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Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. - Anton Chekhov
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” - Maya Angelou
“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” - Maya Angelou
WOW! Congratulations to my Advanced Placement Literature students! Nearly 90 (88.5) percent passing! So MANY 4's and 5's!
WOW! Congratulations to my Advanced Placement Literature students! Nearly 90 (88.5) percent passing! So MANY 4's and 5's!
Also, CONGRATS to my 10th graders! Dreyfoos School of the Arts 10th graders earned a 94% for their READING TEST scores! That is higher than SUNCOAST or any other school in the county!
Also, CONGRATS to my 10th graders! Dreyfoos School of the Arts 10th graders earned a 94% for their READING TEST scores! That is higher than SUNCOAST or any other school in the county!
Please know that I am supportive of you.
I will always do my best to meet your emotional and academic needs, including providing accommodations and modifications that comply with Section 504 Accommodation Plans and the ADA. As such, please feel free to email me if you have questions or have additional information that would help improve the climate in the classroom. My email is richard.ehrlich@palmbeachschools.org .
After you review the following policies and course information, complete and return the following form (please, print and send with your young adult): Welcome to Ehrlich’s English: SYLLABUS and Procedures Acknowledgment Letter
NOTE: Starting with the 2025 exam, AP® English Language and Composition and AP English Literature and Composition multiple-choice questions will have four answer choices instead of five.
Most AP courses have already implemented this change, which research indicates could improve students’ exam day experience. and information. 😀
Welcome to 12th Advanced Placement, Literature
Welcome to 12th Advanced Placement, Literature
Honors and Advanced Level Course Note: Advanced courses require a greater demand on students through increased academic rigor. Academic rigor is obtained through the application, analysis, evaluation, and creation of complex ideas that are often abstract and multi-faceted. Students are challenged to think and collaborate critically on the content they are learning. Honors level rigor will be achieved by increasing text complexity through text selection, focus on high-level qualitative measures, and complexity of task. Instruction will be structured to give students a deeper understanding of conceptual themes and organization within and across disciplines. Academic rigor is more than simply assigning to students a greater quantity of work.
Course Overview (from the https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-english-literature-and-composition/course )
Course Overview (from the https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-english-literature-and-composition/course )
AP English Literature and Composition is an introductory college-level literary analysis course. Students cultivate their understanding of literature through reading and analyzing texts as they explore concepts like character, setting, structure, perspective, figurative language, and literary analysis in the context of literary works.
Prerequisites
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisite courses for AP English Literature and Composition. Students should be able to read and comprehend college-level texts and write grammatically correct, complete sentences.
REMINDER: THE AP EXAM is in May. More info. to follow.
REMINDER: THE AP EXAM is in May. More info. to follow.
Please note that this course has been implemented using selected resources from the College Board as well as Cambridge International, in addition to the resources referenced in the Palm Beach County Scope and Sequence for ELA. The Scope and Sequence has been reviewed and approved by Teaching and Learning. That approval does not extend to any additional content that may be found within the StudySync platform.
NOTE: Lessons, updates, notes, assignments, etc. will be posted on the GOOGLE CLASSROOM, under the TAB at the top marked CLASSWORK. Students should not rely the STREAM to keep track of class activities. The AGENDA option on the STREAM may also change without due notice. So, again, students should check the CLASSWORK tab each class for lessons, updates, notes, assignments, etc.
Course Information
Course Information
This course is designed to comply with the curricular requirements described in the AP English Course Description.
As noted by the College Board, this course “engages students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. Through the close reading of selected texts, students deepen their understanding of the ways writers use language to provide both meaning and pleasure for their readers. As they read, students consider a work’s structure, style, and themes as well as such smaller-scale elements as the use of figurative language, imagery, symbolism, and tone.”
“The sky is not any less blue because the blind man does not see it.” – Danish Proverb. Through an intensive study and discussion of a range of literary works of merit from various genres and periods, students will subjectively and objectively examine both the blue and the hidden rainbows apparent and not so apparent in the literary form. He or she will reflect and explore the complexities of a work, analyzing for meaning, structure and artistry. Careful attention will also be paid to both textual detail and historical context as a foundation for interpretation.
In addition to the regular application of the writing process (prewriting, writing and revising), the course also includes fundamentals of the styles and structures within writing as well as an exploration of various rhetorical patterns. After successfully completing this course, students should demonstrate critical strategies in planning and drafting a paragraph, planning and drafting an essay, working individually and in groups to edit and revise writing, developing a thesis, using effective diction and sentence structure, using conventional syntax and observing conventions of Standard English. In addition, we will examine other vital aspects of writing, including: invention and the artistic proofs (ethos, pathos, logos), disposition or structure, and style (diction, syntax, figurative language, mechanics).
If you EVER have ANY questions, concerns, or comments, feel free to contact me directly at richard.ehrlich@palmbeachschools.org .
Supplies needed?
Supplies needed?
You will need…almost DAILY
Permanent pens, not erasable (dark blue or black ink only)
College-ruled paper (lots)
#2 pencils
Assortment of color pencils
Glue stick(s)
Chromebook or laptop for daily use
Binder or folder
PLEASE, bring at least one BOX of TISSUES for the classroom to share. You would be amazed on how quickly we go through boxes of tissues.
NOVELS (TBA?)
Honors and Advanced Level Course Note: Advanced courses require a greater demand on students through increased academic rigor. Academic rigor is obtained through the application, analysis, evaluation, and creation of complex ideas that are often abstract and multi-faceted. Students are challenged to think and collaborate critically on the content they are learning. Honors level rigor will be achieved by increasing text complexity through text selection, focus on high-level qualitative measures, and complexity of task. Instruction will be structured to give students a deeper understanding of conceptual themes and organization within and across disciplines. Academic rigor is more than simply assigning to students a greater quantity of work.
As you will see, I am a BIG user of technology (and anything else) that makes the class more fun and interesting. I made a WISH LIST of items on AMAZON. Any donation is MUCH APPRECIATED to make the class... MAGICAL!!!
CLICK HERE for my Classroom "Wishes, Hopes, and Dreams" List, posted on Amazon
Google Classroom / Chromebooks
Google Classroom / Chromebooks
We are a Google Classroom and use Chromebooks. Students are expected to bring their fully charged Palm Beach Schools District issued Chromebook to school daily (and use the district's WIFI rather than personal hotspots). Otherwise, may result in loss of quarterly participation points.
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Lessons, updates, notes, assignments, etc. will be posted on the GOOGLE CLASSROOM, under the TAB at the top marked CLASSWORK.
Students should not rely the STREAM to keep track of class activities.
The AGENDA option on the STREAM may also change without due notice. So, again, students should check the CLASSWORK tab each class for lessons, updates, notes, assignments, etc.
Warning: Some future assignments and quizzes will be in LOCKED mode and be completed only on the school-provided Chromebooks and laptops. On those days, it will be unlikely I will be able you to "send" you for one; so, be prepared with one!
Please note that use of Grammarly, CHAT-GPT, AI, etc. are tools. We encourage students to use such tools to FIX or IMPROVE writing and grammar. Use of such tools can definitely HELP students learn METHODS and SUGGESTIONS to improve writing. As a teacher, such tools help identify ORIGINAL WRITING, verses PLAGIARISM, and seemingly, for some, "excessive" use of such tools (HINT).
Grading policy? Communications? Spam?
Grading policy? Communications? Spam?
School policy is to have grades updated regularly on SIS, generally at least two grades per week. Trust me... this will not likely be a problem. NOTE: This is where I would insert an evil laugh, perhaps.
We do a lot. And, I try to keep everyone (students and parents or guardians) in the "know" whenever possible. I hope that you do not see this as a SPAM. NOTE: Please check the SIS regularly.
Late work Policy. REMINDER: Extra time is NOT unlimited.
Late work Policy. REMINDER: Extra time is NOT unlimited.
Late policy will be strictly followed. Classwork not submitted by the allocated time (except for those with documented accommodations) may be subject to a penalty (generally, assignments submitted after one week of the due date will receive fifty (50) percent or less credit). This includes “forgetting to submit work online.”
Remember, a student on SRA has ONE class day following the return from an SRA to submit work.
Those with pre-established plans (504’s, IEP’s, etc.) will be provided extra time but no more than one week from the assigned due date, exceptions include long-term projects and presentations.
Again, extra time is NOT unlimited.
Grades will be determined as indicated (though subject to change as needed):
Grades will be determined as indicated (though subject to change as needed):
MISC (essays, critiques, journals, revision activities, daily work and activities, homework, miscellaneous test-your-knowledge and miscellaneous WDYK (WHAT DO YOU KNOW) assignments, etc.) = 68%;
MISC1 (forms (i.e. Contact Form, etc.), items to be signed and returned (i.e. Classroom Progress Reports, etc.), textbook/cover checks, miscellaneous test-your-knowledge and miscellaneous WDYK (WHAT DO YOU KNOW) assignments, etc.) = 2%
QUIZZES and TESTS = 30%
NOTE: Extra credit points are, generally, provided each quarter but are usually linked to a classroom lesson, writing contest, etc. As such, the list changes often, especially as contest due dates come and go. Check back regularly for updates.
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REMINDER: STUDENTS MUST HAVE & USE THEIR DISTRICT-ISSUED CHROMEBOOKS IN CLASS EVERY DAY. Students will receive a 10% grade reduction for assignments not completed on a school district issued chromebook.
Absent students must stay updated on what’s going on in class. CHECK the GOOGLE CLASSROOM regularly for updates, please.
PLEASE be sure to communicate with me what’s going on to make arrangements to help you.
Plagiarism will result in a zero on the assignment and may not be made up.
No resubmission of student work in the fourth quarter. Assignments will not be regraded!
Late policy will be strictly followed. Classwork not submitted by the allocated time (except for those with documented accommodations) may be subject to a penalty. This includes “forgetting to submit work online.”
If absent on a quiz or test day, students are subject to a make-up version of the test that assesses the same skills but may appear in a different format. Students have one week to either make up or make arrangements to schedule the make up. If arrangements are not made within the week, the assessment will receive a full letter grade deduction for every week.
Homework policy? Holidays? Vacation? Performances?
Homework policy? Holidays? Vacation? Performances?
There is NO SCHOOL POLICY on having a fixed homework schedule. NOTE: I do try to LIMIT homework, usually to assigned readings OR to work that is unfinished in class.
PLEASE ALERT ME at richard.ehrlich@palmbeachschools.org to WHEN PERFORMANCES are happening in your departments. I TRY TO WORK WITH YOUR PERFORMANCE SCHEDULES as well.
NOTE: Lessons, updates, notes, assignments, etc. will be posted on the GOOGLE CLASSROOM, under the TAB at the top marked CLASSWORK. Students should not rely the STREAM to keep track of class activities. The AGENDA option on the STREAM may also change without due notice. So, again, students should check the CLASSWORK tab each class for lessons, updates, notes, assignments, etc.
Student Responsibility Policy
Student Responsibility Policy
Be an adult. Simple but true. Students are expected to conduct themselves in a responsible manner, in all areas of campus life. You are responsible for observing all policies and procedures as published in the student handbook and other school or county publications. The student will be responsible for preparing for class, participating in class, and completing assignments on time.
Be an adult. Simple but true. Students are expected to conduct themselves in a responsible manner, in all areas of campus life. You are responsible for observing all policies and procedures as published in the student handbook and other school or county publications. The student will be responsible for preparing for class, participating in class, and completing assignments on time.
Please note that the following concerns will be reported to the ADMINISTRATION:
Attendance issues
Excessive Tardies
Behavior/Conduct issues
Leaving class without permission
MISC. (wandering?)
RULES FOR THE CLASS
Be on time.
Come prepared.
Stay engaged.
Be respectful.
Also, Please sit ONLY in the assigned SEATS.
We are a Google Classroom and use Chromebooks. Students are expected to bring their fully charged Palm Beach Schools District issued Chromebook to school daily (and use the district's WIFI rather than personal hotspots). Otherwise, may result in loss of quarterly participation points.
Students will receive a 10% grade reduction for assignments not completed on a school district issued chromebook.
Field Trips, SRA’s, Tardiness, and Attendance
Field Trips, SRA’s, Tardiness, and Attendance
Any class meeting missed, regardless of cause, reduces the opportunity of learning and may adversely affect a student’s achievement in the course. An accurate record of attendance will be kept for each course. Excessive lateness, unexcused absences, and self-assigned SRA’s (a.k.a. skipping) will be dealt with harshly either in class or through administration.
If absent, it is YOUR responsibility to ask classmates about the assignments, readings and notes missed.
On SRA (School Related Activity)? It is the responsibility of the student to locate, to complete, and to submit missed work within one week of the return from an SRA. Most assignments will be posted on the Google Classroom. Please speak with other students regarding missed notes and assignments during an SRA.
Being absent and an SRA are not the same; excessive absences and lateness may keep you from completing the course and/or require the taking of the semester’s mastery exam.
It is the responsibility of the student to check the grades for accuracy. Student questions concerning grades must be provided in WRITING via email.
If you need to leave the room, use the PASS and Go directly to your destination.
If you need to leave the room, use the PASS and Go directly to your destination.
Cell phones should NOT be OUT during class. Otherwise….
*PLEASE, do not make me ask you about lengthy stays in the bathroom.
NOTE: USE ONLY THE FRONT CLASSROOM DOOR, except in emergencies and For emergency drills (i.e. fire, tornadoes, etc.) .
Holidays? Vacation? Performances?
Holidays? Vacation? Performances?
Holidays? Vacations? Performances?
WHEN ABSENT, it is the student's responsibility to locate any notes and to complete any missed assignments. Generally, my notes, lessons and assignments are posted on my GOOGLE CLASSROOM. When in the classroom, students should check the whiteboard each day for the day's agenda, discuss the missed class with fellow students, and check the GOOGLE CLASSROOM. I post, generally, the NOTES, LESSONS, and ASSIGNMENTS on the GOOGLE CLASSROOM as well as schedule quizzes, etc.
PLEASE ALERT ME at richard.ehrlich@palmbeachschools.org to WHEN PERFORMANCES are happening in your departments.
Tardiness? Coming late to class?
Tardiness? Coming late to class?
There is no difference between excused and unexcused tardies.
Students who miss more than half a class are considered absent, not tardy.
If coming tardy from another teacher, you MUST have a pass from the teacher or from a tardy kiok.
Tardy kiosks are located outside of the Media Center and in other designated areas.
As noted earlier, I try to be reasonably flexible regarding missed work during an absence.One week is, generally, the rule in this class.
ATTENDANCE and MASTERY EXAMS
ATTENDANCE and MASTERY EXAMS
Absent students must stay updated on what’s going on in class. CHECK the GOOGLE CLASSROOM regularly for updates, please.
PLEASE be sure to communicate with me what’s going on to make arrangements to help you.
If absent on a quiz or test day, students are subject to a make-up version of the test that assesses the same skills but may appear in a different format. Students have one week to either make up or make arrangements to schedule the make up. If arrangements are not made within the week, the assessment will receive a full letter grade deduction for every week.
NOTE: A SCHOOL -RELATED ACTIVITY or SRA does NOT count toward the MASTERY EXAM.
Normally, whether excused or not, ANY absences count towards the ten (10) absences (FIVE (5) DSOA ABSENCES, generally, = 10 COUNTY absences due to our BLOCK schedule) the county allows per semester. After ten (again, FIVE (5) DSOA ABSENCES, generally, = 10 COUNTY absences due to our BLOCK schedule), students will be required to take and PASS a MASTERY exam at the end of the semester.
This is a COUNTY policy.
As you see, I am a BIG user of technology (and anything else) that makes the class more fun and interesting. I made a WISHLIST of items on AMAZON. If able, ANY donation of items will be MUCH APPRECIATED to make the class GREAT!!!
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1T5CLES2K94HO?ref_=wl_share
TEXTBOOK? Time for the AP CLASSROOM!
TEXTBOOK? Time for the AP CLASSROOM!
The College Board has made major leaps forward in providing informative and directed resources for you to use. As such, you will be REQUIRED to sign-in to the AP CLASSROOM regularly for class resources and progress checks.
AP Classroom
AP Classroom
Learning and development opportunities are available on the AP Classroom. AP Classroom is a dedicated online platform designed to support teachers and students throughout their AP experience. The platform provides a variety of powerful resources and tools to provide yearlong support to teachers and enable students to receive meaningful feedback on their progress.
Additional AP RESOURCES
Additional AP RESOURCES
Learning and development opportunities are available on AP's YouTube Channel.
AP Live review sessions are being launched through learning videos. These learning videos for students will be available for every topic and skill in every unit. More information is available at AP Daily.
COURSE SCOPE AND SEQUENCE - NOTE: Open to change without notice
COURSE SCOPE AND SEQUENCE - NOTE: Open to change without notice
Click below for the nine individual cycles that will provide a SCOPE and SEQUENCE for our year together, whether online or in-person. NOTE: This SCOPE and SEQUENCE has been provided by the College Board and may be altered or changed as needed or as required without prior or additional notification.
*Thoroughly review this site for what you need to know for the AP EXAM (information, videos, links, etc.)
AI / CHAT GPT is good for grammar checks, etc. Not great for analysis.
AI / CHAT GPT is good for grammar checks, etc. Not great for analysis.
NOTE: Research has proven that it does not work well in a class like this. This is a class of RESPONDING!
NOTE: Research has proven that it does not work well in a class like this. This is a class of RESPONDING!
AP TESTING – Exam Day is in May
AP TESTING – Exam Day is in May
Unlike those in Honors and Conventional English courses, students in Advanced Placement courses are REQUIRED to take a comprehensive examination (generally in May), graded mainly by college instructors (60%) and AP Teachers (40%). More than sixty percent of those nationally that take the exam will pass it. It is our mission--and desire--to have 100 percent of the students pass the exam will a high rating. The examination is generally 45% multiple-choice questions and 55% short and extended written responses. Both the multiple choice and written responses will require detailed analysis of fiction and non-fiction prose as well as verse or poetry.
The student will consider a wide range of writers and more importantly: WHY DID THEY WRITE? The writers include, but are not limited to:
Poetry
W. H. Auden; Elizabeth Bishop; William Blake; Anne Bradstreet; Edward Kamau Brathwaite; Gwendolyn Brooks; Robert Browning; George Gordon, Lord Byron; Lorna Dee Cervantes; Geoffrey Chaucer; Samuel Taylor Coleridge; H. D. (Hilda Doolittle); Emily Dickinson; John Donne; Rita Dove; T. S. Eliot; Robert Frost; Joy Harjo; Seamus Heaney; George Herbert; Garrett Hongo; Gerard Manley Hopkins; Langston Hughes; Ben Jonson; John Keats; Philip Larkin; Robert Lowell; Andrew Marvell; John Milton; Marianne Moore; Sylvia Plath; Edgar Allan Poe; Alexander Pope; Adrienne Rich; Anne Sexton; William Shakespeare; Percy Bysshe Shelley; Leslie Marmon Silko; Cathy Song; Alfred, Lord Tennyson; Derek Walcott; Walt Whitman; Richard Wilbur; William Carlos Williams; William Wordsworth; William Butler Yeats
Drama
Aeschylus; Edward Albee; Amiri Baraka; Samuel Beckett; Anton Chekhov; William Congreve; Oliver Goldsmith; Lorraine Hansberry; Lillian Hellman; David Henry Hwang; Henrik Ibsen; Ben Jonson; David Mamet; Arthur Miller; Molière; Sean O’Casey; Eugene O’Neill; Harold Pinter; Luigi Pirandello; William Shakespeare; George Bernard Shaw; Sam Shepard; Richard Brinsley Sheridan; Sophocles; Tom Stoppard; Luis Valdez; Oscar Wilde; Tennessee Williams; August Wilson
Fiction (Novel and Short Story)
Chinua Achebe; Kingsley Amis; Rudolfo Anaya; Margaret Atwood; Jane Austen; James Baldwin; Saul Bellow; Charlotte Brontë; Emily Brontë; Raymond Carver; Willa Cather; Sandra Cisneros; John Cheever; Kate Chopin; Colette; Joseph Conrad; Stephen Crane; Anita Desai; Charles Dickens; George Eliot; Ralph Ellison; Louise Erdrich; William Faulkner; Henry Fielding; F. Scott Fitzgerald; Ford Madox Ford; E. M. Forster; Thomas Hardy; Nathaniel Hawthorne; Ernest Hemingway; Zora Neale Hurston; Kazuo Ishiguro; Henry James; James Joyce; Maxine Hong Kingston; Joy Kogawa; Margaret Laurence; D. H. Lawrence; Bernard Malamud; Katherine Mansfield; Gabriel García Márquez; Bobbie Ann Mason; Carson McCullers; Herman Melville; Toni Morrison; Bharati Mukherjee; Vladimir Nabokov; Flannery O’Connor; Cynthia Ozick; Katherine Anne Porter; Jean Rhys; Jonathan Swift; Leo Tolstoy; Mark Twain; John Updike; Luisa Valenzuela; Alice Walker; Evelyn Waugh; Eudora Welty; Edith Wharton; John Edgar Wideman; Virginia Woolf; Richard Wright
THE STUDENT WILL…
Students will explore representative works of both British and American writers as well as works written in genres from the sixteenth century (and before) to contemporary times.
Students will write interpretations of literature that is based on a careful observation of textual details.
Students will write and rewrite formal, extended analyses and timed, in-class responses in all of the following modes: writing to understand, writing to explain, and writing to evaluate.
Students will utilize critical thinking to organize, persuade and reveal.
Students will demonstrate a methodical approach to problem solving.
Students will respond amply to prompts.
Students will aptly and specifically support responses, including utilizing quotes and paraphrases
Students will write several critical papers, including explication of poetry, dramas, and novels.
Student will demonstrate an understanding of strategies and techniques used in planning an essay:
o By selecting a subject, which lends itself to development.
o By determining the purpose of the essay.
o By determining the audience for the essay.
o By limiting the subject according to the restrictions of time, purpose, and audience.
o By formulating a thesis statement, which is unified, precise, and restricted.
o By generating a logically unified outline of ideas and details used in developing a thesis.
Students will demonstrate ability to draft an essay developing the thesis:
o By arranging ideas and details according to a rhetorical mode.
o By providing adequate support which reflects the ability to distinguish between generalized and concrete evidence.
o By writing unified prose in which all supporting material is relevant to the thesis.
o By writing coherent prose, providing effective transitions.
o By composing topical paragraphs that are internally unified and coherent.
Students will demonstrate ability to use effective diction in prose:
o By using words which convey appropriate denotative and connotative meanings.
o By avoiding inappropriate use of slang, jargon, clichés, and pretentious expressions.
o By substituting synonymous expressions or paraphrasing to avoid undesirable repetition.
Students will demonstrate ability to use effective sentence structure in prose:
o By using a variety of sentence patterns.
o By constructing sentences with purposeful emphasis.
o By avoiding excessive or inappropriate use of verbs in passive voice.
Students will demonstrate understanding of techniques used in revising an essay.
Students will demonstrate ability to use conventional sentence syntax:
o By placing modifiers correctly.
o By coordinating and subordinating sentence elements appropriately.
o By using parallel constructions appropriately.
o By avoiding fragments, comma splices, and fused sentences.
The student will also write a number of creative assignments in parallel with the critical writings completed per unit. YES! You will be CREATIVE too!
NOTE: I will provide REGULAR instruction and REGULAR feedback on your writing assignments, both before and after you revise the work. Essentially, you WILL write, revise, write some more and, we hope, IMPROVE! “More matter, less art.”
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