AP English Language and Composition May 2017 Summer Reading Assignment Welcome to AP English Language and Composition! This year will challenge you beyond any English class you have encountered thus far. In order to begin at the pace we need to maintain throughout the year, you are required to read each of the following texts and to complete the following assignments. Be sure to pay attention to the due dates and complete each assignment thoroughly. I will not accept late work under any circumstances. I look forward to working with each of you next school year. Enjoy your summer! You must purchase and read: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, ISBN: 9780141439556 The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawethorne, ISBN: 9780743487566 ***Please only purchase and read the exact version of each book, as listed by the ISBN. This will be important as I look for the passages you cite in your Major Works Data Sheet, Dialectical Journals, and the Timed Writing.*** Wuthering Heights As you read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, you are required to keep a dialectical journal. Dialectics is a method made popular by Plato in ancient times. Essentially, dialectics is a dialogue between two people. So, think of this journal as a dialogue between you and the book wherein you question it, notice good/bad points, etc. It should not be a summary of what happened in the book. Attached is a guide that will instruct you on the format of your entries, as well as what sorts of comments to make. You must have at least 35 entries and no more than 2 entries for any given chapter. Your entries are worth 70 points. In addition, following the correct format for each entry is worth an additional 5 points, making the entire assignment worth 75 points. You will not receive credit for any summaries. You should not have the same comments as other students. This is cheating and will be treated as such. Please review LCA s cheating policy if you have any questions. There will be a Timed Writing on Wuthering Heights the first week of school. The Timed Writing is worth 50 points. The Scarlet Letter As you read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawethorne, fill out the attached Major Works Data Sheet. Use the attached rubric to guide you (point values may vary from rubric). There will be an exam on The Scarlet Letter the first week of school. We will not be discussing the work before the exam. The exam is worth 100 points. Essay Reading and Paper Assignment Components: Essay Summarizations 15 points Annotated Essays You must closely read and annotate your short stories 25 points Thesis Must be underlined and should be the last sentence in your first paragraph. 10 points 4. References completed in proper MLA format 15 points 5. Outline You must have an outline of your paper before you begin writing. 25 points 6. Final Draft Paper must be completed in MLA format. You are required to have in-text citations. 100 points Length: 750 1000 words (you have a 25 word grace on either end)
Procedure: Choose two essays from the list provided by Mr. Small. You are required to closely read and annotate each essay. It is advised to do a little research on the essays rather than blindly selecting. This will make your life easier for other parts of the assignment. Annotation involved highlighting or preferably underlining key points and circling unknown vocabulary words. Equally important is writing comments in the margin of the text. These comments/labels help you make connections to the reading and provide and excellent short cut for reviewing the key points of the essay in order to compose your own written response or prepare for a test or quiz on the reading. For each story, complete a summary. Each summary should be at least 150 words. Do NOT copy this form the internet or you will receive a zero (0). You should include major and minor points, analogies, rhetorical strategies, anecdotes, stylistic elements, etc. After you have read your essays, develop a topic of research, which you will turn into a thesis statement. The thesis should be an arguable statement that passes the So What? questions. Statements of fact are NOT thesis statements. Suggested avenues of research include: gender, race, class, critical and society reaction to an author, frequently used themes, motifs, rhetorical strategies, etc. What are the similarities and differences between the two essays you selected to read? Topics should be weighty enough to support a 750-1000 word analysis. 4. Research your essays/topic. Use at least three (3) outside sources of academic merit (if unsure about academic merit, clear any outside reading with your instructor). Shmoop, SparkNotes, Wikipedia, etc. are NOT credible sources. Use the databases you have access to as a student or Google Scholar. The library is also a great place to find academic sources. You WILL NOT receive credit for sources that are deemed non-academic. 5. Develop your outline. Prior to writing your paper, develop an outline. You will submit your outline for a grade. Your outline MUST be typed with proper MLA heading. 6. Write your paper. Papers must follow the MLA style guide and use quotatios from both the essays and supplementary materials, all cited according to MLA guidelines. Use your thesis as a guide for your paper. You should have topic sentences in all paragraphs. Check for spelling and grammar mistakes. A level of sophistication in vocabulary and sentence variety is expected at this level. You should have a variety of sentence types (simple, compound, and compound-complex.) Not passive voice or first person. You should not use contractions in your writing.
Dialectical Journal Assignment What is a dialectical journal? Dialectical means the art or practice of arriving at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments (dictionary.com). A dialectical journal, then, is used to arrive at the truth of a written work through the written response to quotations from that work. What exactly constitutes a quotation? A quotation can be narration OR dialogue. You are NOT limited just to what the characters say. What kinds of quotations should I choose and what should I write about? Find passages that you think help us better understand the author s subject matter, characterizations, attitude, and especially THEMES (messages/ big ideas ). Try to keep this is mind as you are selecting your quotes. If you find yourself simply repeating what the quotation says, you might want to select a different quotation or reevaluate how you are approaching the response. NO SUMMARIES! What format should I use? Create a three column table in Word, using the second column to copy a significant quote or line from the story with its page number. Use the third column to react to that line, interpret it, ask a question about it, or consider any of the ideas on the back of this sheet. Include the chapter and date in the first column. How long should my responses be? While I am more concerned with the depth of your thought, you need to stretch yourself and write at least five sentences about each quote. Example (please follow this format exactly or you will lose points): Date Concrete Details Thoughts, Reaction, and Analysis Chapter 3 4-10-13 For example, when Lennie feels Curley s wife s hair, she says, Don t you muss it up How naïve can she be! I can t believe she thinks this guy with big bear hands can be gentle that s HUGE foreshadowing. Don t Chapter 3 4-10-13 Chapter 4 4-12-13 (90). In addition, when Curley s wife starts screaming, Lennie breaks her neck and comments, George ll be mad if you yell (91). For example, in the bunkhouse, Carlson says, Look, Candy. This ol dog jus suffers hisself all the time. If you was to take him out and shoot him right in the back of the head why he d never know what hit him (44). These are some ideas to get you started. You may use any, or none of the following ideas: you get to know a guy before letting him feel you? Lennie is such a child; he has no cognition of the severity of his situation yet. It seems he has no sense of cause and effect, he only knows how to follow directions. I noticed that everyone on the ranch has a blatant disregard for Candy s old dog. Now that the dog is no longer of use to anyone, the ranchers just want to dispose of him. I wonder if Steinbeck is using the killing of the dog to represent what happens to people that are weak and no longer needed? Is there a place for weak people in the society George and Lennie live in? Any passage or item that puzzles you Any item that intrigues you and why Things you agree with and why 4. Things that you don't agree with and why 5. How something makes you feel and why 6. What you think will happen next and why 7. New concepts and your ideas about them 8. How this reading relates to your life 9. Things this reading has in common with 10. What you think the author is/was like and why 1 Why you think acts as s/he does 1 What you think it would be like to live in and why 1 Your reaction to and why 14. Things you would like the class to discuss and why 15. Ideas on causes/effects and why 16. What you would do if you were and why 17. Something the reading reminds you of and why 18. Why is important 19. What you think of a particular cultural element and why 20. Anything that causes you to say "Ah Ha!" and why
AP English Language & Composition Major Works Data Sheet TITLE BOX Title: Name: CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LITERARY PERIOD Author: Date of Publication: Literary Period: 4. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION HISTORICAL INFORMATION 4. 4. 5. 5. PLOT SUMMARY
LITERARY DEVICES 4. 5. MEMORABLE QUOTE SIGNIFICANCE 4. 5.
CHARACTERS Name Role and Significance Adjectives with Page Numbers
SETTING SIGNIFICANCE OF OPENING SCENE SYMBOLS SIGNIFICANCE OF CLOSING SCENE Quote: SYNTAX Effect: Theme: UNIVERSAL THEMES Quote: Quote: Theme: Quote: Quote:
Vocabulary: As you read, choose fifteen unfamiliar words that are college level, complex, and interesting. Do not use any proper nouns. If you are uncertain about a word, please ask. This portion of the Major Works Data Sheet must be typed and stapled in place of this page. Include the following for each word: The word itself (in bold) and where it was found, including title of text from which it was taken and page number. The context sentence in which the word appears (with the word in bold). The whole sentence should be written unless there is a way of using part of the sentence without sacrificing the context that helps indicate the meaning of the word. Similarly for short or unclear sentences, a second sentence or part of it should be included. A clear, complete definition of the word, selected based on the context sentence and including part of speech as the word used in context. 4. An original sentence that on its own demonstrates the meaning of the word (in bold) clearly and uses it correctly in the same form in which it appeared. ***Follow this example exactly to receive full credit. You will lose points if your entries are formatted incorrectly.*** Predilection The Crucible Act 1; Page 5 a. This predilection for minding other people s business was time honored among the people of Salem, and it undoubtedly created many suspicions which were to feed the coming madness. b. Noun: a particular liking or preference for something c. The man s predilection for spicy food showed itself in the fact that his favorite restaurants across the country were all Mexican, Thai, and Indian, and that the Tobasco sauce in the refrigerator was usually less than half full. Note: This assignment must be done individually; if identical or close lists are submitted by two or more students, the students will receive a zero (0) for this section of the assignment. If original sentences are found to be copied from the Internet or another source, no credit will be awarded for those words.
Major Works Data Sheet Rubric Criteria & Expectations Possible Points Points Earned Title Box: Title, Author, Date of Publication (original), Literary Period 4 Biographical Information: Research based, information is clearly noted for easy reference, focuses on important information about author that could have influenced text (minimum of five facts). Include citations from reputable sources (not Wikipedia, SparkNotes, etc.) Historical Information: Research based, focuses on what was going on the world that may have influenced the author (minimum of five facts). Include citations from reputable sources (not Wikipedia, SparkNotes, etc.) Characteristics of Literary Period: Explains the characteristics of the literary period (minimum of four facts). Include citations from reputable sources (not Wikipedia, SparkNotes, etc.) Plot Summary: Student has clearly and fully represented key points of the plot. Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution are clearly identified. Do not copy this section from SparkNotes or another source or you will receive a 0. Literary Devices: Specific aspects of the author s writing style are identified. Include at least one quote and analysis for each. No page numbers = no credit. Memorable Quotes: Minimum of five quotes are needed in this section. Explain the importance of the quote to the text. Do NOT summarize. Identify the speaker of the quote. Quotes should be taken from multiple characters that represent defining moments in plot development, theme, or character development. The list of quotes should be representative of the entire novel. No page numbers = no credit. Characters: Identify all significant characters in the novel. Explain the role and significance of each character. Include multiple adjectives with page numbers that support each adjective. No page numbers = no credit. Setting: Identifies significant setting and explains significance of the setting. Make sure you include time and place (not just the country). Symbols: Must have a minimum of three symbols. Explain the importance of the symbol to the text. You must include page numbers. No page numbers = no credit. 5 5 3 8 10 10 8 4 6 Significance of Opening Scene: Explain why the author chose to start the book this way. 3 Significance of Closing Scene: Explain why the author chose to end the book in this way. You should reference any growth in the novel. Syntax: Choose a passage within the text that illustrates purposeful syntax (repetition, word arrangement, punctuation, parallel structure, etc.). Explain the effect of the author s choice of syntax on your understanding of the passage as a whole. Do NOT summarize the passage or comment on literary devices. Universal Themes: Themes should be written in complete sentences and be specific. Themes are not one word or phrase. Do not include any clichés. You must have a minimum of two possible themes, including at least two quotes from the text with relevant page numbers for support. No page numbers = no credit. Vocabulary: Identifies fifteen college level words with the word, context sentence, definition, and original sentence. Formatting guidelines are followed exactly. TOTAL POINTS 3 6 10 15 100
Available Essays (All essays can be found in the textbook or online for free.) Title A Talk to Teachers School Superman and Me Walking the Path between Worlds Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted What the Bagel Man Saw The Case for Working with Your Hands How to Restore the American Dream Just Walk on By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space A Spectator s Notebook Barbaro, The Heart in the Winner s Circle Why I Love My Job The Great Game How to Tame a Wild Tongue An Image a Little Too Carefully Coordinated Celebrity Bodies Natural Man Thoughts on Peace in an Air Raid The Partly Cloudy Patriot Learning to Read How It Feels to Be Colored Me On Keeping a Notebook The Education of Women Author James Baldwin Kyoko Mori Sherman Alexie Lori Arviso Alvord Malcolm Gladwell Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt Matthew B. Crawford Fareed Zakaria Brent Staples Kris Vervaecke Jane Smiley Rick Reilly Caroline Alexander Gloria Anzaldua Robin Givhan Daniel Harris Lewis Thomas Virginia Woolf Sarah Vowell Malcolm X Zora Neale Hurston Joan Didion Daniel Defoe