AP Language and Composition Summer Reading Assignment for Fall 2011 Ms. Lockwood, Venice High School

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1 AP Language and Composition Summer Reading Assignment for Fall 2011 Ms. Lockwood, Venice High School Welcome to AP Language and Composition. Most literature courses focus on What does a work mean? AP Language, however, is focused on the controlling idea of How does a work come to mean? A major component of the AP Language and Composition curriculum is careful and critical analysis of literature. Through close reading, students will deepen their understanding of the way writers use language to create meaning. You (the reader) should be constantly asking yourself questions to analyze language and meaning. Questions to consider as you read: Why did the author choose this format? What do these characters represent on a larger scale? (novels) Why did the author choose these particular words and phrases?...this particular sentence structure?...this literary device? Who is the speaker and what is the author s purpose in writing this text? What is the tone of the text? In order to increase your reading and interpretive skills, you must complete the following three assignments during the summer break. The reading and assignments should be completed by the first day of school in September. 1. Required: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain Actively read this novel by thinking about the questions above as you read as well as by paying particular attention to the universal topics it explores hypocrisy, societal expectations, the value of nature, parenting, honesty, religion, responsibility of friends. You will be tested on this novel within the first two weeks of the semester. Huckleberry Finn Assignment: A) Select one of the universal topics listed above. As you read the novel, find passages that relate to that topic. In a dialectical journal, copy the passage (use MLA format) and then analyze the passage. If you find symbols that relate to the topic, analyze those. See an example on the following page. B) When you have finished the novel and have examined at least 10 passages, summarize what you think the author was saying about that topic. If his ideas are complex, explain the different facets of his argument. Your score for this assignment will be based on thoroughness of your ideas and on following directions: use MLA format throughout.

2 Example analysis to use with Huckleberry Finn. Read the following journal entry to see how you should approach the analysis of quotations. Select a quotation that says something about your chosen topic; then analyze the passage for all the ideas you can relate to that topic. Use MLA format for your page set-up and for citing the passages. Student name Ms. Lockwood AP Language 15 July 2011 Night Reading Analysis - Core Topic Religion Student s last name 1 Passage My father was a cultured, rather unsentimental man. There was never any display of emotion, even at home. He was more concerned with others than with his own family. The Jewish community in Sighet held him in the greatest esteem. They often used to consult him about public matters and even about private ones (2). Moshe the Beadle...noticed me one day at dusk, when I was praying. Why do you weep when you pray? he asked me... I don t know why, I answered greatly disturbed. The question had never entered my head. I wept because because something inside me that felt the need for tears... Why do you pray? he asked me... Why did I pray? A strange question. Why did I live? Why did I breathe? (2). Analysis of topic - Religion Elie begins his story explaining that his father s loyalties rest with other people in the Jewish community. His family is of secondary importance. It seems like the father looks at helping others as a profession; it s not a hobby that elicits passion, but it s the role of a respected man of the faith. The fact that the Jewish community looks within itself for public and private guidance shows that religion plays a central role in their lives. A man who is cultured and unsentimental, who can give advice but shows little emotion, is revered. It seems his family is left to fend for themselves, perhaps showing that the religion respects males not women or children. If Elie wants to model his life after his father s, he will have to explore religion on his own. Elie is deeply devout. He cries openly when he prays, and thinks nothing of it. He compares praying to living and breathing, and he never questions why he prays or weeps. This young (14- year-old) Jewish boy is completely dedicated to his religion, and while he wants to learn every facet about it, he doesn t question his motivation. Religion is so completely integrated into Jewish life, that even the young cannot explain why they are devout. I have wondered why the Jews didn t simply lie and say they weren t Jewish to avoid deportation. Reading Elie s words makes me see that he could no more deny his Jewishness than he could stop praying. As you see from the above analysis, you are to look carefully at the words, the implications, the ideas found in the passage. Don t try to analyze a very brief passage; you should have at least a few sentences in your passage. The title of your paper should reflect HF and your topic.

3 2. Read one of the following non-fiction books: Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas Friedman Friedman explains how global warming, rapidly growing populations, and the expansion of the world s middle class through globalization have produced a dangerously unstable planet. Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder This is the true story of a physician who sets out to bring modern medicine to those who need it most, taking the reader from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia as Farmer lives the philosophy that the only real nation is humanity. The Omnivore s Dilemma by Michael Pollan Today, buffeted by one food fad after another, America is suffering from a national eating disorder. He examines the profound implications that our food choices have for the health of our species and the future of our planet. Growing Up Empty, The Hunger Epidemic in America by Loretta Schwartz-Nobel Growing Up Empty is a study of a hidden epidemic that still remains largely unacknowledged at the highest political levels. It is a call to action that will re-energize the national debate on the federal government's priorities. Non-fiction book report; (typed MLA format) Number these elements 1-9; begin with a brief description of the element (see underlined words below) or write the question; then describe each element separately. 1. Title, author, date of original publication 2. What experience and/or authority does this author have on this topic? 3. How is the book organized? Is it a collection of separate pieces, a chronicle of events, a narrative, or what? 4. Briefly describe and summarize two portions of the book. These could be chapters, essays, significant episodes, or important descriptions. Use your own judgement and write about a half of a page for each. (Show you read the entire book; don t select two portions from the beginning chapters.) 5. Explain what the main purpose or thesis of the book is. Write no more than three complete sentences. 6. Comment on the title of the book. Why was this title chosen? Back up your opinion. 7. Your response: explain why you liked/didn t like the book, referring to specific elements such as style, content, opinion of author, etc. (Minimum ½ page typed.) 8. Photocopy one page of the book so that there is white space around the type. Thoroughly mark it up with anything you observe. Do not use a highligher; use a pen/pencil and note in the margin why you marked something. Note literary devices, tone, word choices (diction), images, details, sentence structure (syntax), appeals (ethos, logos, pathos). 9. Rhetorical analysis: write one page about what you noticed in #8 above. Explain what the author did on this page and why she/he did that particular technique. What is the overall tone of this page?

4 3. Expanding your vocabulary Select 20 words that are unfamiliar to you from the non-fiction book you read or from news articles you read this summer in the newspaper or news journals. Use quality publications such as the LA Times, NY Times, Time Magazine, US News, Newsweek, etc. For each vocabulary word, write: a) the word b) the sentence in which the word is used, including the page number in correct MLA format (see example below) c) a definition that fits the context in which the word is used d) your own original sentence that shows the word s meaning Example: 1. demonize (from The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman) a) It is so easy to demonize free markets...because it is so much easier to see people being laid off in bunches...than to see them being hired in fives and tens by small and medium-sized companies (276). b) definition: to convert into a demon (demon = an evil spirit, like the devil) c) When we study the history of the Americas, it is easy to demonize the white settlers who continued to push the Native Americans off their lands. Note above definition. If your definition contains the root word of your chosen word, look up the root word itself. This is MLA format. Use this format or you will lose points. (Use 1-inch margins) Smith 1 John Smith Ms. Lockwood AP Language & Composition 15 July 2010 Title of Paper Use one-inch margins on left and right sides and on bottom; ½ inch margin above the page number. Indent paragraphs ½ inch if you are using paragraphs Double space all your writing, including the heading above. There should be no extra space between paragraphs or around the title, and the title should not be bold, underlined, italicized, etc. Each page should have the page number at the top right corner student s last name followed by the page number. Use a standard typeface Times New Roman, Helvetica, Ariel in 12 point font. (Actually 12 point Times is the same as 11 point Ariel.) If you are doing a journal, I suggest using a table with two columns. Quote passages accurately and give the page number in parenthesis as shown in the examples above.

5 Name Period Rubric - AP Language Summer Reading, 2010, M s. Lockwood 1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn /70 a) Two-colum n Journal 10 quotations, quotation form at correct, analysis thorough b) Summary of topic /50 Explained thoroughly Twain s argum ent MLA page form at, quote form at is correct, analysis thorough 2. Non-Fiction book: Nickel and Dimed; Fast Food Nation; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle Three Cups of Tea Name Period Rubric - AP Language Summer Reading, 2010, M s. Lockwood 1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn /70 a) Two-colum n Journal 10 quotations, quotation form at correct, analysis thorough b) Summary of topic /50 Explained thoroughly Twain s argum ent MLA page form at, quote form at is correct, analysis thorough 2. Non-Fiction book: Nickel and Dimed; Fast Food Nation; Animal, Vegetable, Miracle Three Cups of Tea MLA page format /5 MLA page format /5 a) Title (form), author, date of original publication /10 b) Experience and/or authority of author? /5 c) How is the book organized? /10 a) Title (form), author, date of original publication /10 b) Experience and/or authority of author? /5 c) How is the book organized? /10 d) Briefly describe and summarize two portions of the book. (½ pg each) d) Briefly describe and summarize two portions of the book. (½ pg each) e) Main purpose or thesis of the book (max 3 sent) /5 f) Title of the book. Back up your opinion. /5 g) Your response (min ½ page) /10 h) Photocopy one page, mark it up thoroughly. /10 e) Main purpose or thesis of the book (max 3 sent) /5 f) Title of the book. Back up your opinion. /5 g) Your response (min ½ page) /10 h) Photocopy one page, m ark it up thoroughly. /10 i) Rhetorical analysis of chosen page (one page); include tone i) Rhetorical analysis of chosen page (one page); include tone TOTAL / Vocabulary: 20 words Sentence (correct format), definition, original sentence /60 TOTAL / Vocabulary: 20 words Sentence (correct form at), definition, original sentence /60