1.1 Course Introduction

Wednesday August 13

Welcome to our exploration of literature! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Examine and discuss how literary practice can influence our lives.

• Access online course materials including Google Classroom & AP Classroom.

• Create your writing portfolio folder in Google Drive and share it with me.

Agenda Items

• Greetings & Introductions - M&M Game

• Intro to Literary Practice - read, annotate, reflect, discuss

  • What words and phrases stand out to you? Why?

  • What does it make you wonder? 

  • What are your key takeaways? What are you excited to try in your own literary practice? 

  • What conversations do you hope to inspire through your writing?

• Online Materials

  • Google Classroom

  • AP Classroom Sign-up & Exam Info

• Google Drive Writing Portfolios (see video)

• Syllabus Review & Discussion

Assignments

• Share your Writing Portfolio folder in Google Drive to Ms. Ntoso

• AP Classroom: Register for AP Literature - Once you log in to AP Classroom and join the AP Literature course (see slides in Canvas for join code), be sure to click the Register button to register for the AP Literature course & exam.

1.2 Intro to Journal Writing & Mentor Texts

Thursday August 14 & Friday August 15

Essential Question: How can we use our journal writing as a way to practice freedom?

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Explore and discuss ideas for your journal writing.

• Use a mentor text to help you experiment in your journal writing.

• Practice freewriting as a critical first step in the creative writing process.

• Share your writing and give specific positive feedback on a classmate's writing.

Agenda Items

• Overview of the Creative Writing Process

• Intro to Journal Writing

  • Read & Annotate: ‘Messy attics of the mind’: what’s inside a writer’s notebook

  • Reflection & Discussion

  • Mentor Texts: Journal Writing 

  • Small Group - list "noticings"

  • Vocabulary: digression, disjunction, reflexive writing, extensive writing

•  Journal Writing: Freewriting

• Sharing & Feedback

Assignments

• Journal Writing: Freewriting using a mentor text to experiment with writing style

1.3 POV & Four Roles in a Literary Encounter: Author, Narrator, Character, Reader

Monday August 18

Essential Question: How can we use POV to help convey complex experiences and emotions?

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Define first person, second person and third person narrator point of view (POV). 

• Explain how choices in narrator POV influence the reader's experience of a piece.

• Use a mentor text to help you experiment with POV in your writing.

Agenda Items

• Mentor Texts - annotate & examine POV & literary techniques

  • How does the choice in narrator POV influence our experience of reading the piece? How might this piece feel different if we change the narrator POV?

•  Journal Writing: POV

• Sharing & Feedback

Assignments

• Journal Writing: Freewriting using a mentor text to experiment with POV and literary techniques

1.5 Details & Imagery

Tuesday August 19

Essential Question: Why do specific details and imagery tell us so much more than generalizations and abstractions?

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Examine and discuss examples of specific concrete details and imagery that works on "two levels."

• Write for at least 10 minutes, incorporating imagery and specific concrete details, using a mentor text as a guide.

• Share your writing and give specific positive feedback on a classmate's writing.

Agenda Items

• Mentor Text: "One Day Tiff Was Sad Because It Was the Tenth Anniversary of Her Mother's Death & She Just Really Wanted to Go See Michael Jackson" by Khadijah Queen

  • What do you notice about the writing style?

    • Word choice

    • Punctuation

    • Sentence structure

  • How does the writing style contribute to the narrator’s voice? How does it reveal the narrator’s perspective?

  • How does it influence the mood of the story?

  • In what ways does each specific detail in the story work on "two levels"? How does it help the reader visualize the world, and how does it also focus the reader on a particular perspective? Give an example and explain. What additional information does this detail convey?

  • How do the details conjure physical sensations in the reader? Give an example and explain.

• Notes on Imagery & Specific Details:

  • Concrete vs. Abstract -The Making of a Story by Alice LaPlante, pg 109

  • Start with the particulars -The Making of a Story by Alice LaPlante, pg 113-116

  • Sensory language & how emotions are experienced -From Where You Dream by Robert Olen Butler

  • Imagery works on two levels -The Making of a Story by Alice LaPlante, pg 111-112

• Journal Writing: Imagery & Specific Details

• Small Group Sharing & Feedback

Assignments

• Journal Writing: specific concrete details & imagery

1.6 Elements of Storytelling

Wednesday August 20

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• List 5 examples of imagery or specific concrete details and explain how they work on two levels to convey information about characters, setting, or conflict.

• Write for at least 10 minutes, incorporating specific concrete details that reflect one or more elements of storytelling.

Agenda Items

• Overview: Elements of Storytelling

•  Mentor Text: "Perfumer" from All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

• Reading Notes:

  • List 5 examples of imagery or specific concrete details that stand out to you. (Write down the exact quotes) In what ways does each specific detail work on "two levels"? How does it help the reader visualize the world, and how does it also focus the reader on a particular perspective? What additional information does this detail convey?

  • How do the details conjure physical sensations in the reader? Give an example and explain.

  • Which elements of storytelling do you notice?

  • How does the use of imagery in this passage influence our understanding of each character?

  • How do the imagery and details about the characters and setting create the potential for conflict and suspense? 

• Journal Writing: Storytelling Element & Specific Concrete Details - Choose one storytelling element to focus on as you write today. Try to be as specific as possible; consider how Doerr words some of the details in “Perfumer,” and try emulating his wording or syntax.

Assignments

• Practice: Journal Writing - specific details focusing on a one element of storytelling

1.7 Characterization

Thursday August 21

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Distinguish between direct and indirect characterization.

• Name and identify examples of the five types of indirect characterization.

• Explain what specific textual details reveal about a character.

• Write at least one paragraph reflecting on your work in English class this week.

Agenda Items

• Intro to Complexity

• Journal Writing - Complexity: Describe yourself using as many words as you can from the list of characteristics & definitions. Look for words that describe you that you didn't know before. Add these words to your journal writing and explain why and how these words fit you. 

  • In what ways are you complex?

  • What is something that you know is complex?

• Indirect Characterization - STEAL

• Character Sketch Mentor Texts: read & take notes 

  • What examples of indirect characterization do you notice? (write down quotes -- text evidence)

  • What does it tell us about the character? What words would you use to describe the character? (claim)

  • Explain your thinking. (commentary)

Assignments

• 1.8 Characterization & Setting Notes due Friday 8/22

1.8 Characterization, Setting & Context

Friday August 22

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Identify  and explain details that reflect indirect characterization and setting in a short fiction story.

• Provide text evidence to support your claim about a character’s personality.

• Write a paragraph describing the setting of a story and its impact on a character's situation and perspective.

• Match the following literary terminology to the appropriate definitions: mentor text, POV, structure, writing style, tone, diction, syntax, imagery, sensory details, concrete details, concrete, abstract, reflexive writing, extensive writing, indirect characterization, direct characterization, context, setting, perspective.

Agenda Items

• Definitions: Setting, Context, Perspective

• Setting & Context Questions:

  • What is the setting? When and where does the story take place? 

  • What else do we know about the historical, cultural, social, geographical, literary, or personal context of the character's situation? How do we know this? (text evidence)

  • How does the character relate to the other characters in the story? How do the character's relationships influence their perspective? 

  • What is the character's perspective? How do we know this?

• Setting & Context Paragraph -- use the setting questions to help you write a paragraph describing the setting of the story and its impact on a character. How do details about the setting provide context for understanding the character's situation and perspective?

• Writing Paragraph Responses

  • Explaining Your Thinking Using Specific Details

  • Embedding Quotes

  • Cohesion

  • Proofreading

• Submit Characterization & Setting Paragraphs

Assignments

• 1.8 Characterization & Setting Notes due today in Google Classroom

1.9 Fiction Writing Workshop 

Monday August 25 & Tuesday August 26

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Read and discuss an the opening paragraphs of a short fiction story character sketch in literature. Identify details related to characterization, context and setting. Distinguish between direct characterization and indirect characterization. 

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• Match the following literary terminology to the appropriate definitions: mentor text, POV, structure, writing style, tone, diction, syntax, imagery, sensory details, concrete details, concrete, abstract, reflexive writing, extensive writing, indirect characterization, direct characterization, context, setting, perspective.

Agenda Items

• Fiction Writing Workshop

  • Suspense

  • Show, Don't Tell - concrete sensory details & action

  • Balance: internal vs. external, plot (action) vs. exposition (description)

  • Cinematic grammar (see Robert Olsen Butler & Will Storr)

  • Active vs. passive voice

  • Psychic Distance

  • Narrative pacing

  • Flash Fiction

• Read the opening paragraphs of the following short fiction mentor texts:

  • “Zoom Yoga” by Liza Monroy

  • "New Fruit" by Te-Ping Chen

  • "Flying Machine" by Te-Ping Chen

  • "Gubeikou Spirit" by Te-Ping Chen

• Annotate, Reflect, Discuss:

  • How does each author build suspense early in the story?

  • How do word choice, sentence structure, grammar, POV, and other aspects of writing style help convey the narrator's perspective and influence the mood of the story? 

  • How does the author use imagery, details, grammar, and balance to  make the story feel like a cinematic experience for the reader? 

• Journal Writing: Drafting short fiction story

• Whole Class Discussion - Co-Creating a Fiction Rubric

  • What makes a fiction story engaging?

  • What questions can we ask of ourselves when we are revising and critiquing our own fiction stories?

Assignments

• 1.9 Fiction Draft

Sentence Structure: Syntax & Sound

Monday August 25

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Write for at least 10 minutes; include specific details, using a mentor text as a guide.

• Organize sentence structure to maximize use of immersive (“filmic”) word order and active voice.

Agenda Items

• Journal Writing - sentence structure, opening line, details that reflect mood and/or characterization

• Overview of Sentence Structure - Sentence Structure, Active vs. Passive Voice, Specific Details & Sensory Language from The Science of Storytelling (excerpt) by Will Storr

  • Word order

  • Active vs. Passive Voice

  • Complex Sentences

  • Parallelism

• Creative Writing: Impactful Moment

• Share & feedback in small groups

• Sentence Structure Grammar Study Packet

Assignments

• 1.13 Sentence Structure Grammar Study Packet - due Friday 9/8

• Practice: Creative Writing - impactful moment

Managing Psychic Distance

Monday August 25

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Write for at least 10 minutes in response to a prompt.

• Examine and discuss different types of leads for essays and creative writing.

• Write an engaging lead for your college essay.

• Apply the concept of psychic distance in your writing.

• Use sensory details and context details to manage psychic distance in your writing.

Agenda Items

Assignments

• 1.22 Author's Commentary (with revised draft) due by Sunday 11:59pm

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Narration: Plot vs. Exposition

Tuesday August 26

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Distinguish between plot and exposition in a novel.

• Identify highly specific details in the text and explain how they influence our understanding of characters, settings, and situations.

• Use text evidence to explain how a character changes throughout the story.

• Discuss the concepts of plot and exposition and consider ways in which suspense and tension are developed.

Agenda Items

• Overview of plot vs. exposition

• Read & Annotate: “Zoom Yoga” by Liza Monroy

  • plot vs. exposition 

  • vivid verbs 

  • highly specific details - What does it tell us about the character, setting, or situation?

  • indirect characterization 

•  Small Group Discussion 

Assignments

• Practice: read & annotate

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Narration: Point of View, Perspective, Voice, Psychic Distance & Pacing

Tuesday August 26

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Define and distinguish terms used to discuss narration in a story, including point of view, perspective, narrative voice, narrative distance, and narrative pacing.

• Examine and explain narration and details in a short fiction story.

  • Describe how an author uses point of view, narrative voice, and  narrative distance to convey the narrator’s perspective.

  • Describe how narrative pacing influences the reader’s experience of the story.

Agenda Items

• Journal Writing: What are some of the factors in your life that shape your personal perspective?

• Overview of Narration: Point of View, Perspective, Voice, Psychic Distance & Narrative Pacing

• Reading Response Paragraphs: Short Fiction Narration & Perspective

  • How does the narrator tell the story in a way that explores a universal and profound theme?

Assignments

• Write at least 3 paragraphs:  How does the narrator tell the story in a way that explores a universal and profound theme?

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1.10 Character Sketch

Wednesday August 27 & Thursday August 28 

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Read and discuss an example of a character sketch in literature. Identify details related to characterization, context and setting. Distinguish between direct characterization and indirect characterization. 

• Invent your own character for a story, and write a three-paragraph detailed character sketch.  Include specific concrete sensory details related to characterization, context and setting, and try to use mostly indirect characterization.

• Add specific concrete details in your writing that convey or reveal the setting.

• Discuss aspects of setting including imagery / sensory details and context details.

Agenda Items

• Indirect Characterization & Mosaic of Details

• Draft Character Sketch

• Individual Conferences

• Whole Class Discussion - Fine-Tuning Our Rubric

  • Review our fiction rubric. Does this character sketch work? Use text evidence to explain.

  • Do we need to adjust our fiction rubric for the character sketch assignment? Why or why not?

Assignments

• 1.10 Character Sketch due Thursday 8/28 in Google Classroom

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1.11 Short Fiction Annotation: Characterization, Setting, Context, Relationships, Perspective, Conflict, Suspense & Expectations

Tuesday September 3

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Identify, discuss and explain how details revealing indirect characterization, setting, and relationships influence the protagonist's perspective in a short fiction story.

• Use text evidence to explain how imagery and details about the characters and setting create the potential for conflict, plot and suspense. 

Agenda Items

• Choose one of the following fiction stories to study: 

  • “Zoom Yoga” by Liza Monroy

  • "New Fruit" by Te-Ping Chen

  • "Flying Machine" by Te-Ping Chen

  • "Gubeikou Spirit" by Te-Ping Chen

• Read & annotate: Questions about the Elements of Fiction

  • Identify details that reveal characterization, setting, character's perspective, and relationships

• Reflection & Small Group Discussion 

  • How do details about the setting influence the character's perspective? What what can we infer about the historical, social, and cultural context?

  • How do details about that character's relationships influence their perspective? 

  • How do the imagery and details about the characters and setting create the potential for conflict, plot and suspense? 

  • How do you expect the character to behave based on what you have read so far? 

Assignments

• Finish reading & annotating the short fiction story

1.12 Short Fiction Annotation & Analysis: Character Development, Complexity, Agency, Change & Themes

Friday September 5

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Distinguish between show vs. tell, scene vs. summary, and plot vs. exposition in a short fiction story. 

• Note and explain how examples of character agency and character change contribute to a sense of meaning and engagement in a story.

• Write a three-paragraph literary interpretation that includes text evidence and commentary to support and explain your claims.

• Write using appropriate capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar.

Agenda Items

• Overview of character development, significance

• Read & Annotate: balance between internal & external, plot vs. exposition, description vs. action

  • How do events in the plot influence the character's perspective?

  • How does the character change throughout the story? Does the character have agency? How do the character's thoughts, speech and behavior influence our view of the character?  Support your explanation using text evidence and commentary.

  • What does the story mean? What universal and profound themes does the story explore? In what ways does the author use characters, settings, events and conflicts to explore these themes?

•  Claim, evidence, commentary

• Small Group Discussion 

  • Additional Discussion Questions:

    • The title, "Zoom Yoga," immediately places the story within a specific context of the COVID-19 pandemic. How does this backdrop influence the characters' behaviors, thoughts, and interactions? How might the story have been different if it were set in a different time?

    • How does the story "Zoom Yoga" explore the theme of human connection in a digital age? What are the various ways the characters attempt to connect, both online and offline?

Assignments

• Finish reading & annotating “Zoom Yoga” by Liza Monroy

1.13 Analytical Feedback: Character Development & Universal Themes

Tuesday September 9 

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Label examples or indirect characterization and other literary elements using correct literary terminology, and explain the impact it has on the meaning and/or interpretation of the text.

• Label and explain examples of imagery, vivid word choice and figurative language (metaphors, similes and personification).

• Identify highly specific details in the text and explain how they influence our understanding of characters, settings, and situations.

• Use text evidence to explain character development throughout the story.

• Use text evidence to explain how a story explores universal and profound themes.

Agenda Items

• Overview of Analytical Commentary

• Share drafts

• Analytical feedback annotations

• Assignment turn-in

Assignments

• 1.13 Analytical Feedback on character development & themes due today in Google Classroom

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1.14 Narrative Writing Revision

Wednesday September 10

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Revise your creative writing using the narrative writing checklist.

Agenda Items

• Narrative Writing Checklist Review

  • social consciousness: awareness of important social issues → consider trying inspiration from nonfiction 

  • theme(s): what universal and profound ideas are present in your work?

  • elements of storytelling: characterization, setting, plot, yearning, conflict, climax/turning point/twist

  • strong opening sentence/paragraph: brings us into a moment, introduces a key element, symbol or motif in the story

  • narration: balance plot & exposition, psychic distance, narrative pacing, narrative voice, POV

  • structure & style: do you need more mentor texts and ideas for experimenting with structure and style?

  • show vs. tell: allowing the reader to witness and experience scenes, not explanations & descriptions

  • details: sensory, concrete, highly specific, word choice → use memories, photographs/artwork, thesaurus

  • sentences: filmic word order, active vs. passive voice, verb tense, punctuation, consider style & narrative voice

  • analytical writing: work on your author’s commentary

• Annotation & Revision Notes

  • Review the narrative writing checklist (previous slide)

  • Carefully read & annotate your own writing - example 1 | example 2

    • Label parts where you notice literary techniques

    • Label highly specific details 

    • Identify opportunities to strengthen your writing → write a note for yourself

    • Add questions for yourself using the checklist as a guide

  • Attend an individual writing conference with Ms. Ntoso

• Short Fiction Drafting

  • What you need:

  • Your annotated draft with revision notes

    • Narrative writing checklist

    • A mentor text

    • Your writing notebook

    • Document you will type in (after journal writing)

  • Work on your story independently

    • Continue drafting → finish writing the story

    • Revise your existing draft

    • Start a new draft

Assignments

• 1.14 Narrative Revision due in class on today 

1.15 Author's Commentary

Thursday September 11

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Revise your creative writing using the checklist for narrative writing.

• Write at least 6 paragraphs of author’s commentary. Be sure to: 

  • Explain how highly specific details reflect universal and profound ideas explored in the text

  • Use accurate literary terminology in explaining craft choices

  • Use appropriate capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar

Agenda Items

• Checklist to improve your narrative writing:

  • social consciousness: awareness of important social issues → consider trying inspiration from nonfiction 

  • theme(s): what universal and profound ideas are present in your work?

  • elements of storytelling: characterization, setting, plot, yearning, conflict, climax/turning point/twist

  • narration: balance plot & exposition, psychic distance, narrative pacing, narrative voice

  • structure & style: do you need more mentor texts and ideas for experimenting with structure and style?

  • show vs. tell: allowing the reader to witness and experience scenes, not explanations & descriptions

  • details: sensory, concrete, highly specific, word choice 

  • sentences: filmic word order, active vs. passive voice, punctuation, consider style & narrative voice

  • analytical writing: work on your author’s commentary

• Author's Commentary Questions:

  • Why are you writing this story in particular? What inspired you to write about this? 

  • In what way does this story reflect universal and profound ideas, themes, and issues?

  • Walk us through at least one of your choices in terms of characterization, setting, plot, structure or style. Describe it in detail, explaining how highly specific details relate to universal and profound ideas, themes, and issues you are exploring in the text.

  • Describe your writing process. What mentor text(s) did you use? What challenge did you face in writing this story? How did you overcome it?

  • Choose one particular passage and explain your choices in narrative pacing, narrative distance, and narrative voice. How do these choices help the reader understand the narrator or character’s perspective?

  • What did you learn from working on this story?

Assignments

• 1.15 Author's Commentary due today in Google Classroom

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1.16 Feedback Letter

Friday September 12

Welcome back! My plan for today is to guide you to:

• Write a literary interpretation paragraph that includes text evidence and commentary to support and explain your claim.

  • Write a one sentence thesis statement that presents a defensible claim about your interpretation of the literary piece.

  • Discuss the theme of a story and the author’s use of literary techniques (characterization, imagery/sensory details, context details) to achieve meaning.

• Write a paragraph using appropriate capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar.

• Use text evidence to generate thoughtful observations and questions inspired by a text. 

Agenda Items

• Journal Writing: experiment with POV, voice, structure, pacing, psychic distance

• Literature as mirror/window/door

• Read & annotate

• Claim, evidence, commentary, question

• Online Discussion Posts

Assignments

• 1.16 Feedback Letter due Sunday September 14 by 11:59pm in Google Classroom