• Quick Checks
• Quizzes
• Tests
• Final Exam

• Windows Operating System: Windows® XP Windows Vista Windows 7 
• Mac Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 or later 
• Hardware: Processor: 800 MHz (Recommended: 1.5 GHz) 
• Memory: 256 MB RAM (Recommended: 512 MB) 
• CD-ROM: 8X or better 
• Monitor: 15-inch color display (Recommended: 17-inch color display) 
• Audio: 16-bit sound card with speakers and/or headphones 
• Video: XGA (1024 x 768 resolution) 
• Internet: High-speed Internet connection (e.g. cable, DSL, FiOS) is strongly recommended. Users with 56 kbps modems may be unable to participate in some activities

• Windows Media Player version 11 or higher

• Microsoft Internet Explorer® version 7 or higher OR
• Mozilla Firefox version 3 or higher 

This is a college-level class that ultimately prepares students for the Advanced Placement exam in May. In addition, it provides students with other skills associated with the most advanced classes in high school English, including research skills. When they have completed the class, students will have acquired the reading and critical thinking skills necessary for understanding challenging new material, analyzing that material to deduce meaning, and applying what they have learned to our world. They will have the composition skills needed to communicate their understanding effectively to a variety of audiences.

Students will read and analyze classic works of literature because these works contain literary qualities that merit study and provoke thinking, not because of a requirement to know a particular work or author. They will also look at modern and contemporary works as they examine all genres: plays, short stories, poetry, essays, and novels.

Students will learn to apply critical literary terms as tools for learning, understanding, and communication. Learning activities include close reading, paraphrasing, discussions, essays, short answer exams, research papers, reflective journals, web quests, oral presentations, and others. The unit structure below identifies the main headings of the units only. Most units will include a combination of genres and activities. The structure of the class is not based upon a sequence of chronology, national origin, or genres. It is instead based on the sequence that best supports the learning needs of the student.

All students should understand that this is much more difficult than a typical high school course. Students should expect to put in more homework on a daily basis than they normally do.

• AP English Literature and Composition