1. AP Literature and Composition November 12, 2008 Ms. Cares

2. AGENDA 1.Turn in your journal entries regarding The Secret Life of Bees - How are you enjoying it so far? 2.Overview of the AP Literature and Composition Exam 3.Literary Terms Glossary 4.Introduction to Poetry - Update those glossaries!

3. AP Literature and Composition Exam Our test will occur between May 4th and May 18th. I will let you know of the exact date as soon as it becomes available. The AP exam is used by colleges to identify students who do not need to take introductory-level English literature classes. A score of 3-4 (and sometimes 5) is typically required by colleges. I know my goals for our class; you need to begin considering your own goals.

4. The AP Test The AP Literature Exam is broken into two sections: multiple choice and essays. The Multiple Choice Section = 45% of the total score The Essay Section = 55% of the total score We will go into how these sections are scored at a later date. You will be especially familiar with the essay section by the time that we reach the exam date.

5. The Multiple Choice Section: Last Thursday, you experienced two sections of a sample AP exam. (You will receive those scores/sections either Friday or next week.) Section One - The Multiple Choice Section = 60 minutes 4-5 passages with 9-13 questions each Total questions in section one = 55

6. Multiple Choice Section continued: Typically, you will see two poetry and two prose passages. There are certain literary terms that may well appear on the multiple choice section, so we will focus on these literary terms for our class vocabulary. You know some of these terms already; others will be new. Either way, you will have them by May!!

7. The Essay Section: Because this section most closely mirrors the work you will do in college and beyond your English classes, we will focus largely on our writing. Section Two - The Essay Section = 120 minutes Three Essays: 40 minutes = analysis of a poem 40 minutes = analysis of a prose passage 40 minutes = open question (such as the one on guilt and the one on past experiences)

8. Where do we go from here? In order to make sure that we have the literary terms and vocabulary to understand what is being asked of us, we are going to build our own class glossaries. Again, you will know some of these words. Others will be new. Regardless, we need to refine our understanding of specific literary terms and add them to our class glossary. For the next two weeks, we are going to focus specifically on poetry.

9. When asked to analyze a poem begin asking yourself a few key questions. Record the following questions in your notes.

10. Poetry Questions: What is the dramatic situation? Who is the speaker(s)? Where is he or she? When does the poem take place? What are the circumstances?

11. Poetry Questions: What is the structure of the poem? What are the parts of the poem? How are they related to each other? Consider punctuation, stanzas, and the connections between these.

12. Poetry Questions: What is the theme of the poem? What is the poem trying to say? Sometimes, it may be simple such as, “I love you.” Other times, it will be much more complex.

13. Poetry Questions: Are the grammar and meaning clear? Are there any irregularities in either the grammar or meaning? For example: “His sounding lyre the poet struck” - the subject and verb are inverted, which occurs frequently in poetry for rhyme purposes.

14. Practice: In groups of 2-3 students, examine Robert Frost’s “The Most of It.” Annotate the poem and answer the four poetry-related questions on a separate sheet of paper.