1. Advanced Placement English The Basics…

2. What does Advanced Placement mean? You study the subject in greater depth. You develop more sophisticated critical thinking and expression skills. You receive college level preparation. You have an advantage on college applications.

3. About the exam… The exam gives you an opportunity to get internationally recognized college credit for the class. Possible credit is a BONUS. The skills we’re developing will help you in college regardless of your major. We’ll cover the exam in greater depth later.

4. The three “levels” of literature 1.Beach and airport reading These books have no distinctive value. Their plots follow essentially the same pattern and one is very like another. Many romances, westerns, and fantasy novels fall into this category.

5. 2. Best Sellers Most reading falls into this category. This is what we read for pleasure, and a lot of it is extremely well- written but not quite “literary.” This is where you’ll find Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Jim Butcher, Jodi Picoult, J.K. Rowling, etc.

6. 3. Literary Merit The essential difference between a best seller and a book with literary merit is that the latter allows for many layers of interpretation. A work of literature can be argued about and seen in many different ways—and all of those opinions can be supported from the text.

7. Student Performance Expectations Independent deep reading skills Clear, effective writing Critical and creative thinking Confident, interactive discussion

8. Your Portfolio A very sturdy binder …Where most of your classwork/homework will be gathered …Where your in-class essays will be kept …Where everything MUST be in order …which is 45% of your grade

9. Your reading assignments Will usually require a written response in various formats Should NOT involve reading someone else’s analysis (i.e., don’t read what Sparknotes says about symbolism until you’ve come up with your OWN thoughts)

10. Your essays Some will be timed, in-class writings Some will be more formal essays ALL are important, and only ONE will be accepted late (And yes, I’m actually sticking to that this year)

11. Your tests Will be many and varied, from a 5-point reading quiz or a long test over a major work to AP question sets. There’s also a literary terms test…

12. Your projects Research over various topics Rewriting certain works in different genres Tests, projects, and out-of- class essays make up 45% of your grade.