AP English Literature and Composition Exam Questions

Free-response questions and scoring information.

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2020 Free-Response Questions

Note:  The table below features a selection of free-response questions and related scoring information from the 2020 exam. You can find all of the 2020 FRQs and corresponding scoring information in  AP Classroom question bank .

2020 Exam: Free-Response Questions, Student Sample Responses, and Scoring Information

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  • American Literature

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How to Write the AP Lit Prose Essay + Example

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What is the ap lit prose essay, how will ap scores affect my college chances.

AP Literature and Composition (AP Lit), not to be confused with AP English Language and Composition (AP Lang), teaches students how to develop the ability to critically read and analyze literary texts. These texts include poetry, prose, and drama. Analysis is an essential component of this course and critical for the educational development of all students when it comes to college preparation. In this course, you can expect to see an added difficulty of texts and concepts, similar to the material one would see in a college literature course.

While not as popular as AP Lang, over 380,136 students took the class in 2019. However, the course is significantly more challenging, with only 49.7% of students receiving a score of three or higher on the exam. A staggeringly low 6.2% of students received a five on the exam. 

The AP Lit exam is similar to the AP Lang exam in format, but covers different subject areas. The first section is multiple-choice questions based on five short passages. There are 55 questions to be answered in 1 hour. The passages will include at least two prose fiction passages and two poetry passages and will account for 45% of your total score. All possible answer choices can be found within the text, so you don’t need to come into the exam with prior knowledge of the passages to understand the work. 

The second section contains three free-response essays to be finished in under two hours. This section accounts for 55% of the final score and includes three essay questions: the poetry analysis essay, the prose analysis essay, and the thematic analysis essay. Typically, a five-paragraph format will suffice for this type of writing. These essays are scored holistically from one to six points.

Today we will take a look at the AP Lit prose essay and discuss tips and tricks to master this section of the exam. We will also provide an example of a well-written essay for review.  

The AP Lit prose essay is the second of the three essays included in the free-response section of the AP Lit exam, lasting around 40 minutes in total. A prose passage of approximately 500 to 700 words and a prompt will be given to guide your analytical essay. Worth about 18% of your total grade, the essay will be graded out of six points depending on the quality of your thesis (0-1 points), evidence and commentary (0-4 points), and sophistication (0-1 points). 

While this exam seems extremely overwhelming, considering there are a total of three free-response essays to complete, with proper time management and practiced skills, this essay is manageable and straightforward. In order to enhance the time management aspect of the test to the best of your ability, it is essential to understand the following six key concepts.

1. Have a Clear Understanding of the Prompt and the Passage

Since the prose essay is testing your ability to analyze literature and construct an evidence-based argument, the most important thing you can do is make sure you understand the passage. That being said, you only have about 40 minutes for the whole essay so you can’t spend too much time reading the passage. Allot yourself 5-7 minutes to read the prompt and the passage and then another 3-5 minutes to plan your response.

As you read through the prompt and text, highlight, circle, and markup anything that stands out to you. Specifically, try to find lines in the passage that could bolster your argument since you will need to include in-text citations from the passage in your essay. Even if you don’t know exactly what your argument might be, it’s still helpful to have a variety of quotes to use depending on what direction you take your essay, so take note of whatever strikes you as important. Taking the time to annotate as you read will save you a lot of time later on because you won’t need to reread the passage to find examples when you are in the middle of writing. 

Once you have a good grasp on the passage and a solid array of quotes to choose from, you should develop a rough outline of your essay. The prompt will provide 4-5 bullets that remind you of what to include in your essay, so you can use these to structure your outline. Start with a thesis, come up with 2-3 concrete claims to support your thesis, back up each claim with 1-2 pieces of evidence from the text, and write a brief explanation of how the evidence supports the claim.

2. Start with a Brief Introduction that Includes a Clear Thesis Statement

Having a strong thesis can help you stay focused and avoid tangents while writing. By deciding the relevant information you want to hit upon in your essay up front, you can prevent wasting precious time later on. Clear theses are also important for the reader because they direct their focus to your essential arguments. 

In other words, it’s important to make the introduction brief and compact so your thesis statement shines through. The introduction should include details from the passage, like the author and title, but don’t waste too much time with extraneous details. Get to the heart of your essay as quick as possible. 

3. Use Clear Examples to Support Your Argument 

One of the requirements AP Lit readers are looking for is your use of evidence. In order to satisfy this aspect of the rubric, you should make sure each body paragraph has at least 1-2 pieces of evidence, directly from the text, that relate to the claim that paragraph is making. Since the prose essay tests your ability to recognize and analyze literary elements and techniques, it’s often better to include smaller quotes. For example, when writing about the author’s use of imagery or diction you might pick out specific words and quote each word separately rather than quoting a large block of text. Smaller quotes clarify exactly what stood out to you so your reader can better understand what are you saying.

Including smaller quotes also allows you to include more evidence in your essay. Be careful though—having more quotes is not necessarily better! You will showcase your strength as a writer not by the number of quotes you manage to jam into a paragraph, but by the relevance of the quotes to your argument and explanation you provide.  If the details don’t connect, they are merely just strings of details.

4. Discussion is Crucial to Connect Your Evidence to Your Argument 

As the previous tip explained, citing phrases and words from the passage won’t get you anywhere if you don’t provide an explanation as to how your examples support the claim you are making. After each new piece of evidence is introduced, you should have a sentence or two that explains the significance of this quote to the piece as a whole.

This part of the paragraph is the “So what?” You’ve already stated the point you are trying to get across in the topic sentence and shared the examples from the text, so now show the reader why or how this quote demonstrates an effective use of a literary technique by the author. Sometimes students can get bogged down by the discussion and lose sight of the point they are trying to make. If this happens to you while writing, take a step back and ask yourself “Why did I include this quote? What does it contribute to the piece as a whole?” Write down your answer and you will be good to go. 

5. Write a Brief Conclusion

While the critical part of the essay is to provide a substantive, organized, and clear argument throughout the body paragraphs, a conclusion provides a satisfying ending to the essay and the last opportunity to drive home your argument. If you run out of time for a conclusion because of extra time spent in the preceding paragraphs, do not worry, as that is not fatal to your score. 

Without repeating your thesis statement word for word, find a way to return to the thesis statement by summing up your main points. This recap reinforces the arguments stated in the previous paragraphs, while all of the preceding paragraphs successfully proved the thesis statement.

6. Don’t Forget About Your Grammar

Though you will undoubtedly be pressed for time, it’s still important your essay is well-written with correct punctuating and spelling. Many students are able to write a strong thesis and include good evidence and commentary, but the final point on the rubric is for sophistication. This criteria is more holistic than the former ones which means you should have elevated thoughts and writing—no grammatical errors. While a lack of grammatical mistakes alone won’t earn you the sophistication point, it will leave the reader with a more favorable impression of you. 

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Here are Nine Must-have Tips and Tricks to Get a Good Score on the Prose Essay:

  • Carefully read, review, and underline key instruction s in the prompt.
  • Briefly outlin e what you want to cover in your essay.
  • Be sure to have a clear thesis that includes the terms mentioned in the instructions, literary devices, tone, and meaning.
  • Include the author’s name and title  in your introduction. Refer to characters by name.
  • Quality over quantity when it comes to picking quotes! Better to have a smaller number of more detailed quotes than a large amount of vague ones.
  • Fully explain how each piece of evidence supports your thesis .  
  • Focus on the literary techniques in the passage and avoid summarizing the plot. 
  • Use transitions to connect sentences and paragraphs.
  • Keep your introduction and conclusion short, and don’t repeat your thesis verbatim in your conclusion.

Here is an example essay from 2020 that received a perfect 6:

[1] In this passage from a 1912 novel, the narrator wistfully details his childhood crush on a girl violinist. Through a motif of the allure of musical instruments, and abundant sensory details that summon a vivid image of the event of their meeting, the reader can infer that the narrator was utterly enraptured by his obsession in the moment, and upon later reflection cannot help but feel a combination of amusement and a resummoning of the moment’s passion. 

[2] The overwhelming abundance of hyper-specific sensory details reveals to the reader that meeting his crush must have been an intensely powerful experience to create such a vivid memory. The narrator can picture the “half-dim church”, can hear the “clear wail” of the girl’s violin, can see “her eyes almost closing”, can smell a “faint but distinct fragrance.” Clearly, this moment of discovery was very impactful on the boy, because even later he can remember the experience in minute detail. However, these details may also not be entirely faithful to the original experience; they all possess a somewhat mysterious quality that shows how the narrator may be employing hyperbole to accentuate the girl’s allure. The church is “half-dim”, the eyes “almost closing” – all the details are held within an ethereal state of halfway, which also serves to emphasize that this is all told through memory. The first paragraph also introduces the central conciet of music. The narrator was drawn to the “tones she called forth” from her violin and wanted desperately to play her “accompaniment.” This serves the double role of sensory imagery (with the added effect of music being a powerful aural image) and metaphor, as the accompaniment stands in for the narrator’s true desire to be coupled with his newfound crush. The musical juxtaposition between the “heaving tremor of the organ” and the “clear wail” of her violin serves to further accentuate how the narrator percieved the girl as above all other things, as high as an angel. Clearly, the memory of his meeting his crush is a powerful one that left an indelible impact on the narrator. 

[3] Upon reflecting on this memory and the period of obsession that followed, the narrator cannot help but feel amused at the lengths to which his younger self would go; this is communicated to the reader with some playful irony and bemused yet earnest tone. The narrator claims to have made his “first and last attempts at poetry” in devotion to his crush, and jokes that he did not know to be “ashamed” at the quality of his poetry. This playful tone pokes fun at his childhood self for being an inexperienced poet, yet also acknowledges the very real passion that the poetry stemmed from. The narrator goes on to mention his “successful” endeavor to conceal his crush from his friends and the girl; this holds an ironic tone because the narrator immediately admits that his attempts to hide it were ill-fated and all parties were very aware of his feelings. The narrator also recalls his younger self jumping to hyperbolic extremes when imagining what he would do if betrayed by his love, calling her a “heartless jade” to ironically play along with the memory. Despite all this irony, the narrator does also truly comprehend the depths of his past self’s infatuation and finds it moving. The narrator begins the second paragraph with a sentence that moves urgently, emphasizing the myriad ways the boy was obsessed. He also remarks, somewhat wistfully, that the experience of having this crush “moved [him] to a degree which now [he] can hardly think of as possible.” Clearly, upon reflection the narrator feels a combination of amusement at the silliness of his former self and wistful respect for the emotion that the crush stirred within him. 

[4] In this passage, the narrator has a multifaceted emotional response while remembering an experience that was very impactful on him. The meaning of the work is that when we look back on our memories (especially those of intense passion), added perspective can modify or augment how those experiences make us feel

More essay examples, score sheets, and commentaries can be found at College Board .

While AP Scores help to boost your weighted GPA, or give you the option to get college credit, AP Scores don’t have a strong effect on your admissions chances . However, colleges can still see your self-reported scores, so you might not want to automatically send scores to colleges if they are lower than a 3. That being said, admissions officers care far more about your grade in an AP class than your score on the exam.

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How to Write the AP Lit Prose Essay with Examples

March 30, 2024

ap lit prose essay examples

AP Lit Prose Essay Examples – The College Board’s Advanced Placement Literature and Composition Course is one of the most enriching experiences that high school students can have. It exposes you to literature that most people don’t encounter until college , and it helps you develop analytical and critical thinking skills that will enhance the quality of your life, both inside and outside of school. The AP Lit Exam reflects the rigor of the course. The exam uses consistent question types, weighting, and scoring parameters each year . This means that, as you prepare for the exam, you can look at previous questions, responses, score criteria, and scorer commentary to help you practice until your essays are perfect.

What is the AP Lit Free Response testing? 

In AP Literature, you read books, short stories, and poetry, and you learn how to commit the complex act of literary analysis . But what does that mean? Well, “to analyze” literally means breaking a larger idea into smaller and smaller pieces until the pieces are small enough that they can help us to understand the larger idea. When we’re performing literary analysis, we’re breaking down a piece of literature into smaller and smaller pieces until we can use those pieces to better understand the piece of literature itself.

So, for example, let’s say you’re presented with a passage from a short story to analyze. The AP Lit Exam will ask you to write an essay with an essay with a clear, defensible thesis statement that makes an argument about the story, based on some literary elements in the short story. After reading the passage, you might talk about how foreshadowing, allusion, and dialogue work together to demonstrate something essential in the text. Then, you’ll use examples of each of those three literary elements (that you pull directly from the passage) to build your argument. You’ll finish the essay with a conclusion that uses clear reasoning to tell your reader why your argument makes sense.

AP Lit Prose Essay Examples (Continued)

But what’s the point of all of this? Why do they ask you to write these essays?

Well, the essay is, once again, testing your ability to conduct literary analysis. However, the thing that you’re also doing behind that literary analysis is a complex process of both inductive and deductive reasoning. Inductive reasoning takes a series of points of evidence and draws a larger conclusion. Deductive reasoning departs from the point of a broader premise and draws a singular conclusion. In an analytical essay like this one, you’re using small pieces of evidence to draw a larger conclusion (your thesis statement) and then you’re taking your thesis statement as a larger premise from which you derive your ultimate conclusion.

So, the exam scorers are looking at your ability to craft a strong thesis statement (a singular sentence that makes an argument), use evidence and reasoning to support that argument, and then to write the essay well. This is something they call “sophistication,” but they’re looking for well-organized thoughts carried through clear, complete sentences.

This entire process is something you can and will use throughout your life. Law, engineering, medicine—whatever pursuit, you name it—utilizes these forms of reasoning to run experiments, build cases, and persuade audiences. The process of this kind of clear, analytical thinking can be honed, developed, and made easier through repetition.

Practice Makes Perfect

Because the AP Literature Exam maintains continuity across the years, you can pull old exam copies, read the passages, and write responses. A good AP Lit teacher is going to have you do this time and time again in class until you have the formula down. But, it’s also something you can do on your own, if you’re interested in further developing your skills.

AP Lit Prose Essay Examples 

Let’s take a look at some examples of questions, answers and scorer responses that will help you to get a better idea of how to craft your own AP Literature exam essays.

In the exam in 2023, students were asked to read a poem by Alice Cary titled “Autumn,” which was published in 1874. In it, the speaker contemplates the start of autumn. Then, students are asked to craft a well-written essay which uses literary techniques to convey the speaker’s complex response to the changing seasons.

The following is an essay that received a perfect 6 on the exam. There are grammar and usage errors throughout the essay, which is important to note: even though the writer makes some mistakes, the structure and form of their argument was strong enough to merit a 6. This is what your scorers will be looking for when they read your essay.

Example Essay 

Romantic and hyperbolic imagery is used to illustrate the speaker’s unenthusiastic opinion of the coming of autumn, which conveys Cary’s idea that change is difficult to accept but necessary for growth.

Romantic imagery is utilized to demonstrate the speaker’s warm regard for the season of summer and emphasize her regretfulness for autumn’s coming, conveying the uncomfortable change away from idyllic familiarity. Summer, is portrayed in the image of a woman who “from her golden collar slips/and strays through stubble fields/and moans aloud.” Associated with sensuality and wealth, the speaker implies the interconnection between a season and bounty, comfort, and pleasure. Yet, this romantic view is dismantled by autumn, causing Summer to “slip” and “stray through stubble fields.” Thus, the coming of real change dethrones a constructed, romantic personification of summer,  conveying the speaker’s reluctance for her ideal season to be dethroned by something much less decorated and adored.

Summer, “she lies on pillows of the yellow leaves,/ And tries the old tunes for over an hour”, is contrasted with bright imagery of fallen leaves/ The juxtaposition between Summer’s character and the setting provides insight into the positivity of change—the yellow leaves—by its contrast with the failures of attempting to sustain old habits or practices, “old tunes”. “She lies on pillows” creates a sympathetic, passive image of summer in reaction to the coming of Autumn, contrasting her failures to sustain “old tunes.” According to this, it is understood that the speaker recognizes the foolishness of attempting to prevent what is to come, but her wishfulness to counter the natural progression of time.

Hyperbolic imagery displays the discrepancies between unrealistic, exaggerated perceptions of change and the reality of progress, continuing the perpetuation of Cary’s idea that change must be embraced rather than rejected. “Shorter and shorter now the twilight clips/The days, as though the sunset gates they crowd”, syntax and diction are used to literally separate different aspects of the progression of time. In an ironic parallel to the literal language, the action of twilight’s “clip” and the subject, “the days,” are cut off from each other into two different lines, emphasizing a sense of jarring and discomfort. Sunset, and Twilight are named, made into distinct entities from the day, dramatizing the shortening of night-time into fall. The dramatic, sudden implications for the change bring to mind the switch between summer and winter, rather than a transitional season like fall—emphasizing the Speaker’s perspective rather than a factual narration of the experience.

She says “the proud meadow-pink hangs down her head/Against the earth’s chilly bosom, witched with frost”. Implying pride and defeat, and the word “witched,” the speaker brings a sense of conflict, morality, and even good versus evil into the transition between seasons. Rather than a smooth, welcome change, the speaker is practically against the coming of fall. The hyperbole present in the poem serves to illustrate the Speaker’s perspective and ideas on the coming of fall, which are characterized by reluctance and hostility to change from comfort.

The topic of this poem, Fall–a season characterized by change and the deconstruction of the spring and summer landscape—is juxtaposed with the final line which evokes the season of Spring. From this, it is clear that the speaker appreciates beautiful and blossoming change. However, they resent that which destroys familiar paradigms and norms. Fall, seen as the death of summer, is characterized as a regression, though the turning of seasons is a product of the literal passage of time. Utilizing romantic imagery and hyperbole to shape the Speaker’s perspective, Cary emphasizes the need to embrace change though it is difficult, because growth is not possible without hardship or discomfort.

Scoring Criteria: Why did this essay do so well? 

When it comes to scoring well, there are some rather formulaic things that the judges are searching for. You might think that it’s important to “stand out” or “be creative” in your writing. However, aside from concerns about “sophistication,” which essentially means you know how to organize thoughts into sentences and you can use language that isn’t entirely elementary, you should really focus on sticking to a form. This will show the scorers that you know how to follow that inductive/deductive reasoning process that we mentioned earlier, and it will help to present your ideas in the most clear, coherent way possible to someone who is reading and scoring hundreds of essays.

So, how did this essay succeed? And how can you do the same thing?

First: The Thesis 

On the exam, you can either get one point or zero points for your thesis statement. The scorers said, “The essay responds to the prompt with a defensible thesis located in the introductory paragraph,” which you can read as the first sentence in the essay. This is important to note: you don’t need a flowery hook to seduce your reader; you can just start this brief essay with some strong, simple, declarative sentences—or go right into your thesis.

What makes a good thesis? A good thesis statement does the following things:

  • Makes a claim that will be supported by evidence
  • Is specific and precise in its use of language
  • Argues for an original thought that goes beyond a simple restating of the facts

If you’re sitting here scratching your head wondering how you come up with a thesis statement off the top of your head, let me give you one piece of advice: don’t.

The AP Lit scoring criteria gives you only one point for the thesis for a reason: they’re just looking for the presence of a defensible claim that can be proven by evidence in the rest of the essay.

Second: Write your essay from the inside out 

While the thesis is given one point, the form and content of the essay can receive anywhere from zero to four points. This is where you should place the bulk of your focus.

My best advice goes like this:

  • Choose your evidence first
  • Develop your commentary about the evidence
  • Then draft your thesis statement based on the evidence that you find and the commentary you can create.

It will seem a little counterintuitive: like you’re writing your essay from the inside out. But this is a fundamental skill that will help you in college and beyond. Don’t come up with an argument out of thin air and then try to find evidence to support your claim. Look for the evidence that exists and then ask yourself what it all means. This will also keep you from feeling stuck or blocked at the beginning of the essay. If you prepare for the exam by reviewing the literary devices that you learned in the course and practice locating them in a text, you can quickly and efficiently read a literary passage and choose two or three literary devices that you can analyze.

Third: Use scratch paper to quickly outline your evidence and commentary 

Once you’ve located two or three literary devices at work in the given passage, use scratch paper to draw up a quick outline. Give each literary device a major bullet point. Then, briefly point to the quotes/evidence you’ll use in the essay. Finally, start to think about what the literary device and evidence are doing together. Try to answer the question: what meaning does this bring to the passage?

A sample outline for one paragraph of the above essay might look like this:

Romantic imagery

Portrayal of summer

  • Woman who “from her golden collar… moans aloud”
  • Summer as bounty

Contrast with Autumn

  • Autumn dismantles Summer
  • “Stray through stubble fields”
  • Autumn is change; it has the power to dethrone the romance of Summer/make summer a bit meaningless

Recognition of change in a positive light

  • Summer “lies on pillows / yellow leaves / tries old tunes”
  • Bright imagery/fallen leaves
  • Attempt to maintain old practices fails: “old tunes”
  • But! There is sympathy: “lies on pillows”

Speaker recognizes: she can’t prevent what is to come; wishes to embrace natural passage of time

By the time the writer gets to the end of the outline for their paragraph, they can easily start to draw conclusions about the paragraph based on the evidence they have pulled out. You can see how that thinking might develop over the course of the outline.

Then, the speaker would take the conclusions they’ve drawn and write a “mini claim” that will start each paragraph. The final bullet point of this outline isn’t the same as the mini claim that comes at the top of the second paragraph of the essay, however, it is the conclusion of the paragraph. You would do well to use the concluding thoughts from your outline as the mini claim to start your body paragraph. This will make your paragraphs clear, concise, and help you to construct a coherent argument.

Repeat this process for the other one or two literary devices that you’ve chosen to analyze, and then: take a step back.

Fourth: Draft your thesis 

Once you quickly sketch out your outline, take a moment to “stand back” and see what you’ve drafted. You’ll be able to see that, among your two or three literary devices, you can draw some commonality. You might be able to say, as the writer did here, that romantic and hyperbolic imagery “illustrate the speaker’s unenthusiastic opinion of the coming of autumn,” ultimately illuminating the poet’s idea “that change is difficult to accept but necessary for growth.”

This is an original argument built on the evidence accumulated by the student. It directly answers the prompt by discussing literary techniques that “convey the speaker’s complex response to the changing seasons.” Remember to go back to the prompt and see what direction they want you to head with your thesis, and craft an argument that directly speaks to that prompt.

Then, move ahead to finish your body paragraphs and conclusion.

Fifth: Give each literary device its own body paragraph 

In this essay, the writer examines the use of two literary devices that are supported by multiple pieces of evidence. The first is “romantic imagery” and the second is “hyperbolic imagery.” The writer dedicates one paragraph to each idea. You should do this, too.

This is why it’s important to choose just two or three literary devices. You really don’t have time to dig into more. Plus, more ideas will simply cloud the essay and confuse your reader.

Using your outline, start each body paragraph with a “mini claim” that makes an argument about what it is you’ll be saying in your paragraph. Lay out your pieces of evidence, then provide commentary for why your evidence proves your point about that literary device.

Move onto the next literary device, rinse, and repeat.

Sixth: Commentary and Conclusion 

Finally, you’ll want to end this brief essay with a concluding paragraph that restates your thesis, briefly touches on your most important points from each body paragraph, and includes a development of the argument that you laid out in the essay.

In this particular example essay, the writer concludes by saying, “Utilizing romantic imagery and hyperbole to shape the Speaker’s perspective, Cary emphasizes the need to embrace change though it is difficult, because growth is not possible without hardship or discomfort.” This is a direct restatement of the thesis. At this point, you’ll have reached the end of your essay. Great work!

Seventh: Sophistication 

A final note on scoring criteria: there is one point awarded to what the scoring criteria calls “sophistication.” This is evidenced by the sophistication of thought and providing a nuanced literary analysis, which we’ve already covered in the steps above.

There are some things to avoid, however:

  • Sweeping generalizations, such as, “From the beginning of human history, people have always searched for love,” or “Everyone goes through periods of darkness in their lives, much like the writer of this poem.”
  • Only hinting at possible interpretations instead of developing your argument
  • Oversimplifying your interpretation
  • Or, by contrast, using overly flowery or complex language that does not meet your level of preparation or the context of the essay.

Remember to develop your argument with nuance and complexity and to write in a style that is academic but appropriate for the task at hand.

If you want more practice or to check out other exams from the past, go to the College Board’s website .

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Brittany Borghi

After earning a BA in Journalism and an MFA in Nonfiction Writing from the University of Iowa, Brittany spent five years as a full-time lecturer in the Rhetoric Department at the University of Iowa. Additionally, she’s held previous roles as a researcher, full-time daily journalist, and book editor. Brittany’s work has been featured in The Iowa Review, The Hopkins Review, and the Pittsburgh City Paper, among others, and she was also a 2021 Pushcart Prize nominee.

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Mr. Frick's Classroom

"keep your face always toward the sunshine – and the shadows will fall behind you." – walt whitman, ap literature.

Welcome to AP Literature. Upcoming classes, assignments, and past assignments can all be found here. Scroll down for information (newer classes appear first). Make sure you click on links for supporting documents.

In the event of ONLINE/ REMOTE Learning, use Mr. Frick’s Schoology page recently expanded.

Book Selections & Parental Warnings . Masterwork book selection options and warnings. Please discuss your choices with parents. Deadline to switch is by Wednesday of this week. 

Masterwork – DUE on April 6

Techniques/ Elements/ Thesis Sentences

Mock Exam Spreadsheet.

March! Exam prep and independent novel:  Please re-write any Mock Exam you scored lower than a 1-3 on. Keep up with your own reading, and work on the Master Work assignment.

February! Sonnets: Why not start the month of Valentine’s Day with some love poems? Nice. Check out these two important docs: Write-An-Original Sonnet Assignment (and distinguishing the three types) and Sonnet Analysis . Due dates here will be a little fluid. Let’s see how we do writing our own. Sonnet Essay in class on Monday, February 24.

January! Start of Second Semester: Below you will find the electronic documents to the hard copies we will use in class for the first two weeks back. On Wednesday of the second week (January 15), you have the MOCK EXAM. Just come to school and instead of going to your 5th period class, report to the large gym for the mock. If you miss the exam, I will let you know how to make it up. Everyone will take it eventually so try to make it authentic by being at the exam on Wednesday. After the mock, we will dig into Hamlet properly.

Note: The poetry packet, once completed, will be extra credit at the end of the semester. Assignments: 10 Super Famous Poems ; Young and Beautiful: Emotions as Literary Technique ; Hamlet: Prepare to Remember ; Hamlet Soliloquies ; 

HW: As for Reading the play Hamlet , try to be through the first two acts by Thursday, January 16, then finish the play, then take an end of unit exam on January 31: some multiple choice and one large 40 minute essay.

December 16:  Final Presentation – Projects and Presentation are due on Day of Final.

December 12.  We will start with Contrast / Technique before diving into the social milieu/ setting of The Awakening .

HW: Finish the book, finish the Timeline Assignment .

December 10: On Tuesday you will have your Unit Final for Frankenstein. This includes a MC test on AP Classroom. Please bring your charged iPad to class. You may choose which Open Question essay to write on and may also bring your Prepare to Remember for the exam. 

HW: Turn-in Prepare to Remember for Frankenstein . Read the Awakening through page 53 – to Chapter XVIII (18) for Thursday.

December 2-4-6, 2019: On Monday we will finish our 19th Century Poetry exploration. If there is time, we will continue the movie.  On Weds. we will have a Socratic seminar finish to Frankenstein , and on Friday, we will review the various Open Questions that could fit Frankenstein, before finishing the movie. 

HW: On Tuesday of the the following week (Dec. 10) you will have the end of the unit final, comprised of a MC pre-assessment and an Open Question Essay . 

November 19-21: We will cover the quiz from Friday and continue to explore the Big Ideas. Please finish the novel… best case – by the end of the week, otherwise, it is HW over Thanksgiving Break. On Thursday, we will work on the poetry of the 19th Century Romantics .

HW: Finish Frankenstein . Reading Questions  

November 11-15, 2019: In class we have a reading quiz on Monday (Chapters 5-9)  and Friday (Chapters 10-17). In between we will review plot points and discuss the Big Ideas of Frankenstein .

HW: Reading. Please be through Chapter 21 for Tuesday, November 19.

November 5-7, 2019: In Class we will review Frankenstein Guided Lecture (Letters/First 4 Chapters) & Icarus Photo. Please make sure you read all the electronic documents: Read These:  Electronic Documents . and check out the Reading Questions as you begin to read more. We will have our Icarus poems presented in class today.

HW: Thesis and Body Paragraph for Icarus Poem due Thursday. Read Electronic Documents and Chapters 5-9. Quiz on Thursday over E Docs, letters, and first 4 Chapters.

Exam Registration:

  • To register, you must first join AP Classroom with you appropriate class code: Class Codes for  AP Classroom :  First:  9EYVQP;   Third:  A47EZ4
  • Then you must PAY through RevTrack:  Rev Track .

October 28, 30, November 1, 2019:  Frankenstein ! Read These:  Electronic Documents . You need to have read the Author’s Introduction, The Letters, and the first FOUR chapters of Frankenstein . Quiz on Monday (or Weds. if we have a snow day) over the letters. There will be some in-class reading time in class after the quiz. I will also handout some Reading Questions we will use near the end of the unit for a Socratic-style Reading Circle/ Graded Discussion. We will also read poems about Icarus . 

Homework: Letters, First Four Chapters of Frankenstein, 7 Years , Icarus Poems .

October 22-24, 2019: You will have a Google Slide assignment found here:  October 22 New Assignment and presentations the next day of class for Never Let Me Go. Then we will turn these books in and check out Frankenstein. Please read the author’s introduction and the letters, stopping before you read Chapter One. Quiz on Monday (or Weds. if we have a snow day).

Class Announcement: IF YOU MISSED your Never Let Me Go Summative on Monday, October 14, you must make arrangements to make it up … It will include: 1. An analysis section of an excerpt of Never Let Me Go, and 2) an Essay (timed – open note) connecting a topic with a meaning (Big Idea) you have found in the book.

October 14-16, 2019:  In class test on Monday. We will talk a little bit about the exam on Wednesday during the short class Weds. afternoon.

  • To register, you must first join AP Classroom with you appropriate class code: Class Codes for AP Classroom :  First: 9EYVQP;   Third: A47EZ4
  • Then you must PAY through RevTrack: Rev Track .

October 8-10: Two days of class. First, we will turn in your Prepare to Remember annotations for the first half of Never Let Me Go. If you fail to do so, maybe just hold onto the document and turn it in, both front and back, for the whole novel, which I want read by MONDAY of next week. Finish the book by October 14. Second, we will have a Graded Discussion over The Gallery, which many of you produced outstanding work. Finally, on Thursday, we will further debrief the Graded Discussion, and get into some more ideas to explore. Next week we finish the book.

HW: Finish reading Never Let Me Go. Work on the annotation – Prepare to Remember to turn in by the end of class on Monday of next week. If you missed, class finish the Graded Discussion questions at home.

Sep. 30 – October 4: Three days of class. We will finish up the Maya Angelou poem, and take a second reading quiz (more of a short fiction, AP Lit Free Response prompt really). On Wednesday, you will be tested in a NEW way. If you miss class, see how you can still participate on Friday. Friday we will hear the results of the panelists and discuss the meaning. AP test registration issues and reading time to follow. Please READ THROUGH CHAPTER 12 for Tuesday of next week.

HW: Reading through Chapter 12

September 26, 2019:  In class, we will take a quiz over the first three chapters of Never Let Me Go and start to analyze a new round of poetry .

HW: Read chapters 4-6;  QUIZ on Monday!

September 24, 2019:  In Class, we start a new unit with some big ideas, music , and checking out the new book, Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Reminder:  Class Codes for AP Classroom :  First: 9EYVQP;   Third: A47EZ4

HW:  Read the first THREE chapters of the new book; IF you missed class last Friday, use this LINK for the test prompt.

September 16-20: In class, we will finish performing the play and watching the movie of The Importance of Being Earnest . On Friday, you will have a one-hour times writing on Representation and Compare/Contrast play to film. IF you miss class on Friday, use this LINK to the test prompt. That way, you can complete the writing at home. Preparing to Remember . 

September 10-12: In class, we will perform and watch The Importance of Being Earnest . Don’t forget to track the play’s progress with your graphic organizer.

HW:  Read the play at home and in-class.  Preparing to Remember .

September 4 -6, 2019: In class, we begin our first play, The Importance of Being Earnest . First we will have free-write on Obligations. After a satirical look at obligations, a short free-write on Irony comes next. Finally, we will learn a bit about Oscar Wilde, look out at the unit ahead, start the play.

HW: Read the play at home and in-class.  Preparing to Remember .

August 30, 2019: In class we will finish Voice Lesson #3 (so if you missed class, you can check out the latest slide below and now just answer all the questions). After we finish our stories, we will read a new short story by Kate Chopin, and finish up class with another thesis statement.

August 28, 2019: In Class we will begin with Voice Lesson #3. Only answer the first two questions (we will do the creative writing on Friday). Then we will work with the concept of Representation to get at Big Ideas in literature by reading a short story in class. Both the story and the graphic organizer can be accessed in these documents: Souvenir ; Souvenir Graphic

August 26, 2019: In Class we will begin with Voice Lesson #2, picking up right where we left off at the end of class last time.  After some more poetry presentations, we will end class by picking another poem and fleshing out a new thesis statement for that one. IN doing so, we should discuss our thesis statements from our poems (poetry packet), and I will hand those back. Note: Still no reading or HW for this class yet. We will accumulate in-class points, unless one of you wants to make a case for more HW, I think we will keep working in-class on skill building for a while with poems and creative writing. 

August 20/ 22: In Class we will continue to define the class through notes and collaboration on the course and on the AP Test. This will include

  • Collaborating in small groups
  • Note Taking
  • Acting – Performance
  • Art – Story Boarding

August 14 / August 16:   In Class we start with a story (your story) about the seasons. This will somehow segue (naturally turn) into discussion on the Elixir of Life. This might include but will not be limited to:

  • Going on a quest for ideas
  • Listening to really good pop music
  • Reminding me to give you the secret code to AP Central
  • Writing brilliant understandings
  • M & M’s – Personality Test

HW: Think about all of the above, talk to your friends and family about any Big Ideas, come back next week rested, happy, and ready to Hit the Whoa again. 

—   —  —   —  —  — – — — — — —- — — — — — — —

May 8: AP TEST! You are tan, rested, ready… have fun!

May 6: MC Practice

April 30 / May 2, 2019

In Class: We will return to sonnets, sonneteers . Make sure you have a chance to do the Sonnet 43 TPFAST (under HW below) if you miss class on Tuesday. On Thurs., we will do a voice lesson and remember the differences between the various sonnets from first semester. Voice Lesson #16 below if you miss class –

HW (if you miss class): Sonnet 43 ; Sonnet’s Review

April 23 & 25

In Class: On Tuesday, we will start with Two longer Voice Lessons to do in class – one of which will be in collaboration with another student –  followed by more work on Preparing to Remember . On Thursday, you will take your final essay before the AP Lit exam over The Kite Runner .

HW: If you miss class (Voice Lessons 14 & 15)

In Class: We begin with a Voice Lesson (#13) and handing back all of your essays from the year. Then you will work on a document to help you prepare for the Open Question: Preparing to Remember .

HW: If you miss class:

In Class: Students will work on a process essay for a poetry prompt you can find here: Angelou’s Alone . We will watch The Kite Runner film in class. Use this document to take some post-viewing notes: Book to Film Guide . There will be a Socratic Seminar and those notes to turn in for a grade.

HW: Finish reading The Kite Runner .

March 19-21

In Class:  Quiz 3 on Tuesday, multiple choice mostly with some writing. Thursday we will plan for the end of the term.

HW: Reading for Thursday: through Chapter 15 (p.202)

March 15: Reading and writing quiz over The Kite Runner . Because of the snow day, I will keep the quiz over the first 100 pages .

HW: Reading through Chapter 12 (p.165) . Quiz on Friday!

March 11, 2019

In Class: Class begins with a Quiz over The Kite Runner . We will also discuss the book – drawing out any themes of identity, friendship, and power.

HW: Reading through Chapter 8 (p. 100).

March 7, 2019

In Class: Today we will begin our unit on The Kite Runner . If you have any outstanding books checked out, please turn them in. You will have some in-class reading time! After 45 minutes of undisturbed reading, we will then move into some preliminary discussions of the meanings of the work.

HW: Electronic documents for The Kite Runner ; Other Stuff: Read through Chapter 5 of The Kite Runner (p. 48).

Masterwork ; Parallel Assignments

re-writes of Poetry and then Prose and then the Open Question .

March 5, 2019  AP Exam Registration Live until March 5;

Today we will work on the Open Question . Then you will have time for re-writes, Masterwork ; Parallel Assignments

HW: Anything not turned-in so far… work on your re-writes of Poetry and then Prose and then the Open Question .

March 1, 2019: AP Exam Registration Live until March 5 – Please finish paying.  Today is our Masterwork Gallery!

DUE: Masterwork Project; Rewrites: and Prose Mock Exam; Parallel Projects

February 25 & 27: AP Exam Registration Live until March 5

In Class: Finish up those  Parallel Assignments . In class today and Wednesday, you may either work on note cards OR work on your re-writes of Poetry and then Prose of the Mock exam.

HW:  Masterwork  due on Friday!

Week of February 19-21, 2019

In Class:  Study Session Sign-up ;  We will have one Voice Lesson this week followed by a NEW  Parallel Assignment . Make sure you bring your notecards and independent novel on Thursday so you have plenty to work on with the substitute.

HW: Reading;   Parallel Assignments  – Your Masterwork Project is due on March 1, 2019. Use this Masterwork  link for a reminder of the requirements. Voice Lesson # 11 if you miss class:

Week of February 11-13, 2019

In Class: We will score our MC from the Mock Exam and then give time over to working on the Masterwork Project. Make sure you bring your Independent Novels to class everyday! I have the notecards for you in class. I ran out for 4th period and will bring more on Monday.

Study Session Sign-up ;

HW:  Parallel Assignments  – Your Masterwork is now officially due… on March 1, 2019. Use this Masterwork  link for a reminder of the requirements.

Week of February 5 & 7

In Class: This week we will sign up for the mock AND actual AP Lit exam. On Tuesday, you will have work time after we accomplish sign-ups and voice lesson #10.

Week of January 28 – February 1, 2019

In Class: This week we will rediscover voice lessons, choose independent novels (or plays) and begin the Masterwork Project. Additionally, you will have Parallel Assignments to move your understanding of AP Lit further. Your first parallel assignment is an Independent Poetry assignment, while your second is a prose prompt of your own making (though Google Classroom). Make sure you use the assignment link for Parallel Assignments if you miss class to keep up to date.

HW:  Book Slides, Independent Poetry Prompt, Prose Prompt:  Parallel Assignments  – Your Masterwork is now officially due… on March 1, 2019. Use this Masterwork link if you lose your own copies of the assignment.

Week of January 22-24, 2019

In Class: During the short week, we will explore Independent Novel options with two activities geared around choosing a book. You must make your selection by the end of the day on January 24 AND share your Slide Presentation with Mr. Frick by the end class on that day as well.

HW: Book selection, Slide Presentation .

Week of January 15-17, 2019

AP Study Session Registration!

Be thinking of the next book you would like to read:   Literary Book Titles

In Class: We will finish reading performance of The Importance of Being Earnest  and then complete a day of writing.

HW: – In Class writing only, unless you miss class on Thursday; Background and assignments for  The Importance of Being Earnest

Week of January 7 -11, 2019

In Class: Welcome back! This week we will digest The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. Please see the below Google Slide presentation under HW for background information. You will have some writing to do around the play (performance tasks are on the last slide of the presentation). These will be done in class – dates for these writings will be announced later this week, so check back here if you miss class.

HW: Background and assignments for  The Importance of Being Earnest

December 18-20: Finals Week!

December 10-12/ 14

In Class: For the Mon/Weds. class will finish their symbolism drawing and then convert it into a structured writing assignment you can find here: Symbolism Prompt . On Friday, we will cover MC ahead of your final.

HW: Finish all reading for Heart of Darkness and/or The Awakening . Still taking missing assignments (Poetry Packets, Annotation Checks) up until Monday, Dec. 17.

December 6, 2018

In Class: Today we will work on Symbolism as a potential topic for the Open Question (Question 3) on the AP Lit exam.

HW:  Symbolism Assignment

December 4, 2018

In Class: We will begin with a voice lesson (below). I will also remind students of due assignments, including an Annotation for Never Let Me Go (paraphrase any quote ideas since you have already checked-in the book). The second half of class, you will join a book club for the rest of the semester, and then be allotted time to work on your Timeline/Theme assignment.

HW:  Finish your chosen book.

November 28, 2018

In Class: You will have the class period to work on the Timeline/Theme assignment which includes summaries of plot throughout your novella. You will also do a theme activity to support the open question.  IF you are planning to take both novellas for your final, you should be finished with the first one by the end of this weekend.

HW: Just reading.

November 15 & November 26, 2018

In Class: Straddling Thanksgiving break you will have plenty of time to read your novella or finish one and start the other. In the meantime, we will engage in modernist poetry and have presentations (artist versions) on November 28. Turn in your own Modernist attempt at poetry along with your analysis from this packet on November 28.

HW: Reading novellas at home.

November 13, 2018

In Class: Today you will begin a selection process for the last novella(s) we read this semester: Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness . You will use this document to decide one of three options: Primary Source Documents . Your options are 1) Read The Awakening / take one timed essay, 2) Read Heart of Darkness / take one timed essay, 3) Read both novellas / take two timed essays . Details revealed in class.

HW: Take your first choice book home and start reading. On November 15, you may exchange your book or pick up the second one.

November 9, 2018

In Class: Unit Final for Never Let Me Go: Two timed free-response essays.

HW: None! Enjoy the weekend.

November 7, 2018

In Class: We will finish our presentations for Never Let Me Go .

HW: Don’t forget we have our unit final on Friday; check-in your copy of the book.

November 5, 2018

In Class: Final reading quiz in class today. Then students will be broken into groups to work on Themes/Meanings they found in Never Let Me Go . Five-slide presentations due on Wednesday.

HW: Five-slide presentations .

November 1, 2018

In Class: Reading quiz and more reading time. Finish the book over the weekend.

HW: Finish the book, Never Let Me Go. Final Reading Quiz on Monday.

October 30, 2018

In Class: Today we will start with a daily voice lesson. Then we will talk briefly about the Open Question, what I learned from grading them. Next you will have in-class reading time – no kidding, so bring your books, eliminate distraction and just read please. Then we will break into our original family poetry groups for those presentations.

HW: Reading Quiz #2 on Friday

Week of October 22, 2018

In Class: On Monday, you will have a quiz over the  Background guide   to Never Let Me Go and the first four chapters. On Wednesday, we will have a daily voice lesson, grade the quiz, and begin postmodernism with some family poems. On Friday, we will have our second Never Let Me Go quiz over chapters 5-8 and have a discussion of literary techniques and tone.

Week of October 16-18, 2018

In Class: Another super short week. On Tuesday, we will annotate Frankenstein on Google Classroom before we take our Frankenstein summative mid-term. You will choose one of these prompts: Potential questions  On Thursday, we will check out Never Let Me Go.  This is the background guide (you are responsible for this as well for the quiz next week)

HW: Please read the first four chapters of Never Let Me Go – reading quiz on Monday of next week.  Background guide  for Never Let Me Go.

Week of October 8 – 10, 2018

In Class: Short week! First we will talk about college: Free Application Day . Then we will cover how to write the Open Question essay: Open Question Slide Presentation and Examples . We will have presentations of Frankenstein motifs. You also have access to all the potential questions for the final unit timed writing. We will take the final at the start of next week. To look at the 2018 question, go here (once it opens, scroll down to the third question):  AP Lit Test – Free Response Questions  To read sample essays on Frankenstein (they score in order 1-9), go here:  Frankenstein Run

HW: Finish Reading Frankenstein over the weekend.

Week of October 2-4, 2018

In Class: We will have our third Frankenstein Quiz and continued reading the book out of class. Also, your romantic poetry packet (analysis and poem) are due the following week. We will develop Motif as part of the Open Question on Thursday. Please take the permission slips home to sign if you want to start watching the movie version of Frankenstein.

HW: Reading – Chapters 17 through the end of the book (Due on Weds/ next week before the four day break). If you don’t finish your Frankenstein Motif Slide presentation in class, please consider it homework as well.  Both the  Romantic poetry Exploration and the Frankenstein Motif Slide are due Monday, October 8.

September 26, 2018

In Class: Today I will present you with all the literary techniques (vocabulary) to use on free response questions for both poetry and prose. After, we will take our second Frankenstein reading quiz. Then you will have the rest of class to read. You will also have a Romantic poetry packet, due next week.

HW: Just reading -chapters  9 – 16; be prepared for a reading or MC quiz on Tuesday, October 2, of next week.

September 24, 2018

In Class: Today we do a voice lesson, take a quiz, and then watch some videos. Reading will conclude class.

HW: Just reading – chapters 5-8 ; be prepared for a reading or MC quiz. Today’s Voice Lesson if you missed class:

September 18 – 20, 2018

Due Today/ In Class: You will have a small amount of time on Tuesday to perfect your original 40 pt.  Sonnets – then we will look at a Sonnet AP Lit Writing Prompt., before we turn our attention to Frankenstein . Last year was the BIG anniversary of the book, so we will have a Daily Voice Lesson that is more topical reading: you will take some notes for comprehension, then discussion. After that we will cover the portion of the book that is optional to read and I will point you to some helpful  electronic documents  .

Exit Tickets/ Homework: Frankenstein Daily Voice Lesson… Sonnet Timed Writing  (if you miss class Tuesday for sports or any other reason, please do the time writing at home and bring to class on Thursday).

Weekend Homework: Knowing that it is HOMECOMING, there is only reading again. Please read the electronic documents and any of the letters and first four chapters you want to read (not required.).

September 11 & 13, 2018

In Class: On Wednesday, we meet with counsellors in the library. On Friday, you will have another lesson on Sonnets – a meta exploration . Then, don’t forget your own sonnet assignment – due on Tuesday (you will have the first half hour of class to do a Voice Lesson and polish it up, but your best bet is to work on it at home).

HW: I’m still missing a few timed-essay re-writes for Hamlet. Here is the link for the Sonnet assignment again:  Sonnets .

September 9, 2018

In Class: Please check grades by the end of the day on Tuesday, September 11. That is when I will have posted the results of timed writings for Hamlet. Any student failing to make up the writing or turn in a copy of either the in-class essay or a take home revision, will have a zero by then. Our daily Voice Lesson (#3) can be found below. We will then continue or work with  Sonnets .

September 6, 2018

In Class: Annotations and Essay Re-write due by the end of the day tomorrow. Come by to drop off your Essay re-write. Today we will start Voice Lessons, cover the Syllabus, and start Sonnets .

Sept. 4, 2018

In Class: First, we will talk about your final annotation for Hamlet – Open Question evidence accumulation. For this we will use Google Classroom .

Class Codes:  Period 3: 7dywci7 ;  Period 4: ph0m8wl

Then, we will turn to essays. After handing back your Hamlet Timed Essay/ Assessment – you will be given an opportunity to start a revision process. First you score your own essay. You will begin by looking at the AP Lit Question 1 Scoring Rubric . Notice how those essays scoring a  “5” has this content requirement, “ There may be minor misinterpretations of the poem” whereas the “2-1”  has this description, “They may offer complete misreading or be unacceptably brief.” So, when you compare your essay to the scoring guide, in order to score yourself higher than a “5” , you must have a fairly accurate interpretation of the soliloquy’s meaning. 

Use this content summary to compare your reading of the meaning:

What makes this particular soliloquy so interesting among the rest, is that it presents a very important change for Hamlet, a change from inaction to action, from apathy to passionate pursuit of his goal. Throughout this soliloquy we see Hamlet move through various stages of thought, from philosophical reflection, to inward reflection on the state of his own heart, to a description of the prince (a reflection on the actions of the prince and what they can teach him), back to philosophical reflection on the nature of greatness, and how he must achieve greatness, and ultimately, from reflection to declaration of his actions from this time forth. 

HW: Revisions due on Friday, September 7

August 28 & 30, 2018

In Class: We will have our Act 5 Synopsis, Act out the Grand Finale of Hamlet , and Compare Films. The first half of class on Thursday will be discussion on structure, content, and style of writing, Then, your first major timed writing will be on Thursday. In many ways it is low-stakes, so don’t be worried about it – you will have many more opportunities to showcase your writing talents.

HW: Finish the play and turn it in on Thursday. No HW over the long weekend.

Aug. 23, 2018

In Class: In-class Reading, Hamlet Reading Quiz, Hamlet Act Four Synopsis. Looking ahead, we will only act out the play and watch movies on Tuesday. On Thursday of next week, we will complete a play annotation, and take the final Hamlet assessment (a prose essay on your last Soliloquy).

Homework: Finish the play.

August 22, 2018

In Class: Soliloquy Annotation, Hamlet Act Three Synopsis, Film Compare/Contrasts

Homework: Read Hamlet through Act 3 (Act 2 & Act 3 Quiz on Friday)

August 20, 2018

In Class: Hamlet quiz, Hamlet Act Two Synopsis, Play Circles, Soliloquy Annotation

August 16, 2018

In Class: Welcome, welcome, welcome… Boom! Hamlet ! And some voice lessons.

Homework (such as it is): Read Hamlet at your own pace (will be read in class too).

AP Literature Frankenstein Prose Essay

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  1. PDF AP® ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION

    9-8 These essays offer a well-focused and persuasive analysis of how cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits in a character and illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole. Using apt and specific textual support, these essays analyze how the character responds to, or is shaped by, his or her ...

  2. AP English Literature and Composition Exam Questions

    Download free-response questions from this year's exam and past exams along with scoring guidelines, sample responses from exam takers, and scoring distributions. If you are using assistive technology and need help accessing these PDFs in another format, contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 212-713-8333 or by email at ssd@info ...

  3. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

    Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Open-ended Prompts for AP English. Literature & Composition Exam, 1970-2012. Instructions: Create an argument that establishes the best three essay prompts to use for our in-class essay from. the list of past AP Exam essay prompts below. I will give you a grade on how well you argue your selections in.

  4. Frankenstein Discussion Questions

    In-Depth Discussion Questions. These are questions intended to take a significant portion of a class period. Students should generally follow the procedure below: PROCEDURE. Write down the question and your answer in your notes. Discuss the answers for approximately 2-3 minutes with a seat partner.

  5. Assessment for Frankenstein

    Frankenstein. Assessment for reading this novel can take a number of different forms. Classic annotation and quiz, in-class writing, exit tickets, or in-depth textual analysis are all possibilities, but the novel lends itself well to creative assessments for formative grades. Generally speaking, students should be given at least one assessment ...

  6. DOC Sabolcik

    Sabolcik | AP Lit A Please read the following excerpt and write a sophisticated, AP-style prose analysis on the following prompt taken from Frankenstein. You should complete the pre-writing graphic organizer on the back, type your essay, and submit it to turnitin.com by the due date.

  7. PDF AP Lit & Comp

    AP Lit & Comp 1/14 & 1-15 '19 1. Frankensteinprose prompt 2. Book the Second: chapters 15 -24 3. "The Flowers" prompt . Prose essay 1. Remember: the prose essay requires you to read an excerpt of prose (from a short story or novel), ... Victor Frankenstein is reunited with his creation after abandoning it. Read the passage carefully.

  8. PDF Ap Literature and Composition Free-resonse Question

    AP LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION FREE-RESONSE QUESTION Question 2 The passage below is taken from the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. In this scene in the novel, Victor Frankenstein is reunited with his creation after abandoning it. Read the passage carefully. Paying particular attention to tone, word choice and selection of detail, compose a ...

  9. Frankenstein Prereading Questions

    Discussion of the prereading questions can take a number of different forms. Here are two possibilities. Small-Group Discussion. Distribute the prereading questions chart. Get students in groups of 4-5. Take "inventory." If there is consensus, move to the next question. If a question does not have full consensus, argue it out.

  10. PDF 2000 Advanced Placement Program Free-Response Questions

    Question 1. (Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.) The story of Odysseus' encounter with the Sirens and their enchanting but deadly song appears in Greek epic poetry in Homer's Odyssey. An English translation of the episode is reprinted in the left column below.

  11. PDF AP English Literature and Composition 2015 Free-Response Questions

    Question 1. (Suggested time—40 minutes. This question counts as one-third of the total essay section score.) In the following poem by Caribbean writer Derek Walcott, the speaker recalls a childhood experience of visiting an elderly woman storyteller. Read the poem carefully.

  12. How to Write the AP Lit Prose Essay + Example

    The AP Lit prose essay is the second of the three essays included in the free-response section of the AP Lit exam, lasting around 40 minutes in total. A prose passage of approximately 500 to 700 words and a prompt will be given to guide your analytical essay. Worth about 18% of your total grade, the essay will be graded out of six points ...

  13. How to Write the AP Lit Prose Essay with Examples

    Fifth: Give each literary device its own body paragraph. In this essay, the writer examines the use of two literary devices that are supported by multiple pieces of evidence. The first is "romantic imagery" and the second is "hyperbolic imagery.". The writer dedicates one paragraph to each idea. You should do this, too.

  14. PDF Open-ended Prompts for AP Lit & Comp Exam 1970-2012

    1981. The meaning of some literary works is often enhanced by sustained allusion to myths, the Bible, or other works of literature. Select a literary work that makes use of such a sustained reference. Then write a well- organized essay in which you explain the allusion that predominates in the work and analyze how it enhances the work's meaning.

  15. PDF Teaching Unit AP Prestwick HouseAP LiteratureP A

    Frankenstein. Objectives. By the end of this Unit, the student will be able to: 1. analyze the character development of Victor Frankenstein and the creature; 2. identify the uses of the other various characters; 3. compare and contrast Frankenstein to Paradise Lost and other works of literature; 4. identify the major elements of Romantic AND ...

  16. AP Literature

    We will take the final at the start of next week. To look at the 2018 question, go here (once it opens, scroll down to the third question): AP Lit Test - Free Response Questions To read sample essays on Frankenstein (they score in order 1-9), go here: Frankenstein Run. HW: Finish Reading Frankenstein over the weekend. Week of October 2-4, 2018

  17. Frankenstein Ap Literature Teaching Resources

    AP Literature Frankenstein Prose Essay. by . Burger Teaches. 4.9 (8) $2.00. Word Document File. An essay prompt for an Advanced Placement Literature and Composition class. It is formatted after prior prompts and uses an excerpt from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It is excellent to use to practice essay skills and can also be used for just a ...

  18. Frankenstein Unit Overview

    Focus: Critical Lenses. Exploration of an author's message through one or more critical lenses; In this unit students will explore the text through one or more critical and interpretive "lenses," most specifically the lens of gender and the lens of psychoanalysis, to understand the point or argument being advanced by the writer.

  19. PDF AP English Literature and Composition 2018 FRQ 3 Sample Student

    AP English Literature and Composition Question 3: Literary Argument (2018) Sample Student Responses 4 [5] Elizabeth Dalloway no doubt possesses extraordinary beauty, but whether this beauty is to her benefit or detriment is another question entirely. Elizabeth's appearance has cast her in the role of gorgeous inguene.

  20. AP Literature Frankenstein Prose Essay

    An essay prompt for an Advanced Placement Literature and Composition class. It is formatted after prior prompts and uses an excerpt from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. It is excellent to use to practice essay skills and can also be used for just a close reading activity!

  21. AP Lit Style Prose Essay on Frankenstein.edited.docx

    1 AP Lit Style Prose Essay on Frankenstein Student Name Institution Affiliation Course Number and Name Assignment Due Date 2 Analyze how the author portrays the complex relationship victor has with the natural world.

  22. Frank AP Prose Essay.docx

    Frankenstein Prose Essay Please read the following excerpt and write a sophisticated, AP-style prose analysis on the following prompt taken from Frankenstein.You should complete the pre-writing graphic organizer on the back, write your essay, and submit it at the end of 50 minutes. Your essay should be long enough to thoroughly address the prompt but not one word longer than necessary.

  23. All AP FRQ #2 Prose Prompts, 1970-2022

    Thanks to the hard work of Sandra Effinger, all the open-ended prompts from 1970-2022 have been assembled on one page. If you are a student frantically searching for the prose passages these prompts go to, you'll probably have to do a little digging based on the information given to you in the prompts. For example, consider the prompt from 2016.