AP English Literature & Composition

MCOE LIBRARY PORTAL 

Weekly Agenda (Week 17)

Monday 12/1

• NWEA

Tuesday 12/2 

• The Scarlet Letter - Part I Assessment

Wednesday 12/3

• The Scarlet Letter - Part II Assessment

Thursday 12/4

• A Christmas Carol

Friday 12/5

• A Christmas Carol

Weekly Agenda (Week 16)

Monday 12/1

• Considering texts for the FRQ 3 on the AP exam

Tuesday 12/2 

• Assigned videos (AP Classroom)

  • 3.3 Function of Plot & Structure in long fiction

  • 3.4 Developing substantiated arguments (long fiction)

• Assigned MC Progress Check for Unit 3 (starts on 12/8... you have until 12/12 to get it done). This is timed and you will only have 60 minutes from the moment you start to finish. 

• The Scarlet Letter

  • review activity: characters and literary techniques

Wednesday 12/3

• The Scarlet Letter

  • review activity: characters and literary techniques

Thursday 12/4

• NWEA

Friday 12/5

• NWEA

Weekly Agenda (Week 11)

Monday 11/3

• "Young Goodman Brown"

• turn in annotated story

Tuesday 11/4

• AP Multiple Choice Practice

Wednesday 11/5

• AP Multiple Choice Practice

• Scarlet Letter

• In-Class/ Homework: Historical context: Read the article in this link then answer the questions that follow -  https://www.litcharts.com/lit/young-goodman-brown/themes/the-hypocrisy-of-puritanism

  • 1. How does Hawthorne’s portrayal of Puritanism in the anchor text challenge our assumptions about morality and the difference between appearance and reality in society?

  • 2. In what ways might Goodman Brown’s journey reflect the dangers of demanding perfection from individuals or communities—both in Puritan New England and in our own local context?

  • 3. What parallels can you draw between the social policing described in the text and present-day issues of conformity, judgment, or exclusion in California’s diverse communities?

  • Homework: TSL - read chapter 8

Thursday 11/6

• Practice Timed Write

Friday 11/7

• Daily Videos - posted on AP Classroom

Weekly Agenda (Week 11)

Monday 10/27

• Scarlet Letter - Judgement: modern day dilemmas

  • wrap up conversation about judgement from last week

• Read "Young Goodman Brown" (as you read you will annotate for the following)

  • First read: stop & annotate on the margins - impressions

• Homework: TSL - read chapter 6

Tuesday 10/28

• The Scarlet Letter

  • finish our 1st reading of Young Goodman Brown [popcorn read... pause and annotate]

  • Second read: highlight passages that reveal contradictions between outward appearances and internal realities. Use a different color highlighter for outward appearances vs internal realities. Make note on the margins of these contradictions. Also note examples of irony, moral conflict, and societal judgment

• Homework: TSL - read chapter 7

Wednesday 10/29

• Scarlet Letter

• In-Class/ Homework: Historical context: Read the article in this link then answer the questions that follow -  https://www.litcharts.com/lit/young-goodman-brown/themes/the-hypocrisy-of-puritanism

  • 1. How does Hawthorne’s portrayal of Puritanism in the anchor text challenge our assumptions about morality and the difference between appearance and reality in society?

  • 2. In what ways might Goodman Brown’s journey reflect the dangers of demanding perfection from individuals or communities—both in Puritan New England and in our own local context?

  • 3. What parallels can you draw between the social policing described in the text and present-day issues of conformity, judgment, or exclusion in California’s diverse communities?

  • Homework: TSL - read chapter 8

Thursday 10/30

• TBA

• Homework: TSL - read chapter 9

Friday 10/31 - > Halloween

• Homework: TSL - read chapter 10

• Homecoming!

• Coming up: Reading test next week (chapters 1-12)

Weekly Agenda (Week 11)

Monday 10/20

• "The Custom House" -> group activity

• Homework: TSL - read chapter 1

Tuesday 10/21

• Finish "The Custom House" group activity presentations

• Marxist Theory 

• Literary/ Rhetorical Devices

• Homework: TSL - read chapter 2

Wednesday 10/22

• The Scarlet Letter

  • Key question: How do personal and community values shape the way we treat each other?

  • Quickwrite: Imagine a student at your school is publicly shamed for breaking an unwritten social rule—how does the community respond?

  • Group Discussion: what patterns do you notice in these reactions? How do people’s backgrounds or values affect the way they respond?

  • Anchor text: "Young Goodman Brown"

    • “Well, she's a blessed angel on earth; and after this one night I'll cling to her skirts and follow her to heaven.”

    • Q: What does it mean to see someone as a ‘blessed angel’—and what might happen if that image is challenged?

• • Historical Context: In Puritan New England, communities often judged people harshly based on appearances and rumors. Today, we often see public shaming online—what’s similar or different?

• • Read "Young Goodman Brown" (as you read you will annotate for the following)

    • highlight passages that reveal contradictions between outward appearances and internal realities. Use a different color highlighter for outward appearances vs internal realities. Make note on the margins of these contradictions. Als note examples of irony, moral conflict, and societal judgment

• • Historical context: Read the article in this link then answer the questions that follow -  https://www.litcharts.com/lit/young-goodman-brown/themes/the-hypocrisy-of-puritanism

    • 1. How does Hawthorne’s portrayal of Puritanism in the anchor text challenge our assumptions about morality and the difference between appearance and reality in society?

    • 2. In what ways might Goodman Brown’s journey reflect the dangers of demanding perfection from individuals or communities—both in Puritan New England and in our own local context?

    • 3. What parallels can you draw between the social policing described in the text and present-day issues of conformity, judgment, or exclusion in California’s diverse communities?

  • Homework: TSL - read chapter 3

Thursday 10/23

• Identify major issues facing our communities

  • make thematic connections

  • Each group will organize your ideas (regarding issues we face today and those presented in the novel) into a brief oral presentation (about 2 minutes) - make sure to clearly state the real-world issue, the connected theme from the novel, and at least one piece of textual evidence to support your argument. You will have 10 minutes to organize your mini presentation

  • Answer the folloiwng questions after your presentation:

    • How do the consequences of stigma in the novel compare to what we see in our communities? 

    • What lessons about redemption or hypocrisy can be applied to today’s challenges?

• Homework: TSL - read chapter 4

Friday 10/24

• Homework: TSL - read chapter 5

• Homecoming!

Weekly Agenda (Week 10)

Monday 10/13

• "The Custom House" -> review in groups homework from Friday (read from p.16-34)

  • "Unless people are more than commonly..." to 

  • "In the absorbing contemplation of the ..."

• continue reading... collect evidence

Tuesday 10/14

• Finish reading the custom house and submit your work on Canvas

Wednesday 10/15

• Group project - Hawthorne's layered identity 

  • see instructions under the resource page for "The Scarlet Letter"

Thursday 10/16

• Group project - Hawthorne's layered identity 

Friday 10/17

• No school for students

Weekly Agenda (Week 9)

Monday 10/6

• "A&P" essay due

• AP Multiple Choice practice

Tuesday 10/7

• AP Multiple Choice practice - reflection due

• Introduction to Marxist Literary Theory - period 3

• Rhetorical/ Literary devices - period 3

• Introduction to the Scarlet Letter - period 6

  • begin reading "The Custom House" - period 6 

Wednesday 10/8

• Introduction to Marxist Literary Theory - period 6

• Rhetorical/ Literary devices - period 6

• Introduction to the Scarlet Letter - period 3

  • begin reading "The Custom House" - period 3

Thursday 10/9

• Introduction to Marxist Literary Theory - period 3

• Rhetorical/ Literary devices - period 3

• Scarlet Letter - period 6

  • finish reading the custom house & respond to the key questions listed below

1- What is the primary purpose for the Custom-House introduction?

2- What significant change does Hawthorne admit to making in telling the story contained

in the diary?

3- What potential impact will this change have on the story?

Friday 10/10

• Marxist Literary Theory - period 6

• Rhetorical/ Literary devices - period 6

• Scarlet Letter - period 3

  • finish reading the custom house & respond to the key questions listed below

1- What is the primary purpose for the Custom-House introduction?

2- What significant change does Hawthorne admit to making in telling the story contained

in the diary?

3- What potential impact will this change have on the story?

Weekly Agenda (Week 8)

Monday 9/29

• "A&P"

  • continue drafting

Tuesday 9/30

• "A&P"

  • finish your draft

  • Share your draft with three of your peers. Use the peer review checklist to workshop your peer's papers

Wednesday 10/1

• "A&P"

  • continue peer review/ workshop

Thursday 10/2

• "A&P"

  • start writing your final draft

Friday 10/3

• "A&P"

  • continue writing your final draft

Weekly Agenda (Week 7)

Monday 9/22

• "A&P"

  • themes

Tuesday 9/23

• • "A&P" 

    • review themes, evidence

Wednesday 9/24

• "A&P"

  • using argument models to check the strength of your thesis

Thursday 9/25

• "A&P"

  • share your thesis with your group; check for strength

Friday 9/26

• "A&P"

  • begin drafting

Weekly Agenda (Week 6)

Monday 9/15

• My AP Classroom

  • Daily Video

• Lecture: Rhetorical/Literary Devices & Literary Theory

Tuesday 9/16

• My AP Classroom

  • Daily Video

• Lecture: Rhetorical/Literary Devices & Literary Theory

  • "A&P" 

    • first read notes 

Wednesday 9/17

• The Hero's Journey

• Check in with group and discuss your 1st read notes for the "A&P"

Thursday 9/18

• Key questions ("A&P")

• Writing Prompt

Friday 9/19

• Drafting ("A&P")

• Let's Reflect

Weekly Agenda (Week 5)

Monday 9/8

• My AP Classroom

  • Daily Video #2 - character

• Responding to the AP Prompt (pps 35-48)

• Elements of Fiction -plot

Tuesday 9/9

• My AP Classroom

  • Daily Video #3 - character

  • Quiz (due by end of the day); timed

• Elements of Fiction -plot

Wednesday 9/10

• My AP Classroom

  • Daily Video #1 - setting

  • Quiz (due by Thursday)

• Elements of Fiction -character

Thursday 9/11

• My AP Classroom

  • Daily Video #1A - plot structure

• Elements of Fiction -setting

  • consider the historical context & cultural environment 

Friday 9/12

• NOTE - the grading period closes today. Progress grades will come out next week on Tuesday or Wednesday

• My AP Classroom

  • Daily Video #1B - plot structure

  • Quiz (due by the end of the day); timed

• Lecture: Literary Criticism (archetypal literary theory)

• Let's Reflect

Weekly Agenda (Week 4)

Monday 9/1

• No School - Labor Day

Tuesday 9/2

• Blog Post #2 - The Dream

• Being an effective reader

Wednesday 9/3

• Being an effective reader (continued)

Thursday 9/4

• Experience, Analysis, Extension

Friday 9/5

• NOTE - I will out for a tennis tournament. All instructions and resources needed, such as slides, will be posted on Canvas

• My AP Classroom - Daily Video Lesson

• DUE: Blog Post #2 (instructions are posted on Canvas)

• Let's Reflect

Weekly Agenda

Monday 8/18

• Film Trailer 

  • work on editing your trailer

• Summer assignment - poem discussion

  • discuss your favorites (in groups)

  • present assigned poem: overall impression; ease/difficulty in analyzing/understanding; favorite line

    • extended assignment: create a modern interpretation of the poem (you will present it in class next week - most likely on Monday)

• Young Writer's Workshop (Spring of 2026)

Tuesday 8/19

• Goal Setting

• Chapter 1 - Thinking About Literature (Literature & Composition: Reading, Writing, Thinking)

Wednesday 8/20

• Chapter 1 - Thinking About Literature (Literature & Composition: Reading, Writing, Thinking)

  • Remember: literature reveals truths about human beings, their society, and the world around them, through the lens of fiction. It's like when your grandparents tell you a story to teach you a lesson. A literary example would be the story of dracula; which some believe is meant to be a warning for young girls as to not engage in sexual activity.  Think about it this way - literature provides illustrations / examples about humans, their society, etc - it provides warnings, a glimpse into the future and what can happen, a reproach of human behavior, or what the world could be, and so much more.

  • Consider the book The Long Walk:

    • What truths is Stephen King revealing to his audience about human nature/ society/ the world around them? 

• Due: Film Trailer (these will be presented today)

  • peer evaluations

Thursday 8/21

• continued Chapter 1 - Thinking About Literature (Literature & Composition: Reading, Writing, Thinking)

Friday 8/22

• Let's celebrate

• I will be out - I will be at a tennis tournament in Madera

Summer Reading 2025

You will read one text before entering into AP Literature and Composition in August. The purpose of the summer assignment is to stay mentally active, so enjoy your reading - I will be reading along with you. 

If you have any questions over the summer, email ghinojosa@dpol.net. I am looking forward to a great year with you.

The book you will be reading:

• The Long Walk by Stephen King (a dystopian short novel/ a coming of age story). If I were to use the Film rating system, this would be a PG13 book (for some foul language and some sexual references). You will need to pick up a hard copy from me.

You will also read a few poems, annotate them using SOAPSTone, then write a brief response (100 words max) for your top two poems; illustrate 1 of the poems (it must capture the theme and tone of the poem) - be creative.

·         "The Grave of Keats"- Oscar Wilde: https://poets.org/poem/grave-keats

·         "The Waking"- Theodore Roethke: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/43333/the-waking-56d2220f25315

·         “When I Have Fears That I May Cease To Be”- John Keats:  https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44488/when-i-have-fears-that-i-may-cease-to-be

·         “Constantly Risking Absurdity (#15)”- Lawrence Ferlinghetti: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/52319/constantly-risking-absurdity-15

·         “Facing It”- Yusef Komunyakaa: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/47867/facing-it