AP English Literature & Composition
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  • AP Test Prep
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[ Great Exp. | Dracula | Frankenstein | Posthuman | BNW | 1984 | Poetry |  Sir Gawain |  Dr. Faustus | Macbeth | IRP | Richard III ]

How-To & Why-To Downloads

Introductory Reading on Reading -- Required
Why Read Old Books? by Mitchell Kalpakgian (PDF)
How and Why to Annotate by Nick Olten and How to Mark a Book by Mortimer Adler (PDF)
How to Read Imaginative Literature by Mortimer Adler (PDF)
Why Study Literature? (PDF)

Introductory Reading on Writing -- Required
Rose's Rules of Writing -- The Top 36 (PDF)
How to Write a Literary Essay -- essential: This is what this course is all about (DOCX)
Sample Literary Analysis Essay -- use this as a model (PDF)
Good Readers and Good Writers by Vladimir Nabokov (PDF)
How to Answer Short Essay Questions on Exams (DOC)
How to Write a Synopsis of a Short Story or Novel
 (DOC)
How to Complete a SIFT Analysis (DOC)
How to Write a Thesis About Theme / How to Build a Thesis About Theme (DOC)

Essential PowerPoints
Five-Paragraph Essay Basics (PPT)
How to Move Beyond the Formulaic Essay (PPT)

Other Helpful How-To'
How to Read a Book -- full text (Adler)
How to Understand a Play (Dixon)
How to Do a Close Reading (Harvard)
How to Read Dickens (Epstein)
How to Read Literature Like a Professor (Thomas Forster)
How to Read a Writing Prompt for Timed Writing
How to Succeed on PSAT/SAT Critical Reading Passages

Rubrics

Analytical Essay Rubric (PDF)
Short Essay Exam Answers Rubric (PDF)
Literary Response Journal Rubric (PDF)

Other Downloads

Vocabulary & Literary Terms
#1 Overview of  Basic Literary Terms -- start with this hand-out and then move to the one below
#2 Full list of Literary Terms for A.P. English -- once you have mastered the "glossary" above
Word Roots Dictionary -- very helpful when studying for ACT/PSAT/SAT

Literature & Literary Analysis Helpers
Conventional Symbols in Literature
Sample Five-Paragraph Analytical Essay -- use this as a model
Sample -- Literary Analysis Data Sheet (for Jane Eyre)
Literary Analysis Data Sheet -- blank in DOC
SIFT Worksheet -- blank in DOC

Composition Resources
The Elements of Composition
Pre-Writing Worksheet for the 5-paragraph essay
Sample Five-Paragraph Analytical Essay -- use this as a model
Essay Revision Self-Evaluation Form -- can also be used for peer reviews
Grading Rubric for Analytical Essay on Literature
Mr. Rose - Archbishop Moeller High School