AP Literature and Composition (ECE)

In this unit, students will study how literature sheds light on the impact of society and its institutions on citizens' lives, as well as the issues that arise in the texts.  The Edenic archetype provides a model through which students can analyze the writer’s purpose. Students, through inquiry, explore an issue that arises from several texts and engage in a dialogue with the author(s) in an argument essay. Students will become familiar with archetypes by reading a variety of texts (including excerpts from the Bible, novels, short stories, and poetry). In addition, students will begin their portfolio for the UConn ECE program by producing their first argument essay.

In this unit, students will have an opportunity to deeply explore themes that transcend genres previously studied,  analyze works that incorporate subtlety of theme, depth of characterization, and sophistication of style, and engage in close and deliberate examination of textual detail.  Over the course of this unit, students will read deliberately and thoroughly, taking time to understand a work’s complexity, to absorb its richness of meaning, and to analyze how that meaning is embodied in literary form. In addition to considering a work’s literary artistry, students reflect on the social and historical values it reflects and embodies” (AP Literature and Composition Course Description).  By engaging in all five language arts (reading, writing, listening, speaking, and viewing), students will analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a drama and analyze multiple interpretations (e.g., recorded or live production of a play), evaluating how each version interprets the source text.  Specifically, students will discuss the techniques Shakespeare uses to convey character and character relationships to his audience; analyze the dramatic development of the play in terms of exposition, conflict, climax, resolution; assess the importance of literary elements like dramatic irony and foreshadowing on the development of the play; analyze Shakespeare’s use of language (verse, prose, rhythm, rhyme) and its importance in setting mood and establishing character. Through writing, students will draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. They will write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

In this unit, students will initially read poetry and respond emotionally, then approach it on a more analytical level. They learn that poetry is more musical than prose and relies on sound to convey meaning.  Learning the jargon of poetry, students continue to explore its sounds through rhythm and meter. This unit focuses on the exploration of  different forms of poetry (other than the sonnet that was the focus of our last unit)  and continued learning of  how levels of interpretation depend on the literal and figurative meaning of the poem. Comparing and contrasting poems, they consider the speaker, subject, situation, devices, tone, and theme around the feminist movement. Additionally, students will study a novel, focusing heavily on the language and literary devices that are used to create meaning. By writing about issues and arguments that arise through poetry and/or a novel, students continue to refine argument and research skills to fulfill UConn ECE course requirements. Throughout this unit, students will participate in small group and whole class discussions as well as present original ideas and defend arguments to their peers.

In this unit, students use ‘close’ reading skills to analyze both fiction and nonfiction passages in order to arrive at meaning.  They review  the types of prose and poetry passage prompts that are given on the AP Exam.  They also continue to examine rubrics and ratings used by scorers and use them to rate their own and their peers’ work.   While continuing practice with literary techniques and devices to aid in comprehending the authors’ message, students begin the work of learning to write an effective essay that demonstrates their ability to connect the devices to meaning.  They analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed). In writing the prose passage essay, they examine and learn the necessary components, which vary from the traditional academic essay.  Examining effective practices of pre-writing, they practice the preparatory steps (critical thinking), which they outline before writing.  For body paragraphs, they cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain. Satisfying conclusions, which vary from traditional essay writing, are examined and practiced. They provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented, but in a more thoughtfully condensed manner. Students are also expected to independently read and view a drama in preparation for both the AP Literature and Composition exam and the UConn ECE requirements (Teacher may pull selections for students to choose from).  Students will be responsible for applying the skills learned in this unit (as well as previous units) as they read for meaning and purpose. Students will be expected to closely read and analyze passages for diction, syntax, and other literary elements. In accordance with the UConn ECE Writing Through Literature program, students write a third inquiry-based research paper.  At this point, they have mastered the skill of researching and citing sources, using MLA format.  They continue to hone writing skills, concentrating on using appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts. 

In this unit, students focus on the culmination of all skills learned throughout the course of the year. There is a primary focus on the critical lenses and the ECE requirement of completing a writing portfolio, which includes a multimodal project and presentation. The work done on the final class read of a text, focusing on the application and analysis of the critical lenses used in a text or texts, will lead to inquiry and the final argument essay.  This task requires students to research a selected lens more closely, pose a question, and write an argument paper.  Critical Lenses that will be covered: Psychoanalytical criticism (Freud and Lacan); Marxism; Post-colonialism; Feminism. The UCONN ECE component of the course will be satisfied through continued writing about research on issues that arise from the literature and their evolution throughout history.  Students employ research skills to answer a question that extends their knowledge. Students will also take their ECE English 1011 final exam and finalize their UConn ECE English transcript.