AP Language and Composition: Summer Assignment Mrs. Staci Davis (sdavis5@interact.ccsd.net) Dr. Soo Park (spark@interact.ccsd.net) Mrs. Melissa Villanueva (mnvillanueva@interact.ccsd.net) Dear Students, Congratulations! You have taken the first step towards success in college by accepting the challenge of Advanced Placement English Language and Composition. You are about to begin a great adventure that will broaden your horizons. The work begins now, as you plan to complete summer readings and assignments prior to the start of the school year 24 August 2015. We are really looking forward to a terrific year with such a talented group that is willing to take on the challenge of a college-level class in high school. Therefore, we cannot lose! Remember, this course offers rewards far beyond the ordinary class, so please do not be daunted by the work. Have fun completing the summer readings and assignments! If you have any questions, please feel free to email any of us using the provided emails. We will try to check at least once a week, but do not hound us with e-mails the week before school. Also, sign up for an Edmodo account ASAP and familiarize yourself with the way it works (much like Facebook), because we will be using it often during both the summer break and school year. Why read during the summer? Researchers have proven that reading increases vocabulary and that reading and writing skills are inextricably connected to each other. Good writers are good readers. Written and oral communication is most effective when you have a command of language and a broad vocabulary; reading gives you exposure to descriptive and rich vocabulary used in wellwritten and powerful phrases and sentences. The accuracy and effectiveness of your communication is determined by your ability to read critically. Reading can be one of the most satisfying and personal life-long habits you will ever develop. Reading gives you knowledge and knowledge is power. Course Expectations These are the minimum course expectations: 1. Summer assignments are ~10% of your quarter 1 grade. 2. Extra studying sessions (after school, weekends, testing days) are a necessary part of this course. Be prepared to spend time outside of the school day studying for this course. More specific information will be provided at the start of the school year. 3. Access Edmodo the day before your scheduled class. 4. Bring an open mind; be ready for alternate views. 5. Be ready to discuss very controversial issues from our history and current events. 6. Build academic and personal maturity. Do not depend on others for YOUR responsibilities. 7. You will need to have access to a computer and a printer for various assignments. 8. You will be expected to write, write, and write. Assignment Due Dates & Edmodo Access All assignments will be due during the second week of classes: 8/31 (A/Odd Day); 9/1 (B/Even Day) If you do not already have an Edmodo account, you will need to create one at ccsd.edmodo.com. The access code is: 94x9w2. Access to the Edmodo group must be approved by one of the teachers, so please plan to join early to avoid not getting access in time to complete the assignments.
AP English Lang & Comp 2015 Summer Assignments 2 ASSIGNMENT 1 Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson First, download and print the full text of Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson (available via Edmodo). Annotate the entire text. Be certain to thoughtfully annotate -- highlighting is not annotating. Think of annotations as your personal questions or observations about the author, the author s style, the language being used, the audience being addressed, and the message or issue being conveyed. Annotating leads to a deeper reading of and a more deliberate engagement with a text. When it comes to annotations, content is more important than format. Make your annotations in the margins of the text, or keep them in a spiral notebook. You are encouraged to reread passages, for understanding or pleasure, as necessary. Next, answer the 12 discussion questions (also available via Edmodo). Answers must be typed. Submissions may be collected digitally (via turnitin.com) and/or printed at the individual teacher s discretion. ASSIGNMENT 2 TED Talk & Essay Visit the TED site at Ted.com and in the drop down menu on the left side the web page, click watch then surprise me and filter by persuasive. Alternately, you may do a search for "persuasive talks." Choose a talk that interests you and is at least 5 minutes in length. While it is important that you choose a talk that is of interest, it is necessary to be flexible. Dare to learn something new even if you don t necessarily agree with what is being said. After you have chosen and viewed your TED Talk, you will write an essay in response to the following prompt: Defend or challenge an assertion made in the talk using applicable evidence and logical reasoning. In addition to the TED Talk, you will conduct additional research to find and use two credible research articles to help support your points. Your final draft should be 2-3 pages in length plus a properly formatted works cited page. As always, be sure to cite properly using MLA format. This assignment is designed to give you practice in argumentation and finding/using credible sources. If you are not clear what MLA formatting consists of, you can learn proper MLA format at sites such as The On-Line Writing Lab at Purdue University (OWL). In addition to submitting the paper, you will also be scheduled to present your response essay to the class effectively giving a short you talk about your chosen Ted talk. ASSIGNMENT 3 Into the Wild with Dialectical Journals Obtain and read a copy of John Krakauer s non-fiction novel Into the Wild. In addition to reading the novel, you are required to complete a total of 10 dialectical reading journals (see format below). Your journals should reflect careful and thoughtful interaction with the text. A template and sample journal entries (for The Great Gatsby) will be posted to Edmodo. What the text SAYS What the text DOES Style (literary/rhetorical devices) The quote you have chosen goes in this column. Don t forget the quotation marks and page number. The quote can be anything that strikes you as important or that caused you to react: the character, setting, themes, imagery, etc. Any text in the book counts, not just dialogue (Page #). You can write about why you selected this particular quote or what your reactions were to it. In this column, a good strategy is to link your discussion to a major theme/purpose of the text. The purpose of this section is NOT to summarize; summaries will receive NO credit. Interpret the text. Say something new. In this column, you will identify literary/rhetorical devices AND comment on their effect in the play. Why does the author use that device? How does it contribute? Be sure to underline the literary/rhetorical devices you discuss. Note: Symbolism, characterization, and setting are always good options for this column be sure to be specific.
ASSIGNMENT 4 Flash Cards for Rhetorical Terms/Strategies AP English Lang & Comp 2015 Summer Assignments 3 You will be expected to know all of these terms by the end of quarter 1, so it s highly recommended that you begin creating your flash cards and begin studying them now. Your flash cards should follow the diagram below. Make sure to include all 60 terms for this assignment. These cards should be secured with a rubber band or plastic sandwich baggie (not a paperclip). Side 1 Side 2 Rhyme when multiple words have the same ending sounds (often at the ends of lines of poetry) I meant what I said And I said what I meant. An elephant s faithful One hundred per cent! -Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss 1. ad hominem argument: Latin meaning to or against the man. An argument that appeals to emotion rather than reason; to feeling rather than intellect. 2. allusion: A direct or indirect reference to something which is presumably commonly known, such as an event, book, myth, place, or work of art. Allusions can be historical, literary, religious, or mythical. There are many more possibilities. A work may simultaneously use multiple layers of allusions. 3. analogy: A similarity or comparison between two different things or the relationship between them. An analogy can explain something unfamiliar by associating it to something more familiar. 4. anaphora: Repetition of the initial word in several successive clauses. 5. antecedent: The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun. The AP Lang. exam occasionally asks for the antecedent of a given pronoun in a long, complex sentence or in a group of sentences. 6. antimetabole: Repetition of words in reverse order. 7. antithesis: A concept that is directly opposed to a previously presented idea; a rhetorical contrast. (Parallel structure that juxtaposes contrasting ideas). For example, It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities). 8. aphorism: A short statement on a serious subject. Example, A soft answer turneth away wrath (Holy Bible, Proverbs 15.1). 9. apostrophe: A figure of speech that directly addresses an absent or imaginary person or personified abstraction, such as liberty or love. The effect may add familiarity or emotional intensity. 10. assumption: A belief regarded as true, upon which other claims are based. 11. asyndeton: The deliberate omission of conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses (suggests a sense of haste). Example, that government of the people, by the people, for the people. 12. backing: In Toulmin s argument, the evidence provided to support a warrant. 13. chiasmus: A figure of speech in which two successive phrases or clauses are parallel in syntax but reverse the order of the analogous words. Example, All for one and one for all (Dumas, The Three Musketeers). 14. claim: A statement that asserts a belief or truth. In arguments, most claims require supporting evidence. The claim is a key component in Toulmin argument. 15. clause: A grammatical unit that contains both a subject and a verb. A main, or independent, clause expresses a complete thought and can stand alone as a sentence. A subordinate, or dependent, clause cannot stand alone as a sentence and must be accompanied by a main clause. Example, Because I practiced hard, my AP scores were high.
AP English Lang & Comp 2015 Summer Assignments 4 16. colloquial/colloquialism: The use of slang or informalities in speech or writing. Not generally acceptable for formal writing, colloquialisms give a work a conversational, familiar tone. Colloquial expressions in writing include local or regional dialects. 17. connotation: The nonliteral, associative meaning of a word; the implied, suggested meaning. Connotations may involve ideas, emotions, or attitudes. 18. coordination: The act of making equal in a compound sentence. Example, John held the dog, and Tom removed the burr from its paw. 19. credibility: The quality of being believable or worthy of trust. 20. denotation: The strict, literal, dictionary definition of a word, devoid of any emotional, attitude, or color. 21. diction: Related to style, diction refers to the writer s word choices, especially with regard to their correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. For the AP Exam, you should be able to describe an author s diction (for example, formal, informal, ornate, plain, colloquial, or slang) and understand the ways in which diction can complement the author s purpose and meaning. Diction, combined with syntax, figurative language, literary devices, imagery, etc., creates an author s style. (NOTE: This term frequently appears in the essay question s wording. In your thesis avoid phrases such as, The author uses diction. Since diction, by definition, is word choice, this phrase really says, The author chooses words to write. which is as redundant as claiming, A painter uses paints to paint. Try to put an adjective in front of the word diction to help describe it, such as stark diction or flowery and soft diction. ) 22. didactic: From the Greek, didactic literally means teaching. didactic works have the primary aim of teaching or instructing, especially the teaching of moral or ethical principles. 23. enthymeme: In Toulmin argument, a statement that links a claim to a supporting reason: The bank will fail (claim) because it has lost the support of its largest investors (reason). In classical rhetoric, an enthymeme is a syllogism with one term understood but not stated: Socrates is mortal because he is a human being. (The understood term is: All human beings are mortal.) 24. ethos: The quality of a literary work or passage which appeals to the writers character, especially in terms of how well they establish their credibility and trustworthiness. 25. euphemism: From the Greek for good speech, euphemisms are a more agreeable or less offensive substitute for generally unpleasant words or concepts. The euphemism may be used to adhere to standards of social or political correctness, or to add humor or ironic understatement. Euphemisms are associated diction. 26. grounds: In Toulmin argument, the evidence provided to support a claim and reason that is an enthymeme. 27. homily: This term literally means sermon, but more informally, it can include any serious talk, speech, or lecture involving moral or spiritual advice. 28. hyperbole: A figure of speech using deliberate exaggeration or overstatement. Hyperboles often have a comic effect; however, a serious effect is also possible. Often, hyperbole produces irony as well. 29. imagery: The sensory details or figurative language used to describe, arouse emotion, or represent abstractions. On a physical level, imagery uses terms related to the five senses; we refer to visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, or olfactory imagery. On a broader and deeper level, however, one image can represent more than one thing. For example, a rose may present visual imagery while also representing the color in a woman s cheeks. An author, therefore, may use complex imagery while simultaneously employing other figures of speech, especially metaphor and simile. In addition, this term can apply to the total of all the images in a work. On the AP Exam, pay attention to HOW an author creates imagery and to the EFFECT of that imagery. 30. inference/infer: To draw a reasonable conclusion from the information presented. The most direct, most reasonable inference is the safest answer choice. (If the answer choice is directly stated, is not inferred and is wrong.) 31. irony/ironic: The contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant; the difference between what appears to be and what actually is true. The three types of irony are verbal, situational, and dramatic. 32. juxtaposition: Placement of two things closely together to emphasize comparisons or contrasts. 33. logos: The quality of a literary work or passage which appeals to the reader s or viewer s logic especially that of the writer s main points being sufficiently supported. The writer poses clear, rational ideas. 34. loose sentence (cumulative): A type of sentence in which the main clause is followed by subordinate clauses or phrases that supply additional detail. A work containing many loose sentences often seems informal, relaxed, and conversational. 35. metonymy: A figure of speech that replaces the name of something with a word or phrase closely associated with it. Similar to synecdoche. Example, the white house instead of the president or brass to mean military officers.
AP English Lang & Comp 2015 Summer Assignments 5 36. mood: This term has two distinct technical meanings in English writing. GRAMMATICAL mood ideals with verbal units and a speaker s attitude, such as indicative, subjective, or imperative moods. LITERARY mood refers to prevailing atmosphere or emotional aura of a work. Setting, tone, and events can affect the mood. 37. parallelism: Also called parallel construction or parallel structure, this term refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. Charles Dickens s novel A Tale of Two Cities begins with an example: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness. Parallel construction acts as an organizing force to attract the reader s attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply to provide a musical rhythm. 38. parody: A word that closely imitates the style or content of another with the specific aim of comic effect and/or ridicule. As comedy, parody distorts or exaggerates distinctive features of the original. As ridicule, it mimics the work by repeating and borrowing words, phrases, or characteristics in order to illuminate weaknesses in the original. 39. pathos: The quality of a literary work or passage which appeals to the reader s or viewer s emotions especially pity, compassion, and sympathy. 40. pathetic fallacy: A special type of personification in which inanimate aspects of nature, such as the landscape or the weather, are represented as having human qualities or feelings. Example, The air was pitilessly raw (Joyce, Araby ). 41. pedantic: An adjective that describes words, phrases, or general tone that is overly scholarly, academic, or bookish. 42. periodic sentence: A sentence that presents its central meaning in a main clause at the end, usually preceded by subordinate clauses or phrases. Example, Crossing a bare common, in snow puddles, at twilight, under a clouded sky, without having in my thoughts any occurrence of special good fortune, I have enjoyed a perfect exhilaration. 43. polysyndeton: The presence of more conjunctions than normal. Example, Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow creeps in this petty pace from day to day (Shakespeare, McBeth). 44. reason: In writing, a statement that expands a claim by offering evidence to support it. The reason may be a statement of fact or another claim. In Toulmin argument, a reason is attached to a claim by a warrant, a statement that establishes the logical connection between claim and supporting reason. 45. rhetoric: From the Greek for orator, this term describes the principles governing the art of writing effectively, eloquently, and persuasively. 46. rhetorical modes: This term describes the variety, the conventions, and the purposes of the major kinds of writing. The four most common are exposition, argument, description, and narration. 47. rhetorical question: A question that is asked merely for effect and does not expect a reply. The answer is assumed. 48. satire: A work that targets human vices and follies, or social institutions and conventions, for reform or ridicule. Satire is best seen as a style of writing rather than a purpose for writing. It can be recognized by the many devices used effectively by the satirist such as irony, wit, parody, caricature, hyperbole, understatement, and sarcasm. 49. shift (rhetorical): In writing, a movement from one thought or idea or tone to another; a change. 50. style: the consideration of style has two purposes: An evaluation of the sum of the choices an author makes in blending diction, syntax, figurative language, and other literary devices. We can analyze and describe an author s personal style and make judgments on how appropriate it is to the author s purpose. Styles can be called flowery, explicit, succinct, rambling, bombastic, commonplace, incisive, laconic, plain, ornate, complex, etc. Classification of authors to a group and comparison of an author to similar authors. By means of such classification and comparison, one can see how an author s style reflects and helps to define a historical period, such as the Renaissance or the Victorian period, or a literary movement, such as romantic, transcendental, or realist movement. 51. subject complement: The word (with any accompanying phrases) or clause that follows a linking verb and complements, or completes, the subject of the sentence by either (1) renaming it [predicate noun] or (2) describing it [predicate adjective]. 52. subordinate clause: Like all clauses, this word group contains both a subject and a verb (plus any accompanying phrases or modifiers), but unlike the independent (or main) clause, the subordinate clause cannot stand alone; it does not express a complete thought. Also called a dependent clause, it depends on a main clause to complete
AP English Lang & Comp 2015 Summer Assignments 6 its meaning. Key words and phrases usually begin these clauses, such as although, because, unless, if, even though, since, as soon as, while, who, when, where, how, that. 53. subordination: The art of placing in, or occupying, a less equal position in a sentence. Think of a subordinate clause used as a noun, adjective, or adverb. Example: John held the dog when Tom opened the door. 54. syllogism: From the Greek for reckoning together, a syllogism (or syllogistic reasoning) is a deductive system of formal logic that presents two premises the first called major and the second minor that inevitable lead to a sound conclusion. For example: Major premise: All men are mortal. Minor premise: Socrates is a man. Conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is mortal. A syllogism s conclusion is valid only if each of the two premises is valid. Syllogisms may also present the specific idea first ( Socrates ) and the general idea second ( All men ). 55. synecdoche: A figure of speech where one part represents the entire object, or vice versa. Example: All hands on deck. lend me your ears. 56. syntax: The way an author chooses to join words into phrases, clauses, and sentences. Syntax is similar to diction, but you can differentiate the two by thinking of syntax as referring to groups of words, while diction refers to individual words. In the multiple-choice section of the AP Language Exam, expect to be asked some questions about how an author manipulates syntax. In the essay section, you will need to analyze how syntax affects an author s style or meaning. When you analyze syntax, consider such elements as the length or brevity of sentences, unusual sentence constructions, the sentence patterns used, and the kinds of sentences the author uses. The writer may use questions, declarations, exclamations, repetition, or rhetorical questions; sentences are also classified as periodic or loose, simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex. First try to classify what kind of sentences the author uses. Then try to determine how the author s choices amplify meaning; in other words, why they work well for the author s purpose. 57. tone: Similar to mood, tone describes the author s attitude toward his or her material, the audience, or both. Considering how a work would sound if it were read aloud can help in identifying an author s tone. Some words describing tone are playful, serious, businesslike, sarcastic, humorous, formal, acerbic, didactic, etc. As with attitude, an author s tone in the exam s passages can rarely be described by one word. Expect that it will be complex. 58. Toulmin Argument: A method of informal logic first described by Stephen Toulmin in 1958. It describes the key components of an argument as the claim, reason, warrant, backing, and grounds. 59. warrant: In Toulmin s argument, the statement (expressed or implied) that establishes the logical connection between the claim and its supporting reason. Claim Don t eat that mushroom; Reason it s poisonous. Warrant What is poisonous should not be eaten. 60. zeugma: The use of a single word to refer to or to describe two different words in a sentence resulting in two different meanings. Example: or stain her honour or her new brocade (Pope s Rape of the Lock). Revised 13 May 2015