AP Literature - Author Project Schedule

Here are the due dates when I will collect your Author Project journals. Remember that these journals are not intended to be the formal writing that will constitute your paper in the spring; rather they are opportunities to ask yourself questions, to maintain a lively interaction with the books you read, to begin to see the threads in an author's work.

September 29: first journal due. Which author? Why? What do you anticipate? What questions are milling about for you?

October 25: second journal due. You should be well into your first book. So what do you think? What questions are coming up? What is the best passage you’ve read so far and why is it so good? What characters are you drawn to or repulsed by? What do you think of the author’s style?

November 21: third journal due. If you haven’t finished your first book by now, you should be close. Any conclusions to some questions? Any initial thoughts for a thread you’d be interested in looking at in other books?

December 18: fourth journal due. You should be into your second book. While you want to do some comparison, don’t forget to also look at this text for its own merits. This is where you might be able to follow some threads in an author’s work, or see the writer diverging.

January 12: fifth journal due. Is that second book finished? Wow – way to go!!! If that first book isn’t finished, you better get on your horse before senioritis sets in.

February 26: sixth journal due. Have you consulted any literary criticism? Any biographical information? How do these pieces of information jive with your own thoughts? Is there anyone you can argue with? If you’re mid-way through your third book, you’re in great shape.

March 21: seventh journal due. Wow, you’ve read all three books. You feel good. You’re starting to solidify your ideas for a thesis.

April 6: no journal requirement. If you want to show me a rough draft, you must hand it in by this date.

May 18: Final paper due. 15-20 pages. Blood, sweat, and tears. After I look at it, you can have it bronzed and put on your mantle.

Cool Stuff

There are two exciting events happening in Maine in the next couple of months.

The Maine Humanities Council is celebrating its 30th anniversary with Humanities Fest at Bates College on October 21. The festival will feature music, poetry, stories, historical presentations, and many more interesting activities. Humanities Fest is FREE, but you must register in advance. The MHC website will have more information soon: www.mainehumanities.org.

In November, we will inaugurate the Maine Literary Festival! Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Russo provides the opening lecture, and the festival features many noted Maine authors or authors on Maine subjects. This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate Maine in print. Prices are a bit steep, but it's a great opportunity, so start rolling your quarters now. The festival is November 3-5, and information is available at: www.maineliteraryfestival.com.

English 11S - Beowulf Reading Schedule

Sept. 20/21: Part I
Sept. 22: Part II
Sept. 25: Part III

Sept. 29: Beowulf quiz

October 3: What happens next? project is due.

AP Literature: Crime and Punishment Reading Schedule

Sept. 22: Part II, chapters 1-4
Sept. 25: finish Part II
Sept. 27/28: Part III, chapters 1-4
Sept. 29: finish Part III
Oct. 2: Part IV, chapters 1-4
Oct. 4/5: finish Part IV
Oct. 10: Part V
Oct. 13: finish Crime and Punishment.
Oct. 17: Crime and Punishment rough draft essays due - to be edited in small groups.
Oct. 20: Final draft of essays due.

AP Literature - College Essay

AP LITERATURE 12 The first draft of your college essay is due on Friday, September 8. Here are the prompts that the Common Application uses:


1. Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.
2. Discuss some issue of personal, local, national, or international concern and its importance to you.
3. Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
4. Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc.) that has had an influence on you, and explain that influence.
5. A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. Given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community, or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you.
6. Topic of your choice.