Week 1

Planning Your Week

W 8/1: BONUS assignment due. Bring your book A Streetcar Named Desire to class each day.

F 8/3: BONUS and choice text assessment (timed essay).

M 8/6: Complete AP Literature Tech Menu

M 8/13: Obtain a copy of The Awakening by Kate Chopin (shop around–it’s free on Kindle, and you can find copies under $5.00)

Monday, August 1–HOYA Hello
Tuesday, August 2–Pre-planning

Wednesday, August 3
Opener: Experience Stanley’s poker night
Work Session:

1. Poker Night–A Streetcar Named Desire; simulate Mitch and Stanley’s poker night with Spit in the Ocean, Seven-card Stud, lemonade, and 40s music, including “Paper Moon.”
2. Respond to Raise, Call or Fold
3. Welcome & introductions; read & discuss classroom management plan & syllabus; complete TRSS forms.

Closer: Answer questions on pre-course reading assignment.
Homework: Complete syllabus online form. Finish reading/annotating A Streetcar Named Desire if you have not already. Prepare for in class assessment Friday. Bring a physical copy of your bonus novel(s) or a book or play of literary merit that you have read to class on Thursday. A Streetcar Named Desire is off limits for Friday’s assessment; we will continue to work with it and assess next week.

Thursday, August 2
Opener: Daily lines #1 (chess metaphor)
Work Session:

1. Create a 4×6 portrait of a novel: include significant literary features from your invitation to notice annotations.

Closer: View opening scene of A Streetcar Named Desire, analyzing the director’s choices in emphasizing Blanche’s characteristics.
Homework: Finish reading/annotating A Streetcar Named Desire if you have not already. Prepare for in class assessment Friday. Bring a physical copy of your bonus novel(s) or a book or play of literary merit that you have read to class on Thursday. A Streetcar Named Desire is off limits for Friday’s assessment; we will continue to work with it and assess next week.

Friday, August 3
Opener: 

1. Review good writing tips.
2. Go over +10 and bank-an-essay policies.

Work Session:

1. Compose a response to the prompt for a book with which you feel you have familiarity.
2. Introduce film analysis.

Closer: View opening scene of A Streetcar Named Desire, analyzing the director’s choices in emphasizing Blanche’s characteristics.
Homework: ZINC–log in and get started with assignments. Follow these directions: SpringBoard Instructions for First Time Login REV.

I am thrilled that you have decided to finish your senior year strong by taking this course! AP Literature is the place where you explore humanity in all its complexity–from the evil villains who plague the universe to the generous souls who restore balance. We will fly through texts about life, death, and everything in between, talking philosophy and historical context while applying themes to our current lives as well as the near and far future.

Please set yourself up for success. Complete the pre-course required reading assignment. This has changed from the past few years, so please read it carefully and do not rely on former students’ memories. This is pre-reading for our first unit of study on A Streetcar Named Desire, so feel free to go above and beyond in your annotations and in your thinking about the work. You can learn more about the play from scholarly research via Cobb Digital Library.  Search in the Literature and Criticism databases Literary Reference Center and Literature Resource Center. You can also conduct scholarly research through the literary databases online via Cobb County Public Library System. The expectation is that you have thoroughly read the play by the time you come to class August 1. You will have an assessment August 3.

Attached to the pre-course reading assignment, you will find a Prerequisite Vocabulary and Skills Tracking Sheet. You will need the 9th-12th Vocabulary and Skills  document to complete the tracking sheet. It is best to quickly review the concepts, highlighting those that you feel are your weakest areas. One of the most important goals of AP Literature is to expand your vocabulary and improve your writing skills to an “A” level in college, so you need to know your strengths and areas for growth.

I encourage you to complete the extra credit that is attached to the pre-course required reading assignment. It begins your journey analyzing film as text and comparing literary texts to film adaptations, important skills we will develop throughout the semester. Plus you start the course with more than one hundred percent!

See you soon!