plot and structure.
See page:
6
The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills in Skill
Category 4: Explain the function of the narrator or speaker.
See page:
9
The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills in Skill
Category 5: Explain the function of word choice, imagery, and symbols.
See pages:
4, 7
The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills in Skill
Category 6: Explain the function of comparison.
See page:
10
The course provides opportunities for students to develop the skills in Skill
Category 7: Develop textually substantiated arguments about interpretations
of a portion or whole text.
See pages:
4, 5, 7, 8
The course provides opportunities for students to write essays that proceed
through multiple stages or drafts, including opportunities for conferring and
collaborating with teacher and/or peers.
See pages:
3, 4, 8
Advanced Placement
English Literature and
Composition Sample Syllabus #1
Course Overview
The AP
®
English Literature and Composition course is designed and taught thematically
with an emphasis on core readings along with modern and contemporary selections that
illuminate and expand upon a variety of themes. AP English Literature and Composition
closely follows the requirements described in the AP English Literature and Composition
Course and Exam Description (CED), including the fundamentals of literary analysis
and introductory college composition. Each week students discuss and engage in a
variety of writing activities focusing on argumentation, interpretation, analysis, rhetorical
strategies, exposition, structure, and style. Students read and study a variety of novels,
plays, poems, and short stories from the 16th century to the present. In addition to district-
approved novels, students read shorter works and drama from Prentice Hall Literature: The
British Tradition Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, & Sense. The course focuses on the
experience of literature, the interpretation of literature, the evaluation of literature, and
writing to develop stylistic maturity and sophistication. Students practice their writing
via numerous timed essays, which are revised several times, as well as longer essays that
require outside research and MLA formatting. Students also practice oral communication
skills, through poetry presentations, regular classroom discussions and acting as
discussion facilitators.
Student Practice
Throughout each unit, Topic Questions from AP Classroom will be provided to help
students check their understanding. The Topic Questions are especially useful for
conrming understanding of dicult or foundational topics before moving on to new
content or skills that build upon prior topics. Topic Questions can be assigned before,
during, or after a lesson, and as in-class work or homework. Students will get rationales
for each Topic Question that will help them understand why an answer is correct or
incorrect, and their results will reveal misunderstandings to help them target the content
and skills needed for additional practice.
At the end of each unit or at key points within a unit, Personal Progress Checks will
be provided in class or as homework assignments in AP Classroom. Students will get a
personal report with feedback on every topic, skill, and question that they can use to chart
their progress, and their results will come with rationales that explain every question’s
answer. One to two class periods are set aside to re-teach skills based on the results of the
Personal Progress Checks.
Writing Obligations
In-class writing: Timed writing assignments are given approximately every two to three
weeks. Topics usually arise from the readings and relate to questions of character, setting,
structure, narration, gurative language, and literary analysis. Sometimes, these focus on
works not previously studied in class, such as those found on the AP poetry and prose
question prompts.
Essays: Student essays are two to four pages in length. All essays prepared outside of
class must be typed. Students are expected to submit their thesis statements two weeks
prior to the due date. Thesis statements are based on student choices of any of the
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Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition Sample Syllabus #1
literature studied within the marking period. This critical essay challenges the student to
develop a sophisticated literary argument about a selected work. The student may focus
on a thematic topic, but the essay should also emphasize the eect of one to two literary
elements and techniques. A rst draft is typically due one week prior to the due date.
Drafts are returned with suggestions and comments that are expected to be incorporated
in the nal draft. Individual writing conferences will be arranged on a case-by-case basis.
Essays are evaluated on their strength of argument, depth of literary analysis, originality
of thought, style, and mechanics.
Essay Revisions: Students submit drafts to the instructor on a regular basis, as well as
participate in peer revision and editing reviews. Longer essays are revised at least once,
and Essay #2 must be revised at least twice. Students may schedule revision conferences
with the instructor at any time.
CR10
Literature Reviews: For each novel and drama studied in the course, students must
complete a review sheet. This review sheet requires that students write on the following
topics: main characters, minor characters, main settings, plot, two symbols and references,
style, author’s dominant philosophy, and four quotations that are representative of the
work as a whole.
CR3
CR4
These reviews are valuable in preparing students for in-
class writing and exams, as well as for the AP English Literature and Composition exam
in May. Literature Review sheets are due on the reading completion date of each work.
(Credit or no credit)
Quizzes: There are approximately ve unannounced reading quizzes per semester.
Midterm Exams: Students take midterm exams at the end of quarters 1 and 3. These
exams consist of timed essay responses. As with all timed essays, scoring will be based
on the AP English Literature and Composition six-point rubric for the relevant free-
response question. Students will practice using these rubrics to score sample essays, as
well their own and peers’ essays.
Final Exams: Students take nal exams at the end of quarters 2 and 4. These exams
consist of timed essay responses with some multiple-choice questions from the
AP Classroom Question Bank.
Oral Obligations
Presentation: Students lead one formal class discussion during the year following a
modied Socratic Seminar format. Students present/facilitate a literature discussion
on a work that the class has been reading in the course. The instructor presents a list
of reading assignments at the beginning of the year, and students will sign up for a
facilitation date.
The student’s primary goal is to orchestrate a rich, fruitful discussion. Students read the
selection and then create thought-provoking questions or “talking points” to guide, nurture,
and stimulate what in rural Ireland is called “craic,” or “a good chat,” one of the most
valued of all social skills. Students turn in a typed outline of their discussion plan and
questions prior to the presentation. Being a discussion leader does not mean one has to be
a class expert on the selection or guide students to a particular interpretation. Rather, the
facilitator’s role will be to ask questions and follow-up questions, bring up troubling issues,
keep the conversation going, and generally ignite and extend sophisticated thinking.
Students are evaluated on their preparation, ability to engage the class, quality of
questioning techniques, and appropriate use of the time requirement (45 minutes).
Poetry Recitations: Students memorize 40 lines of poetry once each semester and provide
a brief synopsis of the poem, including an explanation of how the poem’s structure
contributes to the development and relationship of ideas in the poem prior to their
recitation. Poetry recitations are staggered throughout the course and students sign up for
recitation dates.
CR10
The syllabus must provide
a description of at least
one essay assignment that
requires more than one
draft and includes evidence
of collaboration with and
feedback from teachers
and/or peers.
CR3
The syllabus must include
at least one description of
an instructional activity,
series of activities, or
project in which students
explain the function of
character in a text.
CR4
The syllabus must include
at least one description of
an instructional activity,
series of activities, or
project in which students
explain the function of
setting in a text.
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Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition Sample Syllabus #1
Other Requirements: These include participation in class discussions, two summer
reading texts (which may be a combination of a novel, short stories, and/or a drama)
and accompanying assignments, and a summer Biblical allusion assignment. Summer
assignments are due upon entering the class on the rst day.
Class discussions are conducted in the Socratic Seminar format. Students are expected
to regularly contribute their thoughts and impressions of writing and literature.
We write. A lot. Students engage in the writing process through writing thesis statements,
paragraphs, and full-length essays that incorporate textual evidence and commentary.
Students have multiple opportunities to revise their writing.
CR9 CR10
We frequently score student samples from previous AP English Literature and
Composition exams using the six-point rubrics. We review and discuss the rubrics, and
students score essays individually and in groups. In addition, students are required to
locate model sentences that demonstrate the accurate use of literary terms, eects of
terms, supporting quotations, and overall sophistication. Students are also required
to locate sentences in their own essays that require revision and use the high-scoring
sample essays as models for revisions. We also use these samples in conjunction with the
students’ own writing to improve writing technique, vocabulary development, variety of
sentence structure, use of transitions, and eective organization.
We use Nancy Dean’s Voice Lessons on a regular basis at the beginning of class to
informally write about elements such as diction, tone, syntax, use of detail, voice, and
imagery.
CR7
Students work on these assignments individually, in small groups, and as
a class.
Practice multiple-choice questions from both the PPCs and Question Bank on AP
Classroom are given regularly especially as we get closer to the AP English Literature and
Composition exam in May.
Required Texts and Materials:
In AP English Literature and Composition, I recommend that students purchase their own
novels so that they may write in their books as we probe and analyze them. Kindle editions
are considered but must receive instructor approval prior to use. The school library checks
out novels to all students who require them. If using school editions, students need to
keep sticky notes in the texts for regular annotation during reading.
Preliminary list of novels, dramas, and texts:
CR2
Native Son, Wright
Macbeth, Shakespeare
Frankenstein, Shelley
Summer Reading:
The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger
The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams
Anthologies:
Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, & Sense
Prentice Hall Literature: The British Tradition
Short stories will include the following among others:
“The Necklace,” Guy de Maupassant; “The Pardoner’s Tale” from The Canterbury Tales,
Chaucer; “Interpreter of Maladies,” Lahiri; “Desiree’s Baby,” Chopin; “Where Are You
Going, Where Have you Been?” Oates; “The Under Graham Railroad Box Car Set” from
Five-Carat Soul, McBride; “Geese,” Packer; “Battle Royal,” Ellison; “A Good Man is Hard to
Find,” O’Connor; “The Tell-Tale Heart,” Poe
CR9
The syllabus must include
at least three activities
(including two essays)
in which students develop
textually substantiated
arguments about
interpretations of a portion
or whole text.
CR7
The syllabus must include
at least one description of
an instructional activity,
series of activities, or
project in which students
explain the function of
word choice, imagery, or
symbols in a text.
CR2
The syllabus must include
the titles and authors of
the works of short ction,
poetry, and longer ction or
drama studied in the course
from the range of literary
periods (pre-20th century
and 20th/21st centuries).
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Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition Sample Syllabus #1
Poetry selections will include the following among others:
“That Time of Year,” Shakespeare; “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night,” Thomas;
“The Man He Killed,” Hardy; “Dulce et Decorum Est,” Owen; “Crossing the Bar,”
Tennyson; Psalms; “Out, Out –“ Frost; “The Author to Her Book,” Bradstreet; “Paradise
Lost” (excerpts), Milton; “Convergence of the Twain,” Hardy; “The Chimney Sweeper”
(1789) and “The Chimney Sweeper” (1793), Blake; “Much Madness is Divinest Sense,”
Dickenson; “Those Winter Sundays,” Hayden; “On Her Loving Two Equally,” Behn;
“Digging,” Heaney; “For Julia, In the Deep Water,” Morris; “To a Daughter Leaving
Home,” Pastan; “My Last Duchess,” Browning
Note: In addition to the works studied in AP English Literature and Composition, works
from a broader range of time periods are studied in prerequisite courses.
Course Planner/Student Activities
QUARTER #1 THEME: ILLUSION VS. REALITY
Skills Readings Examples of Instructional
Activities
Unit
CR1
Week 1 The Catcher
in the Rye,
Salinger
Summer
Reading
Review The Glass
Menagerie,
Williams
Students complete Literature
Review sheets for both works.
Assessment: Students respond
to an essay prompt that asks
them to compare and contrast
Holden Cauleld and Phoebe
Caueld and to discuss how
this comparison or contrast
contributes to an interpretation
of the work as a whole.
CR1
The syllabus must include
an outline of course content
by unit, theme, genre,
or other organizational
approach that also
demonstrates the inclusion
of the big ideas. The big
ideas must be explicitly
stated in the syllabus.
Weeks 2–4
Unit 1: Short
Fiction I
(10 periods)
Character
CHR-1.A
Setting
SET-2.A
Structure
STR-3.A
STR-3.B
Narration
NAR-4.A
NAR-4.B
Literary
Argumentation
LAN-7.A
“The
Necklace,”
Maupassant
“The
Pardoner’s
Tale” from The
Canterbury
Tales, Chaucer
In groups of three, students
create one graphic organizer for
“The Necklace” and one graphic
organizer for “The Pardoner’s
Tale.” One organizer includes
textual details about a character,
the character’s perspective, and
the character’s motives. The other
organizer includes textual details
that reveal the setting.
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check MCQ for Unit 1.
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check FRQ for Unit 1.
Assessment: Using the graphic
organizer about a character for
reference, students develop and
revise a paragraph that asserts a
claim about a character from one
of the stories and supports that
claim with details from the text
as evidence.
CR9
Assessment: Using the graphic
organizer about setting for
reference, students develop and
revise a paragraph that asserts
a claim about the setting and
supports that claim with details
from the text as evidence.
CR9
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Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition Sample Syllabus #1
CR1
Skills Readings Examples of Instructional
Activities
Unit
Weeks 5–7
Unit 2:
Poetry I
(10 periods)
Character
CHR-1.A
Structure
STR-3.C
STR-3.D
Figurative
Language
FIG-5.B
FIG-6.A
FIG-6.B
Literary
Argumentation
LAN-7.A
“That Time
of Year,”
Shakespeare
“Do Not Go
Gentle Into
That Good
Night,”
Thomas
“The Man He
Killed,” Hardy
“Dulce et
Decorum
Est,” Owen
“Crossing the
Bar,” Tennyson
Chunking the Text: Students
read the Dylan Thomas villanelle
“Do Not Go Gentle Into That
Good Night.” Analyzing the
poem’s structure, students note
the arrangement and internal
composition of the poem’s
stanzas. Noting that the poem is
divided into ve 3-line stanzas
and concludes with one 4-line
stanza, students read and
paraphrase each of the stanzas.
In groups of three, students then
compare observations. They
then engage in a whole group
discussion exploring how each
stanza conveys meaning on its
own but also relates to the stanza
that comes before and after it.
CR5
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check MCQ for Unit 2.
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check FRQ for Unit 2.
Assessment: Students write a
timed in-class essay in response
to a past AP Poetry Analysis
prompt.
Note: The topic of Essay #1 is
due at the end of Week 5. A
complete draft of the essay is due
Week 7.
CR5
The syllabus must include
at least one description of
an instructional activity,
series of activities, or
project in which students
explain the function of plot
and structure in a text.
Weeks 7–10
Unit 3:
Longer
Fiction or
Drama I
(17 periods)
Character
CHR-1.A
CHR-1.B
Setting
SET-2.A
Structure
STR-3.E
STR-3.F
Literary
Argumentation
LAN-7.A
LAN-7.B
LAN-7.C
LAN-7.D
LAN-7.E
Native Son,
Wright
In-class writing: Students write
a brief response to the following
prompt. It has been said that
we are what we see—we are all
products of our surroundings.
Consider Bigger Thomas’s
surroundings in Richard Wright’s
Native Son. In a well-written
essay, analyze how Bigger’s
complex relationship with his
environment contributes to an
interpretation of the work as a
whole.
CR4
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check MCQ for Unit 3.
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check FRQ for Unit 3.
Students engage in the revision
process through individual and
peer editing of Essay #1.
Assessment: Essay #1 due
Week 9.
Note: The outside book choice is
due Week 10.
Assessment: The midterm exam
is scheduled for Week 10.
CR4
The syllabus must include
at least one description of
an instructional activity,
series of activities, or
project in which students
explain the function of
setting.
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QUARTER #2 THEME: FATE AND FREE WILL
Unit Skills Readings Examples of Instructional
Activities
Weeks 1–4
Unit 4: Short
Fiction II
(17 periods)
Character
CHR-1.A
CHR-1.C
CHR-1.D
Setting
SET-2.B
SET-2.C
Structure
STR-3.A
STR-3.D
Narration
NAR-4.A
NAR-4.B
NAR-4.C
Literary
Argumentation
LAN-7.B
LAN-7.C
LAN-7.D
LAN-7.E
“Interpreter
of Maladies,”
Lahiri
“Desiree’s
Baby,” Chopin
“Where Are
You Going,
Where Have
You Been?”
Oates
“The Under
Graham
Railroad Box
Car Set” from
Five-Carat
Soul, McBride
Save the Last Word: Students
silently read “Desiree’s Baby,”
focusing on the narrator. As they
read, students list quotations
that resonate with them on ve
notecards. On the back of each
quotation card, students write
the reason for their choice.
Students then form groups of
four. One student reads the
quotation while group members
discuss the relevance of the
quotation, paying particular
attention to diction, details,
and syntax that reveal narrative
perspective. The quotation
“owner” then speaks or “has the
last word” about the relevance
of the quotation. Students
rotate sharing all of the group
quotations in the same fashion.
Assessment: Students write
individual paragraphs identifying
the point of view and explaining
its function in the story. They
must provide one of their chosen
quotations as evidence.
CR9
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check MCQ for Unit 4.
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check FRQ for Unit 4.
Note: The topic for Essay #2
is due at the end of Week 2. A
complete draft is due at the end
of Week 4.
Weeks 5–9
Unit 5:
Poetry II
(17 periods)
Structure
STR-3.C
Figurative
Language
FIG-5.A
FIG-5.B
FIG-5.D
FIG-6.B
FIG-6.C
FIG-6.D
Literary
Argumentation
LAN-7.B
LAN-7.C
LAN-7.D
LAN-7.E
Psalms
“Out, Out—,”
Frost
“The Author
to Her Book,”
Bradstreet
“Convergence
of the Twain,”
Hardy
“The Chimney
Sweeper”
(1789) and
“The Chimney
Sweeper”
(1793), Blake
“Much
Madness
is Divinest
Sense,”
Dickinson
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check MCQ for Unit 5.
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check FRQ for Unit 5.
In-class writing: Students read
Thomas Hardy’s “Convergence of
the Twain” and write a response
to the poem that explores
how the diction, imagery, and
symbolism contribute to the
poem’s complexity of meaning.
In groups of three, students share
what they noticed about how the
literary elements and techniques
function in the poem and how
they approached writing about
the poem.
CR7 CR9
Note: A second draft of Essay #2
is due Week 7.
Assessment: Essay #2 is due
Week 8.
Assessment: The nal exam is
scheduled for Week 9.
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QUARTER #3 THEME: GOOD AND EVIL
Unit Skills Readings Examples of Instructional
Activities
Weeks 1–4
Unit 6:
Longer
Fiction or
Drama II
(17 periods)
Character
CHR-1.A
CHR-1.C
CHR-1.E
Structure
STR-3.A
STR-3.B
STR-3.D
Narration
NAR-4.C
NAR-4.D
Figurative
Language
FIG-5.C
Literary
Argumentation
LAN-7.B
LAN-7.C
LAN-7.D
LAN-7.E
Frankenstein,
Shelley
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check MCQ for Unit 6.
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check FRQ for Unit 6.
In-class writing: Using Mary
Shelley’s Frankenstein, students
write a claim arguing that either
Victor or the Creature is the
villain of the novel. Students
develop their thesis statement
to include their claim as well as
a clause or phrase that analyzes
how the complex nature of the
character’s villainy contributes to
an interpretation of the work as a
whole. Students, then, complete
in class a rst draft of an essay
using the newly drafted thesis
and revise it over the course of
several class periods.
CR3
CR9
Assessment: The nal draft of
the Frankenstein essay will be
evaluated using the six-point
rubric. Students are required to
submit the rough draft of their
essay along with the nal draft to
demonstrate their revision work.
Additional teacher feedback
will focus on the quality of the
thesis statement and selected
evidence, the depth of analysis,
and the strength of connection
among the evidence, analysis,
and overall argument.
CR9
CR10
Note: The topic for Essay #3 is
due Week 3.
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Unit Skills Readings Examples of Instructional
Activities
Weeks 5–8
Unit 7: Short
Fiction III
(17 periods)
Character
CHR-1.B
CHR-1.D
Setting
SET-2.B
SET-2.C
Structure
STR-3.A
STR-3.B
Narration
NAR-4.D
Figurative
Language
FIG-5.C
FIG-5.D
FIG-6.A
FIG-6.C
Literary
Argumentation
LAN-7.B
LAN-7.C
LAN-7.D
“Geese,”
Packer
“Battle Royal,”
Ellison
“A Good Man is
Hard to Find,”
O’Connor
“The Tell-Tale
Heart,” Poe
Students will read a printed
version of “The Tell-Tale Heart”
that is presented as a double
entry journal. As students
progress through the story, they
write questions and notes in the
right column keeping in mind
narrator reliability, character
development, detail, and
imagery.
CR6
Students then complete a
character motivation graphic
organizer in which they provide
textual details as evidence
to support two dierent
perspectives: the narrator is
insane, and the narrator is a
cold-blooded killer.
In-class writing: Students
write an essay in response to
the following prompt. After
completing your close reading of
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale
Heart,” write an essay in which
you analyze the perspective of
the narrator and discuss how
the complex perspective of
the narrator contributes to an
interpretation of the work as a
whole.
CR6
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check MCQ for Unit 7.
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check FRQ for Unit 7.
Note: A complete draft of Essay
#3 is due Week 6.
Assessment: The nal draft of
Essay #3 is due Week 8.
CR6
The syllabus must include
at least one description of
an instructional activity,
series of activities, or
project in which students
explain the function of the
narrator or speaker.
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Unit Skills Readings Examples of Instructional
Activities
Week 9
Unit 8:
Poetry III
(17 periods to
be continued
into Quarter
#4)
Structure
STR-3.C
STR-3.D
Figurative
Language
FIG-5.B
FIG-5.C
FIG-6.B
FIG-6.D
Literary
Argumentation
LAN-7.B
LAN-7.C
LAN-7.D
LAN-7.E
“Paradise Lost”
(excerpts),
Milton
Students engage in close reading
activities with the excerpts
from Milton’s “Paradise Lost”
presented in the Prentice Hall
text.
Students begin reviewing and
preparing for the AP English
Literature and Composition
exam.
Note: The outside book choice
for Quarter #4 is due this week.
Assessment: The midterm exam
is scheduled for this week.
Instructional activities, student
practice, and assessments
continue in Quarter 4.
QUARTER #4 THEME: MARRIAGE AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Unit Skills Readings Examples of Instructional
Activities
Weeks 1–4
Unit 8: Poetry
III (continued)
(17 periods
total)
Structure
STR-3.C
STR-3.D
Figurative
Language
FIG-5.B
FIG-5.C
FIG-6.B
FIG-6.D
Literary
Argumentation
LAN-7.B
LAN-7.C
LAN-7.D
LAN-7.E
“Those Winter
Sundays,”
Hayden
“On Her
Loving Two
Equally,” Behn
“Digging,”
Heaney
“For Julia,
In the Deep
Water,” Morris
“To a Daughter
Leaving
Home,” Pastan
“My Last
Duchess,”
Browning
I Do, You Do, We Do: After
students read Seamus Heaney’s
poem “Digging,” students
identify one simile or metaphor
as a class. We discuss how
the two objects are compared,
and students are directed
to pay close attention to the
objects’ specic traits that are
compared. Following a teacher-
led discussion on how the
comparison conveys meaning,
students in pairs choose another
simile or metaphor in the poem.
The pairs then discuss how the
two objects are compared and
work together to explain how the
comparison conveys meaning.
CR8
In-class writing: Students write
an introductory paragraph that
includes a defensible thesis
statement about how the selected
simile or metaphor in Heaney’s
“Digging” develops the complex
relationship between the speaker
and his progenitors.
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check MCQ for Unit 8.
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check FRQ for Unit 8.
Students continue to prepare for
the AP English Literature and
Composition exam.
Note: The topic for Essay #4 is
due Week 2.
10
AP-Course Audit Teacher Resources
© 2020 College Board
Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition Sample Syllabus #1
Unit Skills Readings Examples of Instructional
Activities
Weeks 4–7
Unit 9:
Longer
Fiction or
Drama III
(17 periods)
Character
CHR-1.B
CHR-1.E
Macbeth,
Shakespeare
Structure
STR-3.E
STR-3.F
Narration
NAR-4.C
Literary
Argumentation
LAN-7.B
LAN-7.C
LAN-7.D
In-class writing: Following
various close reading activities
in our study of Macbeth, students
write an essay in response to
the following prompt. Consider
the following quote from Eudora
Welty: “Fiction depends for
its life on place. Place is the
crossroads of circumstance,
the proving ground of, what
happened? Who’s here? Who’s
coming?” In a well-written
essay, analyze how the complex
relationship between setting
and plot contributes to an
interpretation of Macbeth as
a whole. This essay will be
evaluated using the AP Literature
and Composition six-point
rubric.
CR4
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check MCQ for Unit 9.
Practice: Complete Personal
Progress Check FRQ for Unit 9.
The AP English Literature
and Composition exam is
administered in Week 5.
Note: The draft of Essay #4 is
due Week 6.
Weeks 8–10
End-of-Year
Assignments
and Final
Exam
Assessment: Essay #4 is due
Week 9.
Assessment: Senior Project
Presentation
Assessment: The nal exam is
scheduled for Week 10.
Senior Graduation Speeches
Senior Week
11
