Welcome to AP English Language and Composition! 2014 Before your year begins, it is necessary to explain expectations for your work, attitude, and comportment as AP scholars. You are obviously the best English students; otherwise, you would not have chosen the rigorous coursework this class demands. You are expected to be dedicated and selfdisciplined, teachable and self-motivated. Although one of the ultimate goals is that you pass the exam (which is REQUIRED the cost is approx. $89), it would be great for each of you to enjoy the process. Being smart is fun, but often requires hard work. One of the keys to performing well is being well read. As you read more widely, your vocabulary becomes broader and richer. Exposure to a variety of literature will allow you to recognize good writing styles and to emulate their correctness in your own writings. Another key to performing well is developing a writing style which incorporates depth of thinking in analysis of a writer s techniques, methods, style, and presenting intelligent papers about such concepts. A final key to passing the exam is understanding argument and using research to back up your argument. Although you will do projects, the focus must be on content, purpose, and writing. When you read, keep a dictionary close in order to define any words that you find unfamiliar; write these down for future reference. Be sure to use the pronunciation guides; all too often people sound foolish when they mispronounce words or use a word incorrectly. Be aware of the many allusions that authors use for emphasis or for clarity; don t be afraid to investigate if something is unfamiliar, and, please, don t expect someone to give you all the answers. In addition to required class work, you will read novels outside of class, but the primary focus of this course is reading and analyzing nonfiction and the author s purpose/argument, as well as writing and analyzing the style and purpose of various authors and types of writing. With a positive attitude and strong work ethic, you will have a successful year in AP English!
AP Language & Composition At A Glance *Focus on nonfiction (personal essays, autobiographies/biographies, newspaper articles, etc) * This means not as much work with novels and short stories. If studying fiction was your expectation, Honors English might be a better fit for you. *You will write (and write and write and write). * You will analyze other author s pieces and be the author of your own. *You will study grammar. *This is considered a college-level course, therefore, students will be treated like the mature, honest, responsible, self-motivated people they are. * You MUST be able to trust yourself to keep up with the workload. *For the summer assignment, you will have to: * Read the required number of books. * Complete your Dialectical Journal *Write the assigned essay (journals and essay are due the 25 th of August) *The summer assignment will be the initial focus of the course. Failure to complete the summer assignment will seriously threaten your grade. * The summer assignment work will be due Monday, August 25 th. *If you transfer into the class during the summer (from another class or another school) you are still required to complete the summer work. * You will be tested on the summer material the first week of school. Have a fabulous (and productive) summer!
Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Summer Reading Assignment 2014 Congratulations on your decision to take the AP Language and Composition class! If you would like additional information on the Advanced Placement program, go to http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html for general information. For more specific information on the English Language & Composition test, go to http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/sub_englang.html?englang On this page, you can connect with even more specifics about the class and the test. READING LIST 1. THEY SAY I SAY: THE MOVES THAT MATTER IN ACADEMIC WRITING by Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein *should have this available to use as a reference throughout the school year 2. IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote 3. THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS by Rebecca Skloot 4. Choose One of the following AP recommended nonfiction books: INTO THE WILD by John Krakauer AMAZING GRACE by Jonathon Kazol THE RIGHT STUFF by Tom Wolfe FAST FOOD NATION by Eric Schlosser NICKEL AND DIMED: ON (NOT) GETTING BY IN AMERICA by Barbara Ehrenreich OVERACHIEVERS: THE SECRET LIVES OF DRIVEN KIDS by Alexandra Robbins THERE ARE NO CHILDREN HERE by Alex Kotlowitz KABUL BEAUTY SCHOOL: AN AMERICAN WOMAN GOES BEHIND THE VEIL by Deborah Rodriguez THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky BLACK HAWK DOWN by Mark Bowden SHE SAID YES: THE UNLIKELY MARTYRDOM OF CASSIE BERNALL by Misty Bernall CATCH ME IF YOU CAN by Frank Abagnale THE ZOOKEEPER S WIFE: A WAR STORY by Diane Ackerman READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN by Azar Nafisi DRESS YOUR FAMILY IN CORDUROY AND DENIM by David Sedaris HOW STARBUCKS SAVED MY LIFE: A SON OF PRIVILEGE LEARNS TO LIVE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE by Michael Gates Gill ESCAPE by Carolyn Jessop THE GLASS CASTLE by Jeannette Walls BEAUTIFUL BOY: A FATHER S JOURNEY THROUGH HIS SON S ADDICTION by David Sheff PROZAC NATION by Elizabeth Wurtzel SEABISCUIT: AN AMERICAN LEGEND by Laura Hillenbrand THE INNOCENT MAN by John Grisham FREAKONOMICS by Malcolm Gladwell THE PERFECT STORM by Sebastian Junger 5. CHOICE BOOK from the New York Times Best Sellers Hardcover Nonfiction or Paperback Nonfiction lists (Amazon has these lists on their website you can also google New York Times Best Seller List). The book must be at an appropriate level for your abilities as an AP student and it must be SCHOOL APPROPRIATE. Please remember, this is a college-level course. Therefore, your book selection should be appropriate for a college-level course. Remember to choose a NONFICTION book!! *Additionally, if you have read one of the required books already, it won t hurt you to read it again. As scholars who love to learn, you can always get more out of a book the second time around.
*If you have already read one of the choice books for another class, please do not choose it again for this class. *Because you are asked to read, analyze, explain, and interpret the items we are reading in the course of the year, it is important that you do not substitute Cliffs Notes, Spark Notes, or other summaries or condensations, nor should you rely on the movie versions of the books, since they are often different. The best way to be successful with this assignment, or any other assignment during the next year, is to read the books carefully and thoughtfully. The bottom line is that you must do all the reading assignments therefore, be sure to begin summer reading early in order to complete the assignments on time. Those students who wait until August to begin the summer reading often cannot give the reading assignment the full concentration it requires. *Be prepared for writing/quizzes/tests on any of the books read this summer. (Keeping a good journal would be very helpful for your tests and/or quizzes)!! JOURNALS As you read, keep a dialectical journal for each book. You should write these journals in one notebook. DO NOT TYPE YOUR JOURNALS! These journals will consist of quotations to which you respond critically for each work. Journals are due Monday, August 25 th. Please label and date journals appropriately. Select one quotation or passage for approximately every 15 pages. Respond to the quotations, focus on the ways in which the author uses language to create an effect. What is it about the language that stands out and makes the passage distinctive? How does the passage reflect the author s style and reveal larger themes of the work? I expect responses to be developed thoughtfully and intellectually. Responses should be approximately 60 words in length. The dialectical journals should be constructed in the following manner: Quote Response Write the quote from the book Your response and analysis of the on the left side of the paper with the correct MLA citation (176). quote should be written on the opposite side of the page. For the RESPONSE column, you have several ways to respond to a text and you only need to use one way. Raise questions about the beliefs and values implied in the text Give your personal reactions to the passage Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or a character Tell what it reminds you of from your own experiences Write about what it makes you think or feel Argue with or speak to the character or author
ESSAYS (Due Monday, August 25 th ) Assignment 1 Essay: Authors hope to get a message across in their writings. Using the book from Choice #2 or #3, think about a significant message the author hopes to convey to his/her readers, then write an essay analyzing how the author conveys that message. Do not just tell what the message is, but analyze how the author gets that message across in his novel. You may consider such devices as character actions, character relationships, tone, setting, language, choices, figures of speech, symbols, and descriptions. These are not the only devices that you may choose to discuss in your essay. These are only suggestions. Keep this essay in 3 rd person. Assignment 2 (also due August 25 th ) Essay: Identify one of the main arguments of your Choice #4 book. Respond to this argument in the form of a multiple paragraph persuasive essay in which you take a stand on the argument. Support your argument with examples from the text. You may not use any other materials. Please use 3 rd person for this essay, as well. Your essays must include: For your heading, put your name, the date, my name, the class, and the assignment name in the top, left-hand corner (use MLA format look up online if you don t know what it is). http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ An interesting title (centered) An introduction with an interesting opener, the author and title, the thesis statement (the message the author hopes to convey/the argument you ve identified), and (the ways/devices the author gets that message across/your stance on the argument) Several body paragraphs with transitions, topic sentences, specific details from the novel, excellent support with your voice and insight, and at least six direct quotes for each essay with parenthetical documentation; for example: This is a sentence from the novel that is in my paper (21). A solid conclusion which reiterates the thesis and ends in a strong, interesting way, leaving the reader with something to THINK about. YOU WILL ALSO BE GRADED ON: Proper grammar and spelling Active voice (few be verbs am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been) MLA style, Typed, double-spaced using 12 point font no fancy fonts please (and no cover pages or folders, please). Each paper should be double-spaced (which is a characteristic of MLA style if you don t know what MLA is, look it up) http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ Each paper must be completely yours and yours alone; do not use any resources, other than the texts themselves, to help you (as in no internet resources or Cliffs Notes to give you ideas). The reader wants to know what YOU observed while reading the books, not what someone else noted. All work should be done independently. Do not do your journals or papers with a classmate! Any of these infractions could result in zeros on the assignments.
To summarize, you need to do the following this summer (everything due Monday, August 25 th ): -read 5 books -complete your written dialectical journals for all 5 books. -write your 2 essays **Presentations for books #4 and #5 will be planned when you return in August. Questions or concerns? Feel free to email me over the summer, but don t expect any leniency if you have waited until the last minute to begin your work. richardson.steve@wintonwoods.org