1 A few things you should know about AP Literature and Composition 2017-2018:

1. Summer reading and interacting is required and graded (See back side of this page).

2. Summer reading assignments begin immediately after the end of the school year with deadlines

throughout the summer and online interaction required (again) with deadlines. (See back.)

3. All summer assignments are posted online. Electronic communication and submission are key

components both during the summer and during the school year. The College Narrative Essay will be

submitted to Edmodo. Summer discussions are also done online through Edmodo. The course

primarily uses the Internet for communication and collection of assignments, and written assignments

are also submitted to Turnitin.com during the school year.

4. For the 2017-2018 school year, AP Literature and Composition students are expected to take the AP

Exam. Students who do not meet this expectation will be required to take the final exam. There are no

mid-year exemptions in AP Literature.

5. It is the expectation that all students will take the AP Exam or forfeit their AP weighted grade. The AP

Literature exam costs about 90 dollars. Multiple exams, a lunch subsidy, or a school grant may reduce

your cost.

6. This course is taught at the college freshman level and includes excerpts from the Bible, Greek

mythology. These and other sources may contain profanity and/or sexual references.

7. We read and analyze multiple complete works of fiction, a slew of poetry, and many short stories.

There is a reading assignment for most school vacations. Typically, there is assigned reading every

night and on weekends. It is the expectation of this class that students read the assigned materials and

avoid consulting online sources and summaries.

8. Westfield High School has a strict Academic Honor Code. It is expected that all students comply with

it.

9. All work is to be completed independently.

10. Students are not allowed to drop the class once their schedules are set for next year. Plan accordingly.

11. If you have issues with anything in class, it is the expectation that, like a college freshman, you will

advocate for yourself.

12. Graded discussions and presentations are a mandatory part of class. You will be taught how to

participate and, hopefully, improve as the course progresses.

2 Advanced Placement Literature – Summer Reading Requirements 2017

The more you know, the more you know. You’ve been building knowledge since preschool, and every book you’ve read

has been absorbed into your cranial vault. Each piece of literature you’ve read helps you in understanding the more

difficult literature that you tackle. Understanding of allusions, literary elements, and the styles of varying authors is

augmented when one has a vast repertoire of literature. Our goal at WHS is to help improve your personal mental library.

Your brain, a muscle, needs to be exercised. Scholars, like athletes, cannot take a long off season, or their brains may

wither and atrophy. Create good reading habits by reading often this summer. Anybody can skim through Sparknotes or

Gradesaver or watch a movie and learn the plot line of a particular work of literature; however, a scholar takes the time to

look deep into the pores of writing (yes, I stole that thought from Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451). There, patterns

Summer is a time to pursue your own reading interests. Aside from these required novels and the work that accompanies them, read on your own for learning and pleasure.

Assignment What is required Due Date

The Things They Carried 1. Read novel. 2. Participate in graded

online discussion. (See Appendix A)

Discussion begins immediately on Edmodo. Discussion ends 7/31/17.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress 1. Read novel. 2. Log novel (see App. B)

Log is due on first day of school in September (8/31/17)

College Narrative 1. Read the attached tips (see App. C).

2. Write a typed first draft of your college essay.

Essay submitted to Edmodo by August 30th.

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Appendix A

Online Access for Discussion of The Things They Carried

A. Using the following Edmodo code ___ut68nn______, log onto Edmodo and set up an

account. If you already have one, you will join the AP group using the same Edmodo

code. Complete this before June 24th, 2017.

B. If you have problems joining your Edmodo group, you will contact Mrs. Gauthier (Room

229 or je.gauthier@schoolsofwestfield.org) or Mr. TeVelde (Room 234 or

r.tevelde@schoolsofwestfield.org) before June 24th. They will help you.

C. After doing so, you will join the discussion on Edmodo. The passwords to join those

groups will be available there.

Read the novel! 1. Read the novel (did I say that already?).

2. Log onto Edmodo and look at the various discussion threads.

3. Participate in the discussion threads. Full credit is given for the following:

1. Did you participate? On time? How often? 2. Did you interact with others? Do you address them (“Maria, I disagree with you. That is not…”), their

ideas, and their evidence? 3. Did you make an argument? Did you remember that this is a discussion, not a lecture? Did you make

your portion of the argument and allow others to score also? Remember, if you post twice in a row---it doesn’t count as two different posts. Someone else must respond before you can post again.

4. Do you support your argument with evidence (quotations and paraphrases) from the novel and/or other sources when appropriate? Remember, even defining terms counts as participating in the discussion.

5. Did you employ the rules of English (spelling, punctuation, grammar, parenthetical reference) in this discussion?

6. Five (5) interactions, which meet the above criteria fully, receive maximum credit. Each of your 5 interactions must be on separate threads. Doing a sixth entry may serve as a buffer. Late assignments lose 1/5 of the assignment value. Assignments collected after beginning of school have no value.

If you need to discuss earlier than others (i.e. your family is leaving for the far reaches of Alaska with no wi-fi and will be gone a month), get a friend to join you in your portion of the discussion. That way you will have some give and take, fulfilling the requirements.

PLEASE KNOW: Edmodo is the primary mode of contact between your AP instructors and you

during the summer. Please learn how to use it early.

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Appendix B

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress 1. Read novel

2. Log novel

Please read Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress and log at least 4 items per chapter

during your reading. The novel is divided into three sections and the chapters are not

numbered; consequently, you must number the chapters (use sticky notes) and please note

which section and chapter you are logging as you go along. Logging instructions are on the

next page.

You will be graded on the following categories (each worth 20 percent):

A. Frequency of entries (Do you cover the entire assigned portion?) Remember, a passing

grade for this category is 4 entries per chapter; however, if the chapter is chock-full of

goodies, maybe an additional entry or two will be necessary. Please label chapters.

B. Quality of responses (Do you look at more than one aspect of the novel? Try to use a

variety of the suggestions on the “How to Log” sheet. Are you journaling about specific

lines or words in the text? Good! Are you vaguely commenting on a summary? Yuck!)

C. Evidence of close reading. Do you pull out appropriate evidence for your thoughts?

Please don’t throw Sparknotes, Gradesaver, or any other such interpretations of the

novel at us. Do your own reading.

D. Evidence of personal or individual interaction. This should reflect your personal

reactions to the reading. Let your reactions shine through. (PLEASE NOTE: Many

students ignore this category and lose 20% off their grade.) Every time you can relate

personally to the novel, do so. “I have a dog who barks at nothing, too.” “I felt the

same way when my best friend stopped talking to me for a week in fourth grade.”

“When I visited Ireland, we didn’t notice anything like that.” “There’s an obelisk like

that in downtown Boston that I saw on a field trip.”

E. MLA parenthetical reference for quotations and paraphrases.

The first usage should include the author’s last name and page number (author 87).

Any subsequent usage should just be the page number (91).

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How to log:

Read the assigned novels. Using the log provided, keep a reading journal in which you record (faithfully or— like Tom,

Daisy, and Myrtle—unfaithfully) items from the following list:

a. Personal reactions (“This reminds me of the time Aunt Myrtle tripped on our front steps…”)

b. Questions about the reading (“How did the dog get to Philadelphia from Washington???”)

c. Characterization--what is significant about this event for the character? Does this event change the

character? How? (“He can’t stand by his beliefs anymore if it means he’ll destroy his best friend”)

d. Themes (“What does this event mean about the author’s beliefs in the power of love?”)

e. Predictions/foreshadowing (“Angel is going to have to ask what’s become of Tess since he left her”)

f. Contradictions/anomalies (“He can’t really believe in individual liberty and support the communist

government!”)

g. Significant quotations and brief indication of their significance (“Beautiful line: ‘he loved not wisely, but

too well’ that pretty much encapsulates a major portion of the plot!”)

h. Relate things to other portions of the novel (“Their situations are now totally reversed since their first

meeting: Claire is in total control, and Irene is begging for help”)

i. Notable diction (“would a teenager say ‘keen’ in the 1960s?” “Holden keeps saying that something ‘kills

him’ when he likes it, but he’s also suicidal” “Notice how many times the author has used words that refer

to war in this selection.”)

j. Notable imagery (“The description of the landscape suggests so much peace and restfulness, a total

contrast with what’s going on inside John d’Urbervilles”)

k. Note allusions and comment on them (“The seamstress wears leaves around her waist and gets bit by a

snake--an allusion to the Garden of Eden--because she’s so innocent, or because she brings evil into the

world?”)

l. Point out recurring symbols (“Gatsby keeps looking at the green light: because he’s waiting for permission

to ‘go,’ or because Daisy represents money?”)

m. Historical relevance—time frame as related to specific lines in the text (“how many years is this since the

Irish Revolution? How old would Seamus have been and how involved?”)

n. Drawings of items to increase comprehension

o. And more…the more personal and individual the better!

Please note—this is not supposed to be an analysis of the reading. This is supposed to point out items for further

analysis. DO NOT read and summarize very long chapters or passages. Comment on items you

encounter on every page. Use parenthetical references. You don’t need the entire quotation. Pull out the relevant

words. Become familiar with ellipses and use them often.

Please note which chapter you are journaling.

The logging rubric is attached.

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Logging Rubric Exceptional = 5 Skilled = 4 Proficient =3 Developing = 2

Inadequate = 1

Frequency of entries

A large quantity of responses from throughout the book

A large quantity of responses from different areas in the book

Many responses from throughout, or many in some areas

Responses from some areas of the book, or many responses from only one part of the book.

Very few responses, hardly enough to assess.

Quality of responses Personal Response Questions Characterization Prediction Foreshadowing Themes Contradictions Quotations Relate to novel Diction, Imagery Allusions, symbols Historical context Drawings Other

Responses refer to text and background knowledge, using a variety of observation types.

Responses refer to text, a bit of background knowledge, or a subset of observation types.

Responses may occasionally refer to the text, may use some background knowledge, and/or a smaller subset of observation types.

Responses do not refer to background knowledge or the text often are vague and summarized in style, or rely heavily on one or two types.

Responses are vague and summarized in nature, rarely referring to the text or background knowledge and ignoring many of the observation types. Also, not enough entries to make a good assessment.

Evidence of close reading

Clearly delves deeply into the text consistently, picking out important details.

Delves deeply into the text frequently, picking out most important details.

Delves deeply into the text occasionally, picking out some important details.

Scratches the surface of the text or only delves deeply a few times, missing many details.

Evidence is vague and summarized. No apparent link with the actual text. Also, too few entries to make a good assessment.

Evidence of personal or individual reaction

Often responds generously, genuinely, and appropriately to plot, tone, and style, often making comparisons to personal life events.

Frequently responds genuinely and appropriately to plot, tone, and style, occasionally making comparisons to personal life events.

Occasionally personal reaction is present, but may be less than optimally hoped due to frequency or because it may appear remote, forced, or repetitious.

Rare personal reaction or it appears remote, fake, or repetitious.

No personal reaction.

Use of parenthetical reference

A one-to-one MLA-format correlation between log and novel.

One-to-one correlation exists, but some page numbers may be missing or not MLA format.

Parenthetical reference is used half of the time.

Parenthetical reference is used sparingly.

Parenthetical reference is not used at all or there are too few entries to make a fair assessment.

Totals

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Appendix C

College Narrative

College Essay Tips 1. Read the article (below) by Jay Henirichs, “Write a Winning College Essay,” noting the tips there.

2. Then, (and this is the most essential part) find what it is about yourself that makes you tick, that

makes you you, that makes you different from others. Write down three traits that describe you.

Make sure these are positive traits, especially those that a college admissions officer would admire.

3. After that, look at the essay prompts from the Common Application (or from your individual college

application). Using an essay prompt as a vehicle, convey your traits to your audience.

4. Begin by finding “snapshots” or moments that show these traits. Do not tell. Showing is far more

powerful than telling. If necessary, use two or three snapshots, especially if you are showing growth.

5. Give your essay has a clear progression from beginning to end—telling a story which informs us about

you. Use your own voice and your own style.

6. This essay is your only chance to speak directly (on paper) to an admissions officer. Don’t let it be

marred by any errors which would reflect poorly on you. In other words, edit, edit, edit.

7. DO NOT reuse or recycle an essay you have previously written as an academic assignment.

Jay Heinrichs http://www.figarospeech.com/college-essay/

Write a Winning College Essay

Figaro tells how to make admissions officers fall in love with you.

As someone who writes a lot about persuasion, I’m frequently asked by high school juniors and their parents how to write

a successful college essay. My own son, George, sought my advice, and he was glad he did. His essay about a headache

(yes, a headache), helped get him into his highly selective first-choice school, Middlebury College. His work was among

10 (out of a class of 850) read in front of the campus at Convocation. “The one they read before mine was by a Palestinian

who wrote about shielding his little brother as an Israeli bomb hit their house,” George told me later. “‘Oh, great,’ I

thought. ‘Now they’re going to read about my headache.’”

It did the job, though. George wrote the essay himself, but he followed my advice. Here’s what I told him, and what I tell

everyone who asks me.

1. What’s your hook?

While the top schools look for good writing, they’re more interested in character. Your Board scores will tell them how

smart you are, and your grades let them know you study hard. Admissions officers also look for a student who will add

something to the campus. Ask them about the most recent crop of first-year students, and you’ll see what I mean: “Our

class includes a published novelist, an Olympic luger, and an artist who made a monumental sculpture out of Gummi

Bears.” That’s what I mean by “hook.”

Don’t stress out if you don’t really have one. (Remember George’s headache?) But it helps. My friend Alex, who’s about

to enter her senior year in high school, has a second-degree black belt in judo. She was thinking about doing an essay on

her beloved “Calvin & Hobbes.” Can you guess what my advice was? If you have a hook, write about the hook.

2. Don’t express yourself.

A college essay is an act of persuasion. Your job is to talk the admissions office into accepting you. “I got really sick of

reading about dead grandmothers,” one former officer told me. So the essay isn’t your opportunity to get feelings off your

chest, or amuse yourself, or imitate your favorite writer. Your teachers have spent far too much time telling you to express

8 yourself. To persuade someone, you should express your reader’s thoughts and desires, and show how you embody them.

Think: If you were an admissions officer, what would you be looking for in, say, you? Oh, and another thing:

3. Relieve their boredom.

Admissions officers read thousands of essays every year. Yours doesn’t have to be the most creative; it just has to be a

good read. And how do you write such a marvel? By telling a story.

4. A winning essay isn’t an essay.

I probably sound like a Zen master here (The essay must write itself, Grasshopper), but my point is pretty simple: the

college essay is mislabeled. It’s really a story. It should have a main character — you, presumably — a setting, some sort

of conflict, and suspense.

George wrote about how he developed Chronic Headache Syndrome at the beginning of seventh grade, when the

family moved from New Mexico to an urban high school in Connecticut. The syndrome is triggered by a virus, and in a

type-A person it creates a sort of negative feedback loop: the headache causes stress, which makes the headache worse.

George’s mother and I took him from one doctor to another. All of them prescribed drugs that would have turned him into

a zombie. Finally, we found a psychiatrist who was an expert in biofeedback techniques. The doctor hooked George up to

a machine that measured his brain waves. It had a monitor that showed an array of red bars.

“If you relax your brain,” the doc said, “you create Alpha waves that will help make your headache go away. If

you can turn all the bars green, I’ll give you a prize.” Being the goal-oriented type, George sits down at the machine and

PUSHES his brain. “UUUUGGGGH!” He’ll make those bars turn green. (Note how I switched to the present tense. It

makes the story seem more immediate. If you think you can handle this tricky tense, consider using it for your essay.)

As George stares at the red bars, he thinks about himself—about the 50-something merit badges he earned on his

way to becoming an Eagle Scout, about his love of competitive Nordic skiing, how he climbed the 48 tallest peak in New

Hampshire before he turned 10, about how his whole identity has to do with meeting goals. But he comes to realize that

the single-minded pursuit of things doesn’t always get you what you want.

Still the bars won’t turn green. He realizes he has to do more than just relax: he must allow himself to trust that

some things work themselves out on their own. “Is this what faith is?” he asks. And then comes the last line in his essay:

“All the bars turn green.”

That essay had all the elements of a story: a character, a conflict (type-A kid struggling against his type-A’ness in type-A

fashion), suspense (will he make his headache go away?), and an epiphany (the nature of faith). He told the story with

grace and humor, revealing just the kind of intelligent, maturing soul admissions officers love. (Hey, cut me some slack.

I’m his dad.)

5. It’s all about epiphany.

Admissions people look for students who learn and grow, so your essay should show you learning and growing. Whether

you write about your hook or your headache, don’t just brag or describe. Your essay should have a moment of revelation:

what did you learn from your experience? How did it make you the thoughtful, sensitive, brave, strong person you are (or

would like an admissions person to think you are) today? Show a process of learning, and a moment of revelation.

6. Make yourself good and miserable.

George did more than 30 drafts, spending a summer writing whenever he wasn’t working at his job or hiking outdoors. It

was one of the hardest things he’d ever done, and it made him miserable. In other words, he felt just like a writer! With

any luck, he’ll avoid following in his dad’s footsteps (I’m a writer) and go on to earn an honest living. Maybe he’ll advise

students on their college essays, grow rich, and support me in my dotage. And to think a college essay started it all.

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Using one of the above prompts, or a prompt from the college of your

choice, type a rough draft of <600 words.

2017-2018 Common Application Essay Prompts 1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. [No change] 2. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? [Revised] 3. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome? [Revised] 4. Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. [No change] 5. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others. [Revised] 6. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? [New]

7. Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. [New]

This essay will must be turned in by August 30th to Edmodo.

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College Essay Rubric

Category 5= Done well 4=Done adequately 2= Done poorly 0= Missing

Organization Has clear structure from beginning hook to concluding statement with appropriate transitions.

Structure may be present but appears forced. May be missing one element of structure.

Missing more than one element, or is confusing in current order.

No clear order at all.

Voice Expressive; author feels fully present in the work

A glimpse or two of personality.

Author is not expressive

Not submitted or not relevant

Details Strong use of detail to add personality and depth. Points are “shown” rather than “told.”

Most points supported with relevant details. Mostly “showing rather than “telling.”

Presence of detail. But most points are still “told” rather than “shown.”

Little detail provided in the telling of the story.

Narrative strategy

“Essay” feels more like a story with beginning, middle and interesting epiphany.

Feels like a story, but maybe not a complete story, or it has an unsatisfactory payoff.

Feels more like an essay than a story. If it contains an epiphany, it is unconvincing.

Uninteresting essay with no apparent payoff.

Focus/Achieved goal

Reveals convincing traits that show how student would contribute to a college community of learners.

Reveals positive traits, but are either unrealistic, or of questionable benefit to a college community.

Shows traits that are either unrealistic or of little benefit to broader community.

Fails to show traits at all.

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Academic Honor Code Westfield High School

Westfield, MA

HONOR CODE:

It is only through the evaluation, reflection and revision of one’s own work that true progress and success can be

achieved. To help students gain the most from their education, the entire faculty of Westfield High School expects that

students will do their own reading, writing, test taking, research, and assignments. Considering that cheating and

plagiarism undermine a student’s success and true understanding, we reinforce that cheating and plagiarism are

violations of Westfield High School’s Code of Student Conduct. In addition, acts of cheating and plagiarism are in direct

conflict with the Mission Statement of Westfield High School.

DEFINITIONS:

Cheating is defined by Westfield High School as sharing information before or during testing situations, copying of

another individual’s work, including sharing information through electronic devices/media, and using “cheat sheets”

during testing.

Plagiarism is defined by Westfield High School as taking work or ideas from the Internet, books, magazines, television,

movies or any person or any other source whatsoever, and deliberately passing it off as one’s own work. Plagiarism does

not require that a student submit a verbatim copy of the work of any source as his or her own. Plagiarism also includes

submitting ideas and/or conclusions generated by another source as one’s own work.

12 RESPONSIBILITIES

Teachers will:

review Academic Honor code during Advisory

conduct a presentation of the Academic Honor Code to all freshmen classes

indicate clearly when collaborative work on a project is permitted

review proper method of citation appropriate to subject area

include honor code statement on syllabus

be available to students for additional help and questions regarding citations

provide a secure testing site

report any Academic Honor Code violations

Students will:

submit their own work

follow proper methods of citation

ask for help when unsure about citations

protect work during testing and class situations

not share assignments

CONSEQUENCES per year

First Violation:

zero on the entire assignment without the opportunity to do the assignment again

parental contact by the content teacher

notification to principal, vice principal and counselor resulting in a Saturday detention

notification to National Honor Society resulting in probation of privileges for the semester

notification to Renaissance Program resulting in suspension of privileges for the semester

Second Violation:

zero on the entire assignment without the opportunity to do the assignment again

parental meeting with student, teacher, and administration

notification to principal, vice principal and counselor resulting in a Saturday detention and one day of internal suspension

notification to National Honor Society resulting in dismissal

notification to Renaissance Program resulting in suspension of privileges for the year

Any subsequent violations will be reviewed and consequences determined by the Academic Honor Code Faculty Board.

Appeal Requests are available in the College/Career Center, and accepted up to two weeks after the Violation Notice.

Revised SY2015-2016

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