Summer Readings/Assignments
AP Human Geography
AP Human Geography, like every other AP course offered here at Creekside High School, is designed to be a college level course. In many college courses, students are required to know the information in their text books as well as readings related to the course. Our required reading over the summer will help us reach that goal while not overloading the students during the school year. Those students taking AP Human Geography next year need to complete the following assignments in preparation for next year’s class:
Part 1- Reading: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier - By Ishmael Beah
Use the reading to complete the attached reading assignment.
Part 2 - Maps
Physical geography, while not the main focus of this course, is extremely important to our study of human geography – the authors and graders of the AP Exam expect you to know this information. Please take time to study different maps of the world. We will be taking bi-weekly map quizzes over the countries of the world (by continent). Please familiarize yourself with the world’s physical & political geography. Blank maps can be found at: http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/world.html There are many ways to practice and quiz yourself online; one good quiz site is: http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/
Be prepared for quizzes and/or assignments the first week of school concerning your summer work!
Please email all questions to
Have a great summer!! I look forward to meeting you in the fall!
A Long Way Gone: Assignment
Directions: Type each question and response in 12pt font (Arial or Times New Roman), 1.5 spacing. Be sure to include your name - do not use any other type of source to find responses.
Please type the question, then the response. Each response must be explained thoroughly – no less than 4 sentences per answer, at least! This assignment will be due upon your return to school in the fall!
1. How familiar were you with the civil wars of Sierra Leone prior to reading A Long Way Gone?
2. How did Ishmael’s grandmother explain the local adage that ‘we must strive to be like the moon’ (p16)? And why has Ishmael remembered this saying, ever since childhood? What does it mean to him?
3. Commenting on how a revel soldier had interrogated an old man, Ishmael writes: ‘Before the war a young man wouldn’t have dared to talk to anyone older in such a rude manner. We grew up in a culture that demanded good behavior from everyone, and especially the young’ (p.33). Where else in A Long Way Gone did you encounter the brutal or even sadistic behavior of young rebels – or of other young people?
4. Discuss the role of American hip-hop culture in creating a ‘soundtrack’ for Ishmael’s life. Why are rappers so appealing to him?
5. The boys’ discovery of the Atlantic Ocean & their encounter with a cheerful fisherman who heals & feeds them is followed by the tragedy of Saidu’s death after a bird falls ominously from the sky. Discuss Ishmael’s relationship with the natural world. In what way is he guided by the constancy of the earth & sky?
6. At the village of Yele, a pivotal shift in this memoir begins when Ishmael goes from being an observer & victim of savage, war-triggered violence to being both of these things as well as a perpetrator of such violence. How does this shift happen? Do Ishmael and his companions have any choice in making it?
7. Benin Home, where Ishmael undergoes psychological, emotional, & social counseling, as well as physical & medical attention, is where he keeps hearing the “this isn’t your fault” remark from various staffers & professionals. Does he ever really accept this mantra? Explain.
8. Storytelling is a powerful force in Ishmael’s life, even providing a connection to his future mother, Laura Simms. What traits make Ishmael a memorable & unique storyteller? How does his perspective compare to the perspectives of filmmakers, reporters, or authors who have recently tried to portray Africa’s civil wars?
9. Look back to the short “New York City, 1998” prologue that begins this memoir. What is it, exactly, that Ishmael’s friends find so “cool” about his past? Do you think his American friends, after reading this book, would still feel that way? Why or why not?
10. After reading the chronology of Sierra Leone’s history, what reasons can you propose for the coups in Ishmael’s homeland? Did the arrival of Portuguese slave traders, or the later colonization by the British, contribute to Sierra Leone’s 20th-century woes? What did you discover about the motivations of the army soldiers versus those of the rebels? In your opinion, what made the leaders of the RUF so ruthless for so long?